March 2007
Just before we left Warderick Wells we were treated to a 2 hour tropical downpour and collected over 4 inches of water in the dinghy. Merlin who had been benefiting from our watermaker managed to collect a vast quantity from their decks once the salt had washed off.
Our next stop going north was Shroud Cay, still a part of the Exumas Park. The mooring field almost certainly contained examples of our ropework but we trusted the mooring in spite of that...
The vast centre of this cay is a mangrove swamp with clear creeks running through which can be explored by dinghy across high water. The amazing isolation of all this was broken by two jet skies from a visiting motor yacht. They swamped our little dinghy and stalled the outboard. It takes all sorts I suppose but this is a protected nature reserve!

Driving tropical rain at Warderick Wells causes a white out
The edge of one of the shallow creeks inside the mangrove swamp at shroud cay
The creek in the mangrove swamp turns out of site and the water is crystal clear
This well in Freshwell Bay at Shroud Cay has long been used by ships - small fish swim in the slightly yellow water
The mooring field at Shroud Cay where some of our ropework is in use
Typical stromatolite reef slabs on the east coast of Highborne Cay - very few sites are known throughout the world
The low tide sand flats where the cassiopeias live in the pools
A pair of cassiopeia jellyfish in a tide pool
A single cassiopeia with a more orange coloration
This cassiopeia is dark green and more obviously a photosynthesiser
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Further north we visited the marina at Highborne Cay which gave us access to fuel and very expensive provisions to see us through until we returned to Marsh Harbour in the Abacos.
After pouring all our fuel cans into the main tank we refilled them and stowed them back on deck. This is the usual routine where it is difficult to come alongside any fuel dock. Time consuming but very effective and everyone has a row of cans on deck.
A walk to the eastern side of the island revealed extensive stromatolite reefs. These are formed by photosynthesising cyanobacteria. The earth started life about 4 billion years ago and these were the first life forms 3.5 billion ago. Other life forms followed at 0.5 billion ago but only when the cyanobacteria had made an oxygen rich atmosphere by use of photosynthesis. They formed the first reefs by fixing sediment in flat plates.
We found a shallow tidal lagoon inside the island with undulating sand flats at low water. We were amazed to find the tidal pools filled with upside down jelly fish in greens, browns and oranges. They were 3 to 5 inches across and moving constantly.
In the evening we went to a barbecue on the beach and met up with the research scientists working on the stromatolite reefs. One was able to tell us that these jellyfish are called cassiopeias as they work both ways up just like the constellation - M or W.
They also photosynthesise which is the cause of the coloration. Some were camouflaged and looked just like sand with turtle grass sprouting from it.
From here we went across the reefs of the Middle Bank and back to Royal Island en route to Florida via the Abacos. The NE trade winds are dominant and strong so it is all about weather windows.

This cassiopeia looks just like the turtle grass growing from the sand

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