Luperon - Florida
02.05.2010 - 31.05.2010

Sailing the Bahamas

The Bahamas is an Archipelago consisting of around 700 islands. The most islands make the north western part of huge coral reefs, which will drop from 20 m dept or less to 1000 - 3000 meters. Therefore we must be very careful with the navigation in to a reef, as entrances are very narrow and rocks or coral reefs need to be spotted by eyes. But the most anchorages are at the south western side of the islands in the middle of the reef which is protecting from big waves but not from the wind.

The islands themselves are lowlands. The highest point is on CAT Island with around 60 m. Because of the huge reefs around the islands with their turquoise blue waters and the beautiful white sandy beaches the Bahamas main income is tourism.

1492 Christopher Columbus has discovered the Bahamas. The peaceful Lucayans were settling here and lived from fishing and agriculture. Planters arrived in the mid 1400s, importing slave laborers from Africa. After the Emancipation Act in 1833 many settlements were abandoned and their ruins still can be found. After 300 years as a British Colony in1973 the Bahamas became independent.

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