Navigating through the Current Cut

View from S/V Pandion's helm as we enter the Current Cut in Eleuthera.

To continue our voyage through Eleuthera, we planned to navigate through the Current Cut, a narrow tidal pass that can see currents as fast as 10 knots in severe conditions. The chart books are full of warnings about the need to take this cut seriously. To stage Pandion for this challenging event, we anchored off the settlement of Current to take a look.

Aerial view of the Current Cut.
Tidal currents can run as fast as 10 knots through this narrow channel.

Taking Newt to the beach, we walked about a mile into Current Settlement, hoping to get some first hand information from the local people who lived there. It was quiet. Way quiet. Very people around. We saw a total of four people, two cats, and two roosters.

Foster offers snorkeling trips through the Current Cut.

With a rainstorm rolling in, we bailed on Plan A (i.e. getting the low down from a savvy islander) and headed back to Pandion for Plan B (i.e. Google it).

Interestingly, the information on the internet about picking the best time to cross through the Current Cut is conflicting.

Some sources recommended making the trip at 1.5 to 2 hours after Nassau high tide, 1 hour before Nassau high tide, or some variant of these.

We opted to hang out and watch for ourselves, before taking S/V Pandion through, since we have the luxury of time. That turned out to be the right move for us. By taking Newt into the Cut to see the currents for ourselves, we could judge how fast the tides were moving and compare it to our tide clock (which we adjusted a few times, based on our depth readings).

View across the Current Cut, from the eastern beach at Current Settlement.

We ended up making the trip through the Current Cut at 1 hour, 45 minutes after Nassau high tide, and experienced hardly any current at all. The trick is to catch slack tide, and it's all in the timing. You have to be patient.

S/V Pandion's happy crew, after transiting the Cut.

Our reward for getting through the Cut was beautiful weather and an easy passage to Goulding Cay, located on the west shore of Eleuthera Island.

Stunning. Crystal clear water. High bluffs. White sand beaches. We anchored Pandion, took Newt to an amazing beach, and jumped in to cool off.

Beach near Goulding Cay. Time to relax and have some fun!

We ended up snorkeling along the rocky ledges, and discovered a footpath through the tropical hardwood forest that led us to another beautiful bluff. Always ready for another adventure, Brenda jumped into the water and we swam back to Newt. Another day that we will never forget.

Sunset at Goulding Cay. Great day!