• Home
  • Posts
  • The Story
  • Get In Touch
Our Journey with Kids
  • Home
  • Posts
  • The Story
  • Get In Touch
RECENT

POSTS

Warderwick Wells

5/14/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Warderick Wells, the headquarters for the Land and Sea Park, was a short hop south of Hawksbill.

We made the journey within a few hours. As we approached to the anchorage, we navigated around a large sand shoal. The shoal (at only 2-3’ deep) struck a clear border against the 12-15’ depths surrounding it.
Picture
We anchored and dinghied to a landing next to the park office. At the dinghy landing we saw some familiar faces! The group who unloaded next to us was a sweet Canadian couple from S/V Time Out and their friends. We had also run into them at Bimini and Andros! Little did we know we would end up seeing each other two more times at Staniel & Big Majors!

The group headed up a set of stairs adorned with buoys and other nautical flare. Our crew followed behind—eager to explore a new place!

In the office/store/museum we were able to pay for our anchorage/use of dinghy landing and a 24-hour WiFi pass. While I made the arrangements and collected the island map, the kids felt around inside the “mystery boxes” to guess the contents. They reported a conch and large clam shell.


Outside the office, the walls were completely covered with information ranging from large scientific posters on the life cycles of native species to posts from the ranger station—more on this later.

​Our first goal was to hike to the top of Boo Boo Hill. We followed trail signs that directed us through a variety of unique landscapes.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
At the top, we found the most amazing collection of inscribed driftwood—a beloved tradition of visiting cruisers. The monument was incredible—as was the view.
Picture
Picture
Plan B in the background.
We weren’t as prepared as many of those who had come before us, but we managed to find a small smooth stick nearby and scrounged up an ink pen to leave Plan B’s contribution.
Picture
Meanwhile, the kids befriended a couple lizards. One was keen on biting Zion’s fingertip, but it was painless.
Picture
Noah getting up close and personal with this stout lizard!
The kids added their names to the stick and placed it on the pile.

An approaching squall abruptly interrupted our ​moment​. We forfeited the Blow Holes and headed back toward the office in a hurry.

The squall ended up sparing us, but we had already reached the beach. The kids and Kyle stayed to play while I headed to the office to make use of the WiFi.


The WiFi signal we had paid $15 for was weak sauce. As I sat waiting for blog and Instagram posts to load, I began reading the posters. To my dismay, I learned that land crabs lay 250,000 eggs at a time. FLASHBACK: The crab I had speared on Goulding Cay was full of eggs! As soon as we discovered the eggs we left the crab in hopes the eggs would still make it. END FLASHBACK. Learning I had potentially wiped out 250,000 crab eggs was tough to choke down!

A small plaque pointed out the Poisonwood grove surrounding the small wraparound deck. My mind flashed back again to our brief exploratory hike on Hawksbill the day prior and I began to itch!

​My uploads were seemingly at a standstill so I moved on to the
park notice board. Posted was a lengthy list of needs which included 2-cycle oil, copier paper, miscellaneous tools, fuel cans and personal products.

I had been keeping an eye on the kids and Kyle down below just in case they needed me. Finally, I left the phone behind in hopes it would eventually load and joined them at the beach.
Picture
They showed me all their discoveries—seashells, live conch and snails. Then, the island’s Saturday evening tradition began to unfold—Sundowners. Sundowners is a phenomenon in which cruisers migrate toward a certain location and gather together for fellowship, snacks and drink. We were not prepared as we had not come equipped with any food or beverage contributions, but we said hello and met some very nice people.

The ranger who had checked us in was present for the gathering. Intrigued by this microcosm—I had questions. She said her and a handful of others work and live on the island and pointed toward the shared community house. We then discussed the water issue—life on Warderick relies solely on desalination. The rangers depend mainly on donations and the cruisers who visit to bring them what they need. She said on a rare occasion, they may take a speed boat to Nassau to get supplies. I couldn't quite figure her out—my curiosity only grew. My next question was even more personal: “Do you enjoy your job?” She laughed slightly then explained that she’s constantly “on” due to incoming boats, check-ins and radio calls, but "it’s cool" because she doesn’t have anyone breathing down her neck which allows her to work at her own pace. I was pleased with the cultural encounter, but left wanting to somehow make a difference.

Kyle had gone to tend to the upload progress. Once it was complete, he grabbed the dinghy and motored over to the beach to retrieve us. We said our farewells.

The next morning, our plans were to visit the stromatolites on our way out, but the timing didn’t work due to the outgoing tides and shallow approach. That's okay—we'll see them NEXT time!

Kyle has a GREAT post coming your way!

1 Comment

    AuthorS

    Kyle/Bethany

    Archives

    May 2019
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017

    Categories

    All
    Adventure
    Anchoring
    Andros
    Author—Bethany
    Author—Kyle
    Awash Airplane
    Bagel Cart
    Bagel Shop
    Bahamas
    Bakery
    Baking
    Bell Cay
    Boat Projects
    Boat Restoration
    Boatyard
    BooBoo Hill
    Bouldering
    Breakfast
    Business
    Business Opportunity
    Cambridge Cay
    Camping
    Cape Canaveral
    Carlos Lehder
    Cat Cay
    Compass Cay
    Cookbooks
    Cracker Boy Boat Works
    Cruising
    Cruising Community
    Culture
    Discovery
    Diving
    Dolphins
    Dry Land
    Entrepreneurship
    Exploration
    Exuma Cays Land And Sea Park
    Exumas
    Family
    Festivities
    Florida Keys
    Food
    Foraging
    Friends
    Games
    Great Bahama Bank
    Great Harbour
    Gulf Stream
    Hawksbill Cay
    Hiking
    Homestead
    Journey
    Kennedy Space Center
    Key Biscayne
    Key West
    Kid Boats
    Kids
    Kite Surfing
    Lake Worth
    Land
    Legacy
    Legacy Lore Baking Manuals
    Maiden Voyage
    Marina Life
    Mason 41
    Meal Ideas
    Miami
    Micro-enterprise
    Mighty Bagel
    Morgan’s Bluff
    Music
    NASA
    Nassau
    New Providence
    Norman’s Cay
    O'Brien Cay
    Ocean
    OJWK
    Ozarks
    Palm Beach
    Palm Cay
    Private Island
    Riviera Beach
    Rock Climbing
    S2
    Sailboat
    Sailboat Life
    Sailing
    Sailing With Kids
    Sea Aquarium
    Sealife
    Shroud Cay
    Small Business
    Snorkeling
    Snorkel Sites
    Song
    Spearing
    Staniel Cay
    Staniel Cay Yacht Club
    Stiltsville
    Swimming
    Swimming Pigs
    Thunderball Grotto
    Tiny House
    Trl
    Van Life
    Video
    Warderwick Wells
    Wind Turbines

Email

[email protected]

  • Home
  • Posts
  • The Story
  • Get In Touch