CAMBRIDGE CAY part 1

We left bright and early for Cambridge Cay in order to secure one of the 13 mooring balls which are available on a “first come, first serve” basis at this popular anchorage. After all, it wouldn’t do for a member of the parks “Support Fleet” to arrive with important duties to perform and no place to anchor! What we hadn’t counted on however was a low tide and the unfavourable position of the sun. And heading east in the early morning it was directly in our eyes making it impossible to judge water depths by their various colours of blue. Since the lasts thing we needed was to “go aground” in the middle of nowhere, we were forced to throttle the engine back to 3 knots and slow our progress to Cambridge in order to arrive safely with a more favourable tide and the sun riding higher in the sky. Just before noon, we glided into the calm waters of this beautiful anchorage and tied up to one of the last 3 remaining mooring balls there.

After a light lunch and quiet afternoon reading in the shady comfort of the cockpit, we donned our official park shirts—complete with “Support Fleet” insignia—and dinghied over to each of the moored boats to begin our assigned duties. This involved welcoming the visitors to the park, handing out brochures re: rules and regulations, reminding boaters that the park was a “no-take” zone and that fishing was prohibited, checking that mooring lines were properly attached, recording statistical information about each boat, collecting a mooring fee, issuing a receipt, answering any questions and warning everyone about the sighting of bull sharks inside the anchorage. We are also expected to keep a sharp look-out for any poaching in the park and to report it immediately to the headquarters at Warderick Wells.

In return for the performance of these duties we have the privilege of staying on a mooring ball for as long as we want “free of charge” and several other perks. These include a daily visit by Larry, the park warden to bring us any supplies we might need and to take away our garbage, free water, DVD’s, speedboat rides into neighbouring marinas and gasoline for our dinghy. We also have the opportunity to meet everyone who comes into the anchorage and make them feel at home. One evening recently we organized an impromptu party on the beach. A makeshift “table was constructed with large flat beach rocks and everyone turned up at the appointed hour with “something to drink” and “something to share.” It was a wonderful way for the cruisers to meet each other and a good time was had by all. Hopefully we’ll be able to organize other social activities in the future. We’d like to get a “dinghy convoy” together to motor over to the marina at Compass Cay for a morning to explore this lovely island and enjoy a lunch at their shoreside restaurant. But the wind has picked up today and until it subsides, venturing outside the anchorage could prove dangerous—even in a convoy.