We awoke to a conk blowing, but being unaccustomed to the meaning of the conk horn we just enjoyed it and started our day as it was not yet 6am. After 20+ minutes of blowing the conk, our new friend, DinDin from the “resort” dingy’ed over and informed us a momma turtle was ashore looking for a place to lay her eggs. We jumped in our dingy and headed over. This beautiful leatherback was considered you at 20-25 years and 500 lbs. she was so beautiful with spots all over her shell and a pretty pink underbelly. She was injured, missing a back flipper and the poor thing just circled and circled. Normally they return to their place of birth, come up to the same spot dig the hole for 90 minutes, then go to go another spot and dig a second hole for the predators, then back to the water. Usually a 3 hour thing and our little turtle was ashore for 3 hours without finding a spot. Could have been all the people or the lack of a rear flipper which digs the hole. We ended up leaving before she laid because she was heading to the water. An experience of a lifetime!

Boat project day turned out to be very successful! Matt installed a new wifi device, a 4-prong charger, replaced holder for our man over board, and the new lazy jacks! The new lazy jack system is so much more user friendly and prettier! He did an amazing job, measured it all out perfectly, and installed them quickly with just two trips up the mast.

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Wayne worked on, and has been working on a dirty job of cleaning our lines and springs from SXM. They had months of growth and muck on them which he slowly picked away-they look great. He also cleaned the port engine and tightened our alternator belt. I love having such handy men who can manage our little floating city– from plumbing, to electrician, to mechanical and everything in between!

While the boys were busy with their projects, I reorganized our filing systems and started work on cleaning and painting the cock pit table with new teak oil/sealant. We started on the bottom, just in case, and if I must say so myself, it ROCKS.

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After a hard day of projects, we decided to increase the water line by donating some unwanted/unused stuff to the locals who live on the beach. I compiled two large trash bags for clothes, shoes, tablecloths, place mats, kitchen stuff and a printer. We donated the old lazy jack lines to our friend Suki and the rest of the items to our new friend Mark (from New Hampshire), Pleasure and his wife Rose. Mark had invited us to play dominoes at Pleasure’s place over his special rum punches. Four hours later, way too many rums to count, some great rasta music from Pleasure we headed to our boat. What a great and unexpected evening.

Since it was fast approaching sailors midnight and we didn’t have any dinner, Matt cooked up some garlic bread and pizza. Somehow I managed to wake from my stupor to partake in what was the best pizza ever!
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It is always exciting to find new discoveries in places you’ve visited before. As Matt mentioned, we tried to anchor off a new reef in Tobago Keys but the wind and seas did not cooperate. It’s not like we were disappointed as there were so few boats in the keys that we were still able to secure a prime spot with no obstructed views. We snorkeled to a new place on the reef and to our huge surprise we saw a little over a dozen sting rays. They are so majestic as they swim, a little daunting when they are buried up to their eyeballs (as their eyes and long tail are the only thing sticking out of the sand), and fun to watch. Most had a 4-5′ wing span and almost all of them had one to two box face puffers hanging around them. That was the other fabulous sighting – the box face puffers (you know how I love my puffers). We spotted several schools of exotic fish and a lobster. Since we were all wrinkly, we headed back to the boat and motor sailed to Union island

Chatham Bay, An old favorite of ours as you’ve read from previous posts. We have several local friends here, King who used to work at the resort and Vanessa and Suki who feed us family style local cuisine from their beach shack. Once anchored, we dove in and went snorkeling to see if we could see the hordes of squid that wes saw last time. Unfortunately not many squid, but lots of other fish, more puffers and some pretty reefs.

A new friend came over from the local “resort” by the name of Din Din. I put resort in air quotes as they have one completed cabin, a restaraunt and bar. We’ve been visiting King at the resort’s bar for years, but they changed management and now it is run by Lisa, her brother, Din Din, and their cousin Kathryn. Drinks and some wifi along with funny razzing on Wayne’s apparent need for a girlfriend by Kathryn and we headed back to the boat.

Vanessa had found us snorkeling at the reef earlier this morning so we ordered dinner from her and told her we’d see her at 6. Normally, Vanessa’s place is a little more lively but this evening was pretty mellow, although the food great as usual. We had Mahi and conk along with local potatoes, rice, fried plantains, beverages, salad and homemade rum cake! We left over stuffed>

Well not really, nothing is as important as the schedule. Well schedules and sailing do not mix well. We do make the best of it tho. After a sketchy late start we have made it down island. Got fuel in St Barts, visited Montserrat and saw the destruction of the volcano, we are less than 50 miles from our Grenada destination and have time to Chill-axe in the bays we know well.

We tried a new to us stop, but the wind and bottom were not cooperating today. We had looked at “the end if the world” reef before but always gave it a pass for one reason or another. Today we tried, wind and waves were having none of it. We tried to drop the anchor near the recommended anchorage but it never hooked. Just skipped on the bottom. Well we only tried once. Since it was rolly out there and were only going to do a lunch stop any way. Plan B back to the Tobago Keys, less than 10 boats here in off season, normally close to 80 vessels anchored here.

Haven’t been feeding the crew, they say it is cause every beer is sammich, or just hate the grub. We get underway, it gets rough, no one wants food, but when I make something it’s gone in seconds. Big seas on the outside but we just took it slow and rolled with it, literally.

Anchor down, break out the grill and a snack and jerk chicken wings are a thing gone past.

Total lounge day.

Beautiful water, blue and shallow. Cool breeze. No rain. I go stir crazy. Wipe down the salon ceiling, finish the lazy jack lines. Lay down but always find. Some thing to tinker with.

Play with the GoPro. Interesting shots.

Pasta and a 7 item salad and a heated match of dominoes round up the day.

Then watching the rays circle the boat around the green glow that is our fishing light was as cool as the number of stars visible without a cloud in the sky. >