Day 160, Year 10: Adventure in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2015
Weather: Sunny and Beautiful, Winds SE to SW 5-10
Latitude: 24 28.171 N
Longitude: 076 32.341W
Location: Anchored at Cambridge Cay, Exumas
What a wonderful day! The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the water was all kinds of shades of blue. We left the Staniel Cay area at 9:30 am with Constance out in front. There wasn’t enough wind to sail, but with the headsail out it gave us a boost as we slowly motor sailed along. There was so little wind as we got closer to our destination that we had to send Kevin out on the forward deck to pull the sail from one side to the other when we jibed. We had to sail under Cambridge Cay and up the eastern side of the island before turning in at the top of the island and going down the west side to the mooring field. We decided to take one of the Park’s mooring balls close to a beautiful beach. There are rocks in the distance that look snow covered. It is a bit disconcerting to be so hot and look over to ‘snow’ on the hills. We picked up the mooring ball at 1:45 pm and were ready to head out to go snorkeling. Cambridge Cay is the southernmost island in the Exuma Land and Sea Park, so by being in the Park, we were able to download snorkeling directions from the Park website. We did this last week when we were in Black Point with free internet. Low tide was around 2 pm and that is the best time to snorkel as the current is not quite as vicious as at other times. We went to the south end of the island with Ed and Lynne following along behind in their dinghy. We snorkeled a place called Tom’s Elkhorn Reef which was a sizeable reef featuring rare Elkhorn coral. There were not loads of fish, but there were enough to keep our interest. In the same bay off Honeymoon Beach, we searched for the Coral Gardens, but if we found them, we weren’t impressed. As we left the area, we saw another patch of coral that might have been the correct destination. But we weren’t going to go back as we wanted to cross Conch Pass and visit the Rocky Dundas. We snorkeled inside a cave with stalactites and stalagmites. Very impressive. But the current was so strong by this time that we knew it was time to get back across the Pass and on to the mooring field. When we got back, Kevin and Claire took for another snorkel across to the beach and then went for a walk across the island to the east coast. It was a day filled with fun and adventure.
We are eating quite elegantly here on Windbird. Last night we had tacos with all the trimmings including homemade salsa. For lunch today we had an omelet filled with taco-flavored ground beef, onions, green peppers, garlic, and cheese laced with lettuce. And for dinner tonight we had bow-tie pasta salad with grilled salmon and grilled asparagus. Kevin did the preparation and grilling of the salmon and asparagus and it was superb. Tomorrow night we will invite Constance to have dinner with us and Kevin has been co-opted to help come up with that menu. He’s a bit like a computer. You give him the ingredients you have and he comes up with fantastic dishes.
We will explore the area north of here by dinghy tomorrow with more snorkeling opportunities near O’Brien’s Cay and take a walk on land if there is time. Mark and Kevin plan on cleaning the bottom of the boat morning and Claire and I might see if Ed and Lynne want to take a walk on land. Near low tide in the afternoon we will head north in the dinghy for more snorkeling. So life is quite good here.
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| 150319 Best of Day 160 Bahamas–Cambridge Cay 1 |
