Exuma Land And Sea Park

This is actually a pretty tough day for us as we have to say goodbye to our friends and accept that as we leave and follow the compass north we are making our journey away from the Bahamas and towards Florida. It was hard to see Princess Royal off our stern as we left the Big Majors anchorage. Only last night we had had sooooo much fun and sooooo many laughs with our friends. It made us realize just how fortunate we have been with the people that we have met along the way.

Today we were heading to Warderick Wells in the Exuma Land And Sea Park (yes the infamous national park that was now charging for anchoring) to make the sailor pilgrimage to BooHoo Hill, to see the whale skeleton, and really just see what all the fuss is about. It was a short uneventful sail over. We were expecting to arrive at an anchorage just as crowded as that of Staniel Cay but when we got there we had to check the chart plotter to confirm that we were in the right place because, with the exception of one cat that was in the process of leaving the anchorage as we arrived, there was not another boat in sight. Wow, that anchoring fee sure had an impact on the number of visiting boats! It was a little unsettling being all alone in a place that we had heard so much about as a popular anchorage. Not surprisingly we managed to secure a prime anchoring spot. As we were getting ready to jump into Junior and do a little exploring we see a dark shadow moving through the water towards the boat. Shark? Maybe. Cool. Unfortunately the shadow left before it got close enough for us to figure out what was. Oh well, time to get in the dinghy and explore. We headed to where the map showed the main park entrance to be. It was only when we made it to the cut to the main beach and the mooring area that we saw signs of life – all of the mooring balls were taken and there were quite a few tour boats too. People were coming they just weren’t willing to pay to anchor when you can do the same for free everywhere else in the country. I wonder if the message will be heard by the park officials and if so if it will make any difference.

We did a dinghy tour of the mooring field as it turned out to be a pretty place. Luckily for us we arrived right at low tide when the numerous sandbars were exposed. We picked a tiny one that the tour boats hadn’t gotten to and pulled right up on it. For some reason we got such pleasure out of standing on this stretch of exposed sand out in the middle of the water. Kind of like being on your own deserted island but with the safety of land only a short swim away (and a boat right there beside you for a quick escape). Tom wanted to see what the moorings were like in case we were able to get one the next day (dream on! Those things are booked months in advance) and while he was looking at the mooring balls I was being nosey and checking out the boats. Those boats made me so happy because just about every one of them had a fuzzy puppy on it. Yes, I admit that I am a full-blown animal-aholic and proud of it! I must have looked and sounded like a complete idiot saying hello to all of the dogs but they wagged their tails and seemed to enjoy it and, well, I just don’t care.

When we finally pulled up to the beach we found that the store and visitor centre were closed being that it was Sunday. We did still find the whale skeleton that found its way there after the whale ingested too much plastic and died. (the ocean plastic issue is a rant that will be coming later). So sad and maddening at the same time. We also found the map of the area and the path to BooHoo Hill so off we went in search of the “boat pile”. Kudos to the volunteers who mark the trails and name the plants and provide the history of the area, they do a very good job and at the beginning of the trek we stopped to read each sign but as we got farther inland and away from the wind we got so crazy hot that it took everything we had just to keep moving forward and get to the base of the Hill. And then we were there and climbing and the higher we got the more wind we found. Ahhhhh. Relief. The “monument” at the top of the hill was actually a lot bigger than I expected it to be and pretty awesome when you started to realize just how many boaters must have visited this spot over the years. We spent some time reading the boat signs and recognising a handful of names before we left our own boat sign on the pile. Okay, our sign is definitely not as creative as some of the others but we really didn’t know what to expect and vow to replace it with a much more interesting one next year. It was getting late in the day so back to the dinghy we headed and pointed her back to the boat. To our surprise there was another boat that had anchored in the same general area that we were in. Hmmmm, maybe this boat knew something that we didn’t, maybe we wouldn’t have to pay the $20 anchoring fee since the Park Office was closed and it was a Sunday. Wrong. Just a few minutes after 5pm when we were back on the boat and I was making dinner we saw the other boat haul anchor and hightail it out of the harbour just as a very official and pretty menacing looking boat arrived with two very well armed men aboard. They were coming to collect the fee. Deep down we knew that we were going to have to pay but after they left with our money it started to bother Tom more and more to the point that he announced that we were leaving in the morning. The Park had been tainted and we were not going to spend another day there. No more paid anchoring for us! Okay, but first I was going back down to finish making dinner. It was actually the dinner that brought the biggest surprise of the day. As we usually did after eating we threw the leftover meat and veggie scraps overboard. What was not usual was the loud splash that we heard right after the food hit the water. “Grab the flashlight and get more food to throw over” Tom yells down to me. I grab both and my camera. What we see in the water is the most unusual, prehistoric looking big fish-like creature that we had ever seen. Was it a fish? Was it a shark? What the heck was it and were there more of the same coming? We only got an answer to the third question as we saw “it” disappear as soon as the food supply did. Show over. Time for bed. We were leaving early in morning.