Warderwick Wells - Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

Warderwick Wells -  Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park   …   Thursday 28th February 2013

The Exumas seem to us to be remarkably beautiful with the clearest water you could ever imagine. At the same time we're finding it really difficult to settle into a rhythm and the cruising seems very challenging. The Exumas are a chain of islands that run NW to SE with Exuma Sound (deep) on the east side and Exuma Bank (shallow) on the west side. The numerous cuts in between can be navigated but you have to be very conscious of the strong currents and the impact of the weather. The prevailing "Trade" winds blow from the east, but at the minute we are experiencing an unusual pattern of prolonged north / westerly winds as a sequence of cold fronts move through. Our initial impression was that there were few anchorages with protection from the west. This is probably true in the northern section of the Exumas but as we move towards the central section there are more than we first Appreciated. However,  they do happen to be tucked away in areas that are challenging to get get to because of strong currents, narrow channels, shallow water, coral heads etc. One of the things we realized today was that the "top of the line"  Navionics Platinum charts for the Bahamas that we bought for our chart plotter have very poor data for this area. I'm not taking small inconsistencies, I'm talking depth contours that are wildly wrong and recommended routes (illustrated by magenta lines) that if followed would run you aground on sand banks that are quite clearly marked on the paper charts. Actually it's disgraceful and when we get back to the USA I plan to contact Navionics. Anyway enough of that rant!  

Yesterday afternoon we had anchored off the northwest shore of Hawksbill Cay. The holding was excellent in about 7 feet of water at low tide and we had some protection from the southerly winds and waves, both of which had settled by evening. During the night the winds did swing over to the SW and started to strengthen. By 6 am we were really bouncing around to the point where I was concerned about bottoming out the keel. Fortunately by then we were on a rising tide. Getting the outboard motor back on the dinghy was a real nightmare in those conditions, but the last thing we wanted to do was tow the dinghy with the outboard still attached. After trying (unsuccessfully) to get an updated forecast on the Single Side Band radio and eating a quick breakfast we started up the motor, pulled up anchor and headed out. We had put our name on the waiting list for a mooring at Wardewick Wells, headquarters of the "Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park" and at 9am we found out that we could have a mooring, but only at the exposed western end of the channel. Beggars can't be choosers so we snapped up the opportunity. It was only a short 10 mile trip with a rough section battering straight into the oncoming waves (the only direction the water depths would allow us to go), a longer and better leg close hauled to the south and finally, a pleasant downwind section to the entrance of the channel. We picked up the mooring with no major difficulties despite significant current. This area has been described as one of the most beautiful "anchorages" anywhere in the world. It would be hard to disagree - except to say that you aren't allowed to anchor. In fact you aren't allowed to enter the channel until you have a mooring assigned. Anyway this very narrow channel runs in a curve between islands with the bulk of the area covered with sand bars. The water color varies from deep turquoise to golden brown depending on the depth. Once on the mooring we had a quick lunch and chatted to one of our neighbors. He had a lot of helpful insights into the cuisine life and the challenges of the Exumas in particular. He had spent 7 years living on his boat, went back to work for 5 years and now is cruising by sea in the winter and by and in the summer. He did say that he really started to get into the groove and enjoy it the second year. After lunch we took the dinghy into shore and paid our dues at the ranger station, then took a walk across the island on one of the many trails. The park was set up in 1958 and encloses 176 square miles of pristine seas and islands. There is no fishing and you can't take anything away - except photographs, memories and all your personal litter. It really is beautiful. We hope to be able to spend several days here, but the forecast is for more fronts to come through over the weekend and where we are currently moored is likely to get quite rough. We have requested to move up inside the channel but that relies on others leaving and being high enough on the priority list. We'll find out tomorrow at 9 am. If we can't move inside we'll probably leave for a more sheltered location and come back to Wardewick Wells when we make our return journey north.

Mike

24 23.856 N, 76 38.155 W

Sunrise Hawksbill Cay

Cotinga (on the right) on mooring ball No.3

The north mooring field channel - Wardewick Wells

Another one of those cute curly tail lizards

Marine animal

Gloria looking out over Exuma Sound from the cliffs on the east see of Wardewick Wells

Hawksbill Cay

Hawksbill Cay   ...    Wednesday 27^th Feb 2013

After the elation of yesterday, we probably should have expected to find today difficult… It started off with listening to the weather forecast on the Single Side Band radio.  Only for some reason we could only hear about one word in ten.  As this is the “reliable” way to get the weather in the Exumas, we were a bit distressed.  Added to this the internet forecast that we go suggested the winds would clock round to the west.  We couldn’t seem to identify any anchorages with westerly protection.  Such a worry….

Then it was time for an oil change for the Yanmar.  This is not the most fun task.  Imagine changing the oil in your car engine but doing the job in the middle of your living room.  A second fun variation is that you can’t get access to the bottom of the engine to drain the oil out.  That would be way too easy.  One must remove the oil dipstick, insert a piece of semi rigid hose into the dipstick casing. Then the options are to either pump out the oil or “suck the oil out” by attaching a vacuum device.   We have a whizzy gizmo of the latter type.  Somehow though, drops and flecks of oil get here, there and everywhere. Today it went better than last time.  That would be the occasion when the previous pump device failed catastrophically spraying Mike’s shirt and shorts in oil.  That also required an emergency trip to West Marine to acquire the aforementioned vacuum device.  I digress…

Having tidied up after the oil change, it was time to take the staysail off the inner forestay, fold it and store it.  The first attempt was mildly unsuccessful.  On the third try we got the sail tucked into the sail bag.  Then while we were inflating the dinghy, we realized that everyone in the marina was leaving.  Yikes, it was approaching high tide.  Once past high the current would be flowing against us as we worked our way to the west.  Mike ran to the office to pay.  I got the trash together to throw out.  Unfortunately, in my haste I lost the third clip that holds the plastic bag into the trash bin.  Feverish searching did not reveal the clip.  I had a sinking feeling that it was now at the bottom of the lovely bag of trash.  Piece by piece I transferred trash and garbage from one bag to another.  At last the clip was found and the garbage could be thrown out.  Does this sound like a glamorous life to you?

Mike returned and we left the slip, getting some help from one of the marina staff.  By this point the current was already flowing pretty well in the area outside the marina.  The engine got a work out.  I was trying to get dock lines and fenders stowed but on a couple of occasions I had to sit down due to the rough seas.  All this haste in departure meant that we really didn’t have a clear plan of where we were headed.  Worse we had no way points in the GPS.  Finally we got waypoints created and picked a possible anchorage.  Once we got there it was clear that the water wasn’t deep enough to allow us to tuck in behind the little island.  So it was onward to Hawksbill Cay where we hoped to take a mooring.  Some very shallow water was passed to get to the anchorage.  Once there the only remaining mooring was too close to shore.  So we set the anchor.  After going to shore for a walk to the east side then taking a swim and looking at the anchor, we feel a lot happier.  The wind is moving round to the southwest and a certain bumpiness is developing.  Let’s hope the night goes better than the day.

Gloria

24 29.041 N, 76 46.381 W

Anchored off Hawksbill Cay

View from the bosun's chair

Eleuthera to the Exumas

Eleuthera to the Exumas   … Monday 25 - Tuesday 26 February 2013

We've been getting up early to ensure that we catch Chris Parker's weather update for the Bahamas on our single sideband radio. This really is the most comprehensive and impressive summary of current and predicted weather. Based on these forecasts we decided that we should aim to cross to the Exumas on Tuesday because the winds should be most favorable for a good sail and reasonable sea conditions. So on Monday morning we quickly rowed the dinghy to shore to pick up a few last minute groceries. We walked up the road to the highest point on Eleuthera and climbed an observation tower for a terrific 360o view. Governors Harbor looked great from high up - needless to say I'd left my camera on the boat. Anyway, once we were squared away we pulled up anchor and motor sailed south to Rock Sound. Initially the wind was fairly light and pretty close to on our nose, but seemed to move  a little east and certainly increased in speed as the journey progressed. By the time we pulled in to Rock Sound it was probably blowing 20 knots. We anchored in a deserted area with good protection from any chop and enjoyed a pleasant evening. We hauled out the dinghy, deflated it and stored it on the foredeck and we also put up the inner forestay and stay sail in preparation for out deep water crossing on Tuesday. The wind dropped and we sat out and watched the full moon light up the entire bay. 

24 49.777 N, 76 10.733 W

We planned our passage across Exuma Sound in reverse, to ensure that we arrived at Highbourne Cut at slack tide. We estimated 2 hours  at 5.5 knots to reach our jumping off point at Powell Point, Cape Eleuthera and then four hours at 6.5 knots to cross the Sound. Aiming to be at the cut at 2.30 pm we pulled up anchor and headed out at 8.30 am. Winds were predicted to be S or SSE at 15-20 knots diminishing to 12-15 knots in the afternoon. Our journey was initially almost down wind then slightly forward of a beam reach for the main part. The first part of the route to Powell Point needed to be fairly precise to avoid sand banks and coral heads. We started out with a single reef in the main and added the stay sail once we completed the first down wind leg. The next section was in a SSW direction and close to the bearing we would be following offshore, so it was a good chance to assess conditions and refine our sail plan. It was pretty choppy and we decided to leave it as it was, but as we passed into the deep water of Exuma Sound we felt the stay sail was performing poorly and decided to lower it and raise our genoa. The sea state settled into longer swells abeit with a fair bit of chop on top. We roared along at around 7 knots, but after an hour the seas and winds seems to pick up and we felt overpowered and partly furled the genoa. We still made excellent speed and shortly after 2pm we reached our waypoint off Highbourne Cay. Sadly we didn't catch any fish (again), but today we recovered most of our tackle. We did manage to lose one small lure - it appears the steel leader snapped  - how can that be? Anyway we negotiated the cut and almost immediately turned into Highborne Cay marina where we had reserved a slip. This our first night at a dock since we arrived at West End in the Bahamas on January 2nd. Even if it's expensive ($2.30 per foot) it's great to take  a real shower ($4 extra each) and fill up with reverse osmosis water ($0.5 per gallon). Tomorrow we head south to the Exumas Land and Sea Park where we hope to be able to get a mooring for a couple of nights. The wind is going to swing to the NW and by Saturday night/Sunday will be blowing 30 knots so we need to plan to be somewhere safe. That's it for now.

24 42.591 N, 76 49.337 W

Mike

Gloria scans the sea for coral heads as we approach Rock Sound 

The moon sets over Rock Sound early Tuesday morning

7 knots under reefed main and Genoa - Exuma Sound

Gloria - seriously concentrating on steering the boat - Exuma Sound

Yes, actually sailing

Yes, actually sailing    ...  Sunday 24^th Feb 2013

Our day began dark and early at 5:30 am.  Coffee and breakfast were prepared but not consumed before getting underway.  Our early departure from Spanish Wells allowed us to arrive at Current Cut at 8:00am.  This was our best guess for the time of the high water slack this morning.  The current was still flowing into the cut at about 2 knots.  This seemed much more reasonable than the maximum 10 knots that we read about in the guide book.  Once through the gap between Eleuthera and Current Island we needed to turn to starboard to pass between a “hard bar” (rocks) and a sand bar (underwater).  We negotiated this successfully.  We put up our sails and sailed (yes that’s right) thirty miles to a point off Governor’s Harbor. The southerly wind was just strong enough to keep us moving along at an average of 6 knots.  There were some waves but nothing to cause concern.  It was a lovely sail.  Mike said it was the best sail we had ever had.  I think we might have forgotten one or two other great sailing experiences.

Now I could say that the day was uneventful but that would be slightly untruthful.  We decided that we should fish as we went along.  At about 11:30 as Mike was below fixing lunch [when you have breakfast at 6:15, you are ready for lunch at 11:30], I heard the sound of fishing line being stripped off the reel.  I called to Mike and he came out.  He also heard the line going out and declared that this was a ‘big fish’.  But as he reeled in there was no resistance and eventually he could see the lure in the water.  He let out the line again. Both of us were disappointed.  Once we got close to Governor Harbor, we reeled in the line on the rod to discover that the lure was gone. More surprisingly, the clip that had attached the lure was bent out of shape.  Then we brought in the hand line. This lure had been attached to a steel leader and then a doubled over length of 25 lb. test line.  The line had been snapped.  We are still trying to figure out what might have happened.  Now I am certain that it’s cheaper to buy fish than to purchase all this fishing gear. Not only would it cost less, but also you’d have fish to eat.

The second strange occurrence is still happening.  We anchored in the harbor with three other boats.  After a couple of hours some kind of religious revival event began on shore.  There is lots of loud (but not so great) music.  The powerful lights ringing the venue lead me to believe that this might not finish in time for “cruiser’s midnight”.  It’s shades of our mooring at Greenwich Cove.   

Gloria

25 11.712 N, 76 14.846 W

Local girl - "helping" her brother on the basketball court

Derelict House - Governors Harbor

Laundry out to dry - notice the state of the roofs of these houses

House and derelict barn

Local mutt

Haynes Library - Governors Harbour

Wonderful People

Wonderful People   …   Saturday 23 February

I really like it here in Spanish Wells. It's so colorful - a photographers dream. But the thing that struck me most today is just how friendly the people are. We took the Nassau - Spanish Wells - Harbor Island ferry over to Harbor Island. It was an exhilarating 30 minute ride at what must have been 15-20 miles an hour through the "Devils Backbone", a treacherous stretch of water for which cruisers are highly recommended to hire a local pilot. Once we arrived we wandered along the dock in search of a map. We must have looked a bit lost because a guy came up to us and asked if he could help. We told him we needed a map and he said "I've got one in my truck" and off he went to fetch it. Whilst we wandered the town a couple of other people asked if we needed anything. We got talking to number of locals, sometimes because I would ask if it was OK to take their photo, but not always. It just seemed like a really friendly place and on reflection, that is pretty much true of all the places we've been in the Bahamas. Harbor Island, or Dunmore Town to be more precise, is an interesting mix of beautiful well maintained properties and areas where the housing was basic and run down to say the least. We looked at a few menus posted in fancier looking restaurants / hotels. They looked great, but it was clear that you could easily spend $100 per person on a meal. On the other hand the "Supermarket" seemed to have very little in it. Fruit, vegetables and meat seemed particularly in short supply. In order to save time and money we had brought some sandwiches and fruit from the boat and ate these on yet another beautiful beach. This one is supposed to have pink sand (let's just say it's subtle) and is ranked as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. We did later stop at cafe overlooking the harbor and ate smoked dolphin (fish) dip with pita chips along with a coke/sprite that we had to buy from the liquor store across the road - a somewhat strange setup. Anyway we caught the ferry back to Spanish Wells and as we passed the mooring field Gloria recognized one of the boats as belonging to some people we had met back in River Dunes, NC during Hurricane Sandy. We then bumped into Walter and Donna as we took the dinghy back to the boat and met up later for drinks. This proved to be a great opportunity to share our experience because are doing a similar trip but in opposite directions, so picked up lots of information on the Exumas and hopefully helped out with our knowledge of the Abaco. Tomorrow we head out down Eleuthera with the intention of making a passage over to the Exumas on about Wednesday, ahead of a period of sustained north westerly winds that are predicted.

Mike

Spanish Wells Harbor - from the deck of the fast ferry

Valentine's Marina and Resort - upscale accommodation

Run down and basic - the other end of the scale on Harbor Island

"Radio" - the name everyone calls him because of some historic role he played in winning a local baseball game  (I think). 72 years old, he was friendly and fun, but very difficult to understand

Lady cleaning yellow tail snapper

A Reddish Egret in the uncommon white morph - note the bicolor bill - it has a very characteristic fishing style, running around and flapping it's wings

The mooring field in Spanish Wells - now completely full - you can just make out "Cotinga" with the red hull on mooring ball number 4

Bonefishing

Bonefishing   ....   Friday 22^nd Feb 2013

Before our friend Dave came to visit, he told us that in the Abaco region we were near to some of the best bonefishing in the world.  He seemed very excited about the prospect and claimed that bonefishing was on ‘everyone’s bucket list.’  I found myself thinking—really? In truth, I had heard of bonefishing before.  Mostly through reading some of those strange/funny books by Carl Hiaasen.  These are all set in Florida. Each one seems to have some mention of fishing in the shallow water for bonefish.

This morning, Mike tried to get some photos of a guy bonefishing off the point at the southeast end of Spanish Wells.  I’m not sure how the photos came out but the chap didn’t seem to be catching anything.   Later in the afternoon after we returned to the boat, we saw a guy pushing his Carolina Skiff (using a pole) into the shallows just ahead of where we are moored.  He climbed out of the boat and started to cast.  My attention wandered… later I saw him reeling in a fish.  I can only imagine that it was a bonefish.  We heard from Dave that every bonefish caught is worth about $3,000 to the economy of the Bahamas. That sounds like a lot of dough to spend on a fish that isn’t good to eat….

Mike returned to shore later in the day.  He’s really taken in with how colorful the town is.  It provides plenty of opportunity for abstract photos. Maybe he will include a few on the blog page.

Gloria

The flats east of Spanish Wells at low tide

The Eleuthera Express 

In search of bone fish .... note the sturdy boots, my flip flops disintegrated in the mud trying to track this fisherman!

Unloading the truck - everything goes by sea around here

Sanding the rudder

Chicken portrait

Abstract - driveway and walls

Abstract - steps

Quality bollard - not!