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After we left Lameshure bay, we had one night left before we had to head back to Road Town to finish getting 'Sophisticated Lady' ready for her long voyage home. Rick & Cindy aboard 'Dragonfly' mentioned they were heading a little further down St John to the bay next door called Saltpond Bay. They said it had a great beach and was rumored to also have great snorkeling... sounds good to us! The entrance was a little tricky with reefs on both sides, but with the sun high in the sky it was easy to find our way through and we always had plenty of depth as we slowly passed through the rocks on either side of us.
Fellow sailors already anchored in the Bay
Once inside we settled in and had some lunch, then decided where we were going to go to enjoy our last snorkel in the Caribbean. There was a lone rock just outside the entrance to the bay called Booby Rock and it actually had a mooring ball for dinghies to tie up to while snorkeling... sounded perfect!
Booby Rock, just outside of Saltpond Bay
We all hopped in our dinghies and were on our way. Once tied up it was only minutes before we all had our gear on and hopped in the refreshingly cool Caribbean water... it's been very hot down here lately! The rock plummets down on all sides with deep crevices and cuts and is quite spectacular. The coral is in deeper water here, about 20-50 feet, and was surprising beautiful and colorful! We were all diving down as deep as we could go to see the assortment of colorful creatures and coral that were everywhere!
Terri pointing out something of interest down below
We came across something we hadn't seen before... a small school of squid! They are the most unusual looking creatures and they'll all swim backwards in unison as you approach them. We managed to get close enough to a couple of them and get some good shots We even got down deep enough and got a picture of them from the side doing what looked like some kind of a dance or ballet together.
The squids doing an underwater ballet for us
They really are intriguing to watch and almost look like little under water elephants with their long noses!
Looking down the Abyss!
We continued to swim all around the rock and each side had a new crevice or rock shelf to see and its own unique marine life. This was the deepest coral we had seen - you had to dive down a good 15 feet in some parts to look at the coral closely. As you dove down it had a very surreal and mysterious feeling. It made you feel the unexpected could happen any moment.
A huge Queen Angel Fish hiding in a crevice
We chased several Queen Angels trying to capture them on film or just to see them up close. They are very fast and elusive and you often only catch a glimpse before they are gone. This one was hiding under a dark ledge and stayed still just long enough to get a shot with the flash! It was a fantastic last snorkel and we sadly climbed back into the dinghy.
'Dragonfly' sitting beside us in the anchorage on St John
The anchorage was very quiet and serene and we so enjoyed our time with Rick and Cindy and their guests. There is not much on this side of St. John and you can hear the birds and night creatures carry on all around you. The beach is lovely and up on the hillside their are tiny cottages built on stilts all clumped together with long wooden structures linking them.
'Dragonfly' guests aboard 'Sophisticated Lady'
We had cocktails aboard our boat in the early evening and watched a spectacular sunset as we chatted and relived the day. We were all very relaxed and simply enjoying good company and amazing views. We had a little slide show on our flat screen of all the creatures we had seen snorkeling that day and we all ooohhed and aaahhed at the beauty of the reef.
Our Crew gathered for one more beer at Pirates
After saying sad goodbyes to Dragon Fly we made our way back to Tortola to check in for the Atlantic Rally that was to take us home. We met all the others boats involved, there are 19 of us for the return trip. A few of the fleet are heading right to Virginia but most are stopping in Bermuda to wait for a second weather window for the trip to New York. We met our crew, John and Dwight, and attended the briefings and evening get-togethers as we prepped the boat to go offshore. John and Dwight are great crew... helpful, friendly and very easy going! After the announcement was made to delay our start by two days due to a huge storm brewing on the Atlantic, we decided to head to Norman Island. The temperature has been in the high 90s and there is no breeze at all in Road Harbour. We had a lovely cool night in the Bight and gave the guys an impromptu tour.
One Last Beautiful Caribbean Sunset!
The sunset was spectacular and we all sighed and enjoyed our time at Pirates. We had a great dinner of grilled Mahi Mahi aboard 'Sophisticated Lady' and spent the evening listening to tunes and staring up at the stars. We all fell into bed and slept well as a cool breeze swept over us. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to the islands.
Cheers,
Rick & Terri 'Sophisticated Lady' |
