Breeze On

In our prior visits to Warderick Wells we had been underwhelmed with the snorkeling. During those other visits we chose only the areas that were not impacted by the current. This time we decided to try snorkeling at slack tide in some of the areas with current. We asked Cherry in the office how to calculate the tides based on Nassau tides (that is how it is frequently done in the Bahamas.) She told us their tides are 20-30 minutes ahead of Nassau tides. We used that information to snorkel twice at the Rangers’ Garden and once at Judy’s Reef. Our only complaints were that we had to snorkel at high tide and the water was deep—meaning we were quite far from the reefs and the fish—and it was cloudy the day were snorkeled at Judy’s Reef. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the experience and look forward to returning. Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber and Queen Angelfish Swimming Stingray Resting Stingray.  Queen Angelfish.  Triggerfish.  Variety of coral.  Coral “garden” We still haven’t id...

While we were at Warderick Wells we hiked up to Boo Boo Hill. The hike requires crossing a stream which is sometimes dry but, since we were hiking around high tide, had a fair amount of water in it. The first time we made this hike six years ago we wandered back and forth along the bank looking for a spot to cross the stream before we realized the path is straight across. I was a huge Julie Andrews fan when I was young so, of course, I couldn’t resist singing Climb Every Mountain from the Sound of Music as we “forded the stream” to “climb the mountain”.  Boo Boo Hill is one of the only places at Warderick Wells where you might be lucky enough to get cell service. We didn’t have any luck there but we were able to get a little service at times when we raised our MyIsland WiFi device up the mast in the dry bag.  View of the mooring field from Boo Boo Hill. Breeze On is the last boat of the right.  Fording the stream. Boo Boo Hill is in the background.  It is a bit trick...

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Warderick Wells. The water is especially beautiful and there is plenty to do. In addition to snorkeling and hiking, we attended a cruisers’ happy hour on the beach and met several people. Yesterday we released the mooring lines at sunrise and motor sailed 70 nm E to Cat Island. The sun was setting as we dropped the anchor in New Bight. We have cell service again so I will post the photos from Warderick Wells.  Parrotfish in Rangers’ Garden, Warderick Wells.  It does resemble a garden.  Sea turtles.  One of the turtles kept climbing higher and higher, totally unconcerned that I was there watching.  Spiny lobster, also unconcerned that I was there.  As I was photographing the turtle I turned to photograph a rather large Nassau grouper. I didn’t see the nurse shark lounging on the bottom under the rock. George spotted it but didn’t mention it to me until we were back in the dinghy. Smart move. 

Early this morning we heard the sound of an engine revving close by. When George went to check he saw a sailboat perpendicular to our stern, about a foot from our dinghy (which was hanging on the back.) The boat was attempting to leave the mooring field and went aground just behind us. The narrow, deep channel surrounded by shallow water makes Warderick Wells beautiful but can also make it a challenge to navigate, particularly when boats are crosswise in the channel, as Breeze On was at the time. It is sometimes reminiscent of a slalom course, going behind one boat and in front of another in order to stay in the deeper water. This particular boat chose to go behind us but then went aground. It took about ten minutes for them to get free and our boats did not touch. I would have loved to have taken a picture but didn't want to take advantage of their misfortune. Yesterday morning we went snorkeling at the Rangers' Garden. It was beautiful and we were lucky to be there right at s...

A cold front is coming in a few days and the current forecast calls for W wind. We considered our options for W wind protection and decided to go to the mooring balls at Cambridge Cay. We left Little Bay this morning and sailed back to Staniel Cay for a brief stop to search for fresh food. On the way to the store we swung by Azzurra 2.0 to say hello to Dawn and Ray and their guests. At Isles General Store we were delighted to find lettuce, cabbage, apples, red peppers and avocados. We raised the anchor again and set sail for Cambridge Cay. Along the way we heard someone on the radio say he was at Cambridge Cay. George hailed him and asked if there were any mooring balls available. The answer was no so we went to plan B—Warderick Wells. At this section of the Exuma Land & Sea Park one can radio the office and make a reservation. Fortunately, a mooring ball was available and we have a spot here until the front passes. There is little to no cell service here so this is posted via the ...

Today we took a walk around part of a development that was started sometime before we starting coming to the Bahamas in 2016. It even includes the beginnings of a marina. It could be quite nice if it is ever finished. In the meantime, we enjoy walking on the roads.  After we returned to Breeze On we tackled the dreaded job of going into the storage under the aft berth. Since it involves removing everything we have on top of the berth, then the bedding, mattresses, and platform under the mattress, it is quite a job. We couldn’t quite fit all of our food into more accessible storage when we loaded the boat last fall so some of it had to go under the aft berth. It was time to liberate some of that food.  Sign for the development. Our dinghy and Breeze On are in the background.   One reason the development hasn’t taken off is the lack of infrastructure. We were told that the Bahamian government is going to be in bringing electricity and water. We shall see.  One of the r...

Our primary reasons for anchoring at Big Majors Spot were to buy diesel, gas, and fresh vegetables at nearby Staniel Cay. The forecast called for light wind on Monday morning (yesterday) so that is when we planned to make the 1.25 nm dinghy ride across the harbor to make our purchases. Just as we had planned to leave, a line of squalls came through. They passed after a few hours but left a lot of wind and chop in their wake. We moved Breeze On around the southern tip of Big Majors to cut a half mile off of the dinghy ride.  When we arrived at Staniel Cay there was a line of boats waiting for fuel at the fuel dock. We lucked out, though, and were able to get our ten gallons of diesel and five gallons of gas as one boat was filling their water tank. Then we walked to three different small stores looking for fresh vegetables. No luck there. We did find oranges and fresh pears—go figure. The supply boat comes in on Wednesday so the shelves may be restocked after that.  After retur...