Day 79: Science Nerd and Her Guy

Highbourne Cay to Allen’s Cays, Exumas, Bahamas (anchored)

April 3, 2022

Last night was an easy night.  We slept well in the pretty calm seas.  We made plans with our boat buddies to dinghy over to Allen’s Cay to see the endangered iguanas. 

We saw two seaplanes land which was really cool.  They circled the anchorage and landed a bit behind us then motored into the marina. 

The wind clocked around and started pushing waves from the south. The water was so rolly that we determined it would be dangerous to try to lower our 95lb outboard motor from the stern rail down to the dinghy; both Lailia and her dinghy were rocking way too hard.

I really wanted to see those iguanas. 

We made the decision to move Lailia to that anchorage.  Because there are so many rocks and sandbars we had to go out into deeper water and come back into the Allen’s Cay anchorage.  It’s sort of like getting back on the highway and getting off at the next exit instead of taking surface roads. We weren’t sure there would be room in this small anchorage between three cays but decided we could always go back.

We probably got the very last spot here.  There’s limited space and we’re close to all three of the cays with Bahamas iguanas on them. 

We anchored in about 8 feet of water with a sandy bottom.  Sand is a great sea bottom for our anchor because the anchor can dig down into it.  This keeps Lailia in place.   John snorkeled down to check to make sure the anchor was firmly set.  We could also see it from our dinghy.

We dinghied the short distance to meet our friends (two couples). There’s iguanas everywhere!  We brought carrots to feed them…but the highlight for me was feeding the Bahamas mockingbirds.  They took orange chunks from my hand.  Nature nerd was in her glory!

John kept the socialization going while I explored the island (we’re both happy with these roles). There’s a few trails to the other side of the island where I found more iguanas and a really cool osprey.

I also learned that conchs have eyes on stalks. Immature conchs don’t have a flared lip on their shells.

We got back to Lailia in time to eat dinner before a quick squall came through. As much as we appreciate the quick rinse of salt off Lailia, closing all of the hatches and portlights make the cabin get hot quickly!

We have a few more cays right here to explore and have plans to get together with boat buddies again tomorrow.

It’s places like this and Hoffman’s Cay that help me understand why people love the cruising lifestyle.