Warderick Wells Cay is a welcome annual stop for Let's Dance et
al on the winter route. The cay is home
to the headquarters of the Exuma Land & Sea Park and sits pretty far north
in the elongated Exuma chain. To reach
Warderick, you sail south past innumerable rocky outcroppings with names like
Danger Cay, Tea Table Cay, Cistern Cay (and, naturally, Little Cistern Cay and
Little Bitty Cistern Cay.)
We successfully navigate around all these rocks, and more, while
admiring the translucent blue waters that surround them. At most, the seas in this area reach depths
of 10 meters; and in many cuts, anchorages and inlets there are less than 2
meters of navigable water. (Note that 1
meter is a skimpy 39.37 inches.) We keep
a mindful eye on the depth gauge while traveling in these waters, as Let's
Dance needs all of 6 feet (or 1.8288 meters, for you math people) of ocean
below her keel before she drags the (hopefully) sandy bottom. This has happened, although not recently, and
it is extremely painful for everyone involved, not just the one with the scratchy, sandy
bottom. Believe me.
We contact the Park HQ on VHF Channel 9 and are advised that any open
mooring ball in the Emerald Rock field is available to us, so we choose E-4,
sidle up, and snatch her. Anchoring in
this area is not permitted to protect the precious coral reefs and their
aquatic inhabitants. Nature is always at
risk from man, as evidenced by this sperm whale skeleton near the ranger
station. It is thought that the whale
mistook plastic bags for a meal of jellyfish.
Very sad.
Both the captain and I are a little desperate for some land time,
and to stretch our legs, so we dinghy ashore and tie up at the HQ dock. Fortunately, the little Yamaha engine on the Love Me
Tender is newly refurbished and ready to rock.
Old Turb on Great Harbor Cay did a fine job on her repairs and our
confidence level in her reliability is high again. Once ashore a brisk walk is just the thing
and there are a variety of trails from which to choose. Today it is the Boo Boo Hill Trail for us!
The trail is short and wanders through white mangrove
"nurseries" and over cracked, flat plates of ancient ironstone. Stepping on one of these broken slabs makes a
sound like dropping a metal manhole cover.
Not terribly reassuring to the hiker.
There are several stories of how Boo Boo Hill got its name. One version
is that a group of missionaries was shipwrecked off the island's windswept
eastern coast in the late 1700s. They
were supposedly buried atop Warderick's highest point by the few British Loyalists who
remained in the islands --- most had been run off by mean-spirited pirates. The souls of the dead allegedly roam the
scruffy island, popping out on moonless nights to yell "Boo." No, I made that last part up. Anyway, a cairn, or mound of stacked stones,
originally marked the burial site, but modern-day seafarers leave more
self-promotional memorials.
The view from the hilltop is a 360 degree wonder. To the west lies the peaceful little harbor
of the Land & Sea Park with its fleet of moored boats all facing dutifully
into the wind. The northern end of the
island is off limits to hikers as it hosts nesting White-tailed Tropic birds in
the spring and summer months. To the
east lies the great Atlantic --- equally impressive in quiet repose or angry
turmoil. And turning south, the low
foliage of Warderick Wells gives way to tidal mangrove flats and the distant
shoreline of Hall's Pond Cay.
It gets warmer as we near mid-day, so we start down the narrow
track that leads back to the park headquarters and the dinghy dock. A fork in the path provides an intriguing
option: Hutia Highway or Butterfly
Trail. Both tempting, but I opt for a
hutia sighting. We find nothing of the
animal kingdom except a few skittish lizards.
I want to see a hutia! There are
none and I am convinced it's a ruse until, back at Park HQ, the ranger says,
"Oh, yes! The little guys are
everywhere. You didn't see
one?" Well, no, I did not. They are probably related to the elusive
capybara that I also did not see in the Amazon.
Here is what I would have seen.....
It is time to finish our little hike and return to the boat for
lunch and a siesta. The last hurdle in the Land & Sea Park trail system is
the Causeway Bridge. We do bridges. Not a problem. Luckily for us, the tide is low and the water
is chilled to just the perfect temperature.
So it's back to the Love Me Tender, back to Let's Dance, back to
end another fun day of exploration and adventure in the Bahamas. And the sunsets aren't too shabby either.
Let's Dance.....Carol & Bill
