Exuma Paradise

 We left Nassau on 12/27 for the Exumas with a full gas tank, a new battery (of four), fresh food and a favorable forecast. We were initially headed for Warderick Wells, center of the National Park, about  56 miles away. The trip would be over the Yellow Bank, with 15-25 feet of aquamarine water and light chop. The chop was not light at all with water crashing over our bow and top. We changed courses to head to Allan’s Cay to take 20 miles off. We found a beautiful anchorage in shallow water, right off a small beach.

The largest iguana that we saw - about 3 feet long.

Allan’s Cay is one of the northernmost frequented anchorages in the Exumas and known for its colony of iguanas. The story goes that the Spanish colonists eradicated these creatures off most of the islands, but did not come to Allan’s. We took our dinghy to the beach and began looking for life. We first spotted a large fellow, maybe 3 feet long, partially hidden behind a rock. Then more and more smaller guys started approaching from behind the jagged rocks.  

Iguanas came from everywhere as we departed.

These creatures have a reputation for biting, so we didn’t want to get too close. After observing them for a while, we headed back to the dinghy. We were then rushed by quite a few, presumably looking for hand outs.


The next morning we set off for Warderick Wells, the headquarters of the Exuma Land and Sea Park, one of the highlights of our trip.  We had read that the mooring field in the park can be booked early and we needed to call by 9 o’clock to get a spot. We sped up our trip to make it in calling range by 9 and felt lucky to get a mooring reserved. Cherry, the harbor manager, guided us in, “Follow the darker water to the last mooring.”




On a mooring at the Exuma Land and Sea Park

View of our anchorage from Boo Boo Hill.

 




We slowly motored into absolute paradise. As rumored, the waters here are crystal clear and have every color of blue green from the palest aquamarine to deep sapphire.

 



After checking in with Cherry, we snorkeled in the Garden, seeing beautiful live coral and colorful fish. There are many reefs in the park that are identified on charts for visitors to explore.  We much enjoy having a camera that can be used underwater but the pictures never capture the full vibrancy of the color.




Notice that there is a fish swimming under the right fin of the string ray. 

Molly is etching our boat name on drift wood.



Placing our boat name on the pile.

Boo Boo Hill.

Later in the afternoon we took a hike through parts of the island. We walked on sharp, jagged rocks along a mangrove creek where we saw a young stingray and young turtle swimming in 5-6in of water. We hiked up to Boo Boo Hill where we followed the example of thousands of other boaters by making an offering to the sea gods with our boat name on a piece of drift wood.



One of many beaches we walked
with no footprints.

We spent five days and four nights in the Park, which encompasses a number of cays over 150 square miles.  The Park was created in 1958 with the support of volunteers.  This is a very special place, and one that we hope to visit again, perhaps, as park volunteers as the trails could use some work.   We already started volunteering by picking up some of the plastic that had washed up on Boo Boo Beach.  We were told that last year, cargo debris from the wrecked El Faro landed on the Exuma Islands, including millions of bags of M&Ms, bottles of Axe Body Wash, flea collars, cans of motor oil and medical supplies, including wrapped syringes. During our time in the park we snorkeled, kayaked through the mangrove, explored all the hiking trails on the Cay and celebrated New Year’s Eve on the beach with fellow boaters from the USA and Canada.

Banshee Creek with its mangroves.

The bridge on this trail seems only partially helpful!

View of Hutia Hill where we saw our first Hutia,
similar in size to a woodchuck.

Termite mound.

We want to moor here next time! 

English remains on the island.

Boaters tend to be very friendly, often exchanging information and sharing appetizers on each other’s boats.   There were a handful of cruisers that we saw three or four times over the course of a month or two even though very few travel on a planned schedule.  Two couples, in particular, we hope to visit in Canada.  Interestingly, the majority of boaters we did meet were from Canada.



One of the private island beaches we viewed from our boat.












After the Park we continued our journey south, motoring past some of the private cays owned by Johnny Depp, Tyler Perry and others.  We ended up anchoring off Big Major Spot in front of the famous “swimming,” wild pigs on the beach.  Some of the pigs are as large as a cow, and boaters take their dinghies ashore to see and feed the animals.  One needs to be careful since they can bite, raise their feet up on dinghies while looking for handouts and chase people down the beach.  One poor teenage girl ended up in tears as a number of pigs chased her as she held her bag of chips, one getting a small nip of her behind.  We didn’t understand why she just didn’t just drop the bag.  Bill wore a diving  glove and coaxed a couple of pigs in the water before giving them carrots. Hungry little buggers!



After running from pigs for 15 minutes,
one jumped on her leg, and she dropped
the package of chips.

Bill got the pig to go out another few feet before taking the carrot.

The most common topic for boaters is the weather.  This is particularly important in the Bahamas as the 40-70 mile stretches of open ocean between island groups become impassable with winds of certain speeds and directions and/or waves of certain heights and above.  Nearly everyone subscribes to some type of weather service.  On Sunday night (1/1) we compared weather notes over cocktails with our friends Ken and Merydie.  It looked like Wednesday or Thursday would be our “weather window”, the only days that we would be able to get back to Florida over the next two weeks due to high winds expected.  The next morning we putt putted to Staniel Cay for gas and water and then began the journey home.