Warderick Wells - Exuma Land and Sea Park

Warderick Wells - Exuma Land and Sea Park

Tuesday 15th - Wednesday 16th April, 2025

Warderick Wells is home to the Headquarters of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. We first came here in 2013 and were astonished by the beauty of the area. We returned for a brief visit on our way north in 2018 and spending a few days here on this trip has been a high priority. The park has two mooring fields in this area, both on the west (banks) side of the island of Warerick Wells. One is to the south near Emerald Rock (Gloria described this in the previous blog entry) and one to the north near the park Headquarters. It’s only a half mile dinghy ride between the two, but it’s a five mile trip to go around sand banks in any cruising boat, as the channel is too narrow and shallow to go directly. The northern mooring field is a horseshoe shaped channel and in my opinion is the premier place to be, but it is understandably popular. It’s a first come - first served system and you need to have an assigned mooring before you enter the channel. The Park Service coordinate this and can be reached on VHF radio or cell phone from afar, and they will clarify whether or not there is a mooring available immediately. If not, a common situation, they will put you on a waiting list for the following day. We called on Monday morning from Staniel Cay, but there was no space available that day and so we added our name to the list and went into the Emerald Rock mooring field for one night.

At 9 am, the park ranger pipes up on channel 9 of the VHF radio to ask if any boats have left or are planning on leaving that day. He then figures out what space is available and assigns moorings based on length, draft and priority on the waiting list. On Tuesday morning we were told that we could proceed round to the north mooring field immediately. It took us almost an hour to get there, but the tide was near high and the current slack, so it was easy to pick up the mooring line. The moorings are set up in the narrow horseshoe and you face north or south along the channel depending on the state of the tide. During transition, there is only about 10 feet of space behind the boat before it’s shallow enough to stand on the sand bank!

It’s a truly magical place with wonderful colors in the water. The channel itself is about 10 feet deep and appears as an intense turquoise blue. The areas around dry out to sand banks at low tide and so you have a range of colors from blue to green to yellow to pink as the depth changes. There are a large network of trails on the island of Warderick Wells and on Tuesday we hiked over the Causeway trail, up Hutia Hill* and over to Exuma Sound. We returned via Boo Boo Hill, a tremendous viewpoint where you can see both the deep-water Exuma Sound to the east and the shallow-water banks to the west. It is also the location where sailors deposit pieces of driftwood with their boat names painted on. 

This morning we snorkeled the “Rangers Garden”. We needed to do this at slack tide to avoid strong currents and we got it more or less right. What an exceptional snorkel! The water was crystal clear and we saw lots of beautiful fish, including Nassau grouper, Queen and Grey Angelfish, Rock Beauties, Ocean Triggerfish and a school of large Houndfish. We also came close to a small turtle. However, the highlight was swimming with a school of 12 Spotted Eagle Rays. They were really large (6 ft+ with tails that were at least as long as the body) and gliding right by us, so gracefulyl and apparently not concerned with our presence. 

I still think Warderick Wells is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been.

• Hutia are small rodents that are endemic to this island.

Mike

24 23.834 N, 76 37.961 W

Exuma Land and Sea Park Headquarters - Warderick Wells. (This image is a panorama of wide angle shots and the perspective is not true. The water on the left is the north mooring field and the water on the right is the small channel through to the south mooring field)

The north mooring field from the Park Headquarters

The Causeway trail, Warderick Wells

On route to Boo Boo Hill

Boo Boo Hill with a collection of driftwood with teh names of visiting boats inscribed. The north mooring field is on the left and Exuma sound on the right, connected by Warderick Cut (hidden behind the hill).

The view out to Exuma Sound under calm conditions. (Less than a mile from the shore the sound is thousands of feet deep.)

A curly tailed lizard on top of some old Brain Coral

Best Snorkeling Yet

Best Snorkeling Yet

Sorry for the delay posting ... we have been out of cell phone reception for many days. We have three posts ready to put up, but its very slow here, so this is the first and the other two will follow later today or tomorrow evening, when we should have better service.

Sunday 13th and Monday 14th April, 2025

On Sunday morning we left the anchorage near Galliot Cut and motored into the wind for about twenty miles.  In contrast to the previous day (Saturday)  there was substantial wind from the northwest.  A short steep chop greeted our bows.  It seemed a long twenty miles as the waves slowed the boat significantly.  Once we got to Big Major Spot (near Staniel Cay) we were shocked by the number of boats and the size of the many motor vessels.  Finding somewhere to anchor seemed like it would be a challenge.  Eventually we were securely anchored and eating our lunch.  Low tide was going to be a three pm.  We figured that visiting the Thunderbolt Grotto would be best around low.

By two pm we were on our way.  The dinghy ride seemed quite long, further than I’d imagined.  When we got to the grotto/island, we found that the dinghy moorings were absent.  Our resident genius had remembered to grab the anchor so we were soon settled.  As a prelude to entering the cave, we decided to snorkel around the island.  It was amazing—beautiful corals, lots of fish, plenty of them very large. Entering the “grotto” is a little tricky as there is a powerful flow of water coming out of the entrance. (Perhaps because of low tide?) Several ropes are attached to the ceiling of the entrance to allow the swimmer to drag themselves into the cave.  Immediately there are large schools of fish (and plenty of other snorkelers).  Once inside the main part of the cave, light beams down from openings in the top of the cave.  There are so many fish everywhere that it’s hard to focus on which types you are seeing.  A low archway led out of the cave on the opposite side that we had entered, and it looked navigable at this state of the tide.  We went out that way and circled back to the entrance—enjoying the lovely fish and corals again.  One more trip into the cave and we felt that we’d really done it properly.  The dinghy ride back seemed even longer as the wind was cooling us.  Not even the black wet suits were making up for being wet in the breeze! Am I really saying that I was CHILLY?

On Monday morning we contacted the Exuma Land and Sea Park, trying to get a mooring in the north mooring field.  The Park Ranger suggested that it was unlikely but we decided to move up into the area.  Along the way we heard many boats on the radio calling to request a mooring.  All were advised that there were no moorings available.  Based on those conversations, we chose to head toward the Emerald Rock area and radio in at the decision point.  They say no plan survives contact with the enemy or in this case the lunch hour.  Unable to get a reply, we motored toward Emerald Rock area and picked up a mooring.  Just as we were on the final approach to the mooring, we saw ten dark shapes in the water off our port side.  Mike shouted out “are those sharks or rays?”  Peering over the side of the bow, I could just about determine that they were rays.  Seven of them turned back but three crossed our bow.  I didn’t see where they went as it was time to grab the mooring pennant. Sadly, when we contacted Park HQ to say we had arrived they told us they had a mooring for us in the north field.  Just what we had feared would happen!  However, we decided not to motor the six or so miles to the other area.  We hope to get an assignment tomorrow. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention today’s sail. The wind was more northeast and we were traveling northwest.  The seas were fairly calm.  The wind speed was 8-14 knots.  It was idyllic.  Such a change from bashing into the chop and wind yesterday.  

This afternoon we snorkeled the small reef patches around Emerald Rock.  Although these were small areas, there were plenty of small fish and a few rather large ones hiding in cracks and under overhanging rocks.  We hit all four of the areas that had dinghy mooring balls.  Mike dropped me at the area near our boat (nowhere to tie up the dinghy).  I had a quick scoot around the reef patch and swam back to Cotinga.     

Gloria

Sunset in the Big Major anchorage near Staniel Cay

Lots of large vessels ... many of them pretty ugly in our opinion!

Dusk in the Big Major anchorage

Abstract boats at night

Ditto

On a mooring off Emerald Cay, Exuma Land and Sea Park

Beautiful clear, flat water for dinghy sailing

Adventures in George Town

Adventures in George Town

Friday 11th - Saturday 12th April, 2025

After a couple of days of focussing almost exclusively on boat jobs it was nice to have a day off. We moved Cotinga form the Crab Key anchorage over to the bay on the west side of Stocking Island below the Monument. Anchoring proved to be tricky. We dropped the hook in a location that we felt certain would leave us equidistant from three other boats once our chain was out and we settled back into a similar orientation to our neighbors. However, the winds were so light that when I backed up I just kept getting skewed towards the boat on our port side. I’m sure this was due to prop wash and the inability to develop any momentum because of the anchor chain. We could see the anchor was well buried, the chain was lying over the seabed in meandering loops! In the end I jumped in the dinghy, put it in reverse and used it to pull our stern over. We did end up in the perfect spot!

I should add that this was not the first dinghy excitement of the day. Prior to leaving the Crab Cay anchorage I launched the dinghy from the davits, so that we could tow it behind us. I passed the towing line through the fairlead, but didn’t secure it adequately, and after climbing back on board Cotinga I saw the line slip out of the fairlead and the dinghy started to drift away. There was nothing else for it , but to jump in the water and swim after it. However, not being fully with it mentality, I didn’t stop to take off my clothes first. So whilst the dinghy recovery was a success, I was left with a soaking wet, salty T-shirt and shorts that had been clean on only an hour previously. That was annoying!

At Stocking Island we hiked up to the monument and over to the ocean side. We had forgotten how beautiful this area is. The weather was also beautiful, whereas I think it has been a bit rough for much of the time we have spent here in previous years. Later in the afternoon we went back to shore at the Chat and Chill, a ramshackle hang out for cruisers, that sells bear, cocktails and decent burgers. We met up with our friends from Arabella (Paul and Jo) and Makarios (Benge and Debbie). The latter have their son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren (9 months and 3 years old) with them. It was a lovely evening and a pleasure to meet Benge and Debbie’s family. We aren’t sure when we will meet up with them all again, as we are now going to be moving more quickly up the Bahamas and over to the USA, but it is possible they might leapfrog us on the coast of the USA as they are both headed for Chesapeake Bay.

This morning, we were up and away before 7 am and motoring up Exuma Sound to Galliot Cut. The winds were light and variable and it was a straight motor all the way. We tried to fish and in fact caught a very small barracuda. The poor little bugger was barely larger than the lure! We did manage to put him back. We also saw some fish-boils and changed direction to try and pass through them … but we didn’t get any bites. I did see a Mahi-Mahi (Dolphin Fish) jump clear out of the water in pursuit of a flying fish.

We are now anchored on the west side of Galliot Cay. Winds are supposed to build overnight from the northwest and then veer to north, and eventually east of north. Hopefully, things don’t get too rough here overnight as we don’t have much protection from the north west.

Mike

23 55.412 N, 76 17.422 W

Elizabeth Harbor from the monument on the top of Stocking Island. The town of George Town is on the far (west) side of the harbor

The path to the ocean side of Stocking Island from the monument

The ocean side of Stocking Island under calm conditions

Ditto

A chitin

Palm fronds (partial B&W and 'inverted')

Colorful siding on the former Peace and Plenty beach bar

Moonset from Elizabeth Harbor

The supply boat passes us at anchor off Monument Beach

Bow Wave - this is a similar shot that I took in Exuma Sound in 2013 when Cotinga had a 'claret' colored hull

The George Town Jobs List

The George Town Jobs List

Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th April, 2025

We were very happy to arrive in George Town from Conception Island.  We found an anchorage near Crab Cay with some protection from the south and west. Very quickly we started to figure out what we needed to get done while here.  It seemed like an overwhelming list as Mike read it out to me!  

On Wednesday, we topped up the water tank with water from the jerry cans. Then Mike worked on cleaning the fridge and de-icing the freezer. Once that was done we took the long dinghy ride to town with the dirty laundry, two empty water containers and the trash. Pulling  up at the dinghy dock, we spotted the water tap. We also spotted a couple with a propane tank in their dinghy.  They informed us that a chap with a propane truck was in town would be filling tanks from noon until one.  Sadly after today, he would not be back until Monday.  Not having our empty tank with us seemed unfortunate. Filling the jerries was the first order of business. Free RO water - amazing! The trash was placed in the conveniently disposed pick-up truck (along with our contribution to defray the cost). Then it was off to find the laundry with our two massive bags of dirty washing. 

We were told that we would have to wait until washers were available. We would be called when that happy event occurred. Mike took advantage of this delay to return to Cotinga.  He got the two full water jerries onto the boat and grabbed the propane tank and the last two empty water jerries.  I waited in the laundromat reading my Kindle. When Mike returned, our two loads were in the washers.  More waiting ensued.  By the time the wash was done, by some miracle, there was a dryer available.  Eventually, we returned to Cotinga in an exhausted state feeling pretty good about tackling four (or was that five) jobs from the list.

Today Mike managed to set up a diver to come to the boat to change the zincs. He also topped up the diesel tank with 15 gallons.  We figured we had enough time to go into town to refill diesel jerries and accomplish the re-provisioning before the diver was due to arrive at the boat.  A different dock gave access to the gas station where we were able to fill our jerry cans with diesel. We filled a few more water containers, dropped more trash and went shopping.  The market is well stocked if pricey.  We managed to get most of the items on our list.  Back to Cotinga to get all stashed away and eat lunch before the diver arrived.  After a short rest we started on the stainless polishing! Even writing this account is making me tired!  I’m reluctant to ask Mike what jobs remain on the list.

(The zincs were in better shape than we had expected, but we are happy to have changed them because it gives us peace of mind and also Cotinga will likely be in the water another 6 months before we haul out and this seems like a good place to get the job done ... Mike)

Gloria

23 29.895 N, 75 44.850 W

Tanaj, the diver who changed our zincs - a lovely guy

Conception Island

Conception Island

Sunday 6th - Tuesday 8th April, 2025

The passage over from Calabash Bay to Conception Island was miserable. We knew it wasn’t going to be great but we thought it would be over quickly … 3 hours never went by so slowly! It started out fine, but as soon as we passed Cape Santa Maria we were plowing into 4 foot seas with a really short period. There was lot of pitching and rolling, along with some unpleasant slamming every few minutes. However, we made it and by noon we were anchored off the west side of the island in the most beautiful of settings.

After a hearty lunch of lentil soup and kielbasa we put on our wet suits and went snorkeling right off Cotinga. We each carried a small wooden stick to fend off sharks, because we saw one as soon as we dropped anchor, but fortunately we didn’t see any others whilst snorkeling. The water was astonishingly clear and we did see some nice fish, but the coral is in poor shape and the snorkeling wasn’t great. 

It was a wonderful, peaceful night and it felt magical with the half-moon shining down through clear skies. I took some long exposure night-time shots from out on deck and they look like they were taken in daylight! 

Today we snorkeled again in two different locations and then went into the beach and took a short walk over to the north side of the island. By mid afternoon the tide was rising and we took the dinghy a couple of miles down the coast and over a shallow bar into a tidal estuary that runs through mangroves. Navigating the shallows was a little stressful but it was worth it as the inner bay was stunning. At various times during the day we have been delighted to look up and see white-tailed tropic birds flying around. They nest on the island and appeared to be involved in some highly acrobatic courtship flying.

In the evening we watched the sun go down in cloudless skies and saw what we believe to be the famous green flash. We stowed the dinghy on the davits and prepared to head out in the morning to Georgetown. We contemplated staying an extra day but there is a front that is going to come through (or perhaps stall before it gets here) and winds are likely to go south - south west and possibly west. At best it could become quite uncomfortable, so we decided to take the opportunity to move on. Visiting Conception Island has been an ambition of ours for many years and we are so glad that we took the opportunity to do it now - it really is beautiful. 

The sail over to Georgetown went really well. We were expecting to have to motor the majority (perhaps all) of the passage because of light winds, but with 8-12 knots of breeze at a relative wind angle of about 60 - 80 degrees, along with fairly calm seas, we were able to sail 30 of the 40 nautical mile journey. We are now happily anchored in Elizabeth Harbor, Georgetown, a place we have been to on two previous occasions. 

Mike

Conception Island - 23 50.927 N, 75 07.232 W

Georgetown - 23 29.922 N, 75 44.864 W 

Sunset on our first night ... too many clouds for the 'green flash'

Looking towards the beach under a moonlit sky ... 9 pm, 4 minute exposure 

Ditto

Looking southwards down the beach from Cotinga (also 4 min exposure)

Looking northwards to the other ~ 6 vessels in the anchorage (the boats are dark and swing around, so only their anchor lights and the moonlit water are visible)

The beach and anchorage as seen from shore

The end of the path to the north shore was marred by piles of trash. At least in this case it had been gathered off the beach, but somehow it needs to be removed, buried or burned. This is typical of all windward beaches in the Bahamas.

Once past the trash pile the north beach was beautiful

Amazing water colors

Gloria enjoying our dinghy ride into the tidal mangrove estuary

The tidal mangrove estuary