From Nassau back to Warderick Wells

     Things are a bit quieter, but also pretty dull with Ben, Sam and Jess back in New Hampshire!  We used our time in Nassau after they left to do laundry, re provision the boat and to work on a ton of paperwork related to moving our brokerage stuff to follow our "guy".  We also let a cold front scud on by.  We left on Tuesday morning and headed back to Shroud Cay because we really liked it there.  We made sure we waited until high tide to make another trip up Sanctuary Creek where we saw the same sand shark on our way through.  We were in the company of three dinghies from people we had met at a beach cocktail party the night before,  when we got to the windward side we found two guys who didn't appear to have a dinghy.  We asked them how they got there and they said they had been dropped off on the leeward side by the research vessel Coral Reef and were doing a plant and animal count. 
     We left the mooring field right after lunch and headed for another repeat, Hawksbill Cay.  We  explored around the south end of the Cay to an area with dinghy moorings, but it was cold and windy so we didn't stay long.  Chili for dinner - - - too cold to grill anything! (I hear a deep pitying sigh from many of you)
      Today we had a beautiful sail from Hawksbill to Warderick Wells.  We decided to go to the Emerald Rock mooring field this time and decided we like it better than the dramatic cut where we stopped with Sam, Jess and Ben.  After checking in at the park office we chose one of the many beaches on the way back to the boat to stop and take a hike.  Once again the hiking was difficult over the jagged limestone terrain, but the views were spectacular.  We expect at least two more days of strong winds, so we may just continue to explore all the trails and sights here at Warderick Wells.  ~~~(\_~~~D&M
Google Earth track file for 3/3
Google Earth track file for 3/5

We approach the windward end of Sanctuary Creek on Shroud Cay.

We never tire of the incredibly beautiful colors of the water. We are on a mooring ball near Emerald Rock in the Exuma Land and Sea Park.

The limestone shoreline exhibits quite a contrast to the serene color or the water. Notice a few coral heads right off this overhang.

While hiking a trail on Warderick Wells we spotted the tallest palm tree we'd seen, in a deep "sink hole" in the limestone rocks.

This guy, I think he is just a catbird, came right up to us as if looking for a handout, but the park stresses "don't feed the natives" so we had to disappoint him.