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• Good anchorage in sand and 10-14' NW of Current Settlement and N of Current Cut on the W coast of Eleuthera Island. Good protection from ENE to SSE.
• ?Good anchorage in sand and 10-14' NE of Current Island Settlement and S of Current Cut on the E shore of Current Island. Good protection except from S, SW behind low bluffs.

• Bahamas Area Websites. Sites that can be searched for tourist and business information throughout the Bahamas.

• Eleuthera area information. Map and general information about the area.

• There is good BTC cellular voice and data coverage in the area provided by a BTC cell tower on Current Island just to the W of the Cut.
• A new (Feb 2017) cell tower has been installed just E of the cut. This is apparently part of the new ALIV cellular network serving Eleuthera.
• Note: SV Onward has experience good BTC cellular voice and data service near Eleuthera from ~ 20 nm N of Egg Island across to Current Cut and continuing across the bight to Powell Pt. to ~15 nm offshore in Exuma Sound.

• Methodist

• Beach W of town.

• There is a government pier and ferry landing on the N shore of the cut just W of the E entrance. Watch for ferry movement before committing to a transit of the cut.

• Durham's Store. On main road; well stocked.
• Monica's Curio Shop. Fresh produce.

• BTC Cellular Data Service: In Jan 13, 3G data service was available in the area from Royal I to Current Cut I.

• Library located across the street from Durham's Store.

• The marina located on the SE shore of the cut was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew and only the pilings remain.

• Current Cut, as its name implies, carries a strong current. It is reasonably wide with good depth. Due to the current it is best for a single vessel to transit at a time with good separation between vessels. The fastest current is at the narrowest point. There are reports of up to 10 kts current under extreme conditions.
• See Tides below for a discussion of tide and current at the Cut.
• The Explorer Chars show the preferred channel on the S / banks side of the Cut runs SW close in to the shore after exiting the cut. Caution: beware of being swept to the SW by a strong current and getting caught on the hard bars that parallel the S side of this channel. The deeper water lies close to the cays along the N side of this channel. SV Onward has experienced minimum depths of ~7-8' along this route.
• Note: There is an alternate approach / exit channel to the S. There is some indication of it on the Explorer Charts and is well-depicted on the 2017 edition of Navionics electronic charts. On 2 February 2017, SV Onward exited the Cut and followed a heading of ~125º M and encountered a minimum depth of 7.9' . The waypoints SV Onward used with depths encountered are:

• Note: Navigation data and related experiences are provided for guidance and information purposes only. They are not certified as being error free. Mariners are responsible for using their own judgement when making navigation decisions.

Packages & Shipping

• Lightspeed Shipping; 242-323-7767; 242-810-5976; info@lightspeedship.com. Contact: Nathalia Gibbs. A new operation serving Nassau, Eleuthera, and Long Island. Items sent to their shipping point in Pompano Beach FL will be transported by air to the local airport on the island. They will provide package tracking information and handle Customs. They will also provide personal shopping services from vendors in the Pompano Beach area. Use their website to set up an account to ship your package.

• L&M Takeaway.

• Monica's Curio Shop. Handmade straw work, t-shirts & gifts.

• Snorkeling through Current Cut at slack tide is reported to be a great experience. Caution: selection of right timing is critical!
• Snorkeling Guide: Neilly Foster, a local resident, has been guiding divers at Current Cut for 35 years. He can be reached by phone: Cell: 242-448-1609; Home: 242-335-1745. Cost: call to check; depends on number of divers; 2 = ~$50 ea.

• Definitive tide and current data for Current Cut is hard to come by.
• Throughout the Bahamas, tides flood to the West and ebb to the East.
• in Current Cut, the geography — it lies on a NW to SW axis — "reverses" normal tidal flow directions: The tide floods E (~100º) and ebbs W (~280º) in the cut
• The tides and currents at Current Cut are complicated by the shallows at the N end of Exuma Sound stretching between Current Island and the Northern Exumas that are an impedance to tidal flow. This means the water level on the N side (W end) of the cut rises faster than it can "drain" through the cut to the S side (E end). So even as high tide is passed and the water level begins to fall on the N side — it will still be higher than on the S side. It is reported that the current continues to flow through the Cut to the SE onto the banks for ~ 2 hrs after high tide at the Cut. This would result in slack current being ~2 hrs after high tide at the Cut and a shorter period of ebb current flowing to the NW.
• Several sources report a tidal offset at Current Cut of 2 to 2.5 hrs from Nassau harbor.
• Navionics electronic charts for the Bahamas (2017) report a tide station at Royal Island harbor, about 4 nm from Current Cut, with high and low tides about 1 hr. earlier than Nassau ( a tide offset of -1 hr from Nassau).
• Note: Navigation data and related experiences are provided for guidance and information purposes only. They are not certified as being error free. Mariners are responsible for using their own judgement when making navigation decisions.

• Marine Weather Center; Daily SSB, webcast, & email forecasts by Chris Parker. Note: Best reception in this area is usually on 4045 KHz USB Simplex at 0630 AST.

• Bahamas Met Office website provides weather forecast for local areas throughout the Bahamas.