Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Oh no, Our last day!
2013.06.27, Thursday - Our last day!
I walked up to the radio tower and snorkeled near town, looking for pottery shards. Squared away with Blue Water on the way back. They were kind enough to refund Will's dives - wow.
Grabbed Will and rode bikes up to town to buy prizes. Had lunch at a little Haitian fish shack on the beach (recommended by Chris). Fried fish, white rice and black beans w/ a Haitian Prestige beer. Maybe a touch dodgy but worth trying something different IMO.
I walked up to the radio tower and snorkeled near town, looking for pottery shards. Squared away with Blue Water on the way back. They were kind enough to refund Will's dives - wow.
Grabbed Will and rode bikes up to town to buy prizes. Had lunch at a little Haitian fish shack on the beach (recommended by Chris). Fried fish, white rice and black beans w/ a Haitian Prestige beer. Maybe a touch dodgy but worth trying something different IMO.
2013.06.26, Wednesday - Last Day of Diving!
Dove Finnbar's Reef in the am. 3200/900; 55 min dive. The cruisers were actually reasonable divers and kept their distance from the reef. Saw a turtle, a juvy spotted drum, a pygmy filefish. Fun and relaxing dive. Short surface interval (in order to get the cruisers back to the ship).
Dove Anchor as the second dive. 3200/1000; 50 min dive. Anchor is at ~40-45' so could not linger at the end of the dive. Happened under a boat with ~30 snorkelers equipped with underwater scooters. The DM's chumming the water for jacks - boo.
Off to Margaritaville on the bikes. Lunch at Jack's Shack just 200 yds north of the pier. Princess Victory in port along with a Royal Navy frigate from the UK.
Jerk chicken and a strong rum drink at Jack's (rum and ginger beer). Watched the cruisers head for the dock as Victory blew final call on the ships horn.
Rode to Margaritaville. Easily 2000 chaise lounges arranged on the beach. A ghost town and closed with the ship leaving.
Walked up the beach to Osprey for BBQ, and more Mitch. Will had keylime pie and I had chocolate rum cake with ice cream.
Dove Finnbar's Reef in the am. 3200/900; 55 min dive. The cruisers were actually reasonable divers and kept their distance from the reef. Saw a turtle, a juvy spotted drum, a pygmy filefish. Fun and relaxing dive. Short surface interval (in order to get the cruisers back to the ship).
Dove Anchor as the second dive. 3200/1000; 50 min dive. Anchor is at ~40-45' so could not linger at the end of the dive. Happened under a boat with ~30 snorkelers equipped with underwater scooters. The DM's chumming the water for jacks - boo.
Off to Margaritaville on the bikes. Lunch at Jack's Shack just 200 yds north of the pier. Princess Victory in port along with a Royal Navy frigate from the UK.
Jerk chicken and a strong rum drink at Jack's (rum and ginger beer). Watched the cruisers head for the dock as Victory blew final call on the ships horn.
Rode to Margaritaville. Easily 2000 chaise lounges arranged on the beach. A ghost town and closed with the ship leaving.
Walked up the beach to Osprey for BBQ, and more Mitch. Will had keylime pie and I had chocolate rum cake with ice cream.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Day three: The Turk
2013.06.25, Tuesday - Even stronger coffee, added some kind of crazy Cuban/Dominican espresso. Could cut this with a knife!
Dove with Nat (DM), Ashley and Peter. Coral Canyons and then Amphitheater.
Coral Gardens: 3100/400; 58 mins BT. Just a gorgeous drop over the wall. Lots of healthy corals. Parrotfish, creole wrasses cascading over the wall like a fountain. Saw a small green turtle munching away on something below a tube sponge.
Saw dolphins on the way to Amphitheater!
Walked up the beach to Sandbar Restaurant for burgers for dinner. Rum punch and Turks Head Lager (Will).
Back home to watch "Minority Report".
Dove with Nat (DM), Ashley and Peter. Coral Canyons and then Amphitheater.
Coral Gardens: 3100/400; 58 mins BT. Just a gorgeous drop over the wall. Lots of healthy corals. Parrotfish, creole wrasses cascading over the wall like a fountain. Saw a small green turtle munching away on something below a tube sponge.
Saw dolphins on the way to Amphitheater!
Rode to Blue Water for moichendise. Mitch and Audrey told me that since I was solo they'd put me on a boat with cruisers tomorrow. I gave approval conditionally - I would have to interview each of them beforehand.
and then continued north to Bohio for lunch (formerly Guanahani). Gorgeous, gorgeous beach and resort. Delicious lunch. Blackened fish wraps for me and jerk chicken sandwich for Will. Lots of little hermit crabs. Vowed to come back for dinner.
Back home to watch "Minority Report".
2013.06.24, Monday - Diving am/Gibbs pm
Up at 6:45am. Made strong coffee. Heck of a time rousing Will to say 'goodbye' - deep sleep!
Dove Coral Gardens then Minister's Beach South. Saw a moray. Some gorgeous parrotfish. Very nice schools of creole wrasses. Dove to ~65' on first dive; 1:14 duration. Entered with 3200/exited with 900. Second dive max 60'; 1:05 duration. Entered with 3200/exited with 700.
Went to Cee's for a few groceries and to the pharmacy next door for Zithromax. Took the bikes because we only had an hour.
Decided to do Gibbs Cay snorkeling in the afternoon. Will used an earplug and swam anyway. Got picked up by Chris (from pdx) at 2:45pm, rode past Carnival Breeze (a monstrosity with water slides on the top deck). Catamarans stuffed with cruise people. Tow craft stuffed with cruise people. Cruise people on horseback and 4-wheelers.
Stopped at Round Cay for snorkeling. Saw a 5+' nurse shark straight away. Needlefish and some big barracuda. Some very nice coral heads. Old Elkhorn and staghorn. Lots of life. Disneyesque.
Back on the boat and off to Gibbs. Perfect, powdery beach. Rum punch. The stingrays immediately flocking to see if we had food.
Up at 6:45am. Made strong coffee. Heck of a time rousing Will to say 'goodbye' - deep sleep!
Dove Coral Gardens then Minister's Beach South. Saw a moray. Some gorgeous parrotfish. Very nice schools of creole wrasses. Dove to ~65' on first dive; 1:14 duration. Entered with 3200/exited with 900. Second dive max 60'; 1:05 duration. Entered with 3200/exited with 700.
Went to Cee's for a few groceries and to the pharmacy next door for Zithromax. Took the bikes because we only had an hour.
Decided to do Gibbs Cay snorkeling in the afternoon. Will used an earplug and swam anyway. Got picked up by Chris (from pdx) at 2:45pm, rode past Carnival Breeze (a monstrosity with water slides on the top deck). Catamarans stuffed with cruise people. Tow craft stuffed with cruise people. Cruise people on horseback and 4-wheelers.
Stopped at Round Cay for snorkeling. Saw a 5+' nurse shark straight away. Needlefish and some big barracuda. Some very nice coral heads. Old Elkhorn and staghorn. Lots of life. Disneyesque.
Back on the boat and off to Gibbs. Perfect, powdery beach. Rum punch. The stingrays immediately flocking to see if we had food.
We stayed until 6:30pm and then made our way back. Showered and walked north to the Sandbar Restaurant (across from Manta House and Salt Raker), potcake dogs following along, herding a couple of cows on the road. Cracked conch and a Turks Head Lager for dinner.
2013.06.23, Sunday - Strong coffee and fruity cheerios.
Fitful night's sleep - the potcake dogs decided to wake everyone up at 3:30am.
Will sat out the dive - worried about his ear.
Said goodbye to Will and headed out with Chris this time. Dove Tunnels and Minister's Beach South. Chris is from pdx and has been here as a DM for a year. Neither Chris nor Nate have heard of anyone seeing mantas on GDT. Spoke of it as if it were an impossibility.
After the dive, we rode bikes to the north end of the island. Stopped at Sandbar for lunch.
I dropped a credit card as we unchained the bikes after lunch. Rode into town before I realized it. Left Will at the little cruise vendors in the town square and rode back. A policewoman had found my card!
The reef at the north end of the island extends for 2.8 miles. It was a maelstrom. Apparently over 100 shipwrecks on this reef!
Will continued to feel like his left ear was blocked or had liquid in it. So called Dr. Palmer and DAN, and then the Emergency Room on GDT. Ended up going to the hospital (unfortunately at the north end of the island where we'd just come from!). Dr. Antrieve Benjamine was beautiful and charming.
Stopped for dinner at Sandbar Restaurant on the way back. Ran into some of the people from our first dive as well as a bunch of UK sailors.
Fitful night's sleep - the potcake dogs decided to wake everyone up at 3:30am.
Will sat out the dive - worried about his ear.
Said goodbye to Will and headed out with Chris this time. Dove Tunnels and Minister's Beach South. Chris is from pdx and has been here as a DM for a year. Neither Chris nor Nate have heard of anyone seeing mantas on GDT. Spoke of it as if it were an impossibility.
After the dive, we rode bikes to the north end of the island. Stopped at Sandbar for lunch.
I dropped a credit card as we unchained the bikes after lunch. Rode into town before I realized it. Left Will at the little cruise vendors in the town square and rode back. A policewoman had found my card!
Town pier. Just as <not> crowded as always.
Looked to be another failed Caribbean hotspot.
Termed the "rats of the island" by some.
They've cleaned up the lighthouse and made a nature trail around the base.
Remnants of the old Navy base.
Will continued to feel like his left ear was blocked or had liquid in it. So called Dr. Palmer and DAN, and then the Emergency Room on GDT. Ended up going to the hospital (unfortunately at the north end of the island where we'd just come from!). Dr. Antrieve Benjamine was beautiful and charming.
Stopped for dinner at Sandbar Restaurant on the way back. Ran into some of the people from our first dive as well as a bunch of UK sailors.
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