a Sail to Warderick Wells

Working the GoPro camera on a boat hook...Blaine style.....

Today was a dream sail, and a lazy sail, as we set the jib to port and put up a whisker pole for a dead dowwnwind sail in 15-20 knots from Big Majors Spot to Warderick Wells. This places us right in the middle of the Exuma Land and Sea Park and at the park's office where we had the pleasure of meeting Jen, the most patient girl you will ever hear on the radio. Jen's job everyday at 0900 is to manage the three mooring fields and assign mooring balls to waiting yachts. You can radio in the day before and request to be placed on the waiting list. At 0900, Jen takes over channel 09 and inquiries which yachts are leaving, or have left, and then systematically and calmly assigns yachts to the various moorings based on length and draft. There are yachts here 100 feet long on mooring balls! Most are 40-50 feet. Radioing in from Big Major Spot, we were on the waiting list and once underway, we were assigned mooring ball #11 in the north field near the Park Office. The sailing, dead down wind, was a real treat as well, and we easily slipped along at 4.5 to 5.5 knots with the jib poled out. A few hours later, we turned the corner at Warderick Wells Sand Bore and sailed a beam reach right up to the entrance. Radeen motored us into the creek and past the many moorings. In the strong current, she placed our bow directly over mooring ball #11 so I could connect our mooring lines. We are HERE....Warderick Wells, part of the Land and Sea Park established in 1958!

The whisker pole set to port side

We deployed the tender and motored into the park office, where we checked in. Amazingly, we bumped into Debbie "Blondie" and Dennis owners of IP420 TRUE NORTH. Wespent last winter with them in Marathon, Florida, at Harbour Cay Club and in the Abacos. After tomorrow, they are heading south as we are heading north. It was great to visit with Island Packet Friends!

Tomorrow, we plan to snorkel some the many reefs around the park. Then the frontal line will arrive late at night with NW, then N winds of 20-25 knots. We plan to hike the trails and explore the island when the winds will keep us from snorleking. Once the front passes, we will head north to Highbourne Cay or maybe make a run for Eleuthera.

Sail on sail on

Warderick Wells Exuma Land and Sea Park Headquarters view

Radeen checks in at the park office and scales the dock wall

Island Spirit on mooring ball #11

The Internet here is satellite based and very slow and costs $15.00 for 24 hrs limited to 100 megs. Uploading this blog post was amazing that it actually worked! Today....it is SNORKEL TIME....thanks for sailing along...