We do a little reading and writing. It's a little overcast this morning but we are ok with a little cloud cover. We get about 10 minutes of sprinkles every hour or so. That's what keeps everything so nice and green. We move from the cockpit to the galley when it rains.
Most everyone has cleared out of the bay but we decided to play it safe and stick around for one more day at the advise of our new friends. A tropical wave was expected and we certainly don't want to be stuck out in any bad weather. After all, this wasn't a bad spot to wait it out!
We were invited to come aboard Miss Heidi at 4:30 this afternoon to listen to the weather. The regular weather man was on vacation so we'd have to make due with the broad information given over channel 5 and 6 on the VHF.
After loading up the dinghy with our snorkeling gear, we headed to the east side of the bay. We attached to a mooring ball and swam over to the shore. There were millions of tiny translucent fish surrounding us- all staring intently so they can dash off in an instant if necessary. I felt a little claustrophobic at first and tried to stay on the outside of them but then I realized that they weren't interested in me, nor were they going away.
The other rockier side of the bay definetly had better coral but there was still good sea life none the less. We spotted brilliant blue tropical fish throughout. Alex picked up a soft shelled crab who was hiding under coral and it danced on his finger tips. He was purple and yellow with a spider like body.
We worked our way around the protected area and just as we were about to jump back in the dinghy, I spotted a puffer fish in the sand! He was all by his lonesome. He was light yellow with black spots. They are the second most poisonous invertebrate in the world!
Now it's time for some relaxation on the beach. We swing back by the boat to drop off our snorkeling gear and grab our beach mats. The mats have really come in handy. We first purchased them in Belize and carried them all over Southeast Asia as well.
Our friends Debbie and Rick were already on shore. They introduced us to another couple, Lyn and Paul, who had their teenage granddaughter with them on a 2 month summer vacation. What a great way to spend your summer vacation! Just as we arrived after what seemed like 100 more tugs on the dinghy, they were headed back to the boat. Alex and I found a nice shaded spot to lay out the beach mats. After we got settled, I popped open 2 ice cold Heinekens. Ahhhh, nice!
We were instantly befriended by a Pureto Rican woman whose husband forgot their bottle opener. We chatted with her for a bit. They came up on a power boat to do some deep sea fishing. Further down the beach to our right was the family who was in the mega yacht that was stationed at the very back of the bay. We had been curious about them, wondering who they were and what their story was. We people watched intently and laughed at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.
It appeared that there were 2 families. One of the husbands and the young boys were playing in the waist deep water. A crew member dressed in uniform (purple shorts, white polo shirt) brought the 2 woman and several young girls to shore in an over sized dinghy. They had so much gear with them, it was hilarious. The worker set up their beach chairs with foot rests and arranged their umbrella so they could get the perfect amount of sun and shade. That took several attempts to get it just right, under the direction of the woman, of course.
Once everything is settled, the guy takes off. Alex and I laugh at how simple our set up is and think about how much we are enjoying ourselves. We lay together on the sand with incredible surroundings. The sand is smooth and white, the water is clear and warm, and the palm trees provide us with all the shade we need. We pop open another Heineken and cheers to a beautiful day.
About 30 minutes later, a huge gust of wind comes along. We were amused to see that it has turned the woman's umbrella completely inside out. Alex and I had to turn our heads in the other direction so they wouldn't see us laughing.
The husband rushes over and grabs a hand held walkie-talkie. We couldn't believe our eyes. It was like a scene from a tv show! He radios back to the yacht and moments later the worker comes back with.....a new umbrella!!
Alex and I were narrating the entire thing, imagining what they must have been saying to one another. "You imbecile! You put this umbrella in wrong and now it's blown away! Bring me another, immediately!"
After all of the excitement, we decided to head back to our Rya Jen for a little R&R. At 4:30, we jumped in the dinghy but of course it wouldn't start for the life of us. Alex pulled and pulled until his muscle got 2 times bigger. Paul, the Aussie came to rescue us.
We arrived to a wonderful spread of appetizers and munchies. Debbie prepared all of this herself and it was such a nice treat. Rick poured stiff gin and tonics. We all sat around the cockpit exchanging stories of our travels.
Debbie is a petite, lovely lady who is maybe 5 feet tall. She worked for IBM most of her life and Rick owned his own computer company in Houston. They had a love for sailing so they sold their home and lived on the boat for 2 years before they came down to the Caribbean. They were members of Lakewood Yacht Club, where Alex's dad was a member. They've been sailing for 9 years now and say that these waters never get boring. They had plenty of great advise to give, and we listened intently.
Their friends Lyn and Paul had been out for 11 years so far. They were based out of Washington I believe. Paul was a real character (as most Australians are). He had to make a trip back to their boat for more tonic and almost fell head over feet in the dinghy. When he returned with full arms, I offered to help until he got steady footing. "To hell you will- never take a Aussie's beer away from him!" he instructed me. He told about raising sheep and lamb as a young boy in Australia. It was good company all around.
Debbie asked if we were on some sort of honey moon. I replied "I'm just happy to have Alex say the word honey moon!" LOL! She prepared a printed itinerary with some of their favorite places. We really appreciated that and it came in very handy for the remainder of our journey. It was a very thoughtful gesture and we'll always remember them for that.
After a great night of stories and good company, Paul returned us safely to our ship. Alex and I laid out under the stars reading. I got to the part in my book where Bella finds out that Edward might be a vampire and Alex reads about the possibility of other suns and solar systems.
We open all the hatches and pull in for a good night's rest in the front cabin.
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