Exumas (Part 2)

     A fun part of this trip has been meeting fellow sailors and we have enjoyed an interlude of periodically anchoring near our friends on Diamond Sky. They needed to head back to Florida so we parted ways and we headed to the Northern Exumas to see more of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. In addition to meeting new friends, we have surprisingly met up with other boats that friends have said to look out for. For example, at Bitter Guana Cay we met up with the cousin of Nico’s niece’s husband. We were told to look out for them and they just happened to see that we were from Freeport. When they came over to say hi, we made the connection. Later, we saw a boat named Cupcake in Great Exuma that I had been told to look out for because they too were from Freeport. Turns out the husband, John, is an attorney and his wife, Ellen, is a teacher in Portland. They are taking time to travel with their two kids.

     We headed north to Shroud Cay, an island with a huge mangrove swamp in its center. We explored the channels by dingy, following one all the way across the island to the eastern side. We snorkeled on the reef, climbed a hill with a 360 degree view and then drifted back, enjoying the many sea turtles that lived there. We saw many sharks and rays too. The swamp is harsh, saline environment filled with mysterious burrows, mounds and worm holes but not many birds, as I had hoped. Lots of small fish in the roots of the mangrove. Our anchorage was so calm we could see the bottom as if it was only inches away. It was, for some reason, a favorite spot for the mega yachts.


Mangrove roots


 The roots spreading out in lines  


Burrows in the tidal flats


Tide starting to come in


View of Shroud Cay from its tallest spot (60 ft)


Snails at the top


Looking across the island at the anchorage


Where we pulled our dinghy up on the eastern shore


Eastern side of the cay


Mangrove channel


Our reflection as we explored the flats


Our anchor chain and the marks it made on the bottom overnight. Didn't seem to bother whatever lived in those holes.

     We then traveled down to the Exuma park headquarters, located on Warderick Wells. There we hiked the various trails and saw ruins of loyalist farms. Today the landscape is desolate, with no topsoil. It must have been so different before settlers cut down all the hardwoods which made all the good soil blow away. There were many trees called Poisonwood which can inflict a terrible itchy rash. We hiked with great care. There were also deep holes in the limestone that one could not crawl out of if one fell in - and I don’t want to think of the bugs and snakes that might lurk in there. There was the skeleton of a Sperm Whale that died from ingesting plastic. The negative impact of humans is very evident down here.


View from the park headquarters


 One of the resident lizards



The narrow north mooring area. We anchored but then moved to a mooring in another area when the wind came up.
 

Boo Boo Hill, named for the ghostly sounds made by shipwrecked sailors, and the pieces of wood with boat names that sailors leave there.


The sperm whale skeleton


Remains of farm buildings from the 1700's.


A wall to keep cattle on their side


One of the many deep holes on the island. I hope the cattle, or any small children, kept away.


The islands are not lush anymore. What was it like before Columbus?


The dreaded Poisonwood Tree


and its leaves


I finally saw the green flash when the sun went down!!! Just as the sun sinks below the horizon there is a bit of green light due to the bending of the light. Each night, in the right locations, I've looked for it. Seen it twice now.

     Next stop was Sampson Cay and the home of John Malone, a classmate of my brother and great land owner in Maine. He has built a beautiful complex that is totally off the grid. We have been surprised that there isn’t more solar or wind energy installations down here when fossil fuels for their big generators is so expensive. He has shown what can be done if there is money to get it done. There is no recycling or pump out boats either.


Part of John Malone's complex.


His main house. He only comes down a few days a year according to his caretaker. We have seen quite a few islands owned by the rich and famous. Low impact on the environment since they are used so infrequently and they protect habitat from development.

     One town that we really enjoyed was Black Rock Settlement on Great Guana. Nico got a haircut from Ida who runs the laundromat, book swap, convenience store and shower facilities there. We walked to a great little blow hole that reminded me of the geysers in Iceland and we had dinner with two couples that all had connections with Maine through boat building and Hinckley Boats.


 Outdoor haircut  


 The blowhole


The blowhole up close

We are working our way down to Great Exuma to meet Nico’s sister Lisa and her husband Joe. Our adventures will be covered in Part 3.