Diving Exuma Wall

Another windy day here in the Bahamas. Why are we not surprised? We’re not surprised because nearly every day these past 5 months, the wind has been blowing, with only a few days where passages and/or diving were comfortable. It’s supposedly due to the effects of El Nino, but the weather has not been what we envisioned for our cruise this past season, to be perfectly honest!! But true to form, the winds continue at 15-20 knots, or more. 

The seas were rather rough in the morning so we weren't keen to be out there and get beat up trying to dive or fish, so we just settled in aboard, reading and relaxing. We're finally back within satellite TV range, so we caught up on recent news too. In some ways, it feels very odd to be so disconnected and far away from things at times. Handling  communication is the hardest, due to the lack of easy internet access, but we've discovered that TV is something you don't really miss that so much.  

There are noticeably fewer boats recently -- seems most cruising snowbirds are heading back north, thus we were one of just three boats remaining in the anchorage. Cozy, but after a few hours of relaxing aboard, we were getting a bit stir crazy! Happily, by the afternoon, things had settled enough that we decided to take Tingum out to try our hand at more fishing. We were pleased to see that out through Highbourne South Cut, the seas were actually calmer than yesterday, with brighter skies. We set some deeper lures since it was so bright out, but it was almost the stand of the tide, so there was little current. Nary a bite, so after an hour or more, deciding that fishing was a bust, we dropped anchor near the northern tip of HIghborne Cay and made a dive. Lovely!!

The profile of the wall that edges along Exuma Sound is really gorgeous and dramatic. The minute we went over the edge at the top, there was a good-sized hawksbill turtle that was cruising along, not at all startled by our arrival. He actually followed us along a bit as we meandered along the reef wall, checking out the coral and sponges that are everywhere there. Once again, both Ron and I noticed that there was some of that algae growth on the corals though, which was concerning. We’ve always associated the algae with shoreline construction, which often causes a lot of sediment in the water that settles on the reef. But since there’s no construction here, it’s a bit odd that the algae is here.

We decided after dinner that we would continue to head north tomorrow, a bittersweet concept, since it signifies “the beginning of the end” of this season’s cruising. We could stay in the Exumas through the month, but with the weather still being recalcitrant, it seems our best bet to just start back, taking our time and enjoying the good weather whenever it comes, wherever we are. We’ll head to New Providence tomorrow, either to West Bay or over to Nassau Harbor, depending on the winds and seas. No schedules, no agendas, just taking it as it comes! It will be lovely to be back in contact with folks again...we’ve missed the internet and the easy communication it provides!

Fish, fish!

A quiet day aboard, since the winds were their usual snippy state, blowing too hard for comfortable diving. We did some cruise route planning and small boat chores in the morning, and watched a movie in the early afternoon out of sheer boredom. Finally unable to sit still, we took Tingum out for some late afternoon fishing. While seas were a bit rough, they were just tolerable, so out we went! Plus, overcast conditions are supposed to be great for fishing, so that was another factor in our favor. It was just after the stand of high tide, so the tide was ebbing as we meandered up the east side of Highborne Cay trolling some ballyhoo. Ron was insistent that today was the day we would catch something off Tingum; it had yet to happen! While we’ve always caught something off Equinox whenever we fished while underway, Tingum was still unlucky in that regard. We spent a good hour or so rocking and trolling, and getting drenched in the spray from the occasional awkward wave.

Yet...Ron was right!! Just off the northern tip of the cay, something bit hard on the port line. I grabbed the rod, reeling it in to set the hook and then something long and thin jumped, flashing momentarily in the air. Ron immediately thought it was a barracuda, but I wasn’t so sure. We then switched spots, with Ron reeling in the line while I got the gloves on and the gaff ready, scrambling madly. Once the fish came close to the boat, we saw it wasn’t a barracuda at all, but a mahi-mahi! Unfortunately, never having tried to land anything aboard Tingum before, my gaff attempt was rather lame, serving only to cause the fish to thrash harder, and quickly threw the hook. Fish one, Tingum zero. Ugh!

Knowing there would be more mahi around, we doubled back to troll through the same area, hoping, hoping...! And...before even 10 minutes passed, we had another mahi-mahi on the line! This one appeared a bit bigger, so I was very determined to handle the gaff more adroitly, now having a better idea of how to approach the fish over the gunnel with the gaff. Ron brought it alongside, and yes! One swoop up with the gaff and the mahi was over the side and in the boat! Success!! We subdued it as quickly as we could, getting it into the fish well with ice right away. Yes, fresh mahi was on the menu for dinner!!

Finally!! Tingum now has the "good luck fish stink" upon her! 

We decided to head back inshore, after some discussion. Ron was intent on getting more fish, but mid-tide was approaching, and I had no desire to buck our way in against the ripping ebb current in the winds that were already tossing us about. We returned through the cut easily enough and spent the next hour cleaning and filleting our catch. While we’re not experienced pros at processing fish by any means, every time we do it, we get better at it! I vacuum-sealed a good 5 bags of fish, not counting what we kept out for dinner. Need I say it was delicious?!

Back North to Highborne Cay

We cruised early this morning, up and out O’Brien’s Cut well before we needed to, wanting to take advantage of the slack water on our exit through the cut there. When the ebb tide opposes the wind, the cut gets nasty rough even in the lighter winds; in a good blow, the waters flowing through the cut can get into a "rage" where it really isn't passable. Today, though, it was an uneventful cruise (always good) under mostly cloudy skies of only a few hours as we made our way north. It was nice to be offshore and not threading our way through the shallows filled with coral heads, but when we arrived at Highborne Cut, it was at mid-tide and the winds were against the ebbing current. Never a good thing as I stated before, especially in the Exumas where the current flow through the cuts can be quite strong! Still, although the winds were just 10-15 knots, the cut was clearly a bit rough so we pulled in the tender off the towline. I jumped in (literally) off the stern of Equinox to pilot Tingum, while Ron took Equinox separately, since we didn’t want the tender to get yanked about in the steep chop of the cut. Despite a few waves bouncing Tingum about, we each had an uneventful passage in to Highborne Cay from Exuma Sound.

We anchored in the lee of the cay amongst a few other boats. Highborne Cay is a privately-owned island with a small marina and fairly well-stocked store, but no other facilities, not even a restaurant. Thus, it’s a highly transient place with many boats coming and going, heading north or south. We are hoping to do some diving here if the wind ever dies down, since we know the wall here is phenomenal. The question is, will the wind EVER die down this year?? Apparently not...!

We had a farewell dinner with Sam and Heather aboard Cloud Nine in the evening; they are heading on north tomorrow, wanting to stay on schedule to reach Virginia by the end of May. We have enjoyed out time with them as they have been so much fun to be with! From their stories of cruising in the Med to their adventures in the Pacific, it’s been an instructive, interesting and very enjoyable time together. That is the real treat of cruising, meeting other boating folks who become friends. It really makes cruising so wonderful!

Sam and Heather, aboard Cloud Nine

Picnic Day at Warderick Wells

Ron and I made a dive in the morning near Bell Island, using the bottom profile on our depth sounder to find a dive site. We chose a spot that looked promising, anchoring in sand in 80’ near the edge of the wall, then went down the anchor line to investigate its set  before exploring the area. While the reef profile was very pretty along the edge, there was a surprising amount of algae growth on the coral, so it was a bit sad. Between the somewhat silty waters of an outgoing tide and the dim light from a mostly cloudy day, we found the visibility limited. Nevertheless, we both saw the outline of an eagle ray feeding and cruising along the wall before it ghosted out of sight. Always like to see those graceful creatures -- that made the dive for me!

We packed a picnic lunch and picked up Sam and Heather in Tingum, then we cruised north out on the sound to Warderick Wells, where the headquarters for the Exuma Land and Sea Park is located. The Park, established in 1959, is possibly the most pristine and gorgeous area of the Exumas, encompassing 15 cays and over 176 square miles, from Wax Cay Cut in the north to Conch Cut in the south. The Land and Sea Park prohibits taking of any plant, animal, bird or marine life including coral and shells, in order to protect the great diversity of marine and land life in the Exumas. In light of the diminishing lobster, conch, turtle and grouper populations everywhere else in the Bahamas, the park conservation policies are critical to the replenishment of native marine life, and in fact, some species of the Park’s flora and fauna are no longer found elsewhere in the Bahamas.

The Park Headquarters at Warderick Wells

We’d been here some years before with Ally, when we were vacationing aboard the live-aboard dive boat, AquaCat, but it was fun to revisit it. It’s gotten spruced up over the years, for in addition to the unique old Park Headquarters, there is a new house for the Defence Force personnel, who assist the wardens and staff in combating poachers, for many see the rich abundance of the waters within the park as an easy place to take fish, lobster or conch. An incredible shame, but unfortunately, it occurs on a daily basis, by locals looking to profit by selling their catches, or by visiting yachtsmen who might or might not be aware of the Park’s policies. Penalties are severe in either case!

Warderick Wells has a long history filled with pirates, shipwrecks and skeletons, so of course it’s rumored that the cay is haunted. In the late 1780s, there were conflicts between the few remaining pirates of the time and Loyalists who settled on the island, ending with a Loyalist massacre. There are reports of singing on the nights of the full moon, followed by unknown voices calling out, as well as the finding of bones and a skeleton. 

One of the three shipwrecks offshore Warderick Wells occurred in the vicinity of Boo Boo Hill, which is the high hill with a cairn that was erected long ago as a monument to those lost at sea. We climbed the famous Boo Boo Hill trail to reach the top, where cruisers have a long tradition of leaving the names of their boats on the cairn, carved or painted on all sorts of items. 

The Park has cleaned up the cairn area quite a bit, for it used to be a pile of all sorts of nautical flotsam and jetsam. From old boat name boards to fishing floats to old outboard engines and decrepit life rings, it resembled a junk pile. Now, in the name of being environmentally conscious, the Park has cleared away the man-made junk and requests that any boat memorabilia left be made from driftwood. In keeping with that request, we found a unique piece of bleached driftwood and used a Sharpie to make a marker for Equinox. After admiring and perusing the many other pieces of driftwood art naming those who had been here before us, we found a good place to wedge our marker in amongst the other bits and pieces on the cairn. Perhaps we’ll see it again on our return?

Karyn working on our driftwood marker for Equinox 

Our marker -- not so artistic, but spur of the moment! 

We eventually hiked back down and made our way to the well-known blow holes on the eastern edge of the island. Some areas of the island were off-limits due to the tropicbird  nesting habitats, but there are more than 4 miles of well-marked trails all over the cay. Placed periodically along the trails are new signs with interesting and detailed information about the various species of plants and animals found on the island. Very nice!

One of the flora and fauna signs

It was a great day, and stirred up a lot of good memories. Made us miss Ally a great deal...I think she was 10 the first time she was here, and she’s soon to be 18. How time flies!

Sampson Cay to Bell Island, Exumas

The winds shifted again during the night, which we could tell from the sounds of the wind and water. Once we had daylight, we didn’t tarry, just got ourselves ready to make way aboard Equinox, dropped Tingum back on the tow line and proceeded north towards Cambridge Cay. We’d been in touch with Sam and Heather from Cloud Nine and knew that they were heading there as well, but were behind us as they’d spent the night near Fowl Cay along with all the other boats.

We were a bit worried that we’d get to Cambridge Cay/Bell Island area and find it already full of boats trying to escape the west winds, but optimistically forged ahead nonetheless. We were heading to Bell Island’s Harbor Bay on the eastern lee side of the island, but to get there, we had to go up and around the west side of Bell Island and squeeze through a narrow cut at the northern tip of the island. The charts showed that it would be rather  a narrow gap to go through, but I have to say, I wasn’t prepared for how skinny it looked!

My heart caught in my throat when I saw it, for on the starboard side there was a good car-sized rock with a submerged bar behind it while to port there was a sandy shoal with about 1’ of water over it. The gap between the two looked nigh impassable, since the turbulent rushing water made it hard to determine where the shoal ended and the deeper water ran past the rock. From afar, it all appeared extremely shallow! I jumped to the bow to keep an eye on the water depths, and while Ron slowed Equinox a tad, I also knew we couldn’t possibly stop too quickly with Tingum in tow. So...we trusted our eyes and charts. I was out on the bow, looking ahead intently, checking depths and looking for shoaling, holding my breath as we approached the cut, which appeared narrower by the minute, but...while turbulent, the water was more than sufficient. There was no issue with depths and we breezed through with a good 7’ of water beneath us. Whew!! Gratitude!!

Once around the northern tip of the island, we could see into Harbor Bay -- and, amazingly, it was empty! All the other boats were over in the mooring field by Cambridge Cay, but we had the bay blessedly to ourselves. Once the anchor was down and Tingum pulled up to the starboard hip, we radioed Sam and Heather to give them a heads up about the depths of the cut, along with its narrowness and intimidating shallow appearance. Later, when Sam and Heather joined us aboard Equinox for another fun-filled evening dinner, Sam stated when Cloud Nine came around Bell Island, he immediately upgraded Ron in his  respect and estimation, awarding him the title of “Captain Cojones” for piloting Equinox through that narrow gap. (They were worried about piloting Cloud Nine through, and couldn't believe we squeezed through ourselves!) This from a man who has circumnavigated the globe and seen any number of tricky cuts --- we’re honored!!

Our view of the sunset in our Bell Island anchorage

Sampson Cay

Ron and I spent the morning out diving with Staniel Cay Divers, enjoying a great time underwater. The first dive was a tremendous spot called "Jake's Drop", a swim-through at the edge of the wall in Exuma Sound that bottomed out about 116 feet. The coral was gorgeous and healthy, with lots of fish life. One huge lobster was out, clambering over the reef in plain view. (It was clearly aware that the lobster season is over until August!) 

The second dive site was much shallower, and a gorgeous one as well. There were many more juvenile fish tucked in amongst the corals -- staghorn, star, brain, sheet, encrusting -- lovely in its variety! I only saw one lionfish, too, which was refreshing. I’m really tired of seeing those intruders everywhere!

After diving, we returned to Staniel Cay to discover all the boats at the marina had been asked to leave due to the nasty southwest winds; the older piers at SCYC just can't handle big winds from that direction, apparently. We had lunch at the SCYC before heading back to Equinox, only to find that every other vessel in the anchorage at Big Major’s was also gone! With the winds picking up from the south and west, the anchorage was very exposed, so many of the boats fled to the anchorages in the lee between Little Major's and Big Major’s or the far side of Fowl Cay. We decided we’d head out ourselves, perhaps to Cambridge Cay, to find a better protected anchorage as the skies looked rather ominous and the winds relentless. 

However, just ten minutes underway, the winds totally switched direction and came whipping out of the north! We then wondered why we’d even left Big Major’s, and whether we should just turn around...but prudently decided to head into the anchorage near Sampson Cay, since that had protection from the squall winds. The radio was burning with calls for slips either at SCYC or Sampson Cay; SCYC resolutely told everyone they were closed until the winds shifted, and Sampson Cay Marina was already full. 

We dropped anchor just before dinnertime outside the marina at Sampson Cay, where there was protection from the northerly winds. Tucked in and secure, we figured we’d stay the night, and simply wait to see what the morning weather brought us! We were grateful we weren't among the hordes packed in to the other anchorages by Little Major's or Fowl Cay, as we heard a lot of folks on the radio unhappy with the wind shift. There was more than one anchor dragging too, from the sounds of it. Serendipity!

Snorkeling and swimming pigs!

We moved the boat today, north to Big Major’s as the winds stoked up last night and bounced us but good in the anchorage at Bitter Guana. Not the normal winds out of the southwest, but there’s a cold front coming through (again -- what the hell else is new this season??). SO, after a fun 5:00 in the morning move of Tingum -- bouncing too close to Equinox while on the hip, we moved it to let it hang back off a long painter. Nothing like a bit of O’dark-thirty fun on the back deck!

Mid-day, Ron moved Equinox around Harvey Cay while Karyn took Tingum more directly north through the shallows and coral heads, reconnoitering the depths during low tide. We opted to anchor at Big Major's; not fabulous during any westerly blow, which might come tomorrow night, but a far better anchorage than where we were in these southerly winds.

Once anchored, we picked up Sam and Heather off Cloud Nine and popped over to Thunderball Cave to snorkel a bit. This was after playing with the swimming pigs on Big Major...I got a lot of photos of the greedy creatures swimming up to the boat, looking for hand-outs. Despite being very adept swimmers, it still is rather  hilarious to watch!

Making a bee line for the boat in hopes of food

Insistently looking for a hand-out!

Thunderball Cave was actually quite a nice snorkel: it's a group of partially submerged limestone caverns, with a natural lattice-work ceiling overhead in the largest cave that allows in beautiful shafts of sunlight to flicker on the water below. The caverns are filled with a variety of fish, from grunts and small juveniles to a large school of sargeant-majors just outside. There were gray angelfish, queen angelfish, small grouper, even a few small ballyhoo, I believe, among the fish that darted about. The coral was bright and healthy, and the caverns itself was really interesting. We snorkeled mid-tide  with a ripping current, so got a nice little swim for ourselves as we went around the parts of the chamber and out the various swim-throughs. Now we have to go watch Thunderball to see where Sean Connery was in the cave!

Unfortunately the evening wasn't as relaxing, as the 12 Kw genset shut down today, unexpectedly. Ron focused on the impeller, hoping that was the cause, but we both were dubious since we'd just changed the impeller during the last oil change not too long ago. Yet, we checked it out and while the impeller looked fine, we still replaced it.  Once the new impeller was in place, we re-opened the seacock, and....water started to drip from the back of the pump. Of course, a spare raw water pump for the generator is the one item we don’t have, so we will make our way home from here more directly than not. Thankfully we have the 20 Kw genset to back us up, but that's what we reserve for windlass and bowthruster use, so we are being extremely careful with monitoring its use. Argh! Boat systems: essential but often frustrating!