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Oven Rock

Location: Southern Exumas
Lat / Lon: N 23° 58.772' / W 076° 19.813'
Depth: 8'-12'
Tide: 2.5'-3.0'
Description:
Oven rock is a large hollow rock that looks like a giant stone oven. It is a conspicuous landmark for those heading into Farmers Cay because once south of Oven Rock most vessels will be committed to entering the harbour at Little Farmers Cay by the north entrance. Vessels that wish to access Farmers Cay from the south side or to bypass it completely will have to turn due west prior to passing oven rock to avoid a 1.5 nm long very shallow sandbar that extends north from the south end of the Little Farmers Cay airstrip. The Oven Rock anchorage is just north of the rock along the rocky shoreline of Great Guana Cay. The bottom is hard but the holding is good if you find a patch of sand in which to set your anchor. The best holding is to the north of the rock in water at least 8’ deep. During the 5F regatta (Farmers First Friday in February Festival) the anchorage can become quite crowded.
When setting anchor it is important to realize that the bottom is hard in many spots and it is important to ensure that you back down hard to ensure your anchor is well buried in a pocket of sand, otherwise you may be in for an unpleasant surprise if the winds were to pick up from the west which is a common occurrence during afternoon thunder storms.
On the North end of the beach there's a trail that leads to the cave. Follow it and where it splits go up the hill to the right to reach the cave. The other trail leads to a beautiful protected beach on Exuma Sound.

4.00

(4)

4.00 out of 5 stars

Holding:

4.25

Good holding in sand in waters deeper than 8'

Wind Protection:

3.25

NE-ESE

Current Flow:

3.50

Mild Current

Wake Protection:

3.25

Scenic Beauty:

4.25

Ease of Shopping:

2.25

Shore Access:

4.50

Excellent beach and Little Farmers Cay is 1 mile south

Pet Friendly:

4.50

Beach nearby

Cell Service:

4.00

Good Coverage

WiFi:

1.00

Review for Oven Rock

Reviewed by: Brian Sims, Whatever Bytes, on May 2, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 55'
Draft: 4.5'

Overall Rating:

4

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:

2

WiFi:

1

Anchored here for a few days before exiting through little farmer cut. We stayed here with 15 to 20 knot winds from the east and had very good protection. Follow the recommended path on your chart we had about 3ft under our boat when entering with a 4.5ft draft. Overall good anchorage.

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Review for Oven Rock

Reviewed by: Jeremy Hatch on Apr 14, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 49'
Draft: 5.0'

Overall Rating:

4

Holding:

5

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

4

Wake Protection:

3

Scenic Beauty:

4

Ease of Shopping:

3

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

5

Cell Service:

5

This is a handy anchorage -easily accessible from the Banks. We took the Explorer VPR route from Little Farmer's Cay to Oven Rock with our 5' draft at 1' tide -minimum was 6'.
Anchorage gives great protection from the E with a little rolling with Southerly components -obviously completely exposed to W. You can carry 5-7' almost to the shore. Fall back as much or as little as you prefer into 9-11'+. Lots of room here nad we saw from 3-13 boats. Others have described the shore trails to the cave & Sound side beach. It is an easy dinghy ride to Little Farmers. WE had an excellent lunch at Ocean Cabin. The restaurant & bar is spotless and Terry & his wife are convivial, thoughtful and knowledgeable hosts originally from LFC but with interesting life experiences in Libya and other parts of Africa. The fried snapper was sublime with a very thin coating -perfectly cooked. The lobster tail was huge and virtually covered the plate! It is a small 2 (sometimes 3) person operation, so be sure to phone or call on VHF 16 in advance for your selection. Otherwise the bar is often open and Terry will do his best to accommodate you for light fare. Trash can be left with the man with the black truck at the dock for a donation or one of the boatmen may accept it. Exumas at its most natural.

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Review for Oven Rock

Reviewed by: Alex Tarlecky on Apr 4, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 42'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

4

Holding:

3

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

3

Wake Protection:

2

Scenic Beauty:

5

Ease of Shopping:

1

Shore Access:

5

Pet Friendly:

5

Cell Service:

5

Fine anchorage in easterly winds. Close to Little Farmers when the chop is down. Path to cave starts at 23° 58' 54.3?N 76° 19' 45.16?W or 23.98175° -76.32921°

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Review for Oven Rock

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Feb 16, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Overall Rating:

4

Holding:

4

Wind Protection:

3

Current Flow:

3

Wake Protection:

4

Scenic Beauty:

4

Ease of Shopping:

4

Shore Access:

4

Pet Friendly:

4

Cell Service:

4

WiFi:

1

Oven Rock has quite a bit going for it. Obviously, there is Oven Rock itself, but the beach is nice with a mix of sandy and rocky. areas. To the north side of the beach, take the path to the large cave system. Hint, at the split go up the hill to the right and the cave is there. If you take the trail to the left, you'll reach a beautiful crescent beach on the Exuma Sound side. For some pictures, check out https://www.facebook.com/100063618668322/posts/349587917171828/
For a drone overview of the anchorage, visit https://youtu.be/Hu-kaaIV8mY
The Settlement of Little Farmer's Cay is a short dinghy ride and worth a visit. We enjoyed lunch at Ocean Cabin and Trey is quite fascinating to speak with.
Holding in sand is excellent, but you can't get too close to shore or it becomes rocky. There's a bit of current, but not bad. Swell can work it's way through Little Farmers Cut in SE winds. Recommend moving To one of the coves just to the North for S-SE winds. Cell service was good for both ALiV MIFI and BTC using TMobile. No WiFi. Pets are fine on the beach and their were several vessels with dogs on the beach.

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