We
signed up for a two-tank dive with Saba Diving which is one of the
local dive shops. It is only possible to dive in Saba if you go with
one of the local dive shops. The entire surrounding waters of Saba
are protected by the government and are considered a marine sanctuary
park. The dives are also fairly deep as the elevation change that
you see as soon as land begins continues below the water. There are
a couple of pinnacles that you can dive around and through, as well
as a few wall dives. Our first dive was a wall dive just off shore
near Fort Bay. We saw tons of lobsters, bright fish and coral, and a
nurse shark at the very end of the dive. The second dive was a dive
around one of the Saba reef pinnacles. This dive was amazing with
the brightest and most colorful coral and a few big sea turtles. We
also saw the biggest lobster we've ever seen (which I'm sure there
are many huge lobsters here since it's illegal to take them!).
During
our dives, we had a great time getting to know our dive masters,
Caroline, Michael, and Beezy. Beezy is from Germany and had just
started working with Saba Diving 5 days ago, so he was along for the
dives to better understand them. Caroline and Michael had been
working with Saba Diving for a year, and they came to work here
together. Caroline reminded us exactly of our friend, Melissa, and
Michael was hilarious, so we all instantly became friends and made
plans to go out to the bar near their house that night to hang out /
celebrate the “end of the world”. Since the island is so quiet
and there's not usually much going on at night, there wasn't a
pre-planned “End of the World” party (most people had no idea
about the ancient Mayan prediction of the “end of the world”).
We had a blast with Caroline and Michael, and hope to see them again
sometime in the future.
Saba
is spectacular for two activities, both of which are activities that
Gene and I love – hiking and diving. There are a number of hikes
that run through the jungle-looking forest, and a few that summit
some of the peaks including the highest point on the island, Mt.
Scenery. Our first day on the island, we checked in at the Marine
park office and talked to some of the staff there to determine which
hike would be the best to do if we could only do one. We took the
advice of several people and decided to do the Sandy Cruz trail which
climbs up to one of the highest elevations, then continues along the
ridge where you can see the amazing views through the openings in the
jungle. The trail was awesome, and so many parts of it reminded us
of the Kalalau trail in Kauai.
The
trail ends in a tiny residential area of Saba called Troy Hill at a
house titled “The Green Flash”. From there, you basically just
have to walk down the main road and follow the road down until you
get to the bottom. We were told that you can safely stick your thumb
out and try to hitchhike a ride down as many of the locals are used
to giving people a lift to the bottom of the island, although we were
a little skeptical. We finally saw one guy pulling out of his
driveway which we stopped to ask for directions on how to get back to
our dingy in Fort Bay. He was very nice, and he gladly offered to
give us a ride down to Fort Bay (we probably would have never made it
back to the dingy before sunset if we hadn't gotten a ride back).
We
woke up on Wednesday morning and decided to sail over to Saba since
the weather conditions were predicted to be pretty calm for the next
two days before the big storm was supposed to roll on Friday or
Saturday. We sailed the entire way over to Saba at averaging about 7
knots, and arrived just after 1 pm.
Saba
is easily one of our favorite islands. It reminded us so much of the
Napali coast in Kauai. It's basically a huge volcano that comes
straight up out of the ocean rising to about 3,800 ft. As soon as
land begins, it goes straight up, so there really isn't any beaches
on this island (there is one very rocky bay called Wells Bay that
they technically call their “beach”, but they always use
quotations when they talk about it!).
There
are only a handful of “cities” on Saba, each of them built into
the side of the cliffs. The first “city” that you drive up to
from Fort Bay where the dingy dock is located is called “The
Bottom” which is the capital of Saba. The most developed area,
however, is called “Windwardside”, about half way up the island,
where the majority of the inns and restaurants are located. Driving
anywhere on Saba is either driving straight up or straight down at
about a 45 degree angle, so we enjoyed taking taxis around the island
and taking pictures of the amazing views over the road cut into the
cliffs. It is easy to see St. Maarten, Anguilla, St. Barts, Statia,
St. Kitts, and Nevis islands from the cliffsides of Saba.
We
checked out of Anguilla, sad to be leaving so soon, but knowing that
we needed to be moving on in order to avoid getting stuck in some bad
weather that was heading our way. We decided to stop over in St.
Maarten for the night to restock some provisions and pick up some of
our favorite liquor which we found really cheap at one of the stores
on the dutch side of the island. St. Maarten had the best grocery
store we'd seen since starting our trip – Garden Market – which
has a huge produce section filled with very fresh fruits and veggies
and tons of selection.
We took our bikes to shore on Monday from the dingy dock in Road Bay and rode around the west side of Anguilla. We stopped at Rendezvous Bay which we were told was the prettiest beach on Anguilla where we relaxed under the palm trees at The Anguilla Great House resort.
Salt Pond near Rendezvous Bay
View of Road Town anchorage
Rendezvous Bay
Kalalau anchored in the Road Town Bay anchorage
On our way back to the boat, we stopped at a small gift store / smoothie cafe owned by a really nice woman originally from Wisconsin. She used to work on a yacht that chartered passengers all around the eastern Caribbean. We enjoyed talking with her and her neighbors and hearing their stories about the islands. She also made the best smoothies we'd ever had.
We
spent the day in the Little Bay marine park which is a small bay off
the main island of Anguilla. The bay is surrounded by huge cliffs.
Probably the most beautiful bay we've been to on the trip so far, the
water was so many different shades of turquoise. We snorkeled around
the bay for the majority of the day, and the visibility was perfect.
We saw a baby sea turtle who let us swim with him for a while.
After
snorkeling and enjoying the bay, we jumped in the dingy and headed to
shore to Da Vida for lunch in Crocus Bay. The beach restaurant and
bar was packed with people (more people we've seen at one time on the
entire island). They had a live band playing beach songs and the
food was really great.
View from our beachside table at Da Vida
We walked around the town behind Little Bay. This was the view from the top of the hill above Da Vida.
Gene attempting to pet the goat (unsuccessfully).
We
made our way back to the boat and decided to anchor overnight in
Crocus Bay. After anchoring, we noticed that we had part of the line
from the dingy stuck in the prop. We spent a few hours that night,
and the next day trying to get it out. Eventually, with both of us
in the water sawing at the line, we were able to cut it out of the
prop, so luckily no harm was done to the engine or sail drive!
Double rainbow showed up after a small rain shower. Pretty neat that the end of the rainbow was right in front of us on the beach. Guess I should have gone and gotten the shovel out and gone and dug for gold, right...
We
arrived in Anguilla just as the sun was setting on Thursday evening.
We hoisted our Quarantine flag and anchored in Road Bay that evening.
Friday morning, we woke up and went to shore to check into Customs
and Immigration.
Anguilla
is different from the other islands that we've visited thus far.
It's very quiet, clean, and fairly flat (much different from St. Martin). The highest elevation is
180 feet. The main island is surrounded by several little cays which
have been deemed marine parks and are protected by the government.
There are only two anchorages where boats can anchor overnight, and
there's a fee to visit any of the anchorages outside of Road Bay and
a fee to visit each of the marine parks. We spent our days in the
marine parks and came back each evening to anchor in Road Bay or
Crocus Bay.
Friday
– Sandy Island Marine Park
Our
first day, we sailed to the Sandy Island marine park which is the
closest marine park to Road Bay anchorage. It's basically a deserted island with a small beach bar. The island was very small
with only a few palm trees, and the water was crystal clear. We
anchored off shore and took the dingy onto the island. We had a
great day walking around the island, throwing the football on the
beach, and snorkeling around the reef that surrounds the island.
There was a shipwreck just off the coast (a Lagoon 440 catamaran that
had just crashed there a few weeks ago). We snorkeled around the
wreck for a while which was inhabited by tons of fish, sting rays,
and eels.
Saturday
– Prickly Pear Marine Park
On
Saturday, we sailed over to Prickly Pear marine park which is about a
45 minute sail north of Road Bay. We tied up to one of the park
moorings and took the dingy to shore. The island was completely
deserted – we were the only people on the island all day. We spent
the day enjoying the beach, snorkeling, diving, and exploring the
island (this one was a quite a bit bigger than Sandy Island). Later (outside of the marine park) we caught our first lobsters of the trip! They made for a really great dinner that evening.
That's Gene sitting under the umbrella - our own private island for the day!
We
left Simpson Bay and decided to sail over to the French side of the
island for a couple of days. We anchored in Grand Case which is a
small beach town which is considered the gastronomic center of the
island filled with great French restaurants and bakeries.
The
first day, we snorkeled around the boat with the sea turtles that
shared our particular anchor location. Later in the evening, we took
the dingy to shore. We enjoyed walking up and down Grand Case Blvd,
viewing the menus and specials of all of the French restaurants that
line the street and perusing through each of the beach shops. We
finally agreed on a restaurant, and had an amazing dinner at Bistrot
Caraibes.
Afterward, we went to Calmos Cafe for drinks. Calmos Cafe is a fun beach bar with tables in the sand, and they have a wifi connection (really hard to come by these day!). We chatted with the owner, Alex, and his staff, and caught up on emails and news, then headed back to Kalalau for the night.
On Wednesday, we woke up and decided to take the bikes ashore and bike to a hiking trail called Pic Paradise which summits the highest peak on the island. The French side of the island is very hilly, so getting the bikes to the actual start of the trail was a challenge. Then we notice that the hike itself begins on a paved road and literally ascends straight up to the top, no switch backs or level areas. Most people take a taxi up to the furthest point a car can ride and hike the rest from there.
By the time we got to the true hiking trail which breaks off from the paved road and goes up through the mountain, we had already had a pretty tough hike! We got to the top of the mountain shortly thereafter, (only about ½ a mile from the paved road), and spent some time at the top checking out each of the view points overlooking each corner of the island.
And finally...all downhill!
On
our last day in Grand Case, we woke up and went to shore for some
pain au chocolat at one of the cafes / bakeries that line the street.
We did some souvenir shopping along the boulevard later that
afternoon and then headed back to the boat. We decided we were ready
to depart St. Martin and head to Anguilla. Before heading north
across the channel to the island of Anguilla, we stopped at Roche
Creole to do a dive off the boat. Roche Creole is supposedly one of
the top dive spots in St. Martin. We dove to about 40 feet, but
since the winds had been so strong over the past couple of days, the
visibility was really poor, so we didn't spend much time underwater.
So we got out, cleaned off our gear, and headed over to Anguilla
where we were looking forward to exploring a new island we had never
been to.
Was at the bar in Simpson Bay getting my daily dose of internet and struck up a conversation with an old Australian yacht delivery captain. We told stories for a while then he began to tell me about his most recent delivery.
He delivers Nautor Swan's almost exclusively. These boats are arguably the best mono hulls ever made.
The owner of one particular boat has had cancer for the last nine months and the outcome is certain. The doctors are all working to allow this gentlemen to have one last hooray. Chemo, radiation, other meds.... All timed to make him feel as well as possible for a brief amount of time. And of all the things he could do, places he could visit...
He just wants to go sailing with his family on the boat he loves. Hope this gents wish is granted!
We spent the first couple of days in St. Maarten working on the boat, getting her fixed up after the crossing. Being in St. Maarten brings back great memories for us from our trip here in February 2009 with our good friends: Ted, Megan, Dana, and Andrea. The first thing we did on Wednesday afternoon (after checking into customs & immigration) was order a Guavaberry Colada and ribs at Lee's Roadside Grill, and cheers to our friends who we were thinking of! We also picked up a couple of bottles of Guavaberry Liquor so we can make Guavaberry Coladas when our friends come to visit us later in the trip!
On Friday afternoon, we pulled our mountain bikes out of the boat, attached the front wheels, and rode to Marigot which is on the French side of the island. Along the way, we stopped at Maho Beach to watch the planes landing at the airport. The French side of St. Martin is a different atmosphere, with lots of French restaurants and bistros, open air markets, and high end shopping. We had a great time walking around and having lunch at Bistro de La Mer.
Gene at the top of the mast fixing our wifi antennae.
On Saturday morning, Gene replaced our old wi-fi antenna with a new one that we bought that morning. In order to replace it, he had to be hoisted to the top of the mast so he could install the new antenna. So Gene grabbed his tools, and secured the halyard to the bosun's chair, and Kat hoisted him up to the top of the mast (62 feet off the deck) – very slowly of course!
Afterward, we took the dingy across Simpson Bay to the French side and docked at Port La Royale marina's dingy dock. We spent the afternoon walking around the docks and having some drinks at one of the French cafe's overlooking the marina. On Sunday, we rode our bikes around the Simpson Bay Lagoon area, attempted to ride to Philipsburg but decided to turn around upon noticing the incredibly steep mountains we'd be forced to bike up and down in order to get there.
The view of Simpson Bay Lagoon from one of the mountain tops.
Instead, we headed back to the boat, threw on our bathing suits, grabbed our football, and headed to the beach on Pelican Cay that overlooks the entrance to the Simpson Bay Lagoon. There was an event taking place at this beach on this afternoon; a race with teams of ~ 5 people paddling around buoys in cardboard boats that were made by the team (most of which were covered in duck tape and the team's name). It was cool watching the races. Some of the boats fell apart in the water while others held up really well, and actually did a great job of maintaining the weight of the team sitting inside of them as they raced around the buoys. We finished the day with a dingy ride to the west side of the island to watch the sun set.
We started the crossing to St. Maarten at 10 pm on Tuesday evening, leaving from the anchorage at Cooper Island. Before heading out, we secured everything inside the boat that could potentially get knocked around and cause damage (scuba tanks, microwave, coffee maker, etc.). We lifted the dingy outboard engine and secured it to the block on the stern of the boat, then secured the dingy with several lines. We attached our jack lines to the starboard side of the boat in case we needed to go onto the deck in the middle of the night to fix something. We grabbed our life jackets and head lamps, and got underway. We raised the main sail while we were in the lee of the Cooper Island and decided that putting the first reef in the main would be sufficient for the amount of wind that was predicted. (Little did we know that we'd have 30 knots of wind during the crossing!)
For the first few hours, the seas were pretty rough, but not too bad – conditions we had definitely sailed in many times. From the weather predictions, it appeared that the worse seas would be from 1 – 4 am, so we were anxious to get past those few hours. We were sailing about 7.5 knots for the first few hours. At about 1 am, the lights of Virgin Gorda and the BVI islands were no longer visible, and the seas were definitely picking up. We agreed that it was good that it was dark, because it was harder to tell how much bigger the waves were getting! Gene and Kat took turns watching the helm, making sure we were out of collision course with cruise ships and cargo boats. We definitely had an entourage of cruise ships with us the entire night, some of which we had to call on VHF to make sure they actually saw us!
The Issues Begin...
Sometime around 1 am, Gene took a look at the bilges and realized that we were taking on water in the starboard hull as we had at least 40 gallons of water in the bilge. After some examination, it was clear that the automatic bilge pump was not working properly, so we took turns pumping water out via the manual bilge. The seas continued to get worse, waves bigger and winds picking up to ~ 30 knots. We were sailing about 9 knots at this point.
At around 2 or 3 am, Gene realized that there were some issues with the manual bilge and it didn't appear to be pumping water out. The next solution we thought of was to use the Shop Vac to suck out water and empty the water in the sink, and continue to do this until we got the water level a little lower. The water level was about 3 – 4 inches deep, and the storage lockers under the forward and aft berths both had a couple inches of water in them as well, one of which houses our freezer.
We quickly realized that a circuit had been tripped and none of the outlets on the starboard side were working (probably because they were under water), so we found out extension cord and plugged it into the port outlets and attempted the Shop Vac method until we had gotten the water level down, and continued this every 30 minutes.
At around 4 am, a huge wave crashed on the bow ripping the line securing the trampoline. We noticed the trampoline flapping up and down beneath the waves and saw the line securing it continuing to unravel.
At about 6 am, the first ray of sun came out which allowed us to take a better look at the halyards and rigging. We noticed that the main halyard, which was previously secured to the winch, had gotten knocked over the starboard hull and into the ocean and was dragging behind the boat. Since we weren't using our engines, we decided to wait until the seas calmed down before trying to recover it from the water. Unfortunately, the seas did not calm down for a few more hours!
By 7 am, we could see the outline of St. Maarten in the distance which was a very welcome sight! We were still about 20 nautical miles away, which meant that we'd have to endure the rough seas for a couple more hours until we were closer to land and in the lee of the island.
Finally, around 9:30 am, the sea conditions were much better, so Kat went up to the deck and attempted to recover the main halyard, pulling it back into the boat. Unfortunately, this was not possible since the halyard was wrapped around the propeller. Obviously, we had to get the halyard back on the deck in order to drop the main sail, but we couldn't turn the starboard engine on b/c it would risk getting the halyard further stuck in the prop, so the only solution was for one of us to get in the water and release the halyard from the prop. Gene grabbed his mask, tied a line around his waist, and jumped in the water, quickly released the halyard, and Kat immediately pulled it onto the boat. We were then able to drop the main sail, turn on both engines, and motor into Simpson Bay where we anchored until the bridge opened at 11:30 am. Anchoring without a trampoline was a pretty big challenge, being very careful not to step backwards into the huge hole where the trampoline was dangling in the water.
Needless to say, we were extremely happy to be safely in the slip at the Simpson Bay Marina by Noon. We spent the rest of the day bailing out the water, assessing the damage, diagnosing the problems, and planning our repairs. Luckily, Simpson Bay is considered the “marine center of the Caribbean” with a huge marine super store that caters towards sail boats and catamarans, so we were able to get what we needed.
Gene had been tenaciously watching the weather all day, viewing various wind and sea forecasts, and discussing conditions with Chris Parker (local Florida boating weather guru). The wind was predicted to be out of the North / Northeast Tuesday evening / early Wednesday morning, which would allow for a great angle to sail to St. Maarten which was our next stop. Generally, the wind is out of the east, which is directly where we would be sailing when coming from the east end of the BVI (Cooper Island). Although the angle of the wind looked promising, the wind was predicted to be ~ 20 knots and the seas were predicted to build through the night, so we knew we'd be taking a chance if we decided to do the crossing that night. The weather prediction also suggested that this would be our last window of opportunity for the next 7 – 8 days since the conditions were predicted to be really rough with strong winds, and most likely out of the East.
Gene and Kat decided to sail over to Cooper Island to discuss the conditions, hopefully meet some other cruisers who were headed to St. Maarten that night, and come to a decision on whether or not to go. We had a good time chatting with the bartenders at the Cooper Island beach restaurant, but unfortunately we didn't meet anyone else who was planning on making the crossing that evening (most patrons at the bar and restaurant were chartering in the BVI). After much contemplation and a phone call to Richard, we convinced ourselves that we should take advantage of the wind direction and do the crossing that evening.
In the afternoon, we sailed to The RMS Rhone which is a shipwreck off of Salt Island which has been turned into a national marine park that is considered the best dive site in the BVI. Gene and Kat dove the wreck while Betty and Tom snorkeled around the shallow area where the bow of the wreck was located. The dive was a lot of fun – we dove to ~ 80 feet where the stern of the wreck was located and saw a bunch of amazing fish, coral, and rays, including a huge spotted eagle ray!
After a great afternoon exploring The Rhone, we sailed across the channel to Nanny Cay, Tortola where we got a slip at the Nanny Cay marina. From here, we had a chance to fill up the boat with diesel, do some laundry, clean the boat, and pick up some fresh provisions. We got a couple of orders of the best conch fritters ever from PegLegs, a restaurant on the beach at Nanny Cay. If you ever go to Tortola and you like conch fritters, you have to try this place!
On Tuesday, Tom and Betty spent the morning at the beach off Nanny Cay and enjoying their last day in the BVI before heading back to Florida that afternoon. We were forced to say our good-byes around noon when they headed off to Road Town to catch the ferry back to St. Thomas. We were very sad to see them leave, we had such an awesome week with them in the BVI.
We really enjoyed the Nanny Cay marina. It's got a busy vibe to it that has always surrounded ports. Being a cruiser's port there were lots of folks doing the same thing as us, cruising. People are running around with spare parts in their hands, hiring workers to wax, polish, paint, fixing broken heads, replacing water pumps, generally getting ready for their next month at sea... It seems trivial but there was a neat historical sense to our interactions that is hard to explain. People have been sailing/exploring for thousands of years. We've only been driving cars for a hundred.
Sunday was a day filled with lots of snorkeling! We woke up and snorkeled around our anchorage in Spanish Town. Chris spotted a nurse shark, Gene saw an octopus, and there were tons of huge beautiful fish and coral.
After snorkeling, we set sail for The Caves off Normal island that are famous for the inspiration of Treasure Island. Everyone had a great time snorkeling through the caves. Gene pointed out a slipper lobster, and Christina spotted a number of spiny lobsters (too bad it's a protected area so we couldn't catch the lobsters).
That evening, we stayed at the marina on Peter Island which is a privately owned island. The only development on this island is the Peter Island Resort which is a luxurious property where many celebrities often visit. Lucky for us, we had access to all the resort amenities since we had a slip in the marina. We walked around the resort that evening, admiring the beautiful pool that overlooked the ocean and the spectacular beach. After dinner, we spent some time hanging out in the billiard room and watching some football / catching up on scores of recent games - it had been a couple weeks since we had seen a TV!
On Monday morning, we woke up early as Chris and Christina had to catch the 8 am ferry to Road Town to fly back to Connecticut. We had so much fun with them over the past week, we were really sad to see them leave.
After saying our goodbyes, we spent the rest of the morning enjoying the Peter Island resort. Kat ran the 5 mile Sunset loop that summits the highest peak on the island where there is a 360 degree view of all the surrounding islands. Tom explored the resort, taking pictures at the best view points along the Sunset loop trail. Gene and Betty went to the poolside restaurant for a tasty breakfast. Later that morning, we enjoyed swimming in the pool and hanging out at the beach before checking out of our slip at the marina.
Saturday morning was a beautiful day and everyone was anxious to get in the water. Gene took the group on a dingy ride to a recommended snorkeling spot where there was a beautiful coral reef with tons of fish and a conch farm.
Later that afternoon, we sailed to The Baths which are the giant granite rock formations on Virgin Gorda. The group had a great time hiking through the “caves” to Devil's Bay. The Caves trail is ~ 20 minute trek through tidal pools and the huge granite boulders with lots of narrow passageways and awesome view points through the granite boulders.
After an exhilarating swim back to the dingy (amidst some huge waves that were crashing onto the beach) and enjoying watching some of the other tourists trying to get back into their dingy with some serious trouble, we sailed to Spanish Town where we anchored for the evening. This was the second time Gene and Kat had anchored in this particular anchorage, and this time was much more enjoyable than the first! The first time was in early 2011 when we chartered a catamaran for a week in the BVI. The anchor wasn't very trustworthy on that charter boat, so we had a very sleepless night.
Friday evening, the group took a water taxi to the Saba Rock Resort for dinner. Saba Rock is a tiny piece of land about a half mile north of Bitter End Yacht Club's northern point. We enjoyed eating dinner on the floating dock and watching the huge tarpin swarm around the underwater lights.
We made friends with a group of guys from New York that were staying at the Bitter End Yacht Club and docked in the slip next door to ours. They were a very lively group who do this BVI catamaran charter trip annually (purely a “guys” trip – no wives allowed). After running into them at Saba Rock and sharing some drinks, we returned to the dock at Bitter End and continued the party with some live music courtesy of one of the NY guys who had brought his guitar on the trip! Everyone had a blast requesting songs and singing along with his guitar playing. I'm sure the entire marina loved our dock by the end of the night (which was pretty late)!
Friday morning we left the beautiful turquoise waters of Anegada and sailed to the Virgin Gorda Bitter End Yacht Club. The wind was at the perfect angle for flying our new Spinnaker which we had just purchased and were anxious to test. This new spinnaker is probably a little more welcoming in foreign territories. The last one was an imprint of the American flag, and it ironically was damaged during Memorial Day weekend.
Gene, Chris, and Kat were able to launch the spinnaker sail successfully, and we were cruising towards Virgin Gorda at 8 – 10 knots, passing a few sailboats and other catamarans along the way. When we were about ¾ of the way to Virgin Gorda, the wind had picked up to ~18 – 20 knots, so we figured it was time to take the spinnaker down (we learned our lesson from the Memorial Day trip with the first spinnaker).
We arrived at the Bitter End Yacht club that afternoon and explored the marina. The marina is just a small part of the resort which includes hiking trails, pool, beach, and snorkeling area. Kat, Chris, Christina, and Tom hiked the trail around the property while Betty and Gene relaxed on the beach.
We woke up after a great night at the Trellis Bay Full Moon party, and set sail for Anegada. The highest point on Anegada is 28 feet, so you don't see the island until you're about 7 miles from shore (Anegada is 15 miles north of Virgin Gorda). The entire island is formed from coral and limestone, so it's supposed to be a challenging entry into the southern harbor. Luckily for us, we arrived at high tide and around the full moon, so no issues with running aground which happens frequently.
We took a taxi to Loblolly Bay on the northern side of the island for some lunch at the Big Bamboo and snorkeling the reef on Loblolly bay, stopping along the way to view the flamingos that inhabit the island. The beach on Loblolly Bay resumbles the perfect Corona commerical! Everyone had a great time snorkeling and swimming in the bay, Chris spotted a sea turtle and Gene caught a massive queen conch.
Flamingos
Loblolly Bay Beach
Later that evening, we went to Potters by the Sea for the famous Anegada Lobster (which was cooked by “Sam with a capital S" - how he introduces himself). Everyone agreed that this was easily the best lobster we've ever had – and the biggest! Gene put it perfectly after finishing his lobster when he commented that he had the “lobster sweats.”
