Exuma Cays Sailing Charter

On Sunday, we awoke to the most amazing smells- breakfast was sizzling and the coffee was hot. Steph, the dive instructor, gave us a run down for the day’s itinerary and off we went to our first dive site of the day. We had asked for shallower sites so that our snorkeling friends could enjoy the coral coverage while we dove. The crew hit it right on the mark with our first dive! Coral Cut was amazing! The depth was no more than 30 feet but the coral heads came within 4 feet of the surface so our snorkelers saw just as much as we did! A young turtle drifted with us for awhile which was really cool- I usually see older turtles and this little guy was so crisp in color and even a bit inquisitive. That and the wall of Elkhorn coral that covered at least 50 yards made this my favorite dive and it was only the first- what could top it? We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and then off we went to Allen’s Cay to see the indigenous lizards that looked like dragons! The Cat Ppalu pulled right up to the beach so we barely got wet getting on and off the boat and once we hit the sand, the lizards came running out of the bushes looking for hand outs. What a riot- I don’t think they see so well, but they can jump pretty high which was fun. We poked the grapes on the ends of sticks to feed them and they would leap for the grape if you held it up high. Great picture opportunities here!

We had decided earlier that we wanted to head south to Staniel Cay so we made the trek that afternoon- a four hour ride to the Park Headquarters. Richard and Mary would like to live on a trawler some day and cruise the Caribbean. Captain Ronnie and Richard talked a lot about life on board which Richard just loved. Not sure Mary is sold on this idea but after this week, she may find it a lot better than she thought! The ride south was neat- scrub islands to our right and the blue of the abyss to our left. We fished for awhile but had to bring the lines in when we entered the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park….thankfully, the lines were smoking before then! We caught dolphin, tuna and a Wahoo! Captain Ronnie bragged about his sushi skills so we are looking forward to the freshest sushi ever! He got us there in time for dinner…and dancing on the deck. We moored inside the cut of Warderick Wells which was flat calm. Thank goodness, dancing on a rolling deck may have been a bit scary! A huge loggerhead popped up next to us and checked out our commotion only to head below us to lie on the bottom for the evening. We all went to the underwater viewing window in cabin 6 to see her up close. Very cool.

Saturday started early with flights from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau…piece of cake. On time, no issues and clear skies made this breezy hour long flight most enjoyable. Flying over the Bahamian waters on a clear day afforded us great views of the many hues of blues too! We landed in under an hour! Upon arrival in Nassau, we were greeted by the transfer company that was waiting for us- that was stress free for sure. No hassles, just hop on board and off we went straight to the boat. Our driver, Mr Wright, shared lots of local history and tidbits along the way to make the ride even more interesting.

The crew knew we were arriving and were waiting for us at the steps to help us with our luggage…we boarded, found our rooms and settled in for some lunch while paperwork was handled with each person. Three of us are divers while the other 9 are all snorkelers and “maybe” divers. I found the cabins to be clean and comfortable with plenty of storage underneath the bed for our suitcases. I had read that you don’t need much on these trips so hopefully I didn’t over pack! Bathing suits, t shirts, sarongs for me and some sandals…don’t need much more than that! The main salon was comfy with seating for all of us in the comfort of A/C. The bathrooms conveniently located and instructions on how to use them were given with humor. Captain Ronnie briefed us well on safety too. We talked about itinerary a bit and then off we went! The crew consisted of four- the captain, engineer, chef and activities coordinator/dive instructor! Ron, Scott, Kent and Stephanie were very welcoming too which was a good way to start the day. www.catppalu.com to see the boat.

The ride from Nassau to the Exumas was gorgeous…the water is so clear you can see star fish on the bottom as we passed over them! The skies were a bit overcast but the water was gin clear. We couldn’t wait to get there!

Our first night, we anchored off Highbourne Cay and enjoyed the starry sky with cocktails forward. Phyllis had her iPod loaded with great music and we all laughed at some of the choices- Working on the Railroad loaded up right after Iggy Pop. Quite eclectic…just like us!