Exploring Paradise: Shroud Cay Waterways, Warderick Wells & New Friends!

Departing Allan’s Cay in a small cruising convoy alongside buddy boats Lava Shred, Sula, and Atlas, the crew aboard the catamaran Sailing Big Lost set a southerly course across the Exumas toward Shroud Cay. Conor, joined by Finn and Maddie, joined the multihull and monohull fleet for a passage through protected Bahamas shallows, heading toward mangrove creeks and shallow dive sites.

Convoy Run and Escobar’s Sunken Plane

The passage from Allan’s Cay brought multiple vessels together in a loose cruising parade. Running south alongside multihulls and monohulls, including friends from Utah aboard Lava Shred, the fleet made their first stop near a famous underwater landmark. The primary attraction on the shallow sand flats was the submerged transport plane linked to the escape of Pablo Escobar. With the rusted airframe resting in shallow water, the crews discussed whether to snorkel the wreckage or search for deeper spearfishing grounds. While some considered freediving along a nearby underwater shelf that stepped down to roughly 30 feet, Finn prepared a pole spear to practice spearfishing in the clear shallows.

Sanctuary Creek and the Washing Machine

Arriving at Shroud Cay, the crew launched their dinghy to explore Sanctuary Creek at high tide. The tidal waterway winds through dense mangrove flats that serve as a natural nursery for young sea turtles, stingrays, and juvenile sharks sheltering among submerged root systems. Moving with the flooding tide allowed the dinghy to slip across sand shoals that run dry at low water, tracing the winding channel toward the eastern cut known among cruisers as the Washing Machine.

Where the creek meets the open ocean, strong tidal currents create a natural swift-water channel. Swimmers jump into the surge and drift along the winding sandy outflow, as the crew observed: “this is where the title current meet meets up with the creek and Carries you right out to the ocean it’s like Nature’s Own Lazy River except a little Wilder”. Following the creek run, the family gathered on the white sand beaches with neighboring cruising families. For Finn and Maddie, racing across the sandbanks with other boat kids marked a welcomed social milestone after long stretches without playmates since departing Honduras.

Tiger Shark Encounter and Galley Baking

While exploring the shallow mangrove edges by tender, the crew spotted a large silhouette gliding through the clear water. Initially suspected to be a docile nurse shark, a closer pass revealed distinct physical markers that caused immediate concern. Noting the blunt head and dark vertical banding along the flank, the spotter confirmed: “looks like his nose is too blunt it’s a tiger shark I saw I just saw the stripes on it”. The discovery kept everyone alert while motoring through the shallow flats.

Back aboard the catamaran, life at anchor demanded practical adaptations. One of the adults coped with the sudden failure of a left hearing aid that had ceased working a week earlier, navigating daily shipboard communication without amplification while Maddie asked questions around the salon. In the galley, focus shifted to baking homemade sourdough pretzels, turning hot weather and tropical downtime into a hands-on culinary project while preparing for the next leg south.

Reefed Passage to Warderick Wells

Weighing anchor from Shroud Cay, Sailing Big Lost set sail toward Warderick Wells Cay. Fresh breezes allowed the catamaran to unroll sails and reach across the bank at brisk speeds. With the mainsail tucked down to the first reef point, the boat accelerated smoothly through the chop, as Conor reported from the helm: “we got the first Reef in the Maine and we’re clicking along at 8 knots right now”.

Underway along the bank, Big Lost overhauled the monohull Atlas, which had departed Shroud Cay earlier that morning. Because park mooring fields inside the narrow harbor of Warderick Wells were completely booked, the crew scouted alternative holding ground south of the main mooring field, aiming for Emerald Rock to set their ground tackle.

Anchoring at Emerald Rock

Approaching the south end of Warderick Wells, the crew carefully sounded the approach into Emerald Rock. Following Atlas, which drew deeper draft, the catamaran monitored shifting sandbars to select a protected sand pocket. Conor brought the bows up to drop ground tackle, noting: “looks like this is going to be our home for the next day day and a half”.

Shortly after the hook dug in, a curious reef shark circled the hulls in the translucent water, welcoming the catamaran to the anchorage. With ground tackle secure and buddy boats Lava Shred and Atlas settling nearby, the crews prepped their tenders for shore landings to explore local beaches and coastal hiking trails.

Whale Skeleton and Boo Boo Hill Trail

Going ashore at Warderick Wells, the family visited the bleached skeleton of a massive marine mammal preserved along the shoreline. The display serves as a stark environmental reminder for visiting sailors, as the crew examined the bones: “it’s a 52t sperm whale that died from eating plastic bags”. Finn and Maddie investigated the sandbanks and tidal pools with a waterproof camera, testing acoustic rhythms by tapping on resonant driftwood branches.

The afternoon concluded with a hike up the Boo Boo Hill Trail, where hikers must navigate carefully through rocky limestone paths lined with caustic poisonwood trees. At the windy summit overlooking the water, the family reached the famous sailors’ shrine. Steeped in island lore regarding a lost vessel whose crew’s voices allegedly whistle through the cliffs on moonlit nights, the crest features hundreds of carved wooden boat name plaques deposited by voyagers seeking Neptune’s blessing for fair winds and safe sea miles.

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