Heidi, Michael, and Magdalena arrived on a Wednesday afternoon to Palm Cay, our sort of “home base” marina in the Bahamas. The weather looked good to leave early the next day to travel east toward the Exumas so we made sure the boat was all stocked and provisioned before they arrived. The kids played at the beach that afternoon and everyone was so happy to see each other after nearly a year apart. Our first stop was Shroud Cay(see previous post), but after a long, rolly sail of over 7 hrs and a bit of seasickness affecting a few of us, we stayed aboard the boat and rested, played games, and watched a movie. The following day, we picked up a park mooring ball at Warderick Wells Cay, the location of the Park Headquarters for the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. It is a stunning location, a crescent of deep water with strong current running through, nestled between several islands and bright white sand bars. There are several beaches to explore, coral heads to snorkel on and see so many fish, and hiking trails along the island ridge that afford views of the shallow, bright blue “Bank side” and the deep, cobalt blue ocean side of the cay. We stayed 3 days at the park as strong winds would have made it uncomfortable to travel. Being tied up to a secure mooring ball gave us peace of mind while exploring as we didn’t have to worry about anchor dragging in the high winds while we were away. We joined fellow cruising boats ashore at night for potluck appetizers and dinners; the kids kayaked and played off the beach swim platform at high tide. It was so wonderful to share this experience with family! We also had time for lots of games while on the boat. The kids played UNO constantly and we all played the “name” game where you get a piece of tape on your head of some person, character, etc and you have to ask questions to guess who you are! Everyone else can see but you can’t. Very funny and easy to play on a windy day. One of the memorable moments was when Eric and I recreated a picture we had taken from the same spot 15 years ago. The highest point on Warderick Wells Cay is called Boo Boo Hill, and cruising sailboats are allowed/encourage to leave a piece of driftwood or other natural object with their boat name and year signifying they had been there. We didn’t find our memento from years ago but we did take another picture of the two of us standing atop the hill, a place where the first seeds of this family adventure were initially sowed. After the winds calmed down, we moved the boat a bit further south to Cambridge Cay, also in the park, for more snorkeling and exploring. We celebrated Eric’s birthday with a yummy chocolate cake and tasty rum drinks. The nearly full moon added to the very memorable evening. Heidi and the kids were flying out of Staniel Cay so our final stop was there. On the way we did a quick stop at the “Pig Beach” on Big Majors Cay. There are “wild” pigs (hogs?!) there that are very used to boaters and tourists coming to see them swim and feed them food. They don’t disappoint! You have to be careful to NOT bring your dinghy all the way to the beach as these very large animals may try to climb in and search for food. The kids all enjoyed it – especially the little piglets that were there. Karrie and Heidi weren’t so sure about getting too close. One pig discovered that Eric had a loaf of old bread and chased him down pulling on his swimsuit hem until he dumped it all out! Ha! We decided to stay at the dock at Staniel Cay for a few nights. Being at the dock made it easy for the kids to get on and off the boat and explore. It is a casual, friendly, welcoming place – the first bit of civilization after leaving Nassau. There are a few grocery stores and a bakery and the Yacht Club itself with a swimming pool, restaurant and pool table. The kids loved being able to walk the few blocks to the store to get ice cream treats, the adults liked the frosty Pina Coladas! Also at the marina are the resident nurse sharks that hang out near the fish cleaning station. They are very tame and used to people, they come up to the shallows and allow you to “pet” them so of course the kids did as often as possible. One fun day trip while at Staniel was a snorkeling adventure to nearby Thunderball grotto. This site, made famous by the James Bond movie of the same name, is an unusual and spectacular snorkeling experience. At low tide and slack current, there is a tunnel entrance into a cave/grotto that opens up once inside and you find yourself snorkeling inside this cave in about 15 feet of crystal blue water with shafts of sunlight pouring in from the holes in the openings above. It is beautiful and unusual; we all agreed it was a top highlight of the trip! Too soon, it was time for them to leave and head back to Seattle. We said our tearful goodbyes, knowing that August 1st would be here sooner than we think and would be able to see them in Seattle! Thanks for following along and enjoy the post! | |
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AuthorsWe are Karrie, Eric, Ava, and Reed Sanderson. Our house is in Seattle but our home is wherever the four of us are...and for the next two years, our home is Night Music, a Tartan 37 Sailboat. Archives
June 2016
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