CURRENT LOCATION: On a mooring ball at Warderick Wells Cay, Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park, Exumas, Bahamas
24 23.711' N, 076 38.141' W (CLICK HERE for Google Maps)

Although the day did not get off to a perfect start, at least in the wee morning hours, it made up for itself after sunup. Sleep deprivation should have made it possible for us to sleep through anything; however, we were bothered by a rolling motion of the boat. We were anchored next to a small opening in the islands between the 'sound side' and the 'banks side' [Note that the islands of the Exumas separate a deep body of water, the Exuma Sound, from a shallow body of water, the Exuma Banks] and while the NE winds held us steady, the swell from the sound side wrapped around the opening in the islands (like a diffraction grating) and hit the boat broadside, causing us to roll with nauseating regularity. And, to think, when we went to bed we were worried about the potential for loud music and voices from the mega-yacht anchored next to us keeping us awake. Last night we had discussed the relative merit of staying here at Highborne Cay for another day to rest and recuperate vs. moving on to a more interesting destination. The rolling motion tipped the scales in favor of picking up the anchor this morning.

While I enjoyed my coffee and oatmeal in the cockpit, an idea occurred to me. We could sail off our anchor! We were pulled in to the west side of the island, facing the wind, with nothing to leeward but clear, deep water. The boats anchored around us gave plenty of room, and the winds were a perfect 15 knots for sailing. Why start the engine and disturb this peaceful morning? The notion of sailing off our anchor for the first time excited and energized me. Sheryl agreed with keeping the engine dormant in these early hours, and we made our preparations to depart.

With the mainsail raised, I pulled up the CQR, with a little help from our manual windlass. Sheryl steered us onto a broad reach and I joined her in the cockpit to add the genoa to our power plan. We were off! No holding the glow plug button, no noisy engine, no diesel fumes, just quiet gurgling of water as we left the anchorage in our wake.

We were headed in a south-southeast direction with 13-17 knot winds out of the northeast-east and minimal wind-driven chop. This gave ideal sailing conditions, as we reached (first broad, then beam, and finally close) our way to Warderick Wells Cay. The sun was shining, the boat was moving at an average 6-7 knots, and life was good! The islands we passed were a picture-perfect example of the Bahamas, ever-lightening gradients of blue leading to white sand beaches.

We could have sailed on like that indefinitely, and, as we closed in on the end of our 30-nautical mile journey (at an early hour of 2PM), we may have been tempted to keep on sailing a little longer just for the fun of it. However, Mother Nature told us that playtime was over by filling the skies around us with squally clouds. We motored into the harbor of Warderick Wells Cay and picked up a mooring ball, just as the rains started. What a perfect way to end this sailing day, a fresh water rinse to knock the salt accumulation of the last two days off of Prudence.

Warderick Wells is the home of the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park. The mooring field here is in an idyllic setting, but the rest of the area will have to wait for tomorrow to be explored. For tonight, it is dinner and some much needed rest for the two of us. Please, dear Reader, tune in for future postings where we are sure to elaborate more on this fine outpost of ecologically-preserved natural splendor. As Sheryl said to me this morning, in reference to my level of excitement, "You are like a kid at Christmas." Over the next few days we plan to 'unwrap' this latest of presents, here at Warderick Wells.

In the interim, checkout the newly added 'Exumas, Bahamas' link under RECENT PHOTOS. Then check it often, as this collection of pics will grow as this never-ending holiday continues.