Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay, Exumas

Black Point is a small Bahamian village on Great Guana Cay. The cay has kept its true out-island character², and the settlement looks west over the vast banks that stretch to the ocean². It is the stop where cruisers do laundry, buy bread and decide whether to continue south to George Town. See all places in the Exumas.

Where is Black Point?

Great Guana Cay is centrally located in the Exuma chain, just south of Staniel Cay². The Staniel Cay page covers the northern neighbor.

Black Point lies south of the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park, not inside it. The park’s south-west corner is at 24°14′25″ N⁴, and the settlement sits at about 24.083 N³.

How do boats approach and anchor?

Cruisers enter from Staniel Cay to the north or Farmer’s Cay to the south, then cross the bank to Black Point². Coming from the ocean side, enter Exuma Sound at Dotham Cut or Farmer’s Cay Cut; after the cut it is a short run across the bank to the settlement². For the two sides of the chain, see Exuma Bank vs Exuma Sound.

The anchorage ranks among the largest in the Exumas, with holding in 8 to 10 feet of water over sand⁸. Protection runs from west-southwest through southeast, so only western and northwestern exposures need caution⁸. Most boats anchor close in off the settlement⁸. Our anchorages by wind guide shows how that fits the rest of the chain.

Three dinghy docks serve the shore: Lorraine’s Cafe, Rockside Laundry and the government dock with its dinghy extension⁸. The Black Point Yacht Club restaurant dock takes boats up to 42 feet with a 10 foot draft, which gives smaller boats the option of tying alongside⁸.

What is in the village?

Black Point consists of small cottages, three churches, two grocery stores, a post office, three local restaurants and an airstrip¹. The airstrip is served commercially by charter or scheduled charter airlines⁵.

• Lorraine’s Cafe, 242-355-3095, holds regular cruiser events and collections for local school children who have limited supplies². Its coconut bread is baked fresh daily in a small building behind the restaurant⁹.
• Rockside Laundry offers coin-operated washers and dryers⁶, plus a dinghy dock, Wi-Fi and token-operated hot showers⁹.
• Black Point Yacht Club Restaurant & Cottages opens 9 am to 9 pm daily on Stella Drive¹.
• Adderley’s Friendly Store is the most popular spot for provisioning, and Rockside’s convenience store is the other main shop⁹.

For fuel, water and stocking up elsewhere on the chain, see fuel, water and provisioning in the Exumas.

What is there to do on Great Guana Cay?

The settlement is walkable, and golf carts can be rented through Rockside Laundry to cover the length of the cay⁹. Attractions near Black Point include the caves on the southern end of the cay and the Garden of Eden, a collection of driftwood and shells arranged into a garden by a local¹.

The two coasts differ sharply. On the Atlantic side, sharp ironshore limestone cliffs take the full force of the ocean swells, and Nismo’s Blowhole sprays there when waves are driven into the rock⁹. On the bank side, low tide exposes sandbars that let you walk far out in ankle-deep water⁹. Nurse sharks circle by the dock at Lorraine’s waiting for scraps⁹.

Black Point is also regarded as one of the best places in the Bahamas to see traditional sloop building and straw weaving⁹.

How do you get to Black Point without a boat?

You can fly in directly from Nassau on Flamingo Air or ride the mail boat, and a water taxi runs from Staniel Cay⁹. See the mail boat and ferry guide for the other ways to reach the chain.

Black Point Regatta

Black Point hosts the Black Point Regatta, one of the sailing competitions in the Exumas⁵. In the race, small class C native sloops sail from Staniel Cay to Black Point⁷. The weekend is also known for its “world famous” Ugly Man Contest⁷.