We eased into Exuma Sound from Georgetown, with a light SE wind and following seas. It made for an easy ride. We went inside at Soldier Cay, but came back out into the Sound again at Glass Cay, since it was low tide, and we couldn't make it across the bar NW of Glass Cay without a little more water. We came back inside at Lee Stocking Cay.
The Caribbean Marine Research Center is at Lee Stocking. They have 5 or 6 free moorings, and we had our pick, since no one was there! I went to their dock and went ashore, and eventually found someone who told me that they were inbetween research groups, and most of the staff was taking time off. I was told that we were welcome at their moorings, their docks, their trails, etc. Since those facilities aren't always available, it was really nice that no one was around!
I explored to the south with the Whaler and found a gorgeous sandy anchorage with two catamarans in it, and it looked like a dozen or so folks on those two boats. I think they were French Canadian.
In the morning, Allen, Mercy, and I went to the dock, and walked up to the runway, and across to the "Loyalist Trail." This trail goes to the highest point in the Exumas, at about 140 ft, but more importantly, runs along some old walls from the Loyalist Days. The trail ended on a beach to the south, and Mercy hit the water, and then wandered up the beach with Allen while I sat enjoying the shade and a breeze.
When Allen returned, he had an open coconut in his hand, and offered me coconut water. My hero! He had found a low coconut tree, got some green coconuts down, and opened them on the rocks. I had to go see his operation! Allen and I each drank two, and gave Mercy one. You just haven't lived until you've sat on a palm frond, in the shade, on a deserted tropical beach, drinking fresh coconut water!
One note about the palm fronds: We'd each cut a frond towards the beginning of the trail to fan the spider webs out of the way as we walked. On the beach, we used them for seats when we sat, and shades as we walked. Allen ended up making a hat out of his for the trip back (since we'd cleaned the trail of spider webs on the way in) and I used mine as a parasol.
We returned to the boat hot, and ready to snorkel. We slipped the mooring and went to anchor on the NW tip of Norman's Pond Cay. Allen went in to check the anchor, and returned with a conch. Pretty soon, and after a little time being pulled by the Whaler, we had our limit of conch, and one gorgeous helmet shell.
We explored a blue hole/cavern just inside the rocky shore on the NW corner of the cay, but the tide was low, and I think it would have been better with higher water. It is amazing seeing this stuff.
We had a conch opening fiasco/party on the beach, and returned to the boat with conch we'd eventually gotten out of the shell, but still needed cleaning/tenderizing. Not then, however! We pulled hamburgers out of the freezer, and were eating within 30 minutes. In our defense, we were trying to get the conch out of the shell, while still leaving enough to make conch horns. We managed to get one good horn!
