Waterway Guide | Reviews

Review Now

These are observations from the boating community. Waterway Guide information is verified regularly and all efforts will be made to validate any new updates submitted here. Thank you for taking the time to share comments about your experience.

Waterway Guide reserves the option of editing reviews and comments for grammar, clarity and the removal of defamatory or potentially slanderous language. When appropriate, reviews are forwarded to businesses for response prior to being made public. We will make every effort to be objective and impartial when posting reviews, but do not publicize details of disputes between parties.

Thanks for your valuable feedback!

Norman's Cay - McDuffs

Location: Normans Cay, Northern Exumas
Lat / Lon: N 24° 35.962' / W 076° 49.317'
Depth: 8'-12'
Tide: 2.5'-3.0'
Description:
The anchorage is along the 0.75nm long beach between the cell tower north of the airport runway to MacDuff's Restaurant and Resort. McDuff's is recognized by two highly visible white houses directly on the beach. They have installed a series of small mooring balls directly in front of the resort for the use of their patrons, but these balls are only suitable for center console class boats and not larger cruising boats. It is important to anchor well clear of the mooring balls and since the holding is uniformly good in clear sand there is plenty of room in the anchorage and there is no advantage to anchoring close to the beach.
In prevailing easterly conditions the anchorage is very pleasant however if the winds are above 20 knots there will be a wrap around swell in the anchorage that can cause some rolling especially during tide changes. If winds are forecast to have any hint of west, it is time to leave as the fetch across the banks will make the anchorage uncomfortable.

4.67

(3)

4.67 out of 5 stars

Holding:

5.00

Good

Wind Protection:

4.33

SE-SE

Current Flow:

4.67

Mild Current

Wake Protection:

4.00

Open to west

Scenic Beauty:

4.67

Ease of Shopping:

1.00

Shore Access:

4.67

Beach nearby

Pet Friendly:

4.50

Beach nearby

Cell Service:

4.00

Fair Coverage

WiFi:

1.00

Review for Norman's Cay - McDuffs

Reviewed by: Rey Stephane on Apr 19, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 47'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

4

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

5

Current Flow:

5

Wake Protection:

5

Scenic Beauty:

5

Shore Access:

5

We anchor in front of a very large, splendid beach on which we can disembark for a walk!! On a sandy bottom approximately 2 m deep. No current and very well protected from the North East and East, crystal clear waters.
Go with your dinghy to see the plane wreck and visit the marina. The plane is only visible at low tide, so spot it well before going there, it's very nice to see it resting at a depth of 3 m and go there at slack water.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for Norman's Cay - McDuffs

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 3, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

5

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

4

Current Flow:

4

Wake Protection:

4

Scenic Beauty:

4

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

4

Pet Friendly:

4

Cell Service:

4

WiFi:

1

Norman's Cay is a private island with an airstrip and a large marina under construction. This anchorage is protected from East winds. There is room for many boats as you can anchor all along the beach. Deeper draft a bit further away and shallow draft can get close. Depths were deeper overall than charted. Be aware of the few coral heads in the anchorage and anchor far enough as not to damage them with your ground tackle. They make for nice snorkeling. Cell service is good. No WiFi. The restaurant is open for lunch. Dinner requires reservations. We did not eat there. Masks are required on the island as of 1/2022. You will be asked to leave if you don't have yours, even outside.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for Norman's Cay - McDuffs

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jan 22, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

5

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

4

Current Flow:

5

Wake Protection:

3

Scenic Beauty:

5

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

5

Cell Service:

4

WiFi:

1

A beautiful anchorage with room for many boats. Protection from SE to N. The SE to S section is a huge sandy beach. Behind the anchorage N to NW, you'll find coral and rock lined walls. Our 55lb Mantus anchor dug deep into the sandy bottom. Winds were SSE and light for our stay. Here's a photo of the anchorage https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/336925581771395/ Dinghy around (or through the marina cut for a shortcut) and visit the sunken drug smuggler airplane. It's a great snorkel. See our photos here: https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/337045238426096/ Depths appeared to be deeper in the anchorage area than on Explorer and Navionics charts. We saw 3-3.2 meters mid tide near the marker. There is one mooring ball by McDuffs restaurant that a catamaran tied to while we were here. McDuffs requires reservations and is not always open. They answer Ch 16. Based on radio traffic, they will be opening a market in the coming months. There are no WiFi signals, open or closed. Both BTC and ALiV cell service was good with 2+ bars. There are several patches of reef in the anchorage area. Great to snorkel on. Please anchor far enough away so you don't damage them or wrap your ground tackle around them. Recommended anchorage.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer