Finally – we escaped the comfort, shopping, and ease of Palm
Cay Marina --- not that it wasn’t nice while it lasted! The part of the Bahamas that we most enjoy is
the out-island experience. Our sail
yesterday yes, we sailed! – took us
about 30 miles across the banks to
Shroud Cay, part of the Exumas and also part of the Bahamas National Park Land
and Sea Trust. Here is sailing at it’s
best – really at sail while I knit!
Not many boats here last night , but that is ok with
us. It’s a lovely place.
The only thing we accomplished after arriving was to watch
the sunset. No green flash, but a nice
sunset all the same.
About 10 this morning we decided to take advantage of the
high tide and so some exploring by dinghy.
Latitudes disappears in the distance as we wind our way down
a narrow and shallow creek.
Mangroves! This is
truly a Bahamian creek!
See the different colors in the water? This is what we watch for, both in the dinghy
and in Latitudes. Color tells us about
the depth. The lighter the water, the
shallower it is. The pale yellow is very
shallow, with a sandy bottom. Light blue
– a little deeper, also with a sandy bottom.
The vivid turquoise is the deeper (10 feet or so) water where we are anchored.
On our way back towards Latitudes, we noticed the sneaky
Osprey, cleverly hidden behind a mangrove branch. Or so she thinks.
As we approached, off she flew, showing her full glory,
including piercing eyes and long, sharp talons.
Back at the boat for lunch, I tossed a bit of old bread into
the water. We were stunned when 4
remoras darted out from under Latitudes, squabbled over the bread, and dashed
back into the shade of the boat.
No pictures, but we saw more fish in this creek. Fast moving black rocks on the bottom – big rays. One large Ocean trigger fish, drifting along beside us until Luke started the dinghy engine. And about 3 very long needlefish, probably 2-3 feet long.
Smoke was glad we returned this afternoon – she is basking in the breeze and shade in the cockpit (not nearly as much fun as the remoras! I was afraid she’d fall off of the side of the boat!). The weather is perfect – sunny, high 70’s, just enough breeze, not terribly humid, perfect. My apologies to our friends at home suffering in snow and below freezing temperatures!
On Tuesday, we moved a whopping 4 miles further south to another part of the park, Hawksbill.
We are in the Exumas land and sea park, Warderick wells, now. A favorite place! It will probably be a week before I can post again.
You can see the flat places on the top of their heads where
they attach to sharks. And maybe
Latitudes...
No pictures, but we saw more fish in this creek. Fast moving black rocks on the bottom – big rays. One large Ocean trigger fish, drifting along beside us until Luke started the dinghy engine. And about 3 very long needlefish, probably 2-3 feet long.
Smoke was glad we returned this afternoon – she is basking in the breeze and shade in the cockpit (not nearly as much fun as the remoras! I was afraid she’d fall off of the side of the boat!). The weather is perfect – sunny, high 70’s, just enough breeze, not terribly humid, perfect. My apologies to our friends at home suffering in snow and below freezing temperatures!
On Tuesday morning, we awoke to completely still water. That’s a treat, as we can get a very clear
view of the bottom. Here is our anchor
chain, 10 feet under water.
On Tuesday, we moved a whopping 4 miles further south to another part of the park, Hawksbill.
We’ve been lucky to get cell coverage at these cays. Not perfect, not good enough to publish my
blog, but we hang the phone from the ceiling of the bimini and every now and
then, we hear a little tinkle, letting us know that we have an e-mail. Can’t get apps like CNN or weather to open usually,
though..
Hawksbill has a beautiful, long white beach. We did a little walking along it but the sun was intense and very hot.
Then, a dinghy ride with friends Loretta and Jim to explore
the south end of the cay.
Here are our 2 dinghies, awaiting our return.
No comments:
Post a Comment