Trip Report Part 2
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:20 am
Sunday, December 10th - Today I decide I’m going to master the coffee percolator.( We use a drip at home) I’ve always been scared of it before, and made my husband drink instant coffee, when we’re on the boat. I think I did a pretty good job……now I have to make it for him everyday!
Up bright and early for a snorkel on waterlemon. I love to swim, so I go right from the boat, which is on one of the park moorings. For those of you, who stay in villas, I’ll give you a quick run down of how the park moorings work. The moorings are there, and if one is available you can pick one up for the night. In most bays there is a “bay host”, we call them the mooring Nazi, like the soup Nazi on Seinfeld, who comes over to visit you and gives you a pay envelope to put your $15.00 over night fee in, and then take it to the pay station, in some cases this is easier said then done. In waterlemon, you have to try and land the dingy at the base of Annaberg; you can’t do it without getting very wet. Anyway, back to the snorkel…. It’s about 40 ft deep, but I get a great view of the Sea Stars, just like in Steve Simonsen’s calendar. Started to head around the Cay, again waterlemon never disappoints. Saw lots of sting rays, peacock flounder, I watched a turtle graze on sea grass for about 10 minutes, hovering just above him, and he didn’t seem to care that I was there. Saw a few puffers and lots of other fish, the usual, tangs, jacks, parrots etc.
Next we headed into Soper’s Hole to clear British customs, and pick up our scuba gear. We usually bring BC’s and regulators, and we rent weights and belts and of course tanks. We spend a little time looking around in the stores, lots of neat stuff, but we don’t buy anything, other than an ice cream bar. The day is starting to get on, so we secure the tanks and head to Norman Island. Pick up a mooring, have a few drinks, make supper. Tonight’s menu is pork tenderloin, purchased at the Food Centre (see TR part 1). It was amazing!!!! There is something to be said about cooking on a charcoal BBQ. Head into the Willy T, but it was really quiet.
Monday, December 11th - We get up early, to get a mooring at the Caves. When we start to get our gear together, Marc, the guy, from the other couple who came with us, discovered that he had a hole in the bladder of his BC, just worn out from lots of use, so only 3 of us can dive here, hubby says he’ll just snorkel. We do our first dive there, because, Meredith, Marc’s girlfriend, has had some ear problems, so we wanted to do a shallow dive to make sure she could pressurize her ears. Everything was A OK. Lots and lots of fish. See a spotted eagle Ray, a small cuda, and a puffer. Max depth was only 50 ft.
Next we decide to go all the way back to Nanny Cay, on Tortola, to pick up a rental BC, and fill the 3 tanks we just used. I don’t know if any of you have been in Nanny Cay, it’s a nice place, but the hottest hole I’ve ever been in, there is no wind at all. Needless to say we get out of there ASAP, and head to Cooper Island Beach Club for the night. A nice float on the air mattress, (I think I like floating almost as much as diving) before dinner and drinks. Tonight I make Taco Salad. Very good, if I do say so myself. It’s my little sister’s recipe. We do go into the bar for a few drinks and a walk on the beach.
Part 3 coming soon!
Up bright and early for a snorkel on waterlemon. I love to swim, so I go right from the boat, which is on one of the park moorings. For those of you, who stay in villas, I’ll give you a quick run down of how the park moorings work. The moorings are there, and if one is available you can pick one up for the night. In most bays there is a “bay host”, we call them the mooring Nazi, like the soup Nazi on Seinfeld, who comes over to visit you and gives you a pay envelope to put your $15.00 over night fee in, and then take it to the pay station, in some cases this is easier said then done. In waterlemon, you have to try and land the dingy at the base of Annaberg; you can’t do it without getting very wet. Anyway, back to the snorkel…. It’s about 40 ft deep, but I get a great view of the Sea Stars, just like in Steve Simonsen’s calendar. Started to head around the Cay, again waterlemon never disappoints. Saw lots of sting rays, peacock flounder, I watched a turtle graze on sea grass for about 10 minutes, hovering just above him, and he didn’t seem to care that I was there. Saw a few puffers and lots of other fish, the usual, tangs, jacks, parrots etc.
Next we headed into Soper’s Hole to clear British customs, and pick up our scuba gear. We usually bring BC’s and regulators, and we rent weights and belts and of course tanks. We spend a little time looking around in the stores, lots of neat stuff, but we don’t buy anything, other than an ice cream bar. The day is starting to get on, so we secure the tanks and head to Norman Island. Pick up a mooring, have a few drinks, make supper. Tonight’s menu is pork tenderloin, purchased at the Food Centre (see TR part 1). It was amazing!!!! There is something to be said about cooking on a charcoal BBQ. Head into the Willy T, but it was really quiet.
Monday, December 11th - We get up early, to get a mooring at the Caves. When we start to get our gear together, Marc, the guy, from the other couple who came with us, discovered that he had a hole in the bladder of his BC, just worn out from lots of use, so only 3 of us can dive here, hubby says he’ll just snorkel. We do our first dive there, because, Meredith, Marc’s girlfriend, has had some ear problems, so we wanted to do a shallow dive to make sure she could pressurize her ears. Everything was A OK. Lots and lots of fish. See a spotted eagle Ray, a small cuda, and a puffer. Max depth was only 50 ft.
Next we decide to go all the way back to Nanny Cay, on Tortola, to pick up a rental BC, and fill the 3 tanks we just used. I don’t know if any of you have been in Nanny Cay, it’s a nice place, but the hottest hole I’ve ever been in, there is no wind at all. Needless to say we get out of there ASAP, and head to Cooper Island Beach Club for the night. A nice float on the air mattress, (I think I like floating almost as much as diving) before dinner and drinks. Tonight I make Taco Salad. Very good, if I do say so myself. It’s my little sister’s recipe. We do go into the bar for a few drinks and a walk on the beach.
Part 3 coming soon!
