Day 26 Tue 22-Apr 2014
Warderick Wells Cay (HQ of Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park)
LAT N24 deg 23.1
LON W076 deg 38.0

[photo: these are the kind of mega-yachts we are sharing the waters with]

Wow, what a restful night! We got up just after 0600 to a glorious pre-dawn sky. I had a coffee and Diane had her morning Diet Cola. We both sat in the cockpit with Clyde enjoying our beautiful surroundings.

With a light wind expected today, the boat interior may warm up a bit more than I like, so I cooked up the next two meals in the early morning - a ground beef, pepper, onion, olive, pasta, tomato sauce concoction, and chicken, onion and mushrooms in a lemon/wine/caper/butter sauce. After that, we were officially out of everything fresh. We have no protein left that isn't in a can, no fresh veggies, or fruit. Our next opportunity for any grocery shopping will be in Staniel Cay, perhaps three days from now. With these pre-cooked meals and more pasta, canned tomatoes, tuna, canned chicken, etc., we will certainly not starve.

At the 0900 radio session by Exuma Park HQ, we heard to our joy that Slowdown is planning to come here today for a mooring. Footloose came on later and is apparently looking for one tomorrow. We could not hear either of them, or about half the boats calling in, but rather the Park staff's reply. We later tried hailing Slowdown on channel 16 with no success. It seems assured we will see them tonight and catch up.

By 1030, we had gathered our gear (VHF radio, cameras, and water) and anchored the dinghy at the park HQ beach. We then set off on the southern trail to reach Boo Boo Hill. We had forgotten how rough and jagged the rock trail was and were glad our footwear was (marginally) up to the task. We crossed the wooden bridge we remembered from our first time here with Bleu Goose and Antic, and continued up the hill to the Exuma Sound side of the cay, where the deep blue color of the water was amazing.

Following a partially sandy, partially rocky trail, we started up a rather steep incline to Boo Boo Hill where there are hundreds of wooden mementos left by other cruising visitors over the years. We left our small offering, took many photos along the way, and rested on a sturdy, beautiful wooden bench at the top in memoriam of some beloved visitor.

Apparently, there is a much shorter trail back to the HQ area and we elected to take that one. It was about one-third the distance and even less time. Back at the beach, we dinghied back to Diva Di for lunch and some rest. Just downloading the many photos from the Kindle and smart phone, renaming, and sorting took a while, but a nice, cool beverage helped ease the process along.

About 1330, or friends on Slowdown motored into the anchorage and passed by our boat close aboard to pick up their mooring just 200 feet away. I dinghied over to see if they had any questions and to give them a few tips, but they had everything under control. We agreed to have cocktails and appetizers on Slowdown at 1630.

Back at Diva Di, I realized that slack tide was approaching, so I donned my mask, snorkel and fins and set out in the anchorage. There is not much to see within several hundred yards of the boat, but I did get to the sunken wreck near mooring number 9. It was good exercise and reinforced that even with a mild current, it can be tiring swimming upstream.

We both showered at the stern and got into dry clothing, and then we basked in the gorgeous sun with the light illuminating the dunes and flora of the island to our east and the varying shades of brilliant blue to our west. At 1630, we got our drinks, appetizers, and small gifts ad dinghied 200 feet to Slowdown.

It was a great mini-reunion in that we had each endured some challenging weather and had many recent and older stories to tell. While on Slowdown, a 4 foot barracuda decided to hang out under their dinghy. That is the largest fish we have seen up close since we got here. Additionally, Cheryl spotted a turtle just a dozen yards from the boat. Later, we spotted what looked to be a juvenile bald eagle, but we don't know if they range that far or if it was something else.

At 1800, we needed to get back to Diva Di to enjoy the pre-made supper of chicken, veggies, and lemon/butter sauce. It was very tasty under the circumstances, but not a meal we would replicate for the future. Making meals with available ingredients can be challenging.

After supper, we got Clyde in the dinghy to take him a few hundred yards to the beach. Diane had to carry him the last 50 feet as the seabed was shallow here. I waited in the dinghy while they romped on the shore for 20 minutes, and then we returned.

Back onboard, we relaxed topside with a beverage and some music. It was a very pleasant evening.