If you need to spent some time in the Nassau area, old Fort Bay is tough to beat. The bay is shallow – only 1-3m in most places; has a number of fringing reefs and is sheltered from the prevailing easterly winds and swell. What makes it so magical is the fact that it is almost completely surrounded by a gated community.
The result is almost like making it a private beach since the only access for the public is from the sea and very few boats come here. In five days we have not seen a single tour boat and only one other yacht. During the day, the only people using the beach congregate around the private club at its northeastern end and there may only be a dozen people.
The rest of the beach is fronted by a few very large homes that are mostly unoccupied. So the best beach on New Providence Island – is essentially deserted, which was great for us. The bottom is beautiful white coral sand so the waters are kaleidoscope of aqua through royal blue colours. And most days they are so clear you can see the sand grains and ripples on the sea floor below Oh! Under a full moon you still clearly see the ripples on the bottom of the shallow bay.
I don’t often associate of clean sand bottoms with good snorkelling, but that is not what we found here. The sea below is fascinating and full of life. Take a look.
The views above water level are incredible as well. The evening skies always have incredible sunsets and the beach walk is relaxing and beautiful.
Old Fort Bay is a great place to just watch the waves gently breaking on shore and the sea foam they create disappear into the beach. The only trace left by each retreating wave being a brief period of moisture that turns the beach into a mirror reflecting the morning sun, and the faint line each wave leaves on the sand as it reaches its maximum movement up the beach.
There are so many intriguing and beautiful things to explore and observe. You just need to take the time to be still, listen and watch as nature entertains and stimulates your senses.
Ted and Josefin on “Stet” have spent many hours with me paddle boarding, swimming, working on Oh! and preparing our boats for the passage north.
There has also been time for cleaning rust from the shower stall hardware, decanting water out of the fuel tanks, mending flags, creating a bridle for a boom preventer line, adding chafe guards and wear patches to the inflatable and all that maintenance and daily fixing of the stuff on a cruising boat.
We also shared some baking and cooking skills where the results were clearly enjoyed by all..
Old Fort Bay is a beautiful corner of the Bahamas and a real gem if you need to spend some time close to Nassau.
Cheers from Oh!
Hi Rod. Nice job on the blog posts, which I read with envy and good memories of our Lagoon 38 charter in the Exumas last May on your recommendation. Glad to hear you and Diane are doing well and continuing to enjoy the life, since our time with you in Madeira to Canaries in November – also a memorable experience. I see you have also taken on more fishing, and certainly more successfully than me!
I was watching your progress on SPOT and thinking you were stopped in New Providence waiting out sub-tropical storm Andrea as it formed up NE of you near Bermuda, before your trip north. All clear now so have a fine trip north.
BTW, are those nice underwater shots taken with your little red camera?? Remind me of the model.
All the best,
Greg