Exuma Park, Wardrick Wells

We are currently on a mooring ball at Exuma Land and Sea Park in Wardrick Wells which covers 176 sq. miles of beautiful blue water, reefs and fish breeding grounds.  There are hiking trails and snorkeling areas.  The park has a small office with a gift shop, dvd rentals and a few souvenir items.  There are no grocery stores, fuel, water or trash disposal available.  Only the park ranger, his wife, two staff member and a few members of the defense force live on the island.  It is so strange to see lobster, conch and fish everywhere - but don't dare catch or take any as there is a mandatory $500 per person on board the boat fine per incident (a single fish, lobster or shell counts as one incident) and your boat can be confiscated!  The park warden patrols and will take action making arrest and impounding vessels for violations.  The fee for a mooring ball is only $20 but they have a "volunteer" program in which you can work in the park and waive your mooring fee.  Eva worked one day in the gardens and another day varnishing teak.  Several "must sees" are Boo Boo hill which is named for the spirits of a boat that sunk with people on board, but when they went to retrieve the bodies, they were gone!  They say their spirits are here and you can see them and hear them on the hill.

 Most visitors leave their boat name on a piece of wood which is supposed to quiet the spirits!  "Bubba" is the other must see --- he is a 4 foot barracuda who lives in the park waters along with 8 or so sharks, huge stingray and a variety of large fish.  And you think we are going swimming??? 

 Actually we did do some snorkeling and got to see some beautifully colored fish, coral and even one of the sharks!  We have a school of jacks (type of fish) that have been swimming around Makai and range in size from 2 to 4 feet.  While we were enjoying the waters, a few mocking birds were enjoying our apples on the boat.  They actually flew inside, ate some of the apple, left a mess of droppings everywhere and then flew out and on their way. The only mammal that lives on the island is called a hotia.  It is larger than a rat but smaller than a groundhog and comes out at night to eat the trees and vegetation.  Happy hour was held on Friday night on the beach complete with calypso music and a bonfire.  There are 24 boats in the park here including "Amazing Grace," "Adamant 1," "Blue Blazes," "First Edition," "Cygnus" and "Sun Spot Baby" all who we have met while cruising.  We will stay here until Tuesday since the winds are blowing rather high and we did have a few rain storms yesterday.