We dinghied ashore for dinner tonight at the Bitter End Resort. Dinner was great and the Key Lime Pie was voted the best so far; just the right blend of tart and sweet and topped with meringue. We took photos on the beach and then enjoyed the end of the movie at the outdoor theater. We made it back to the boat just ahead of a rain storm, it was a downpour!
It was a beautiful sunny day at the Bitter End Yacht Club until suddenly it started to rain. And then it rained harder. And unbelievably, HARDER! The wind was blowing ferociously and we had left all the boat hatches up. Everything on the boat was thought to have been shredded to pieces and blown and sucked off the boat into the hurricane-like weather.
Just kidding. But my mom and I did fall off a couple times and had to fight against the wind and waves. A seat cushion did fall off the boat, (Dad caught it) and we did leave most of the hatches open.
By: Britton Nelson (with restrictions from Shannon and Courtney)
We dinghied across the sound to Prickly Pear Island for a relaxing afternoon. We went for a short snorkel off the beach and saw a sand diver, starfish, a sea cucumber, a big hermit crab and a conch before settling down on beach chairs in the sun.
After a yummy breakfast of biscuits and gravy and the retrieval of the main halyard behind us, we are spending the day relaxing on the beach. We have rented a two-man kayak and a paddle board, and have some chairs in the shade within wifi range...Life is Good!
This morning while the wind was calm, we pulled Nick up to the very top of the mast to retrieve the main halyard shackle. He was a little nervous, but climbed up a few steps and gave Chop a thumbs up. It was windy but he had a great view of the island and all of the boats. Griffin kept the main halyard running free so Nick could pass it down to reattach, Shannon took pictures, John filmed with the GoPro, Courtney caught the shackle when it came down, and Britton and Carter observed. It was a successful mission!
We are headed ashore for some fun at the beach and to purchase a new shackle pin.
This morning we motored out of the yacht harbor and headed over to George Dog for some snorkeling. We all got our gear on and jumped into the water, we were enjoying the fish and coral when Nick spotted a golf ball size jellyfish floating right in front of him. They were so small and transparent that they were hard to see but when we started looking, we realized that they were all around us. They didn't seem to be stinging but we headed away from them anyway and continued snorkeling.
Fish highlights included a yellow ray, pipe fish, sargent majors, bar jacks, yellow jacks and butterfly fish. Other highlights were a pink annenome, pin cushions and purple tube sponges.
After lunch on the boat, we prepared for a fast sail to North Sound in heavy winds but discovered that the main halyard had detached and was at the top of the mast. We motored into the sound, picked up a mooring and headed to shore for cocktails and appetizers.
Stay tuned...someone will have to be hauled to the top of the mast to retrieve the halyard later tonight or maybe in the morning, the wind is still howling!
Posted with Blogsy
