Days without service, but never without action. Our southern travels down the Exuma chain have not disappointed, though there was certainly no expectation of that happening. A night at Shroud Cay after a quick sail from Highbourne, and a favorite outing for all of us- the dinghy travel through the maze of mangroves that make up most of the island. White sand below, making it easy to spot the prolific green turtles and mangrove-dwelling fish, low-lying red mangroves all around, making you feel as if you’re in a sea of green when you cast your gaze over the water, and the most incredible outlet to the Atlantic: a deep cut of current, spilling out onto a white sand bar. A perfect playground for anyone. It had been number one of our list of ‘bests’ here until…
Hawksbill is another great anchorage (there aren’t too many bad ones!) with a beach that the girls love, but we upped our adoration by snorkeling our way north from the anchorage after school. A giant spiny lobster in a reef only about four feet deep taunted us by coming out of its hole. (We could actually hear it saying “You’re in a Land & Sea Park, suckers! No fishing!”, which was pretty rude of it, I might add.) Leaving our appetite unsated and our lobstering instincts behind, we continued north to the top of the island, where an expanse of sand bar systems almost connects it with the southern bits of Shroud.
Ah-MAY-zing. The only people there, we felt like we were on a different planet, with perfectly wave-rippled expanses of the finest sand fading into technicolor turquoise waters. It didn’t look real, and the four of us scattered about, running, skipping, tripping (prat falls were apparently an important part of this process for the girls) as if testing the spaces for legitimacy. Limestone outcroppings were rimmed with pockets of warm water, some deep and large enough for snorkeling. Another magical playground found. Tearing ourselves away from that was tough, but the ‘deep beach’ called the girls (part of Hawsbill’s intrigue is the relatively deep dropoff from the beach, making it an excellent place to anchor the paddle board close to shore and use it as a float. (Which, side note, is the primary use of our paddle board. The only reason we have a paddle is because it came with one.)) We also flew our little pocket kite, which is becoming my favorite beach pastime. There is something so relaxing about it, and ours is small enough that I can fly it from my beach chair, making it suitable for lazy people as well.
Another hop yesterday and we landed in Warderick Wells, where the Exuma Land and Sea Park headquarters is. We opted for the southern anchorage this time, without any current (and decidedly-fewer eagle ray sightings), but it was an easier in and out for us, and the swimming off of the boat here is great, if you don’t mind waiting for a few passing stingrays and nurse sharks. (We don’t- they’re relatively harmless, and it’s amazing what you get used to.) We have been Go Pro-ing like crazy this year, and since we’re technological dummies, its best feature thus far has been the daily compilations it puts together for us. If WordPress decides to accept one of these one day, I can show you the under-sea action that we’ve been capturing (turtles, sharks and rays included!). You’d also see Ray, the remora that seems to find us every time we’re at Shroud. ‘He’ lives under the boat from the time we anchor until the moment we leave, and tolerates the girls jumping in again and again and carrying on like maniacs as they play hide-and-seek under the boat with a piece of fused green glass they found on a beach somewhere years ago. He’s kind of like a Lab- just hoping that something will fall out of the trash and into his mouth. (Sometimes it does.)
We met a Dutch family on a Warderick Wells beach, the first cruising family this year. We seem to find eachother like magnets- the weekly charter folks don’t quite put off the same energy of inclusion and ease that makes introductions organic and simple. This particular introduction was fast and wonderful. Our afternoon together had them convincing us to stay another night, and the following day was a joint hike (to Boo Boo Hill, where we found our boat name board and gave it a touch-up of Sharpie), lunch onboard their boat (a catamaran that was palatial in comparison to wee Chickadee), and afternoon in the shallow sand bars of Warderick, chatting and carrying on while the kids skim-boarded around us.
Friday morning we left for Cambridge, and arrived early for a full day of adventure. We snorkeled at the ‘Sea Aquarium’, a great snorkel site known for its abundance of wide varieties of both fishes and corals, and spent some time on the ocean beach. Lily hiked Bell Rock- scrambling up in a matter of minutes after she waded across the bit of water to get to it. With the razor-sharp limestone all around, I think it’s safe to say that our feet are toughening to being shoeless all day long. Burning coals? What burning coals?!
We’re now waiting out a front, giving us 25kts from the north until tomorrow at some point. Frontal passage bonus is that a driving rain last night first washed our decks, and then once Andy plugged the scuppers, almost filled our one empty water tank. (On a water note, we just emptied that tank yesterday, and made the crazy-stingy calculation that we only use about 5 gallons a day, total. That includes us rinsing off every night- I would have guessed much more…)
So a sunny Saturday bobbing around in the winds in this beautiful anchorage, with hopefully a reef shark or two as visitors- none-too-shabby.
