March 22

Today a "major" expedition is on the agenda: we're exploring Warderick Wells Cay. Bernd drops us off by dinghy at Emerald Beach. The hike along the well-signposted island starts at the Sahara Desert Trail. Along the way to the Ranger Station, we discover secluded bays with fantastic views across the island and spot luminous turquoise water. In between, there's dense bush, lagoons, mangroves, and rocky ground with large cavities that you can explore at your own risk. The Ranger Station provides further information and offers internet for a fee ($15 for 24 hours). Don't be startled — here the birds (Bananaquits and Mockingbirds) will even land on your hand to feed. If you leave your packed sandwich unattended like our fellow sailor Caro did, the packaging might get pecked open and the contents nibbled away :-). On the beach below the Ranger Station sits a whale skeleton.

Another trail leads to the blowholes on the legendary Boo Boo Hill. It gets its name from the sound you hear when the wind pushes water into the rock at high tide and air escapes upward through the blowholes in a fountain of spray.

The legend of Boo Boo Hill: On a stormy night many years ago, a schooner ran aground off Warderick Wells. All the sailors perished and not a single body received a proper Christian burial. Legend has it that on a full moon, you can hear the voices of lost souls singing their hymns...

A bit further up sits a mountain of signs bearing ship names, left here to protect one's own vessel. For dinner, it was Mexican night: tortillas and wraps, preceded by a round of snorkeling and — as every evening — a lovely sundowner.