Thank-you to Stephanie for submitting these photos and journal entries to share your trip with us from last May! There's wonderful adventures to be had in the Exuma Cays, just take a look at the fun Stephanie and her crew had here:
Saturday, 5/14/11: Day one of kayaking! Dallas met us at 8am and we went to the grocery/liquor store for some final supplies and picked up rental gear. We drove to Barreterre and packed up the kayaks.
After going over our planned route we were off! First stop was Boysie Cay to see the blowhole. We then paddled between Rat and Pigeon Cays. Lunch on Windsock Cay sandbar.
Then paddled towards Tug and barge Rocks and two small unnamed islands. We were going to snorkel but there was no spot for the kayaks. On to Norman’s Pond Cay to set up the campsite. We emptied the kayaks and went snorkeling and fishing. Only one tiny fish was caught but we did see a ~4ft shark. Back at the campsite we made teriyaki noodles with tuna and drank sangria. The bugs came and we set up a fire. Dried palm fronds burn well.
Sunday, 5/15/11: The sand was not comfortable to sleep on (we should have rented sleeping pads!) but waking up 10 feet from the ocean was amazing.
We visited an underwater cave on Norman’s Pond Cay where some scientists were doing research on acidity and sea sponges and then stopped to snorkel at the end of Norman’s Pond Cay. On to Iguana Cay where the iguanas were definitely not afraid of us. Next we paddled to Bock Cay and floated with the currents between there and Melvin Cay. We headed to Lignumvitae Cay to make camp. We chose to camp at the nicer site on Lignumvitae despite knowing rats come out at night. More snorkeling and another fish. It made a nice appetizer. Burritos for dinner, sangria and rum punch to drink and a nice campfire.
Monday, 5/16/11: Sand still uncomfortable but rats were not an issue, luckily. And fewer bugs so we’ll probably camp here a second night. Decided to take it easy so our arms can recover. Had egg burritos for breakfast then kayaked to a very rusty barge and around Goat Cay. Back at the campsite for spear fishing, another grouper and a few small fish and one super creepy looking one. All the fish guts attracted a shark (~3ft) which we tried to get photos of.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the beach, trying to stay out of the super hot sun. Mac n’ cheese with sweet potato for dinner. Really nice campfire afterwards. Around 9 o’clock crazy animals started to appear. The rats were joined by two enormous crabs, one of which hung out right near the campsite, bats which kept flying overhead, bugs and a few unknown noises we tried our best to ignore.
Tuesday, 5/17/11: Oatmeal for breakfast with dried fruit. The currents were incredibly strong as we paddled back along our 5/15 route. Waves continually crashed over the bows. We tried heading towards the underwater cave but we decided not to fight the very strong currents. Instead we continued on and had lunch at a different beach on Norman’s Pond Cay. We quickly continued on to our former campsite where we set up a tarp to make shade. We went snorkeling and spear fishing again and caught two small fish. We cleaned out the caught fish and threw the remains into the water near our campsite. While washing dishes after dinner a 4ft shark came to sample the goods!
We built another fire and slathered on bug repellent but the noseeums were out in full force driving us into our tents on the early side. Full moon tonight.
Wednesday, 5/18/11: Last night high tide came within 3 feet of our tents—doesn’t get much more beach front than that! Egg burritos for breakfast then explored Norman’s Pond. We then headed towards Windsock Cay. The swells seemed even larger than yesterday, some as large as 2 feet we guessed. We were very glad to reach land. From there we paddled to Rat Cay where the map suggested we found find a submerged wreck. Again, paddling against wind, waves and current. Picked a campsite hesitantly since it looked like high tide (around 11pm) would only leave us just enough room for our tents. We saw part of a small rusty engine but no other evidence of a wreck. It was a hot day so we hung out in the water a lot but did explore the ocean-side of the island as well.
We attempted an underwater group shot as well as a Baywatch photo; both pretty much failed.
Burritos for dinner just as the bugs appeared. Luckily by the time the campfire was roaring the bugs were gone. The sand on Rat Cay was incredible—soft and fine—but stuck to everything.
Thursday, 5/19/11: Lazy morning. Oatmeal for breakfast. Hung out in the water for over an hour. Then ate leftovers for snack and left our final campsite. Got to Barreterre around 1pm, unpacked the kayaks, and drank a beer at the waterfront. Dallas came at 2pm and took us back to town. The end of a fabulous trip!
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