Paradise Found!

Warderick Wells

Christmas Eve we left Nassau in the morning and headed southeast to Warderick Wells in the Exumas (a chain of islands in the Bahamas). Ever since we left CT, we've been headed to the Exumas, and now we're here! The effort to get here has been handsomely paid back with our arrival at Warderick Wells.

For most of the day as we sailed south, we saw enticing glimpses of azure water and impossibly white beaches as we passed one small cay (pronounced "key") after another. Somehow, we resisted the siren call of these glimpsed treasures and left them in our wake. Around 4:30PM, with the light softening, we made the final turn towards our destination.

Warderick Wells is the main island in a group of cays that encompass the Exuma Land and Sea Park. As you approach the island, you steer away from the crystalline blue of the shallow sand bars and towards the deeper turquoise water. You follow the deeper water and enter a narrow passage - just wide enough for a moored boat and room to pass them by. The moorings are spread out single-file in a giant U-shape that surrounds a powder-white sand bar covered in transparent water that ripples and curls in interesting patterns as the ebb current plays across it. We're one of the last moorings, so we pass by all the other boats as we head to our spot.

Arrival Christmas Eve in Warderick Wells

The water is warm too!

The view looking back towards the anchorage

Visiting the park HQ

Friendly Encounter

Surprisingly, one of the cruising families that we had last seen in Norfolk, VA was in the line of boats! We had a briefly gotten to know them before they sailed away, so it was a wonderful gift to run into them again. They have three children around Jeanette's age.

As we settled in for the evening, we were in awe of the beauty of our surroundings. I don't think I've ever been anywhere so beautiful. It's certainly the first spot I've been where I have no desire to leave. It's really everything we hoped to find and share with Jeanette.

Christmas day, we enjoyed unwrapping presents and then headed to the beach to reconnoiter. We didn't expect the park office to be open, but it was and we learned that the park rangers were hosting a "Cruiser's Potluck" later that day. About 30 adults and 15 kids showed up for the afternoon meal and we quickly got to know people and Jeanette could meet new kids.

Christmas Morning (early of course)

Kid's Galore

Despite our fears that we'd have trouble finding other people with kids here, we've found it surprisingly easy. Some of the long-time cruisers say they've never seen so many kids here, so perhaps we just stumbled into paradise at the right time.  Last evening, all of the families assembled on the beach for an impromptu potluck. It's very easy to make friends here and you'll generally see the same people over and over as you transit the islands. Most everyone is destined for Georgetown ( a couple days' sail from here), but no one seems to be rushing to get there. And why would they? We've hiked trails to the top of Boo Boo Hill - with breathtaking vistas and working blow-holes - we've snorkeled a sunken wreck, a small reef with lots of spiny lobsters waving their antennae at us and have seen nurse sharks swimming around near the beach and also one that swam right between the hulls of our boat! 

Can you find Jeanette?

Of course, since there is no water, fuel or food here (and you can't catch any of those tasty lobsters), people do have to move on and we will too in a few days. But for now, it certainly is our little piece of paradise.