Day 47-48. May 8-9. On to Warderick Wells. Miles 15.1 Total Miles 715.9
Day 47
Lately the weather is getting warmer and the winds have died down to 8-12 knots which makes the seas calm. Luckily it still cools down at night.
Had a visitor at our boat today. A nurse shark was under our boat resting on the bottom.
Waited til 9:00 to here the broadcast from the ranger station on Warderick Wells to verify we had a mooring, This is the only spot you have to book your mooring. one day ahead. The rest of the moorings are first come, first serve in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. The ranger confirmed we had a mooring during the VHF broadcast, so we readied the boat to leave.
Leaving the mooring, we headed southwest to go around some sand bars which stretch into the Exuma Banks up to one mile at some points. We travel past the end of South Hawksbill Cay and the much smaller cays of Little Cistern, Cistern, Danger, Saddle and Long Rock. All these cays are low lying with lots of shrubs and an occasional beach. Many have rocks off the western shore which are visible at any tide, some were about 50 feet high. The sand bars associated with these islands curve to follow the current of the cuts between the islands. We loved the name of one of the cuts - Wide Opening!
We had lots of company on the water today.
Here is an example of what the small islands looked like and the beautiful water color.
Once around the sand bars we head more east to go into the channel that takes us to Warderick Wells, which is the Park Headquarters for the Exuma Land and Sea Park. We will take a mooring for two nights.
Warderick Wells is the "crown Jewel" of the Exuma Land and Sea Park, with lots of hiking trails, clear waters, coral gardens for snorkling, ocean blow holes, and tidal creeks to explore.
We tied up to mooring ball 6 and this was our view.
Once we signed in at the ranger station, we next helped out the ranger by notifying a sailboat that came in and ignored her calls on the radio. We gave the boat the info they needed and headed back to the boat for a quick lunch so we could take advantage of slack tide to snorkel on the rocks just past the ranger station.
After tying the dingy to a mooring ball and talking with some fellow snorkelers to get the lay of the land, we jumped in. Heading up against the current, we saw live coral, sea fans, lots of blue Tangs, Angelfish, a Trigger fish and Tomato Clown along with other small fish I could not identify. The fish liked to hide among the rock ledges and holes in the coral heads so we would swim to a rocky area and float waiting for the fish to come out of their hidey holes. Since we swam against the current, it was a short trip back to the dinghy, floating with the current. Bill tried his hand at using the GoPro underwater. Well, he tried , still trying to get the hang of the camera.
We brought the dinghy back to the boat to rinse off and Bill took up the drone.
Later we again took the dinghy to shore to walk the trail to Boo Boo Hill and the Ocean Blow Hole. T We followed the sign to Boo Boo Hill.
We walked through the brush and palms and then through the rugged limestone based trail to cross Banshee Creek.
Luckily the tide was coming off low so just our feet got wet! We then climbed up the bluff to the top of Boo Boo Hill. Boaters leave signs on top of the hill to commemorate their being on the island. It was quite a pile!!
Once at the top we had spectacular views of the island and Bill and I had our picture taken by fellow boaters. We could see the Ranger Station, Banshee Creek and the rugged western shore of the island, as well as the boats moored in the harbor.
While we were enjoying the scenery, this lovely Bahamian Mockingbird serenaded us for about 10 minutes.
From Boo Boo Hill, we followed the signs to the series of blow holes carve into the limestone. Unfortunately the waves from the Sound were not cooperating and no waves were crashing through the under ground tunnels to have spray escape through these holes .
Retracing our steps back, we climbed down the hill and then across Banshee Creek which required wading in knee deep water as the tide came in. Back down the limestone trail to the beach and dinghy. Enjoyed the varied landscapes of this island.
Here are two videos of the trail we hiked.
We did stop to look at the sperm whale skeleton on display on the beach. Can really appreciate the size of these creatures.
Returning to the boat, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset.
Day 48
Had a lazy morning relaxing and then researching the weather and our options. A change in the weather on Sunday has a changing our plans. Will skip a few cays to find an anchorage with better protection on Great Guana Cay.
Will spend the rest of the day today snorkeling and hiking here on Warderick Wells.
Our trip to the reef at low tide this morning was great. So many fish! Angels, Tangs, Triggers, Sargent Majors, Lionfish, Wrasse, Butterfly, Bar Jack, and Parrotfish. We also saw two rays, one was a leopard, and a shark! Lots of live coral and sea fans.
We got carried away and stayed in the water too long and had to fight the current coming back to the dinghy. Halfway back we headed to the beach to rest. Bill walked down the beach a bit allowing him to go with the current and get the dinghy. Along the way back to the dinghy, he saw two turtles.
Bill tried his hand at the GoPro again.
After snorkeling, we rested a bit before heading the dinghy over to Butterfly Beach for a hike on Butterfly and Hutia Hill trails. The trail was marked well, but the limestone rock path was a lot more rugged. We really had to watch our steps. Glad we brought along good shoes.
Also there were many more large holes in the rock, some 10-20 feet deep, which we had to negotiate around. Many of these had large trees or bushes growing in them. This photo shows one with a ladder, but was a bit to rickety for us to try!
When we got to the top of the hill, we were greeted on one side of the island to the turquoise waters of Exuma Bank and looking to the other side we saw the deeper blue waters of Exuma Sound. The view was spectacular.
Here are some videos of our journeys on Warderick Wells.
After admiring the scenery, we retraced our steps back down the trail, making only one wrong turn. Then made it back safely to the dinghy and returned to the boat.
As we prepare for our Bahamian Adventure, we are making lists upon lists of things to do and provisions to buy for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Bill has spent much time readying the boat for the cruise, checking engines, batteries and all the systems on the boat - electrical, plumbing, navigation, refrigeration and air conditioning. Sure kept Bill busy!!! We took the boat out to check all the systems and to get fuel. We had to re-remember all the navigation and auto pilot workings and surprisingly we did remember!! We have spent the last two days loading the boat with provisions- water, food, tools, clothes, toiletries and cleaning supplies, and our pantry and cabinets are full. We are sitting a bit heavier in the water now that we are fully loaded. Also Bill has finally gotten his TO DO list down to the few remaining items so he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!! We have researched the charts and guide books and have a tentative pla...
Day 12 We left our anchorage at sunrise to head out of Great Sale Cay Harbor. Turning west and then north, we will cruise around Great Sale Cay toward Abaco's barrier islands, eventually reaching the eastern edge of the Little Bahama Bank today. As we turn Northeast, we get some spray. Crustacean is quite salty now! Winds are out of the east 10-15 knots with waves at one foot. We cruise past Little Sale Cay we see a steady stream of sailboats going both east and west. I counted 15 total. Nice wind for sailing. Halfway through our trip, you begin to see the outer barrier islands on the horizon to the north. Five miles later you can see Little Abaco Island to our south. Here is a chart of the area we traveled from Great Sale to Allan's-Pensacola Cay today. The further we travel east, the Little Bahama Bank narrows, The winds pick up and seas run 1-2 feet. Crustacean got even saltier! As we approached Allan's-Pensacola the wind and sea...
Day 24 We had a change of plans. Our friends who we met cruising the Loop, Trisha and Mike, are traveling north through the Bahamas and are close, so we will join then in Hope Town. We will then back track a bit to visit Man-o-War Cay and Marsh Harbor after visiting with them. It is a bright sunny day with light winds as we weigh anchor to leave Great Guana. There is lots of freight and commercial traffic today- tugs and barges, large freighters and flat bed delivery boats. It takes all these to handle the shipping needs and construction on the islands. We trip today took along the north east side of Great Guana and then past Scotland Cay, which is all privately owned. Next we passed Fowl Cay which is a nature preserve known for its diving. Following Fowl Cay is Man-o-War Channel with its deep water access to the Atlantic and Man-o-War Cay, known for its ship building and maintenance. Sorry, pictures of the passes and islands did not turn out too well...
