Warderick Wells Cay/Compass Cay

4/20/09

Last night found us anchored off of Warderick Wells Cay. It was the first spot on our trip that allowed us a wi-fi spot for email which was nice and I was able to get an update on my mom who is in the hospital with some heart difficulties. Warderick Wells Cay is part of The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park and today we were able to take advantage of some of the marvelous walking trails filled with great information about all of the local flora and fauna and much of the history about how the islands were formed. The rock that makes up much of the surface of the island is really porous and actually sounds hollow when you hit it with a stone. It is fascinating and there were caves to explore, beautiful beaches and magnificent rocky walls on the easternmost shore. We had seen a plant loaded with some kind of fruit on Shroud Cay and I found out that it is something called a Seven Year Apple. The fruit actually takes 7 years to ripen and supposedly the fruit is edible, but it tastes so bad that if you do actually eat one it is said that you won’t eat another one for 7 years. I guess that is enough time to forget how bad it was??!!

I made it up to a place called Boo Boo Hill where visitors leave mementoes of their vessels and from this point on the island you could see for what seemed like forever in all directions. Just a short walk from Boo Boo Hill was a place called the Blow Holes. If you stood still, you could hear the wind rush through holes in the cliff overlooking the ocean and it sounded like people whispering. Legend has it that this is actually the voices of sailors who have died in shipwrecks off this coast. Back along the beach next to the Park Office there was an actual whale skeleton which was fascinating to see up close.

We met up with some folks there that we had seen the day before Shroud Cay and it turns out they are New Jersey transplants that are now living in Cape Canaveral. Such a small world.

It was an easy sail this afternoon to Compass Cay where we will spend the night. The kitties just got catnip treats and are happy campers.