Wonder In The Sea And Sky

Bell Island     

Our anchorage to the east of Bell Island was calm overnight, but both wind and waves built early this morning. We noticed the boat rocking before we saw the large dark cloud rolling over our friends aboard Untethered. Soon thereafter the heavens opened and Crossroads received a much-needed bath to wash off the accumulated salt spray. After the squall moved out, the wind continued to blow, but the sky cleared nicely. We loaded our snorkel gear into the dinghy around 11:30 and made the trip north to the Sea Aquarium. Barry and I love this spot and consider it a must-do when visiting the Land and Sea Park. We arrived at the dinghy mooring, but decided the active chop combined with strong wind and current were a bit too much for us amateurs. On the way back to the boat, we met up with Richard and Kelly and made plans for an afternoon beach walk.

All four of us loaded into their dinghy and headed to Cambridge Cay. We anchored in the surf as the tide was falling and walked a short distance to the trail head to cross the island. A well defined sandy path led through a lush covering of palm trees.

At the highest point on the trail we could see over the palms to the blue waters of Exuma Sound. Soon we were walking on the clean and soft sand. We saw several sets on angel wings on the beach. 

There was also a large variety of washed up coral. As pretty as this sea fan is on land, it is 1,000 times more interesting when swaying to the motion of the waves on the bottom of the ocean. In addition to the soft sand, our walk took us over jagged and eroded limestone rock ledges. Before crossing back across the island, we all spent a few minutes in the crystal clear water. The wind was buffeted by the island, making for smaller waves and a warmer temperature.

Back at our starting point, Kelly and I walked south along Bell Island. The tide had receded and exposed a massive sand bar ... and dozens of bottom dwelling conch. The Land and Sea Park is a no-take zone, so these conch can wander around in the open without fear of being turned into an evening salad or fritter. Although the wind was much more brisk on this side of the island, the walk through the ankle-deep water was soothing. 

After more than three hours of walking and hiking, we eventually made it back to the dinghy and returned to our boats for showers. 

We gathered aboard Untethered for dinner ... and a show. At 6:40 Barry spotted the SpaceX Starship flying across the horizon. We all went out into the cockpit and watched as the initial linear rocket plume began to send off "sparkles." The number of sparkles quickly increased and we immediately knew what had happened. The "rapid unscheduled disassembly" quickly filled the sky, much like watching a fireworks display. We completed the evening with a delicious dinner and many fun stories before returning to Crossroads.