Last night, unexpected wind blew up around 2:30am of around 18-20kts. Paula had foolishly left laundry on the lifelines, so she went above to rescue it, thinking a squall was imminent. Noting lightning to the West, we also closed the canvas in the cockpit. We had only spattering of rain (although nearby Farmer’s Key got a full-blown squall) and the blow was brief, but apparently the largest boat in the mooring field, a mega-yacht, pulled free from its mooring-a failure of the mooring shackle from what we heard. It nearly went aground and barely missed hitting the mooring field host catamaran. This is unusual in the Exuma Land and Sea Park’s mooring fields as they all appear to be well-maintained and several of them are new. Fortunately, no one was hurt and no damage to any boats.
Today’s morning activity was exploring trails on Cambridge Cay with one of our anchorage friends. We started around 8:30am to coincide with low tide and cooler conditions.
The trails were marked by conch and cairns to help keep you on track. We saw mangroves, sea geranium, thatch palm, many plants we couldn’t name. There were multiple types of snails and butterflies.
We saw what appeared to be a giant hermit crab, as big as a grapefruit, lumbering in the undergrowth.
We climbed limestone hills and saw giant limestone crags and caves. Tropicbirds flew in pairs over the cliffs and peaks. The views were spectacular, and apparently these hills are the best place to get cellphone reception.
On our return we did laundry, cleaned, and made water. We read and rested and watched the mooring field population change over as folks came and went. We said goodbye “until next time” to our new friends in the Caliber and hope to see them again in future.
Tommy charted courses and perused the weather reports. Paula took pictures of a motorized kite flyer as it traveled over the anchorage.
Dinner was a simple reheat of the vegetable sausage pasta. Still tasted good. There is still carrot cake for dessert. We attended another sundown party on the sand bar and had great conversation with new people. Two little Chihuahuas added an interspecies flair to the gathering. Tonight looks clear and there is a nice breeze. Stargazing should be good.
