Our anchorage/mooring field was quite active since last evening's post. A squall blew through around 10:30 last night with gusty winds and a little rain. I did not turn on the instruments in time to get a reading, but the whistling sound the wind made called me to action: check the windows, ports, hatches, dingy, and mooring bridle. All seemed good and the cell passed over us quick enough and yielded an overnight with only a light breeze. The wind picked up another time or two and there were sounds of thunder in the distance, but it was an otherwise comfortable evening. Later we learned of a boat that got its outboard tangled up in the mooring line. It was a mess. Barry slept through it all.
This morning the drama continued as boats moved out, moved around, and moved in. The large motor yacht beside us ran over their mooring ball, breaking it free. The next boat in line for the spot corralled the ball and delivered it to the park warden who was called in to assess the damages. With late nights, a chilly and overcast morning, and the prediction of morning showers, we took it slow. I read for a while up on the flybridge, taking a break between chapters to walk around Crossroads to try stretching my legs. At 1:30 we escaped and took the dingies to shore with Glenda, Greg, and Jaxon. We went back to the beach we visited yesterday morning for the nature walk. Today, however, we arrived at low tide and found very shallow water on our approach. We dropped our anchors and walked 50 yards through calf-deep water to the shore. It was a refreshing stroll. The little path took us to the rocky Atlantic shore, which looked stark and desolated. Folks had collected stone and coral to form a large peace sign on the shore. Dead trees littered the sand dune. The lack of sunshine left the water with a chilly gray color.
Looking closer, there were several well-preserved sea fans in the sand. Some still had their purple coloration. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is a no-take zone, so they had to remain where I found them. The rocky shore had many coral heads and sea glass. We walked from one end of the beach to the other. All along the large Teacup rock formation dominated the horizon. We returned to Crossroads and Glenda shared with us some of her highlights of the southern Exumas, down to George Town. What a blessing it is to have her share Ti Amo's "playbook" of three years ... and do so in person. (I'm still pinching myself, making sure all this is real.) The sun peaked out late in the afternoon and the water returned to breathtaking hues of blue. The view and breeze from atop the flybridge were spectacular.
Far out on the horizon we spotted a VERY large vessel, anchored about two miles away. Barry checked the AIS information and found out it is Jerry Jones' brand new $250 million dollar yacht Bravo Eugenia. At 360 feet, it is longer than the field his Dallas Cowboys play on, and has two helipads. Also on the horizon were approaching storm clouds which served as our signal to get the dinghy back up top in preparation for our departure tomorrow morning. The storm cell slipped off to our south and we were spared once again. We did, however, get to view a bright, but short, section of a rainbow before the sun set.
This morning the drama continued as boats moved out, moved around, and moved in. The large motor yacht beside us ran over their mooring ball, breaking it free. The next boat in line for the spot corralled the ball and delivered it to the park warden who was called in to assess the damages. With late nights, a chilly and overcast morning, and the prediction of morning showers, we took it slow. I read for a while up on the flybridge, taking a break between chapters to walk around Crossroads to try stretching my legs. At 1:30 we escaped and took the dingies to shore with Glenda, Greg, and Jaxon. We went back to the beach we visited yesterday morning for the nature walk. Today, however, we arrived at low tide and found very shallow water on our approach. We dropped our anchors and walked 50 yards through calf-deep water to the shore. It was a refreshing stroll. The little path took us to the rocky Atlantic shore, which looked stark and desolated. Folks had collected stone and coral to form a large peace sign on the shore. Dead trees littered the sand dune. The lack of sunshine left the water with a chilly gray color.
Looking closer, there were several well-preserved sea fans in the sand. Some still had their purple coloration. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is a no-take zone, so they had to remain where I found them. The rocky shore had many coral heads and sea glass. We walked from one end of the beach to the other. All along the large Teacup rock formation dominated the horizon. We returned to Crossroads and Glenda shared with us some of her highlights of the southern Exumas, down to George Town. What a blessing it is to have her share Ti Amo's "playbook" of three years ... and do so in person. (I'm still pinching myself, making sure all this is real.) The sun peaked out late in the afternoon and the water returned to breathtaking hues of blue. The view and breeze from atop the flybridge were spectacular.
Far out on the horizon we spotted a VERY large vessel, anchored about two miles away. Barry checked the AIS information and found out it is Jerry Jones' brand new $250 million dollar yacht Bravo Eugenia. At 360 feet, it is longer than the field his Dallas Cowboys play on, and has two helipads. Also on the horizon were approaching storm clouds which served as our signal to get the dinghy back up top in preparation for our departure tomorrow morning. The storm cell slipped off to our south and we were spared once again. We did, however, get to view a bright, but short, section of a rainbow before the sun set.
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