Anchorage· Hogsty Reef· Bahamas — Eleuthera, Andros & the Out Islands
Hogsty Reef Anchorage
21° 41.5′ N · 73° 50.9′ W
One of the only true atolls in the Atlantic - a 5 x 3 mile ring of reef rising from 6,000 ft of water more than 30 miles from land - with the usual anchorage in the lee of tiny Northwest Cay; magical in a calm, untenable in anything else.
Practical
Waterway Guide position 21°41.540'N 73°50.930'W, 6-18 ft; dangerous in SW and NW weather. ActiveCaptain 'Outer Northwest Cay': almost no shelter except in dead-east winds, and even then reef-bounced swell can make it rough; good holding in sand in about 10 ft, deeper than 15 ft is rockier - dive the anchor. Off the cay's west side the bottom drops past 100 m within about 200 m of shore, so anchor close in (SV Meshugga, Feb 2020, anchored outside the atoll in E 20 kt). Noforeignland reviewers loved glassy-calm nights here with resident nurse sharks and the seabird colony. Arrive with the sun high and behind you. No services, no help - be self-sufficient and watch the weather closely.
Best for
An overnight on a mid-ocean atoll in a weather window
Season
Only in settled, light easterlies (often late spring)
Nearby
- Hogsty Reef Northwest Cay beach0.1 NM away
- Hogsty Reef Northwest Cay light0.1 NM away
- Hogsty Reef Lagoon Anchorage1.6 NM away
- Hogsty Reef wrecks and snorkel1.6 NM away
- Mudian Harbour Anchorage36.8 NM away
- Castle Island Lighthouse37.3 NM away
- Castle Island Anchorage37.5 NM away
- Castle Island wreck snorkel37.5 NM away