CLEAR BLUE WATERS

Departed Palm Cay with yet a heavy heart.  We could still smell the boat fire as we were leaving the dock.  Had to wait until after 9AM as they did not open until then.  This is a high security marina.  They actually string a metal barrier across the harbor entrance to prevent any early exit or entry during the night.  Be aware boaters, no safe harbor can be found here after 5PM when the gate goes up.  

There was virtually no wind so it was going to be a motoring day but on the upside, the water was like glass and we could see the bottom as we travelled over the Yellow Bank.  Depths were 9 to 12 feet so I was posted on the bow to watch for coral heads that are scattered throughout the spotty reef areas. 

Even after it fell off to 20 feet it was crystal clear, just incredible.

We went to Allan’s Cay.  There were about 8 boats there when we arrived and we pulled into a nice spot next to the sand bar.  Got into Marley and went to the island “next door”, Leaf Cay to visit the native iguanas.  A lady on the neighboring boat suggested we take lettuce to feed them.  She asked me if I was wearing any toenail polish and it just so happened I wasn’t.  Guess that is a good thing as the iguanas will bite at brightly colored objects like pretty toenails!  Once we hit shore they came out, big ones, little ones, all sizes. 

Manta Ray under Marley

Kayak that went into beach just before us, look at them all!

They weren’t as brightly colored as the ones we saw in Florida but there sure were tons of them!  Went to survey for snorkeling sites and went back to hang out with Molly for the night.  

The next day we slept in which felt just yummy!   Had some lunch on the beach and then donned the snorkel gear and headed north up into the current to see what we could see.  There was one exceptional coral reef filled with fairy bassletts and blue and yellow tangs.  They are some of the most colorful fish out there.  Back to the beach for a break and by then the tide was high and the current switched direction and we could head the opposite direction.  This is where we hit the jackpot!  Parrotfish, Puffers, Queen Angelfish and a Nurse Shark!  The shark was just lying on the sea floor and we swam about 3 feet over its head looking down on it.  Amazing!  There were big red and yellow sponges and beautiful purple coral fans.  And to think we almost didn’t make a stop here!  Back on the boat we had a visit from the crew of S/V Glory Days whom are mutual friends with White Wings.  A new boat Willow Wind anchored alongside of us and they invited us over for a cocktail.  Clifford and Adrian were from Louisiana and were really interesting to talk to. 

Next morning it was time to pull up and move on yet again – destination Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park at Warderick Wells.  S/V Merlin was already there on mooring ball #13, we took #8 and White Wings and Outbound came in behind us taking up spots #7 and #5.  Our Catalina fleet of friends were together once again.  This place was just beautiful.  Not the lush kind of tropical beautiful like in Hawaii, but layers of multiple hues of blues in contrast with the arid, coral islands were just cool. 

I took my yoga mat to the bow and got in a workout for the 1^st time in days.  Felt scrumptious to stretch the old muscles!  White Wings caught a barracuda on the way there and asked the other 6 of us over for dinner to help feast on the spoils.  Frank caught the fish using “Eleanor’s lure”.  Now there is a story that goes with Eleanor’s lure.  Frank went into a little hole-in-the-wall shop in Bimini and when he entered the lady looked at him and said “what’s your problem?”  Frank said “I don’t have a problem.”  Her response, “You wouldn’t be in my shop if you didn’t have a problem.  What are you looking to do?”  He told her he wanted drag a line off of his sailboat and catch a fish.  She handed him a piece of wood tied to a long measure of twine which was wrapped around it with a yellow, green and red lure tied to the end of the line.  “This is what you need”.  He was skeptical but he went for it and he brought it back to the boat.  Well, of the 2 times he has tried it so far, he has caught a big enough fish that could feed several people.   Seems Eleanor was right!  He fried up the fish with some great seasoning and I have to say it was really good!  We all contributed some sides and what a feast we had!  I will have to get a picture of it and post next time. 

We knew we would stay at the park 2 nights so the next morning was again a leisurely one.  Watched the tide go out and the anchorage turned into a thin ribbon of blue water surrounded by sand.  Went to the dock to pay for our stay.   $30/night gave you the mooring to tie to and landing privileges on the island.  Gathered some information sheets on snorkeling and hiking options and set off for the top of Boo Boo Hill.  Legend has it that this spot atop the tallest hill is haunted by the souls of sailors who perished on its reefs.  There is a memorial and it is tradition for boaters passing by to leave an offering to King Neptune.  Knowing this in advance, I had stuck a black Sharpie in my pack and we found a little slip of driftwood on the way up and made Free Bird’s offering. 

3 of our 4 Catalina fleet

 

Frank, the fish whisperer

John made a new buddy!

Frank & Laurie were there when we arrived and we took in the panoramic scene together with Exuma Sound on one side and the Atlantic on the other.  Hiked down over coral laden paths that we at times tough to negotiate and then on over to Barefoot beach.  From there a dingy ride to Emerald Bay and then back to the boat.  When we got back we noticed John had perhaps overdone it a bit and toe was paying for it.  Promptly removed his bandage and did another Epsom salt soak.  It has been 6 days since he hurt it and we thought he was keeping infection at bay but now it is starting to look a little red.  Time for some forced relaxation for the captain!  5:00 brought an anchorage-wide happy hour on the beach.  They only do this on Saturdays and it seems we happened to be in the right place at the right time.  We all took snacks and the park staff (who lives on site as the park is the only facility on the island) came to join us and baked some fresh pizzas to share.  

We ran into a couple that we have kind of been on the lookout for, Mark and Jan Gard on S/V Island Bound from Green Turtle Marina in Grand Rivers, KY.  They actually brought their boat down the river last year like we did and were one of the couples who co-opted with us to truck our masts together and ship them to Mobile, AL.  We never ran into them as they left weeks ahead of us.  We did meet a couple of their friends last year when we were doing the half loop though, Rick and Sherrie from Amada and Rick had told us to keep an eye out for them.  

 It was really fun to catch up with them and introduce ourselves.  There were people from all over and it was fun to just randomly connect with the majority of folks who were moored out there. 

We also had a couple of interesting visitors to our little gathering.  I will post pictures of them below and see if Mrs. Noonan’s class can figure out what they are.  They are indigenous only to the Bahamas.  

Well, needless to say the party was a great way to end the day.  Back to Free Bird to get an early start in the morning.  We will continue heading south for about another week before it is time to turn around to start back towards home.  There are many great islands we passed by on the way so lots more in store to explore!