Her Story - We sailed approximately 17 miles to Cambridge Cay where we picked up a mooring ball and met up again with our friends on s/v Blue Goose and s/v Cantagree. This cay is surrounded by fabulous snorkeling spots. We immediately went to Cairn Gardens and saw some great colored fish and then hiked a trail to the other side of the island that led to a “Gilligan’s Island” type beach complete with a “survivor spot” with a hammock, chair and other "stuff" that had washed in from the sea. The next day the wind kicked up; therefore, we decided to stay aboard. I baked bread stuffed with cheese, ham and pesto – it turned out yummy! We took it over to s/v Cantagree for Happy Hour. On April 5th, we dinghyed over to an island called Compass Cay. We had a "Cheeseburger in Paradise" on the dock and then discovered the most beautiful beach. See pictures! Just awesome views! Tomorrow we are snorkeling at a place called “The Aquarium” and then we’ll go onto Sampson Cay. More later… Click on our photos below and view slideshow...His Story - To enter the Cambridge Cay mooring field, one must thread a route across unreadable water and pass close to "Kiss Rock." I had good waypoints that John had provided for me to follow already set in my chartplotter. All I had to do was connect the dots. Neverthless, I was NERVOUS. I couldn't read the water. I didn't know if 10 feet off course to starboard meant disaster or 100 feet to port would be just fine. This was our first VPR route. In the Exumas one follows routes given in Explorer charts. Routes out on the Exuma bank (West side of Exumas) or Exuma Sound (East side, think Atlantic Ocean) offer few or no obstacles; set the autopilot and keep a sharp lookout for boats running the recipocal course. Routes closer to the Exuma Cays can be designated VPR routes; VPR means Visual Piloting Rules apply. This means that there might be something you can hit along the way like a coral head or a sandbar so you you have to look where you are going. This is fine if you can read the water.
The route from Warderick Wells to Cambridge Cay was a very easy VPR route as it turns out. Only the entrance to the mooring field was worrisome. The link for Cambridge Cay will lead you to a Google Earth image of the mooring field.
April 3 - Arrived and picked up our mooring. Joanne drives and I snag the mooring pickup line with a boat hook. Joanne drives the boat very well; however, I miss the pickup. We use Marriage Savers; I hope they work!
We snorkel one spot and then dinghy to a beach for a short hike across Cambridge Cay to the Exuma Sound side to view Camp Driftwood. See pictures.
April 4 - We hoped to join a foltilla of dinghies running over to the Compass Cay Marina for a fabled Cheeseburger lunch. But the Southwest wind pinned most everyone down in their respective boats.
April 5 - We go it alone, about a seven mile trip. See Compass Cay pictures. We burn up lots of gas, maybe 1 or 2 gallons. Guess what? The Exumas are out of gas. That's right, no gas. That's the big news. More later on gas.
April 6 - Joanne & I dinghy to the Sea Aquarium at slack high tide in the morning. See pictures. Joanne drives the dinghy on a plane for the first time. Then we dinghy to Cambridge Cay and walk over to the secluded Honeymoon Beach to frolic in the water.
April 7 - We move to a marina on Sampson Cay.
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