MONDAY
TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 0 NM
Today didn’t go as expected due to the continuing winds. It was one more day in Andros.
We used our time for some little chores. Dan worked on cleaning out some obsolete electrical equipment and tidying up the wiring in the port engine room. I took my Androsia Batik fabric and made a pair of pants. Since the sizing was way off it took several attempts to get it right but, finally, I met with success. Since there was adequate fabric left over, I hemmed up a table cloth too.
The sped by and soon the sun had set and night was creeping in. The weather still looked good for tomorrow’s planned crossing.
1/18/2011 ANDROS TO NORMANS CAY ANCHORAGE
TUESDAY
TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 52 NM
Talk about a rain storm!! About 1:00 AM the storm front reached us and we got a taste of what Key West, Marathon and Bimini were experiencing yesterday. Unfortunately, Dan’s computer and phone were near an open window in the salon and both got a drenching. The phone looks to be OK but his ancient computer may have succumbed to the bath.
By 8:15 we were untied and heading out in the slack high tide. Now this was the weather window we had been wishing for. The seas were relatively calm and the winds almost nonexistent.
The joint presence of the US Navy and the Royal Navy was evident as we slipped out of Fresh Creek. One of their boats was out in the channel doing some of their ultra secret undersea testing and evaluation. The choppers from the base were hovering above and a boat transferred someone to the ship.
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| SUPER SECRET RESEARCH HELICOPTER |
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| NAVAL RESEARCH SHIP |
We chose Norman Cay as our first stop in the Northern Exhumas. It is known for its role in the bad old days of Bahamian drug trading. Before Carlos Leder’s operation was infiltrated by the “Feds”, his enclave here was the site of purported murders and a plane crash. The remains of the wreck was right next to our chosen anchorage.
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| WRECK FROM THE DRUG WAR DAYS |
Once we found our place at the end of a line of anchored sailboats, we took our first dip in the Bahamian waters then settled in for an evening on the hook.
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| PICTURE PERFET ISLAND SETTING |
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| SUNSET AT NORMANS CAY |
1/19/2011 NORMANS CAY ANCHORAGE TO HAWKSBILL CAY MOORING BALL
WEDNESDAY
TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 10 NM
What a peaceful night at anchor. The only disturbing factor was the full, luminescent moon shining into my window. Sunrise was breathtaking!
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| SUNRISE OVER THE WATER |
We dropped the dink and took off exploring the many little islands dotting the waters. We found our first intact sand dollars for the entire trip today. In fact, we found four of the beauties. Dan also found a perfect conch shell, devoid of its inhabitant yet not cut as if harvested. The water depth was extremely shallow and we crept along in the dingy much of the time,
By noon we had pulled up anchor and were headed on our way. Our next stop was a short hop to the mooring balls at Hawksbill Cay. We had this all to ourselves for swimming, sunning and even a little stand-up paddling. Boy, it has been a long time since Dan has been able to do that!
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| DAN ON HIS BOARD |
Dan heralded in the spectacular sunset and simultaneous full moon rising with his newly acquired conch shell. He really does a pretty good job tooting the shell!
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| SALUTING THE SETTING SUN |
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| SUNSET |
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| MOON RISE |
1/20/2011 HAWKSBILL CAY TO MOORING BETWEEN WARDERICK WELLS CAY AND HOGS CAY
THURSDAY
TOTAL MILES TRAVELED TODAY: 19 NM
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| SPINY STARFISH UNDER WATER AT OUR BOW |
Totally enjoying our leisurely pace, we dinked to the island which is part of the Exuma Cay Park. Our stroll yielded glimpses of a hummingbird, a nest and a perky lizard. Unfortunately, our small camera is officially “dead” and we have to get into the habit of waterproofing our Cannon and taking it with us until we replace the other. Later we rode to the southern mooring field to deposit our mooring fee in the box provided by the park. Dan also gave his board another whirl around the bay before we packed up and departed by 10:30.
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| PAYING FOR LASTNIGHT'S MOORING |
Our destination, Warderick Wells Cay, is home to the headquarters of the 176-square mile area of Exuma Cay Land and Sea Park. Founded in 1958, this area was set aside as a safety zone to promote the replenishment of native species. That means no fishing, hunting, shelling or gathering of conch or lobsters. It is truly a beautiful setting for all to appreciate.
We moored in a lovely waterway that lies between Warderick Well Cay and Hogs Cay. The waters range from aqua to sky blue to a deep lapis. There are birds chirping all around us and yellow tail snapper swimming right at our swim step. Wow!! We are taking the dingy to the office and hope to secure some WI-Fi service and post the last few days of news.
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| LOOK AT THE STARTELING COLORS OF THE WATER |
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