| Date | Distance | Time | Elevation Gain | Average Moving Time | Year to Date Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/27/2024 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 285.2 miles |
- n/a
- n/a
- n/a
Tara organized a catamaran trip for us today. Our captain, the same person who rented us the kayaks, was a man of few words. He kindly offered to pick us up from our campground and drive us to his shack, so we didn't need to organize a taxi. From there we got into his dinghy, and he took us to his cat, which he and his wife live on. We had no idea where he would take us, lol. We sat out in the front of the cat, and both Dian and Tara started feeling a little seasick from the waves. Luckily our captain had some meds.
We ended up at Flanagan Island, to the east of St. John. I was hoping we would be taken by dinghy to shore, but no such luck. I was a bit nervous of jumping into the ocean not near the shore, so Tara suggested I wear a life jacket and use a pool noodle. It worked great. You float a lot in salt water already, but it just made it easier when I needed to adjust my mask and snorkel. The snorkeling was excellent here! We saw lots of healthy (non-white) coral here. I actually found I like snorkeling in deeper water, as I worry less about touching anything that I shouldn't touch (coral, sea urchins, rays in the sand, etc.). Our best snorkeling day yet. We also had the experience of getting rained on while snorkeling. What an interesting sensation. Our captain said that visibility in the ocean is 50 feet down here. We took a break from snorkeling and swam to the island. This was also the best place for looking for shells. We left all of the shells of course, but they were fun to peruse. The beach was very rocky, but Tara kindly loaned me or water shoes which helped me tremendously. While walking the beach, I came across two large, speckled bird eggs, just lying on the rocks. They blend in very well with the rocks, so I almost missed them. I guess a survival advantage. After snorkeling a bit more, we got back on the boat for a snack.
Our captain then took us to a reef - something starting with L, but I'm not sure where. I found this snorkeling here even better than the last place! So many fish that I don't know the names of. I loved the purple fan coral, sea urchins, and sea anemones too. So colorful in the ocean! Just wow! Now I want to make sure Glen gets a chance to snorkel sometime, because I know it would blow his mind.
We had a calmer boat ride back to our captain's shack. I was a little confused if he would drive us back to our campground or if we needed to find a taxi. A man of few words. Eventually he told us he'd drive us back. He tried inviting us out for dinner. All of a sudden, he became more talkative. He asked us if we wanted champagne. We declined. Then he brought an open bottle of champagne into the car anyways. Um. Okay. We eventually gave in and had some after we realized he was having some. Hmm. He told us, USVI, the only place in the US where you can legally drink and drive. He put the bottle of champagne in one of his cup holders. Then went in and got a second bottle and popped that in the car. And off we went. I figured he couldn't get too drunk in the 15-minute drive to our campground. He saw one of his friends when driving past a beach and stopped to talk to him. We learned he only drinks on Saturdays, and with our luck, today was Saturday. We made it safely back to our campground, and again declined going out to dinner with him.
No lectures at the campground on Saturdays, so we had a quiet night. A group of campers who met each other last night during our dancing workshop were sitting together. The men were all talking about work - their IT jobs. OMG. We're in paradise, and they are talking about work. I wanted to cover my ears.
More excitement today as I couldn't find my phone when we got back. Ack! Lots of texting trying to get in touch with our captain, who didn't respond until after he had gotten back on his boat for the night. He would check tomorrow morning for my phone and stop by our campground if he found it (spoiler alert, he did). It was kind of hard to climb out of his car carrying my backpack and my cup of champagne, and I must have left my phone on the seat in his car.
Not a lot of photos today, because I can't take photos while snorkeling in the ocean! Although this was a splurge, I highly recommend going out on a boat trip for snorkeling, because it was our best snorkeling day!
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| I used Gaia to figure out where we were snorkeling |
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| Champagne being poured before we head back. |
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