Emerald Rock to Little Farmers Cay

       We hated to leave the Exuma Land and Sea Park, but decided we should start south to meet up with Rob and Carol again.  We had a beautiful sail from our mooring at Emerald Rock to Big Majors Spot.  As we approached the anchorage, we were reminded of Shaw Bay!  It was just as crowded.  There was still plenty of room, so we dropped the hook and noticed several boats we had been acquainted with while in the park, and we also saw Runaway, a C400 from Solomons, (MD).  We had been following their blog as they preceded us through the islands.  We were glad to finally catch up with them and swapped drinks, stories, and C400 improvements we each have done.
        We spent three days at Big Majors as it is only a short dinghy ride to Staniel Cay where we could get ice, fuel, some food supplies and lots of local color.  Two Bahamians came alongside with a boat full of conchs and lobsters and we decided we couldn't resist the lobsters.  We got one LARGE one and split it for dinner. Not exactly Maine lobsters, but very good.      
    Right off Staniel Cay is Thunderball grotto, made famous in the movie.  It is great to snorkel into the grotto and see all the fish and amazing colors of coral all lit from the openings to sky above.   We also enjoyed meeting the "residents" of Big Majors, several "wild" pigs.  They are well fed by cruisers who take their food scraps ashore.   We met another 400 owner, who bought his boat from Ron Marcuse.  We had sailed with Ron in NJ while awaiting a new engine in 2003, so we knew the boat. 
    On Wednesday we headed on south to Little Farmer's Cay to await the arrival of Rob and Carol's daughter Elizabeth and her husband Ray.  The sail was as good as they come, an easy reach through gorgeous water along Great Guana Cay.  We had a short wait to get around the southern end of Little Farmer's Cay, as we found the edge of the sandbar and it was (full moon) low tide.  We made it to the moorings across from Little Farmer Yacht Club in time for dinner with Rob and Carol.  Rob had picked up a large red snapper from the local fishermen and we grilled it with great success. 
     It's now 9:30 am on Thursday and the plane just landed with Liz and Ray, so we hope to be going ashore and maybe sending this at lunchtime today.   We plan to head to White Point on Great Guana where we'll have a picnic on the beach and if Liz remembered the Hershey bars, we'll make s'mores. ~~~(\_~~~D&M
Google Earth track file for 3/8
Google Earth track file for 3/11

Suuuey, pig pig pig. We didn't have any food for them but they didn't mind welcoming us ashore.

Thunderball grotto was beautiful. We saw the turtle later on while snorkelling.

Dinner Bahamian style

Saturday fun

Another blustery day!! We are still in Warderick Wells, but with many trails and sites we haven't seen.  We decided it was time to take showers down below as it has been too cool and windy to do it on the stern, so we did our first boat haircut for Dan and then showers.  We spent the rest of the morning trying to decide which islands we wanted to see in the next few days.  After lunch Mar made bread and we adventured ashore while it rose.  We visited the ruins of a 1780 plantation which showed examples of the conch plaster that was used back then.  They would burn conch shells and then use the ashes to make plaster.  There is no sign of the fields they were working, but LOTS of limestone rock needed to be moved and there are piles of that everywhere.  Miracle of miracles, the bread rose, so we punched it down and readied it for baking.  Our Sam's Club canned chicken made a very good chicken divan with the fresh broccoli we picked up in Nassau, so we had a  yummy dinner while waiting for the green flash.  We were foiled by a cloud on the horizon,  maybe tomorrow. ~~~(\_~~~D&M

You can see the remains of the conch plaster on the inner wall.

This bananaquit wanted to see what we were looking at (see edge of coral head just below the bow of the dinghy)

Dinner at sunset, thanks to Alice and Grace for our custom cozies that work to keep the white wine cool as well as 11'sies beers.

Ashore in Warderick Wells

Another blustery day, so we stayed put and took the dinghy adventuring.  We went to the southernmost beach and walked across to the windward side to visit the pirate's lair.  The story goes that pirates would come ashore to get water from the well and hang out in the low lying area  around the well.  They would build a fire and sleep in a circle around it on mats that they brought ashore.  These mats are purported to have deposited seeds from foreign lands in the soil, so there are several species of plant life in the circle around this spot that are not found anywhere else in the Bahamas.  We also dinghied around to some of our neighbors and struck up new friendships.  ~~~(\_~~~D&M

It's hard to believe the water colors. We are in about 3 feet of water in the foreground.

We visited Pirate's Lair at the southern end of Warderick Wells.

This is supposedly where pirates came ashore to visit the well.

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.

Warderick Wells to Nassau

      Dan and Sam spent Wednesday morning over at Arete working on their Sirius radio antenna while Ben entertained Jess and Martha.  In the afternoon, the "kids" took another hike around Warderick  Wells, Dan went back over to Arete to finish the installation and Martha baked a birthday cake. Ben's birthday bash was great, even tho he didn't want to even try a piece of cake - he was ready for bed!  
      Thursday we sailed north to Shroud Cay and picked up a mooring ball.  The wind was still strong, but from the east, so the sail was fast and fun.  Shroud is really cool with all sorts of creeks running through the middle of the island.  In spite of the windy conditions we all took a dinghy ride up to the northernmost creek which goes all the way through the island.  The scenery on the trip was fascinating and we saw a shark swimming through the creek in about three feet of water or less!  We were a little bit early (you are only supposed to be able to make it through at high tide) and had to all get out and walk a few times while Sam dragged the dinghy over a sand bar.   The windward side was dramatically windier.  We climbed the hill to "Camp Driftwood" the site where a solitary cruiser built several things out of driftwood at the top of the highest spot on the island.  The termites got all the driftwood, but the site remains.
     We headed for Norman Cay on Friday and that took us out of the Exuma Land and Sea Park.  Norman was the site a large drug ring in the '80s and there is a wrecked plane in the shallows to attest to the method they used to move the drugs.  We motored through the cut to see the wreck and then anchored around on the west side of the island.  Sam and Jess left Grand Mar and Popov to sit and went ashore for dinner at Macduff's which was not as good as it's reputation (although maybe just because they were out of conch)!   They had a good time anyway.
     Finally on Saturday the winds died a bit and we headed off for our return trip to Nassau.  We had a great sail until about 3 when the wind died even more and we had to motorsail to get back to our slip in time to head ashore for our crew dinner.  We went to the Poop Deck which has been there forever, and Jess finally got her Conch Fritters!  We sat next to a large party (who were definitely partying) and Ben flirted with all the girls who thought he was the cutest ever.  We tend to agree!  We will  miss them as they fly home today.  We certainly enjoyed the whole adventure.  We will stay here through Tuesday to let another cold front pass through then we'll head south again back to the Exumas and particularly the Land and Sea Park where we barely scratched the surface.  We also are looking forward to meeting up with Robby and Carol again around the 12th when their daughter, Elizabeth and her husband Ray are joining them for a week.  ~~~(\_~~~D&M
Google Earth track file for 2/26
Google Earth track file for 2/27
Google Earth track file for 2/28

Ben tried to eat the candle and cried when he tasted the lemon
frosting, but his party was a great success.

Robby & Carol gave Ben a Bahamian carving of Roci the parrot for his birthday.

We took a dinghy ride through Sanctuary Creek (including a few portages over sandbars) and made it to the windward side of Shroud Cay.

Here we are at Camp Driftwood on the windward side of Shroud.

We all took turns pedalling our Mirage kayaks around Shroud Cay.

Sam couldn't resist submerging the underwater camera to get a picture of the pedal "fins" of the kayak.

We rigged the bosun's chair for Ben's meals.

It is amazing how a few "floaties" could keep Ben occupied for hours.

Highbourne to Hawksbill to Warderick Wells

     We have been keeping tabs (through SPOT) on Robby and Carol, and saw that they were at Hawksbill Cay on Sunday night, so we decided to head for Hawksbill Monday morning.  We finally reached them on the VHF when we were about 9 miles away and verified that they were still there.   We picked up a mooring ball right next to them around 1:30pm.  We were moored right off a small inlet that was a vast beach at low tide and had a channel back into the middle of the island at high.  Jess and Sam went adventuring while Ben napped (near low) and Dan and Martha did the same much later and got a very different view.  We had dinner with Rob and Carol aboard Brunelle and were eerily impressed with our well lit neighbor. 
     In spite of strong winds, we decided to move on to Warderick Wells which is the center of the Exuma Land and Sea Park.  Both Arete and Brunelle sailed with jib alone and made 6-7 knots along the lee of the Cays and had to power straight into it to reach our moorings. We checked in with the Park and took a hike to Boo Boo Hill (so named for the ghostly noises the waves make in the porous rocks) to see where cruisers leave their boat's name carved, painted, woven or otherwise affixed to a piece of driftwood.  We also got a good view of the windward side and were glad we had stayed on the bank in the lee - the wave spray could be felt at the top of the 70 ft. hill!  We plan to spend another night here to do some more exploring and to celebrate Ben's FIRST BIRTHDAY!  - - -Big party tonight!  ~~~(\_~~~D&M, J,S&B, C&R
Google Earth track file for 2/23
Google Earth track file for 2/24

Sam and Jess adventure ashore at Hawksbill. Arete's mast is visible
over the hill to the right.

Our eerie neighbor at Hawksbill used more amps in one night than we
use in a year!

The mooring field at Warderick Wells; an amazing cut through some very
shallow bars!

The trail to BooBoo Hill takes you through a mangrove nursery.

Jess and Ben check out the 52' sperm whale skeleton on the beach at
Warderick Wells Cay.

Nassau to Highborne Cay

Today was really like CRUISING!  Easy day, warm sun, light winds and a great crew.  We left Nassau about 10am and headed for Highborne Cay.  The sail across the bank was relaxing and fun.  We dodged a bunch of coral heads easily and arrived at the Marina at Highborne a little after 4pm.  That left time to watch some lucky fishermen  on the dock clean fish and feed a LARGE school of sharks, mostly nurse sharks, but also a few reef sharks and one large lemon shark.  We also all took a swim off the beach in the just slightly chilly water.  Ben enjoyed his first dip in the ocean.  We chose to shower in the outdoor cold water shower, because the official warm water one was $4 a shower!   We will continue south tomorrow, but not before enjoying Highborne Cay a little more. ~~~(\_~~~D&M
Google Earth track file


We were glad to get Sam aboard to fix the computer, but we were REALLY glad to get a new winchman!


Ben (with a little help from Mom (Jess) was the first to spot Highborne Cay.



Feeding frenzy.