Ben dropped the 8 of us off at the beach. Bear and Moose went snorkeling around the caves with the Grasshoppers. Roo and I found a place, only exposed due to the lower tide, to build a sandcastle in the shade of the cave. (These caves were very photogenic... enjoy below.) She said it was her best one yet! There was a wasp nest in the cave in the next alcove, so we just avoided that spot. We weren't there very long. The snorkelers didn't see a ton and turned back after they realized how far the next beach area was.
Once we were all back on the Cartermaran, we had to decide if we were going to take that hike to Gemstone Cave since it was only a mile or so further. We heard some thunder, so Ben looked it up and it was moving away from us (again, thankfully!). Most of us were okay either way- going for the hike or skipping it- but Sasha really wanted to go, so we put on shoes (some of us with socks), grabbed a few flashlights and headlamps (thanks Google reviewers who stated that a cellphone flash isn't sufficient), and went.
The trailhead is close to shore, but it was a very rocky, coral-filled area and we couldn't beach the Chicken there, and we could beach it just a little further south. We knew the tide was going out, so we didn't have to pull it very far on shore to anchor it. Those without socks hopped off first and those with socks jumped off the bow, competing in a long jump contest, so our feet didn't get soggy before our hike.
Along our beach walk, we came across a squishy blob. We didn't figure out what it was, but some thought it was a conch out of its shell. The kids wanted to put it back in the water so it could live, but it just oozed around when it was touched or lifted, so we left it.
The trail wasn't very clearly marked, but the reviews on Google told us to look for certain things hanging along the way so we would wind up in the cave and not the beach on the north side of the island. We also knew we had to take a right fork at one point, so followed one and realized it didnt go anywhere. When we went to turn around, my feet were entangled in a thorny vine and each time I lifted my foot to walk, I tripped and pulled nature's barbed wire into the back of my ankle. This happened several times before I managed to break free. My ankle was pretty beat up by the thorns- Jesus-style.
Ben remembered that he had a map he could use (Google) and took the lead navigating us using the blue dot, the real-life trail, and the location of the cave. It wasn't too much further.
Upon descending into the cave, the temperature dropped dramatically and a stench started to reach our noses. With our lights lighting the way, we could see where to walk. We found the water and Ben walked right in and said it was about 50°, so the rest of us took off shoes and cover ups to dip in. I only put one leg in because I wasn't sure what was in the water and didn't want to get a wicked infection in my new cuts. Lori, Sasha, and Moose swam into the deeper area around the corner, with their way illuminated by Ben and Roo from a higher point in the cave. Bear and Luke found a bat with their lights and it kept flying around to avoid the light, while I kept ducking down to avoid the bat.
Our hike back was uneventful. Bear spotted a snake, and fortunately Moose didnt hear her. Lori and the Grasshoppers stopped with her to look at it. I took some fun photos of the Cartermaran with the plants and rocks in the foreground. We didn't see the blob creature on our way back so it either moved or we missed it. My guess is we missed it, due to the change in the tide.
Evidently the tide was going much lower when we were hiking because our tender was completely out of the water. It took everyone except the 2 youngest kids two big lift-and-walks to get it in the water. Some of us had to sacrifice dry socks and sneakers for this. I also was quickly reminded of the cuts on the back of my ankle, once they were submerged in the water. Ouch!
With no more stops in mind, we went on our way in the Cartermaran past Cave Cay where we stayed in saw so many turtles in 2022, and wound up anchoring for the night in a bay off Rudder Cut Cay. This is a private island (part of a group of islands/islets here owned by David Copperfield) and has No Trespassing signs posted, so we couldn't go on the beach, but Lori and the 4 older kids snorkeled from the boat and around the rocks. They saw a giant stingray, lots of fish, beautiful corals, and got to swim with and watch a sea turtle eat just a few feet away! That was Bear's highlight. The current was pretty strong around the corner so they didn't go much further before turning back.
As we were eating dinner, we were watching a woman swim off the back of the sailboat in our cove. We were shocked because their boat was anchored near the strong current and the kids just were telling us how strong it was while they were snorkeling. At some point, a man on the boat threw a life vest to the woman in the water and he went in after it. That didn't work so the teenage daughter got their SUP and headed out. We were getting worried about this rescue situation going wrong, so Ben hailed them on the VHF a few times but they didn't respond, probably because the only kids left on the boat were 2 kids and the other 3 were trying to rescue each other... Ben and Moose dropped the tender real quick and went out to help them. The man told Ben that when he saw our tender launch, that's when he knew they were going to be okay. 😳
Cleaned up dinner and watched the last of the Canada trip videos. At the end, Lori was saying goodbye to us in Mackinaw City and she said something along the lines of, "We will watch this video in the Exumas," and we all laughed because that's exactly where we were watching from!
Today's lesson was when you're unsure, just go! Like we found out yesterday, you make better memories in new places than you ever will trying to recreate the old ones.
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