 |
 |
|
|
The World Cruise of Veleda IV |
|
|
Exumas - Little Bell Island, March 9 - 13, 1999 We went down the outside for an enjoyable sail from Norman's Cay to Cambridge Cay, also known as Little Bell Island. Coming in was a bit difficult, as we knew shoals extended out on the northwest corner, but we still touched bottom anyway in a 5 foot following sea. However a sharp turn to starboard got us free after two or three bumps, and we crept in through the narrow channel into a large opening anchorage with our old friends "Mallard" already there. We went ashore and across the cay to see Bell Rock, which is a large off-lying rock islet, bell-shaped, with an opening in its southern cliff. It reminded us that we started a sailing club up in Little Current called La Cloche Yacht Club named after La Cloche Island, separating the mainland of the north shore of Lake Huron and the Bay of Islands from Little Current in Manitoulin Island. La Cloche in French means "the bell", because the rocks in the area had the timbre of a bell when struck. Many of the coral and limestone rocks in this area also had a bell-like resonance, but the name here was for the bell shape of the outlying rock. The next day "Huahine" came into the anchorage and we greeted Kurt and Elfie, whom we had met in Warderick Wells. We took them snorkelling to the Rocky Dundas, a couple of islands south of our anchorage. The southernmost island had a couple of exquisite caves that we could snorkel into. When we got inside, the caves widened into cathedral-like spaces, the waters abounding with surf and tropical fish, and the caverns above the water level a symphony of green and gold moss-covered arches with tapered stalactites and stalagmites ( Yes, both, as these caves were once well above sea level ) One of the caves had an opening up into the rocks about 30 feet above where daylight shone through. I wish I had brought my good camera in to take picture of these ethereal caverns, but all I had was my disposable underwater camera which could not capture the majesty of these cavernous cathedrals. The fish were of many sizes, shapes, and colours. There was a large (3 to 4 foot) barracuda cruising off one of the coral reefs looking at me as if to suggest I had better not disturb its domain. It watched, but did it did not swim away from me. I hoped it knew I was bigger than it was and would not attack. I hoped it read the same book I did. However, it did not back off, I did! The islands called the Rocky Dundas also have a significance for me as my home town is Dundas, Ontario. Rule Britannia! The next day we went to the Sea Aquarium, a small reef island and undersea wall abounding with a wide variety of tropical fish of all sizes, about two miles north of our anchorage. I even got a picture of a nurse shark sleeping at the bottom of a coral head in about 15 feet of water. It did not move as I swam to within 5 feet to take its picture, but I did not want to disturb its slumber. It looked to be about 4 feet in length. When I am snorkelling on a beautiful reef like this, I frequently have the Beatles' tune of "An Octopus's Garden" going through my head. The multi-coloured fish, the waving sea fans in purple and gold, the bronze staghorn coral, the white brain coral, the flower-pot sponges in hunter green, the golden sand bottom -- all create a natural panorama that no landscape or undersea architect could ever hope to match. All this could be accessed by shallow water snorkelling. That evening we had "Happy Hour" on board Veleda with Guy and Anita from "Mallard", Ken and Carolyn from "Shibumi", and Kurt from "Huahine", all Canadians except Kurt. Incidentally, "Mallard", not only being close to my name "Millard" is named after a "Bird Class" patrol boat of the Canadian Navy, one of which I had the opportunity to command at one point of my navy career. Guy was an officer responsible for introducing this class into the service for a decade or so, and that is why he selected this name for his boat, after one of the patrol boats called, "Mallard". The one I had command of was called the "Loon", long before the "Loonie" (Canadian $1 coin - ed) was ever thought of! Small world! The anchorage here is very good. There is a mooring used by a local island owner for a hurricane hole, the area is so well protected. Idyllic beaches and off-lying cays make it a natural oasis in which some boaters spend months at a time, or visit frequently whenever sailing the Exumas. This area is also still part of the Bahamas Land Sea Park, and no fishing is permitted. The next day, March 11, we sailed, again on the outside, down to Little Major's Spot just outside Staniel Cay. This is a popular area, and one in which we had a special interest, as we helped make up a fund raising letter for the clinic here at Staniel Cay. We went over to meet Mary Lou Fallon, the local nurse, and took some letters to boaters in the area urging their support for the fund raiser on the 27th. However, we found ourselves without much cash, and few of the businesses took credit cards. We finally convinced Club Thunderball to accept a cheque on our Canadian account so we could have supper there. The anchorage where we were located was rolly and we left after the second night after saying goodbye to "Huahine", who had followed us down.from Little Bell Island. This time we went on the bank side, "white knuckles" most of the way. It is scary when the maximum depth is only 12 feet and you have to keep a constant lookout for coral heads, while running with a defective depth sounder. However, we made it into Darby Island anchorage, dredged out for submarines by a Nazi sympathizer in 1942, where we were able to harvest two dozen conch from a large population. More about this interesting anchorage in the next installment. |
|
|
Links:
Bahamas Net
|
|
