Exuma Dreamin' (on Such a Winter's Day)

We had been told that the Exumas are beautiful, with more bountiful reefs, and water so clear you might ask yourself whether you are flying instead of sailing. It's been a week since we arrived in the Exumas, and the more time we spend here, the farther south we go, the more proof we find that these Bahamian islands are indeed beautiful. And we ain't seen nothing yet!

Exuma Dreamin'

Our first Exuma landfall was in Leaf Cay, the cay immediately to the east of the better known Allens Cay. This cluster of cays, Allens being the biggest of the cluster, is famed for the iguanas that inhabit the islands. The iguanas, far from being afraid or even shy, come out to the beach as soon as they see boats approaching. They want food, which is easier to acquire from the hands of uneducated human visitors than from the brush inside the island. It's unfortunate that people either don't read or ignore the signs that specifically state that iguanas should not be fed. These iguanas aren't large; the biggest we saw couldn't be more than 90 cm from head to tail. Some of them are fat, though, and their gait appears tired as they drag their inflated bellies over the sand.

Iguanas on the beach (the two on the left, wearing human clothing, are the most sophisticated of the lot)

Feed me or get off my beach!

From Allens we did a short 14-mile hop to Normans Cay, where we elegantly ran aground on the sandbar while trying to find a good anchoring spot, as close to the cay as possible. Fortunately we've learned to move around these shallow cruising grounds on a rising tide, so the moon made sure Taia didn't remain aground for long, just long enough to cause mild irritation of the nautical ego; nature's reminder that we should always remain humble. Less than 2 hours later we were safely anchored in front of Normans Cay.

Back in the 80's, Normans Cay was controlled by Colombian drug dealer Carlos Lehder. One of his planes, I believe a DC-3, had some trouble approaching the airstrip and the pilot was instructed to ditch the plane in the water. It's not clear whether the plane was carrying coke for later distribution in the US or sod for good Carlos's Bahamian backyard (and I'm not being facetious here, we've heard both stories from different people). Regardless of the plane's cargo, it crash-landed in the shallow waters just south and east of the cay. The upside for us, 30 or so years later, is that Gaia took over the crash site and it's become a great snorkeling spot. We dinghied over at slack low water and had the place all to ourselves.

Aisle or window?

Mace Windu: I've had it with these motherfuckin' sharks on this motherfuckin' plane!

With a bit of a coke and sod aftertaste, we went back to Taia and got her ready for a 25-mile sail to Warderick Wells, the cay that houses the Exuma Land and Sea Park headquarters. This Bahamian national park is littered with cays, rocks, coral reefs, all of them surrounded by the clearest water we've ever seen.

In Warderick Wells we hiked up to Boo Boo Hill, where cruisers are allowed to add a piece of driftwood with their boat's name to a pile that's been accumulating for years. Boo Boo Hill takes its name from local lore about a ship that sank in the area a few centuries ago (I'm not sure exactly when the boat sank and my internet connection is barely functional, so I can't look it up). The boat sank and every soul aboard it drowned. It is said that the ghosts of the drowned roam the island around the hill, making the traditional “boo” sound with which ghosts like to scare and startle us.

The ghosts of Boo Boo Hill

On another hike we did in Warderick Wells we saw the ruins of a loyalist settlement. The ruins must be from the 18^th century. As we walked through the ruins, we wondered at the criteria these people used to select a place to settle. The island is a pile of sand and rock and is in an area in which rainfall is limited to a few millimetres a year. There are mangroves and a few other trees and shrubs. Oh, and the “wells” part of the name doesn't mean “water wells.” It's not surprising that their settlement ended up in ruins. Choice of place must have been quite limited for those people.

Ruins on Warderick Wells

As interesting as Warderick Wells was, the anchorage wasn't very comfortable and we decided to keep moving south but without leaving the national park. We aimed the bow at Bell Island, in the southern edge of the park. There we found the prettiest, most impressive anchorage and surroundings we've seen in the Bahamas. Not only that, but every other boat was moored or anchored in the mooring field in front of Cambridge Cay, about a mile south of our anchorage. We had the place to ourselves! And we were anchored a mere 200 meters from an incredible reef. This reef has all types of corals, growing like columns sticking up from the sandy bottom 6 meters below the surface. We snorkeled this place several times throughout the 2 days and nights we spent there. Unfortunately, and most ironically, our underwater camera succumbed to a flooded housing and we can no longer take underwater pictures. It doesn't matter, though. This place has to be experienced personally.

The good ship Taia in Pasture Cay, Exuma Land and Sea Park (the island in the back belongs to Johnny Depp - we did not see him)

We encountered two stingrays and two eagle rays. One of the eagle rays, sporting a tail that must have been 2 meters long, glided pleasantly right underneath me. It was a magic encounter with a magnificent creature of the sea.

The customary cold front was approaching and we decided to await it in the Big Majors Spot – Staniel Cay area. A big plus about this place is that we got to spend a wonderful afternoon and evening with Hold Fast, whom we hadn't seen in two months (last time we saw them was in Man-O-War, Abaco). Hold Fast sailed away to Eleuthera the morning after.

Myron and Dena showed us Thunderball Grotto, a grotto made famous by a 007 movie starring Sean Connery. We snorkeled around the grotto at high tide. I submerged a few feet to enter the grotto under water. Inside the grotto is a dome 8 meters high and 10 meters in diameter; once I swam through the hole underwater I could come above the surface to breath and be awestruck by the natural structure. This is another place that begs to be experienced in person. There's a reef all around the small island and the openings to enter the grotto are part of the reef. There are 2 or 3 holes in the roof and some people dive through the holes and into the water in the grotto. I'm hoping to try that out tomorrow at high tide, when the water in the grotto is enough to dampen the fall.

After snorkeling Thunderball Grotto we went to Pigs Beach. Get this: Pigs Beach is a beach that has pigs. These pigs are so used to humans feeding them, that they actually race to the water every time they see a boat approaching. They squeal angrily demanding food and drink. They're not wild, though, so we were happy to comply and gave them some potatoes and fresh water. (I can't believe we gave some of our precious fresh water to a bunch of angry pigs!)

Noooo! That pig is drinking my fresh water!

Get away from the dinghy, pig!

The piggy in the baseball hat looks hungry

The Exumas are fulfilling and surpassing our expectations. The water is crystal clear, the marine life is abundant and colourful, the snorkeling is beyond compare. This is cruising. This is not a dream, this is real.