Warderick Wells, Exuma Land and Sea Park

So, off we go, to explore the park.  Much to our amazement, the high tide was very high!  This was between us and our goals.  So, first, Luke, bathing suit held high, waded across to check the water level.

Then the girls, again, pants held high, waded across.  Luke snapped the girls as we, too, held out pants high to cross.

Off to Boo Boo hill, home of hundreds of visiting boater's driftwood plaques.  It's said that a missionary boat crashed near to this site years ago, and the howls of their ghosts can still be heard at night (we don't go up there at night....)

Hark! Something in the distance!

oh, just a rainbow over the anchorage field.

A cruisers cocktail party in the evening  brought out the local hutias.  Rodents, they look like a cross between rats and hamsters, about the size of rabbits.  Not afraid of much of anything, they scrounge for food and steal the toys from the only dog on the island.  The hutias were introduced to the island as an experiment years ago when they were considered endangered.  With no natural enemies on Warderick Cay, these rascals have multiplied like crazy and are now endangering the natural grasses and trees of the island.

Today we took the dinghies to the Pirates Lair, a spot where pirates once hid their boats and hid out for a while.

The pirates got fresh water from a freshwater lens, described below.

And here it is...

ugh....

Down the beach, this sand crab. (I'd love to take credit for this picture, but Bill contributed this one!)

Up a steep incline to a Loyalist ruins area

Then home to Sweet Smokey who desperately needed a good belly rub.

Dinner with Martha and Bill.  We have planned to leave tomorrow at 9 a.m, but the wind has suddenly picked up and is howling.  We shall see...