We departed Nassau at 10:30 am and motored into 4 foot seas for six hours which is not the most comfortable way to spend a day. The waves or more appropriately named “chop” would take the bow up then back down into the next wave slowing us from 6 knots to 4, this pattern repeated itself for 5 hours. However the reward for all the “pounding” was arriving at Allens Cay in the Exumas by 4pm. Once the hook was down I jumped into the 84 degree crystal clear water and in no time I harvested 8 conch all within 100 feet or our boat. The Allens Cay’s are home to iguanas which are always interested in checking out who is visiting their islands. We spent two nights at Allens Cay and then departed heading to Hawksbill Cay 20 miles to the south. What a treat as we sailed almost the entire way without the engines running which was a first since we departed Maine in Sept.!
We did some exploring in our dingy around Hawksbill and on one reef found lobsters, grouper, lion fish along with an assortment of colorful tropical reef fish. The lobsters, which were some of the largest I’ve encountered, were quite the tease as they seemed to know that they were in the Exuma Land and Sea Park where no fishing is the rule. We are currently in one of our favorite anchorages, Warderick Wells, home to the park headquarters and some of the most amazing scenery both above and below the water. The Park staff has invited all the boats for a Christmas dinner at their residence and Hoku is counting down the hours until Santa arrives. The above picture is the cookie crew, happy holidays.