3/5/16
Warderick Wells Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
Position: 24 23.800, 076 37.929W
Posted by Bill

Yesterday, we put the dinghy in the water and gave it a good leak test. It leaked no more than it did after we fixed it in Bimini, and it is certainly a manageable leak…very slow. We explored Shroud Cay in the vicinity of our anchorage. There was a really nice bay with a great beach just off the anchorage, and we explored up the bay as far as depth allowed us. Then we went back to the boat to prepare for some wallowing. If you read the blog last year, you know that wallowing is the act of hanging out in the water, shooting the shit, and drinking libations. It is one of the best things to do in the Bahamas as the water is warm, clear, and you can find calm secluded beaches. We dubbed the beach inside this protected bay “Wallow Beach”. Rum drinks were made, and we met our friends on the other Island Bound to wallow. It was a great day to just relax after a long passage.

Today we left around 8:30 to head to Warderick Wells Cay. It is the cay where the Land and Sea Park office is. We reserved a mooring in the north field and arrived about 11:30. Upon entering the mooring area, we were amazed at how absolutely beautiful it is here. The pictures just can’t capture it. We took mooring number 9, which is above a sunken boat that you can see as clear as looking through glass if the wind is light. We checked in at the park office and paid for our mooring, then took our dinghies down to the south side of the island to explore a place called Pirate’s Lair. As legend would have it, pirates used to camp out here and wait for ships to pass from New Providence Island/Nassau. The ride over was spectacular as were the views from Capture Beach where the trail to the lair starts. It was cool. We intend to go to the happy hour gathering that takes place every Saturday on the beach by the park office. We are planning to stay for at least 3 nights here, as we are expecting some high winds for most of the weekend and next week. The mooring field is well protected from all directions. There are many trails to hike ashore, and tons of snorkeling areas around the island, and lots of wallowing beaches, so we will keep busy.