Exploring Conception Island

Conception Island  

My bioclock is pretty much in sync with Mother Nature. I usually awake on my own as morning's first light brightens the sky. From the pilothouse bench, I watch the colors emerge from the blank canvas much like the old-school days of developing photographic material. Eighteen boats were in the anchorage to start the day. The megayacht Helios and the National Geographic Sea Lion had both departed overnight. Barry had run our mifi up our mast and we were able to pick up enough signal to collect our morning weather reports and texts, but not enough to complete our normal social media surfing. At 9:30 we loaded into the dinghy and set off for the south side of the island and the entrance to the inland creek. The sea was calm and it was a short and dry trip. We surfed into the creek on a breaking wave and immediately entered yet another version of a tranquil tropical paradise. Clear water, bright sunshine, deep blue sky all magically combined once again. Conception Island is a sanctuary for migrating birds. Most fittingly we were greeted by a pair of birds within the first hundred yards of our trek.  

We arrived on a rising tide which had already flooded some interior areas. Mangroves lined both sides of the creek. Their "knees" extend above the water line. We navigated by the color of the water, with the lighter areas being shallow, and the darker areas deeper. The sun was shining brightly and there was a steady 15 knot breeze to keep the temperature cool. It was my kind of day. 

It seemed every angle warranted a photo. We traveled up and down the many branches and tributaries. In some open areas the wind kicked up a little chop. In other areas, the water was nearly flat. In still other areas, the water had a turbid green cast. I am always amazed by the little mangrove saplings that sprout in isolation in the middle of the water. Two other dinghies had also made the trip, but there was plenty of space between us. We spotted many of the much anticipated turtles darting around. They move quickly and, since they are not used to being fed, dart away from our passing boat. 

The speedy little turtles were usually found in the cloudier water, making it a challenge to capture a photo while in the dinghy. With much leaning out over the bow and a lot of luck, I got a few images that looked like flippers and a shell. I sat the underwater camera aside and went back to taking above-water shots. That's when the biggest turtle yet came swimming along. Luck is when opportunity meets preparation. I picked the underwater camera back up and just started shooting. Very lucky, indeed.

At the farthest reach of the creek, we could see the masts of sailboats in the anchorage. There was a large mound of mangroves that rang loudly with the sound of birds. We stopped the dinghy and just listened. Birds are a rare occurrence in much of the areas we visit. It was a treat to hear so many singing in unison. We also saw a few large white birds flying along our path. I could have stayed in this area all day, but it was time to head out. We wove our way around the sandbars until reaching the mouth of the creek. The breakers warned us of the rocks in our path. We watched, waited, chose our spot, and accelerated through the breakers.

We returned to Crossroads to have lunch and then change into the proper attire for the afternoon. We zipped toward a small island off the northwest corner the main island in search of a few reefs and coral heads to snorkel. We beached the dinghy on the undisturbed sand.

A short walk led us to the rocky areas where fish like to hide. I went in while Barry stayed ashore. The snorkeling wasn't the greatest, but I did spot a few sergeant majors ...

and some live coral heads. I dropped my mask, snorkel, and fins in the dinghy and we relocated back to the tip end of Conception Island. 

We found the trailhead and crossed to the Atlantic shore where we found totally different topography. The sand was courser, and more orange in color. Rock formations guarded the ends of the crescent-shaped beach of Babbie's Bay. We walked to the far end to the cliff with the large vertical face ... and the assist ropes. Afraid that making the climb in flip-flops would be unwise, I kicked them off and went up barefooted. Safely at the top I looked back to Barry on one side and out over the beautiful reefs on the other. Barry asked if the view was worth the climb and I responded, "Absolutely." He was soon on his way up to meet me.

The view was pretty special and we were both glad that we made the extra effort for a birds-eye view. I descended first and awaited Barry's arrival on terra firma. We retraced our steps and eventually made it back to Crossroads in time to catch the sunset (with another green flash) as dinner was cooking. As the sky darkened, Venus and Jupiter were again visible just beneath the moon. I was sorting through the hundreds of photos from the day and was getting very sleepy. It was only 8:30 (Boater's Midnight), but it was dark and my mind was telling me it was time to call it a day. Without the trappings of the internet, it is much easier to follow Mother Nature's clock. Tomorrow we will move to New Bight on Cat Island, where we will once again have cell service.

Our