Shroud Cay to Wardrick Wells, Bahamas

We woke early so that we could take the dinghy through the river that runs across the island.  It was high tide about 8am and we didn’t want to miss our opportunity.  It was really interesting.  You dinghy for about 1.5 miles through the mangroves to the other side of the island.  There, there was a really nice beach.  The waves were amazing!  It’s hard to remember how different two sides of the same island can be … one protected from the winds and the other at it’s mercy.  That’s why choosing your anchor location is a very important job. 

There are two rivers that run through Shroud to the other side of the island.  We took the southerly path.  There was a catamaran up the river a bit.  Must be nice to have such a shallow draft and two hulls so you don’t heel if the water gets too low while you’re waiting for high tide again!  There are several little offshoots from the main river.  Going towards the sea, it looked like one continuous river.  Turn around to head back out … it was a different story.  Little fingers went off in all directions.  I “think” Larry knew his way out but we explored a bit along the way … all the time with Larry trying to convince me he was lost.  Bad Larry!

Once back on Soulmatie, we decided to head further south to Wardrick Wells – headquarters for the Exuma Land & Sea Park and a beautiful location.  Of all the anchorages from our previous trip (six years ago), we remember Wardrick Wells the best.  On the sail to Wardrick Wells, I took the time to write up these entries.  Sailing conditions weren’t as awesome as on our trip to Shroud but we were still able to sail quite nicely for most of the trip.  Unfortunately, we then had to turn too close to the wind and our speed came to almost a complete stop.  We were forced to start the engine and motor-sail into the anchorage.  Oh well … at least our battery bank got a nice charge!

The winds had shifted slightly and Wardrick Wells did not offer much protection from the southeasterly winds.  The last time we were at Wardrick Wells back in 2006, the entire east side of the anchorage was open to free anchoring.  Now, the entire coastline (closest to the beach and best protected) has mooring balls.  If you want to anchor, you have to do so outside the mooring field in the open, unprotected waters.  We chose to be “cheap” and take the free route.  It meant a choppy night but we have to remember we’re on a budget!