TEXAS RANGER: Warderick Wells April 27-28

The Exuma Land and Sea Park, a Bahamas national preserve, is headquartered on Warderick Wells Cay in a channel well-protected from many directions. We had called by radio a day earlier to reserve a mooring ball in the park, and arrived near slack tide around 1300. We picked up our mooring without difficulty, secured the boat, and put the dinghy in to go ashore. The office was typical laid-back Bahamas…no need to pay now, no need to specify how long you plan to stay (14-day maximum), here are some maps of the park, etc. It was a beautiful environment and we snorkeled, visited an (almost quick-sand) island nearby, rode the dinghy around, and hiked around the park. One highlight was the hike up to Boo Boo Hill, where many boaters leave painted or engraved pieces of driftwood displaying their boat name. We saw several which we recognized, though we suspect the pile is periodically thinned to limit its eventual growth. Along the path up to the hill were signs which enlightened us about plants in the park, and after leaving the peak we went down the rocky cliffs toward the Exuma Sound side to see blowholes. At water level, these look like the entrance to caves. Waves rush in, and the force of the upward splash deep in the cave wears holes upward through the rock until sound, air, and often water explode up and out like a geyser.

We also met a number of new friends also traveling by boat, including one couple who had docked about 10 slips down from us on D-pier in the Corpus Christi Marina in the 1980s. They were adjacent to the Celika S, and large classic motor yacht owned by James Storm, but which had been built for the Olds family and previously owned by Al Capone. We reminisced about its captain, whom we both knew, and several staff members. Several nurse sharks have visited our swim platform, but left unfed. Lizards, sharks, now it must be time to see some pigs!