After a lazy morning of coffee while anchored on north east side of Prickly Pear, Jim caught up on work while Savannah caught up on sleep and me writing and making breakfast we finally got going. We picked up the anchor at the crack of 1100 and navigated up the Eustasia Sound with a foot under keel in some short portions. Not much pucker factor! We also had Savannah on the bow looking for sunken boats or post storm water intrusions that do not show up on the gps.  Such a fun little adventure up to the reef where we dropped anchor in about 18 ft of water with literally 200ft separating us from reef  and the Caribbean Sea.

The color of the water is mesmerizing and crystal clear including all of the shades of turquoise and emeralds. Very inviting so we didn’t waste anytime hopping in and snorkeling. The the massive Delta plow anchor was set well in a huge patch of sand including the 75ft of anchor rode we had out. We didn’t have a lot of swinging leeway, but with the strong winds and no storms in our imminent forecast we felt good about spending the night here. The only issue would be if the currents ripped out and the wind decided to quit.

Snorkeling was a hoot. The reef really took a hit from the swell last March (more on that in previous blog post) but the abundance and variety of fish are off the charts. Never have I seen so many different species hiding out in the corals and sea fans. I have not however seen the normal big schools of tangs or yellow tail. Lots of rays and turtles. Seems those and the parrot fish were most abundant. Not many lion fish up this way either which is a good thing! The list of fish we did see is so great it would be hard to recall most of them. Some of my favorites are the puffer, cow, clown, squirrel, and many, many beautiful and colorful aquarium like fish that were not to concerned about us peeking inside of their homes. Ok.. maybe mr. lobster wasn’t so thrilled!

After a good snorkel we re-hydrated and headed in the dinghy to explore the Oil Nut Bay  resort. We used to go up to the bay long before they started developing. I must say it’s first class and absolutely gorgeous resort and HIGH end homes if you’re in to that sort of thing. I believe villas go for 5k per night. Tennis courts, private beaches, workout rooms, quirky buildings..Savannah was about to bust. The staff were extremely friendly and welcomed us as if we were actual guest. They ARE open to the public for lunch as of now and said no problem exploring.

Making our way to the eastern most tip of the BVI, this would be our most strenuous activity for both Jim and myself after our year of random health wtfs. Jim in 8 months and me going on 3 but our cardio and muscles welcomed it with open arms. We even did a few little jogs and man did that feel good. (Ok.. so I don’t feel guilty for not running, but I do NEED to run soon.. same for Jim). Can’t wait because some of the best trail runs are right here in the islands. It was a nice inclined hike up on a double track, dirt, rocky road that was an absolute perfect 4 mile round trip excursion/hike/walk/run/explore.. whatever you want to call it is probably my favorite thing about being in the islands! The landscape is steep and the views are breathtaking. We were able to get to the eastern most part before it turned into a big rocky point with sheer sides.  Selfies in the photo section of course! We use to run a 8 and 9 miler out and back from the Bitter End through Biras to Oil Nut Bay but never have gone all the way to the end so it was a first for us! Such a treat to get to do this and I sure hope Oil Nut Bay stays open to the public as they are now.

We had one more snorkel that turned into a long one with Jim thinking he found a chest of treasure. I must say.. it definitely raised the hairs on your arms seeing this big steal chest buried into the sand. It didnt’ budge.. also tried to hand tickle another lobster out of his hiding to no avail.

Come night fall the stars were off the charts. We all sat on the bow of the boat admiring the night sky with out any light pollution and listening to the reef break just off our bow. The Sahara dust is still prevalent but is starting to blow out. The Milky Way was so vivid last night. The stars were so bright that you could barely differentiate the mast light for the stars. The Big Dipper was off to our port hanging low in the sky.  We saw a few more celestial works of art that have never been noted in our viewings and was cool that we all three noticed the same way. If you get a chance go see the stars, kind of puts life in perspective pretty damn quick. We also had the privilege to see several shooting stars and we all got to makes wishes before a sleep. We were rocked all night out here.

Dinner was garlic mashed potatoes and fresh caught lobster grilled to perfection with dipping butter. All while the sun disappeared. Pretty awesome evening and no leftovers to contend with!

Rocky anchorage but worth it.

I might add it’s really sublime to sit here recapping and writing about our day yesterday while sipping coffee and looking out the window and seeing the bottom through the clear water, with turtles surfacing and stingrays frolicking on one side and the reef breaking on the other.  Incredible.

Savannah’s video!