Feeling like some physical activity, I went for a good 5 mile kayak from the southern edge of the island around Steel Point to the northwestern corner of Tortola to a beach called Long Bay for a rendezvous with Stace and our friends Clint, Michelle, Kate and newly arrived Kathryn and Rich. Along they way, I had ambitions of sneaking up on some tarpon with my fly rod, but I didn't get a chance.
We snorkeled for a bit at the rendezvous point and we had a chance to cast to some bonefish in the unusually calm conditions. All of last year, I caught one bonefish. On this day I would land 4 and guide Clint and Rich to four more hookups. It was an incredible way to shake off the cobwebs of Dengue.
Clint doing the honors.
The next weekend was St. Ursala's Day, so we had 4 days off. I spent one of the days fishing at Cam Bay with some friends and landing 4 more bonefish while spending the entire day walking the flats or cruising around on the boat. That night, we cruised back after dark as the full moon cast it's light upon Sir Francis Drake channel. It was surreal to be flying over the water in the dark, with our only light coming from the full moon and our small running lights.
The next morning, the same Long Bay crew, plus Peter and Laurie boarded a ferry for St. John and the Maho Bay Eco Lodge. That Saturday we snorkeled St. John's pristine waters and checked out some sugar mill plantation ruins. We hiked to Leinster Bay and snorkeled with green sea turtles (got to pet one!) and nurse sharks before making our way to Skinny Legs' Bar for some decent cheeseburgers and an interesting game of horseshoes. Clint, Peter and Rich have never even heard of the game before. Luckily, Peter and I came from behind for the win.
We spent one night in the Eco-lodge, essentially canvas tree houses, surrounded by iguanas and song birds in the trees.
Newbies - Kathryn and Rich
Stace cheesin'
Hard landing coming up!
Turtles and sharks. Great snorkel.
Check how impossibly high Stace got her head off the ground for this one!
The crew + the waitress
Clint and Michelle
Adding to our Dengue paranoia.
Not a bad view from the eco huts.
Making charcoal the old fashioned way.
Clint and Michelle's eco hut. Can't beat it for $15 a night.
View from the eco-lodge.
The ladies.
In the morning, Stace and I disembarked early to meet our friend Chris and his family who were staying in St. John for the week. They rented a boat and were kind enough to invite the two of us along for a day on the water. We've learned that if you are ever invited out on a boat, you must say yes no matter what. It trumps everything.
We got the fifty-cent tour of St. John by our captain and tour guide, who seemed more concerned with showing us Kenny' Chesney's house than taking us where we really wanted to go, which was snorkeling.
We eventually motored to Sandy Spit and spent an hour hanging out on one of our favorite tiny islands. Then, we moved to Sandy Cay, probably the prettiest island here, for a picnic lunch on the deserted beach.
Stace and I were dropped off at the ferry dock on Tortola and made our way home. We kept the weekend alive by going for a sunset walk down the street, as Stace snapped pics and I did some birding.
The greatest boutique in Carrot Bay: Lloyd's
Fishermen sorting their catch.
Banana scale and a nerd.
Primary cool. Yes!
All in all, it was two of the greatest weekends we've spent here, and they happened to be in a row. We appreciated it even more due to the fact that we had both just gotten over serious bouts with Dengue fever, and had spent the previous two weeks cooped up in the house, miserably taking care of each other.
