Return to Central Exumas March 5-16, 2009

UPDATE: 03/30/2009--pictures added:




Return to Central Exumas March 5-16, 2009
Yeah visitors!
Dan and I planned our trip back from the Jumentos in plenty of time to be at Staniel Cay for the expected arrival of our son, Tom, and his wife, Anina by Flamingo Air to visit us on our boat, Sea Star. Our return was with the two boats we spent time in the Jumentos with- Passport and Windsong, using what is called the “old Mailboat route”. This route shortened the trip, kept us on the shallow Banks, avoiding entering the Atlantic in somewhat windy conditions with a significant swell. The other Island Packets that had sailed with us to the Jumentos had returned via this route a few days previous with no major issues crossing the coral heads and shallow spots and we hoped we could, too. We sailed from Flamingo Cay anchorage past Coakley Cay to Rocky Point, some 40 miles, where we spent a quiet evening on the banks under a starry sky. The following day we continued on another 40 miles to Black Point Settlement where we checked Adderly’s Market for necessary provisions, then went on to Staniel Cay to meet the plane at 2:30PM.
The plane was a little later than scheduled but all was well as soon as Anina, who is terrified of flying, was on solid ground. Tom and Dan dinghied the bags to Sea Star and Anina and I waited for the second trip. It was a glorious and sunny day. Soon the two of them were swimming in crystal clear water behind the boat and forgetting the New England weather. It was Christmas for us as we had not returned home or celebrated that holiday with our family, and Tom’s suitcase contained lots of goodies: my new computer, a wifi antenna, a soft weight belt and ten pounds of diving weights for Dan, new sunglasses for me and a great little machine by Cannon that prints pictures directly from a card or computer. We gave Anina and Tom tee shirts from the George Town regatta and a rum punch to begin their decompression from their business-world lives in Boston, MA.
As we dinghied ashore to explore, we couldn’t help but see the many nurse sharks and rays in the water under where the Bahamian fishermen clean their catch. With four of us in the dinghy, Anina was quite uncomfortable at their closeness, especially to where she had just enjoyed a swim.
After dinner at Thunderball Club, we made a plan for the next day to sail the 30 miles to Shroud Cay and begin exploration of the Exuma Land and Sea Park there. The Bahamians have reserved the underwater and some of the Cays for nature preservation. In the Park visitors may hike, swim, snorkel and look freely, but no fishing, conching, lobstering or shelling are allowed. We arrived in time to dinghy the creek and visit the ocean beaches at Shroud Cay. To explore the narrow, winding mangrove creek you need a high or rising tide. We went at rising tide- but we enjoyed our adventure especially when we ran aground. We delegated Tom to get out and haul us through the soft white sand in the dinghy until we arrived at the shore.
Dan and I had visited some Cays in the Exumas, but they are so lovely we didn’t mind going back and showing them to Anina and Tom. One of the places we recalled having a great time visiting was Warderick Wells. The colors of the waters and the quality of the corals there are spectacular and we felt Anina and Tom would really enjoy them. Also, Tom could take some great photos, his hobby. So the next day we sailed the few miles toward Warderick Wells, where we had made the required reservation for a mooring ball. There was time for a swim and a climb up Boo Hoo Hill, and excellent snorkeling at Ranger’s Garden and Judy’s Reef, as well as a cruiser beach get together in our two day stop. Tom had snorkeled when our family had visited Panama ten years ago, but snorkeling was quite new to Anina. She looked adorable in her new wetsuit and hot pink fins and mask. Soon she was swimming with the fishes and I might add, the largest lobsters I had ever seen.(remember, this is a protected Park)
These “kids” lucked out weatherwise! Exumas had perfect warm, sunny, breezy weather for their entire trip. The next day brought an easy 18 mile sail to Cambridge Cay, another of the Cays in the ELSP. By now we all were dying to get in some more snorkeling while it was warm and calm and we visited Tom’s Elkhorn Reef, Rocky Dundas, Aquarium and Airplane snorkels, as well as around the rocks near our boat. Dan and I had wanted to visit Compass Cay about two miles from Cambridge, so we enlisted Jamie to drive one dinghy and we all zoomed and pounded over the surging waters by the Atlantic cuts.
On the knowledgeable recommendation of the Park volunteers on the catamaran, Movin’ On on Compass we were to have lunch at the marina, and visit a place called Rachel’s Bubblebath. Rachel’s proved to be a hit with all of us! Rachel’s is a natural limestone rock grotto located at the point where the Sound and the Ocean meet. The warm water was indeed a mass of frothy bubbles and deep enough to swim in while allowing the current, rushing, splashing and spraying across the rocks from the waters of the Ocean, to smash over and around us as we were the only group there.. Jamie of Windsong got close enough to the jagged rocks to tie a 50 foot rope where we could hold on for dear life as the current tried to send us under the water or back downstream! Wearing fins and goggles, we played there for about an hour, then went to our promised lunch at the well kept marina.
Our next stop, which was to be our last on the visit with Anina and Tom, was to Black Point Settlement. We had a great dinner of conch and fish at Lorraine’s. Dan mentioned that the very same airplane that our guests were to depart on from Staniel Cay also stopped for passengers at Black Point. Flamingo Air was very agreeable when Tom called to change their departure stop and a woman named Ester who works for Flamingo Air, even stopped at the dock and picked Tom and Anina and their luggage up in her truck and drove them to the airport a few miles away. They were on the road waiting to be picked up at 8:45AM and in the air by 9:00AM- no waiting and no security check at that point. then zoom! On to Nassau for them and George Town for us.
Changing the tickets instead of sailing back to Staniel Cay allowed us to relax and again eat at a local business. We had pizza at DeShamin Restaurant- they have great pizza and friendly service. We explored the Settlement, meeting the artist who has created a driftwood sculpture plaza at his home called the Garden of Eden and hearing him describe the shapes of his exhibits. As he spoke he helped the visitor see what he could see in the beautiful driftwood pieces that he had gathered. Some remind an observer of animals, birds and human forms. He also showed us some of the local plants and trees.