12/14/12 Nassau to Warderick Wells

On December 8^th we left Nassau and sailed to Rose Island. Rose Island is a scant four miles or so South-East of Nassau, and we arrived there at two o’clock in the afternoon after checking out of our marina in Nassau at around noon. Julia, Dad, and I spent a lot of the afternoon swimming around the boat trying out some of our new snorkeling gear: a gift from our Grandma. Julia found a King Helmet, a very beautiful type of shell that is about the size of a conch but it has a tan, striped design. There were only four other boats or so in the anchorage, and we were having a very peaceful afternoon. We had a wonderful happy hour, watching the sun continue on to the edge of the world. The peace was only slightly marred by the arrival of a tourist party boat from Nassau, but luckily they moved to the beach on the other side of the island to continue their partying and we were able to have our cheeseburgers in paradise.

Julia and I on the dock at our marina in Nassau. Behind us you can see Atlantis resort.

Julia and I trying out our new snorkeling gear. Julia is holding up the King Helmet that she just found.

The next day we left in the morning to continue on to Ship Channel Cay, an uninhabited island that was approximately thirty miles away. We crossed the Yellow Bank to get there, which is a huge bay of sorts, except the water is only ten to fifteen feet deep. Spying a few coral heads, Dad hopped into the water with his pole spear in search of a lobster or two. As I made slow circles around the reef in the boat, Dad made several free-dives to go try to find some dinner. He was unsuccessful  but he did see a sea turtle and took some pictures with our digital underwater camera. We continued on to Ship Channel Cay, and arrived there around three in the afternoon. After arriving, Julia and I went kayaking to explore the island. We landed on a small beach, surrounded by jagged limestone rocks and coral formations, and watched the sun fall over the water.

The next day we stayed at Ship Channel Cay and went to go explore a few local reefs. What we found was nothing short of breathtaking. The vivid coral served as a backdrop for schools of iridescent fish which slid though the crystal-clear water with little fear of us. Once again, we were able to get some amazing underwater shots of the reef and its inhabitants. Julia and I both carried our pole spears; an early Christmas present which we got in Nassau, which we brandished at Barracudas that were getting too close. After a little while, Dad spotted the tell-tale antennae of a lobster lurking in a coral cave below. He dove down, and speared it on the second try. It was large, perhaps four pounds, and singlehandedly served as dinner for four in a wonderful lobster-pasta linguine. After the sun had set, we went outside and looked up at the stars. With no large cities nearby, the stars were numerous and some were so bright that we could see their reflection on the water.

A sea turtle that we found at Ship Channel Cay.

Julia diving with spear in hand. 

Amazing colors at Ship Channel Cay. The pictures do not do it justice.

Dad holding up his find. 

The next morning we set out for Allan's Cay. Allan's Cay is a small cay that is absolutely covered in wild iguanas. I have no idea how they got there, however the population of iguanas on this tiny island is probably numbered in the hundreds. At any time during the day you can see around twenty or thirty of them at a time sunning themselves on the beach. Julia and I kayaked over to to iguana beach and found that the iguanas are not afraid of humans. They let us get within arm's reach before they scampered away. This is mainly due to the fact that the iguanas are spoiled rotten by all the tourists who come to the island and they expect to be fed every time someone lands on the beach. We took along a small piece of cucumber skin to feed to them, and they were instantly attracted to us. Later that day we went snorkeling again.

The next day we left for Norman's Cay, another almost-uninhabited cay. We were not alone at this cay; there were ten other boats anchored near us, which is probably a record since we left Nassau. Norman's Cay used to be the headquarters of a profitable drug smuggling ring and because of this it boasts a runway and a rusted out DC-3 smuggling plane that missed the runway and sank in four feet of water. The nose of the plane is open, and we were able to snorkel through it. The plane has become an artificial reef of sorts, and now teems with tropical fish and the beginnings of coral growth. The tail and top of the fuselage are still above water, and their tarnished gleam serves as a reminder of another era. Today, Norman's Cay has a restaurant and several rent-able beach houses. Its pristine white beaches stretch uninterrupted for several miles down its length, and it also contains several good snorkeling spots in the surrounding waters. I managed to find two conch during our excursions to said snorkeling spots, and when we returned to Island Cat we steamed them and saved them for future consumption. As we learned on our last trip, conch fritters are very good, but difficult to make. The locals have come up with many recipes that revolve around conch, so we may find something new to try.

The next day we progressed to Shroud Cay. Shroud Cay, which is the beginning of the Exuma Land and Sea Park, is home to a large area of mangroves, and we spent the afternoon exploring up a narrow river that led us to the other side of the island. On this ocean side, there were no signs of civilization except for footprints in the sand. Afterward we did some snorkeling. When the sun went down, we got our Christmas tree out of the bow locker, and played Jimmy Buffett's Christmas album while decorating it and the rest of the boat. That was yesterday. Today we moved to Warderick Wells, which is the headquarters of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. This is a nature preserve, and we are not allowed to catch fish to eat or remove anything from any of the islands. This makes the reefs and scenery all the more pristine, so it is probably a good idea. We went on a long hike around the island on one of its many trails, and now we are relaxing on the boat and enjoying a somewhat-limited but still useful internet connection. My apologies for the few photos, but we are only allowed 100 megabytes and the connection is relatively slow. According to the park warden, "If you think the network connection is too slow, take a look around you and enjoy the scenery and the setting...  after a long look at the different shades of blue water, the sandy beaches, and the beauty of the park, your page should be back up and ready for you to try again." Definitely worth remembering. Until next time, enjoy the Christmas season.

-Paul

12/7/12 Serena

It is with great sadness that I inform you that Serena passed away this morning. She was taken from us in her prime, taken from us before her time. I remember the day that she entered my life very clearly. She entered my life just as suddenly and unexpectedly as she left it. I was in second grade, and my father was walking me home from the bus stop. It was my mother's birthday that day, and Dad told me that he and mom had gone out and gotten a very special birthday gift together. All the way home, I tried to guess what it was. I never even came close to guessing. When I got home, I found her hiding under the table next to our stairs. She was only six months old or so; they had found her at the local animal shelter. She was a very timid cat from the start, but we quickly became close and she became a member of the family. There are so many things that I could say about her that define her. Things like how she doesn't play with her toys normally, but if you take a sheet of paper and crumple it up and toss it up she will tackle it out of the air. Things like her deathly fear of vacuum cleaners. If you can't find her, she is usually snuggled under Mom and Dad's blankets sleeping the day away. If she sees another animal out the window, she will track it from window to window throughout the house. She does not like strangers, but if she sees us with them she will walk out and introduce herself. There are so many things that I could say about her, about how she became a part of our family and stole a bit of our hearts forever. She was a wonderful cat. When we did our ocean crossing from Wrightsville Beach to the Bahamas, she was seasick and was generally unhappy. Even so, one night she managed to hop up on my bed and sleep with me and afterward she went and slept with Mom and Dad and Julia. At the time we had no idea she was trying to say goodbye. When we arrived at Nassau we took her to the vet and he pronounced her as being dehydrated, which makes sense because she had not eaten and had barely had anything to drink during the trip. She was put on an IV and was getting better very quickly. Too late, we found out that her problem was not only dehydration. She passed away early this morning, and apparently she had something wrong with her tongue. It might have been cancerous, but now we will never know. She was certainly a very young cat to have a problem like that. When Mom and Dad got the news from the vet, we stood together in one big group hug. I think everyone was crying. Even though we were all together, there was still a feeling of emptiness, like something was missing. A piece of our family, a piece of our collective heart. Serena you were a part of our family and a part of our lives. May you rest in peace now and forever.

12/5/12 Ocean Voyage and the Bahamas

Hi everyone,
Two days after the boat parade, we left Wrightsville Beach bound for the Virgin Islands. We had been watching the weather and it seemed to be a good time to leave. The sea was calm and we crossed the Gulf Stream without incident. Serena has always been a nervous traveler, and she threw up on the trip across. We lost sight of land at around 11 o'clock in the morning on the first day, and we continued out into the ocean with the goal of reaching the Virgin Islands. Three hundred miles offshore, there is absolutely no light pollution and the stars are incredible. Unfortunately it is impossible to take pictures at night on a rocking boat, so you will have to picture this scene. Our trip also coincided with the full moon, and there are few things more incredible than watching the moon rise over the water on a night watch. Our watch schedule divided us into groups of two, with Mom and I taking one watch and Dad and Julia taking the next. Our watch schedule went from 12 to 3 in the morning, from 3 to 6, from 6 to 10, 10 to 2, 2 to 6, 6 to 9, and 9 back to midnight. This way, we had three-hour-long watches at night and four-hour-long watches during the day, when it is easier to stay alert for squalls and other ships. During an off-watch, we tried to get sleep, which was sometimes difficult on a rocking boat, or we cooked or cared for the cat, who by this time was regularly drooling and not holding down food. During our trip, we saw a variety of marine life, from playful dolphins to pods of curious whales. We also saw flying fish and the occasional lost bird. After a few days, a low-pressure zone formed to our south and began to produce lots of wind and waves. We had to change our course to more east, to the point that at one point we were only a couple hundred miles from Bermuda. Once the low-pressure had passed us by, we turned south again, but a tropical depression began to form again to our south, with the possibility to form a tropical storm. This time, we had to turn east. Because of the wind direction, we were now unable to reach the Virgin Islands. We decided to go to the Bahamas, because we have been here before and know them well. We arrived in Spanish Wells three days ago, and since then we have moved to Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. Serena is recovering from her time at sea, and soon we will move on again to new islands. I am writing this from a Starbucks with WiFi, and my hour of internet is almost up so I cannot upload pictures at this time. We took plenty of pictures, however, and the next time I get internet I will upload them. Until then, know that we are safe and having lots of amazing experiences.
-Paul