Exuma Land and Sea Park Revisited

Warderick Wells Cay in Exumas Park.

With the potential for Tropical Storm Beryl to be moving through the area south of us, we made the decision to turn north and wait out the weather at Warderick Wells Cay in the Exumas Land and Sea Park. There is a well protected anchorage by the Park headquarters, with regularly maintained moorings. It was a perfect place for S/V Pandion and her crew to hang out for a few days.

Having visited the Park headquarters in the past, we knew about Boo Boo Hill. Legend has it that many years ago, a ship was wrecked off of the island, with all hands lost. At night on a full moon, you can hear the lost souls from the wreck. To placate the ghosts, and to carry on a cruiser's tradition that has been around for 50 years, we made the trek to Boo Boo Hill. Boat names carved or painted on driftwood have been left at the crest of the hill by countless crews over the years.

The peak of Boo Boo Hill is covered with driftwood bearing the names of countless boats and crews.

We added our own creation to the tradition, but decided to leave a small mollusk shell that we had found (outside of the Park - collecting of shells within the Park is not allowed) with S/V Pandion's name and crew, instead of adding more wood to the large pile of driftwood.

S/V Pandion's addition to Boo Boo Hill.

 

Sparky,  a nurse shark in the mooring field.

S/V Pandion was the only boat in the mooring field at Warderick Wells for a brief time, and then other boats began to join us as the remnants of Beryl began to move through. Each morning we were greeted by a 4 ft nurse shark (Brenda named it Sparky) that cruised through the anchorage. 

The remnants of Beryl brought two days of gusting winds and rain
as it moved north past our location.
Beryl went on to become a tropical storm again in the West Atlantic.

S/V Pandion at Warderick Wells.