Dreamer II - Cruising South: Traveling North from Georgetown

On Wednesday, January 11 we topped off with fuel and water in Georgetown, and started north up the Exuma chain. Our schedule called for being in the Abacos, at West End by February 1 for a crossing back to the states. We left Georgetown, bound for Galliot Cut, with a schedule of stops to make on the way north. Our actual destination ended up being Cave Cay, where we stopped for the night in the company of a French charter boat that had party music and lights going into the night. From there, we moved further north, picking out good snorkeling spots. We saw three eagle rays in formation on the north side of Galliot Cay, along with a huge turtle. We moved up to Little Farmers Cay, where we helped a local lady clean lobster heads, and bought some very nice (huge) lobster tails for eating later. Our next stop was Staniel Cay, where we snorkeled Thunderball Cave (of James Bond fame), had some good cracked conch, and rejoined some friends from the Abacos who were in the same anchorage. After that, we headed to Sampson Cay to wait out a front that was forecast to be coming through. The front didn’t come as strong as forecast, so we headed on to the Pipe Creek area. The wind was blowing 25- 30 knots when we got out, so we motored around to Pipe Creek, and anchored for the night. Pipe Creek was beautiful – lots of shallow water, with beautiful colors and islands dotted all around. Very much worth a stop – a place I would like to return to. From there, we headed on to the Warderick Wells area. After motoring through a challenging cut, we enjoyed a sail in 20 knots winds, coming into the back side of Warderick Wells. The following morning we went around to the front side of the park by the ranger station. This is the heart of the Exumas Land and Sea Park, a protected area for both land and sea creatures. The anchorage in front of the Park HQ is one of the most picturesque areas I have seen. We enjoyed a walk up to Boo Boo Hill, where cruisers leave remembrances of their boat, and there are scenic views of the area. We got to visit local blow holes (no water, but strong gusts of wind. For dinner we had some of the lobster tails purchased earlier – most excellent. Our plans from here are to work our way north to Highbourne Cay, and leave from there for Nassau, then to Bimini, and then to West End to wait for a crossing to the states.