Thursday, April 30, 2009

Day 226

We departed this morning from Warderick Wells around 10:30 and headed up to shroud. It was a calm day and we traveled with the jib and with the several waypoints we jibed a few times. I kept trying to convince Papa to raise the main but we would be constantly altering course slightly and be on the point of the jibe.

Once at Shroud we picked up a ball and decided to take a dingy ride through the mangroves. It was a long ride and there was a heated exchange over how to drive the dingy but once we made it over to the sound side tensions disappeared and we started to enjoy ourselves. We climbed the hill and walked the beach and snorkelled. I went in search of the Lion Fish we had seen here...on day 158 (I wanted to know when so it took me about 5 mins to try and find the day lol), wow that was forever ago! I searched up and down the ledge where the nest had been but I couldn’t find it and I was disappointed because that meant the Park Ranger probably found and speared it. I have mentioned before about the Lion Fish that although they are amazing, beautiful fish they are not native to the Bahamas and are destroying populations of several species of fish that they prey on. As well they have no predators in the Bahamas (although there have been some reports of very large grouper feeding on them) they are rapidly multiplying. Knowing all of this they still are beautiful amazing fish and I am captivated by them. Maria and I decided to snorkel up by the mangroves and there we found two lionfish hunting. AND I had my (shoot! The) underwater camera!

When we headed back through the mangroves towards the banks and our boats we made a turn off towards a beach and apparently everyone had agreed to have happy hour on the beach near the boats...alright! Maria, Marg and I snorkelled a little more along the ledge at the beach and then (having been in the water for so long) I got cold and went back to the boat to get some dry clothes on.

As soon as I was back on the beach Maria wanted to go check out the well. So we climbed up the rock steps and through the path towards the well when suddenly Maria stopped and said “look!” I looked and caught just a glimpse of a small, furry, groundhog like rodent running through the mangroves. It was the first (and most likely the last) time I have seen a hutia, one of the few land animals native to the Bahamas.
Back on the boat we turned in early having planned an 8am departure in the morning.

Niki

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