Heading North

On our last day in Georgetown, we happened to anchor right next to the regatta course--so we had front row seats for the first race! Barry put up our Mardi Gras flag and some regatta flags. We looked so festive as we sat on deck watching the boats fly by.

Lee Stocking Island, Feb. 24-25
Only 20 miles from Georgetown, and yet a world apart is Lee Stocking Island--home to a deserted marine laboratory. 

This first day, the water is rough, so we're boat bound--but the stars put on a show for us that night. We sit on the bow of the boat and gaze up at diamond dust splashed across the night sky. I never tire of this.

The next day is calm, and we start the day hiking up a trail that ends with a dramatic view of the ocean. 

We snorkel in the adjacent cove on a couple of coral 
heads that are right off of the beach. Look at this beach!

The coral heads reminded me of Seussian villages with very colorful residents! 
Next, we dinghied to a cove on the south side of the island rumored to have excellent snorkeling. I jumped in the water immediately and swam towards some dark shapes on one side of the cove. Pretty disappointing....but wait! Barry has walked the beach in the opposite direction and using the GPS on his iPhone has located a large coral reef just off of the beach. As I swam towards it, I literally gasped into my snorkel. It was probably 50 yds across, resembling a rambling shanty-town of overgrown mold painted yellow, rust, and orange with purple fan coral for a splash of color. On one edge, there was a steep drop off where I saw a young sea turtle move off into the deep. I swam and floated over and around this aquatic city, spying on fish painted magenta, tangerine, gold, royal blue, lime-green, sapphron yellow, and aqua. 
(I started to think about adding other snorkeling sites to my bucket list, like the Great Barrier Reef. Hmmm...this could get expensive)
After a morning of snorkeling, swimming, fighting currents and chasing turtles--I am reminded that I'm in my upper 50's. I have that worn out feeling I remember from childhood after playing in a pool all afternoon. No more snorkeling today!

The One That Got Away...and the One That Didn't
During our trek north from Lee Stocking to Black Point, Barry put out a fishing line while we were sailing in 2000+ feet of water, using a lure that looked like a crow's feather. Whizzz--something takes the bait!! And it's a fighter--keeping Barry occupied for a good 20 minutes as it dives down or takes the line further out. We catch glimpses of it--and know it's BIG! Use your imagination.

As it jumps, we see that it's a good 36" long. No fish story. When the fish is finally within a few feet of the boat, Barry grabs the gaff (a short, curved pole with a hook on the end used to lift fish into the boat). The fish is aqua and pale green and yellow with a flat face--a  mahi mahi!!  But--OH NO--the fish shakes the line, which snaps, and off he goes--taking the $10 lure with him. Stunned silence. There went some excellent seafood that we could have traded for laundry costs, for lobster, for....NOTHING. Oh well--it was too pretty to eat.

That night, while at anchor, we had a different kind of excitement. (If you're not a cat lover, skip this part.) Right after I fell asleep, I was awakened by a scramble and a splash. I leapt out of bed, screaming for Pearl...waking up Barry. I could hear a muffled,garbled yowl from outside the boat. I dashed up on deck...no Pearl... but when I yelled her name she responded with that helpless yowl, followed by gurgling noises. Barry had the flashlight, but he couldn't hear me when I said "Give me the flashlight! Give me the flashlight! GIVE ME THE FLASHLIGHT!" I found her at the waterline of the boat on the starboard stern, well out of reach. As she was being swept forward by the current, I watched her disappear under the bow and believed she was gone forever. But amazingly, she resurfaced on the other side of the boat and was being swept back towards the stern--where Barry (my hero) was waiting in the dinghy. He grabbed her by the ruff as she floated by, and placed her right on top of his glasses. Crunch. So, this escapade caused (we think) by a cute moth fluttering at a porthole (you know about curiosity and cats) will now cost us a new pair of glasses. But Pearl, (aka Saltwater Pearl) is alive and well. I kill every moth I see and all port holes are closed at night--just waiting for the next adventure...

Cambridge Cay, Feb. 26-27
As we travel north through the incredible beauty of the Exumas, we're trying to experience different places so we anchored in Cambridge Cay--part of the Land and Sea Park. The 'mooring hosts' welcomed us by radio and told us there was a happy hour at 5pm on a nearby beach. Who knew--mooring hosts?? Evidently the Park does this in order to ensure that boaters pay the mooring ball fee and to make our stay more enjoyable. So about a dozen of us met on the beach and chatted about our experiences while watching yet another spectacular sunset. 

 Fellow boaters included a couple on their honeymoon, a family of four taking a one-year sailing sabbatical, and three friends from the UK on a Caribbean journey. So many stories and such 'local knowledge'. The hostess told me of a trail to walk that was right off of a deep water hole in which sea turtles (!) swim. So, of course, that was our first thing on the agenda the next day. (Agenda, what agenda??) We swam and snorkeled in that hole...no turtles. But while sitting on the beach later, I happened to see a turtle come up for air! I jumped out of my chair, ran toward the water, dashed back for my mask, and plunged in. I could see the turtle about 50 feet in front of me--sadly, I quickly learned that I am MUCH slower than a turtle.

Rocky Dundas
Last year, we visited this marvelous coral outcropping, and we couldn't resist visiting again. 

Believe it or not, you can take a dinghy under the ledge and into caves! 

As I snorkeled in here, I was treated to seeing some gorgeous coral and some curious parrot fish. And as you can see in the picture, the sunlight pouring in through the hole in the 'ceiling' created a scene that resembled the inside of an ogre's mouth!

SQUALL!

This is what a squall looks like...luckily we were firmly anchored in this mooring field. The wind registered 40 knots (50 mph) for a few minutes. Thankfully--it was over quickly and no one suffered any damage.

Happy belated Mardi Gras!! As our friends in St. Louis know, our boat is named Mardi Gras because we used to host a dinner/costume party on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday--but now we celebrate somewhere in the islands with new friends. This year, we were moored in an isolated cay in the Park and our only neighbors (Robbie and Carol) joined us who for some improvised gumbo--homemade by Chef Barry.

Goodbye for now...I'll be in touch in a week or so.