Warderick Wells

We left Norman’s Cay on Saturday because there was a front coming through on Monday or so and we wanted to get on a mooring ball at Warderick Wells in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. Didn’t want to wait until the last minute to get there and not be able to get a ball. We had to motor all the way here because the wind was directly on our nose. Warderick Wells is beautiful  and has lots of hiking trails and snorkeling areas. On Sunday we hiked the Causeway and Hutia trails and went to Boo Boo hill. The views are breathtaking! We left our little piece of driftwood with our boat name on it at the top of Boo Boo Hill, a cruiser tradition.

Lagniappe on mooring ball at Warderick Wells

The "Causeway" at Warderick Wells, Exuma

Views from the Causeway trail

Hutia... kind of reminds me of a small nutria

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The north mooring field at Warderick Wells

Out boat sign on top of Boo Boo Hill

View of Boo Boo Hill form the mooring field

 Monday we snorkeled at Emerald Rock. We saw lots of different coral and beautiful fish.

Really big brain coral

 

 Tuesday we hiked several trails over terrain that varied from soft sand to rocky cliffs to palm shaded paths. We visited the Loyalist ruins and several beaches. We hiked for 4 hours and wore ourselves out. The front came through Tuesday night and it was blustery and cloudy all day Wednesday so we spent the day cleaning and doing some repairs (sewing Greg’s sandals back together). Had dinner with our friends on Tortuga and Tehani and we planned our sail to Big Major’s Spot for Thursday. 

Some of the friendly staff at Park Headquarters: Ken and Cherry

Hiking along the Exuma Sound side

Not exactly on the trail

Biggest termite mound we ever hope to see

On the mooring during the front. About 30 feet from the rocks!

Bahamas Part 2: Exumas (Allan's Cay to Norman's Cay)

Monday morning, March 31, we headed out to cross The Bahama Banks. We motorsailed until about 1730 (5:30p.m.) and then anchored off Northwest shoal on the Banks that night with 6 other boats: Adagio, Rafiki, Tortuga, Tehani, Ticket To.., and Teckla Bramble.  It was a bit lumpy but everyone’s anchor held and we headed out at first light on Tuesday. Teckla Bramble had stuffing box problems and had to turn and go to Chubb Cay. Three of us went to West Bay on New Providence Is. And the others went to Nassau. 

 

Leaving Bimini at dawn

Anchored on the Bahama Banks at Northwest Shoal by sunset.

In Northwest Passage the next day

 

4/1/14 Anchored in West Bay, New Providence (same island as Nassau)

Wednesday, April2, Tehani, Tortuga and we sailed to Allan’s Cay in the Exumas. The anchorage was a bit crowded and most of the other boats didn’t have two anchor lines out so we didn’t sleep well that night, worrying that when the current changed, we might “go bump in the night.” Several boats left the next day and we had more room Thursday night. Allan’s Cay was pretty with some nice snorkeling and lots of huge prehistoric looking iguanas.

Beach at Allan's Cay

The big Iguanas on Allan's Cay

On the beach at Allan's Cay with Paul and Sherry from Tehani

Sunset at Allan's as we had sundowners on Tehani

Friday, April 4th, we sailed to Norman’s Cay. Had a great sail and it was only about 4 hours to get there so we had plenty of time to check out the area before sunset. There is an old plane wreck there in the anchorage left from when the island was run by a cocaine dealer whose plane crashed( not with him in it) years ago. There is a beautiful little island with one palm tree on it there and some great snorkeling. Tried out our new camera and it actually worked underwater this time without leaking.We left Norman's Cay Saturday because a front was supposed to come through on Monday and we wanted to get a mooring ball at Warderick Wells in the Exuma Land and Sea Park.

Island at one end of the anchorage at Norman's Cay

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Brain coral

Staghorn coral

 

Starfish.(Sea star) Yes, this is underwater, not on the beach. Unbelievable how clear the water is!

Lagniappe at anchor at Norman's Cay

Bimini

Bahamas

We finally left Marathon, FL on Saturday, March 22, 2014 accompanied by Glenn on Footloose, a Caliber 40. Of course, the wind was on our nose so we motored to Rodriguez Key near Key Largo, arriving there about 4:30 in the afternoon. Got up at 1:30 a.m. and left Rodriguez at 2:00 to head to Bimini, Bahamas. We had to motor most of the way again because the winds were so light but we got the sails up for a few hours. The Gulfstream was calm and the current really helped us. We arrived in Bimini on Sunday about 1:30 in the afternoon with the sun behind us just like all the gurus tell you to do. The channel was actually marked(often not the case here in the Bahamas) and we made it in to Bimini Blue Water Marina just fine although every dark spot in this crystal clear water made us fearful that there was a coral head under us.

Getting some maintenance done on the sewing machine before we left Marathon.

A moonlit passage from Rodriguez Key to Bimini 3/23/2014

Sunrise over the Gulfstream 3/23/2014

Lowering the Q flag and raising the Bahamas flag. Our first Customs/Immigration event and all went well.

At the dock in Blue Water Marina, North Bimini

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J.R., the dockmaster at Blue Water is great and so friendly. Just an hour or two after we arrived, our friends, Lynn and Brian on Midori (who we met in Marathon) also arrived from Miami. Several other boats came with them. We made lots of new friends in Bimini. We spent a week there marveling at the colors of the water(such variations of blue, green and everything in between) and trying conch salad (Greg loved it, LizAnn not so much) and walking almost the entire length of the island. We visited the Dolphin House one day, a house built by hand by a man named Ashley Saunders. He has used shells, bottles, discarded tiles and leftovers from places being torn down. It is a whole house of folk art.

The beaches of Bimini

Greg with Derek and Sue from New Brunswick

Our favorite photo

The guys had a rum tasting one night and amazingly, everyone brought a different rum without even coordinating it. People from another marina heard about it and invited themselves too!

Peter (S/V Now or Never), Perry (S/V Teckla Bramble) and Greg rating the first few samples

The selection expands. A lot to taste!

Kids enjoy the pool while the rum tasting goes on

Robin (S/V Rafiki), Greg, Brian (S/V Midori), Paul (S/V Tehani), Glen (S/V Footloose) and Mark (S/V Adagio) discussing the merits of the various rums

Greg and Irene (S/V Teckla Bramble)

The ladies provided some appetizers to absorb some of that rum! Sherry (Tehani), Ingrid (Rafiki) Irene (Teckla Bramble), Lynn (Midori) and Lauren (Que Sera Sera)           

And the winner IS ....

We went to Holy Name church on Friday night for Way of the Cross with Mark from Adagio. The singing was amazing. There were some men there with beautiful baritone voices. We met the retired priest who is there as a volunteer until Easter. The R/O water system was down so he could not get any fresh water. We offered to make some for him and took a 5 gallon jug he had to refill it. Mark took the jug because he was making water that night anyway. The next day we walked with Mark and his 3 kids (ages 3, 7, and 9) and 2 kids from other boats back to the rectory and took Fr. Denny the water. We went to Mass on Sunday with the crews from 3 other boats:  Adagio (Mark and Jen and 3 kids), Rafiki (Canadians Robin and Ingrid and 2 girls), and Sea Hunt IV, a motor yacht (Canadians Andre and Lisa and their 2 boys).  We were quite a crew walking down the road in Alicetown.

Goats in the front yard and on the roads as we walked to the north end of the island.

The Dolphin House

The Dolphin "shrine"

Dolphin mural on the wall in the living room

Unique uses of discarded bottles, shells and other stuff

Sunday night we had a potluck before seven of us departed the next day. It was also a birthday party for Sue on Panacea. The food was delicious and we said goodbye to Lynn and Brian(Midori)  and Derek and Sue(Panacea) who weren’t going on. 

Sue's birthday brownies

 Ready to cast off for the Bahama Banks and on eastward!

All the fuel and water we could carry. Just have to lower the dinghy onto the deck and we can head out.