Our Own Private Aquarium
Trip Start
Apr 04, 2008
1
84
108
Trip End
Jul 03, 2009
Little Harbour, Peter Island,
Virgin Islands British
Sunday, February 15, 2009
After a small fortune and a huge chunk of our sailing money was spent on engine repairs in Tortola, we were finally free. Eleven days of sitting at the marina with little to do but smell the sewage run off and get addicted to the cable TV had made us anxious to be back in clear water and so we were very happy to be leaving Road Town. With a short sail over to Peter Island, we headed for Little Harbour to enjoy some swimming and a little bit of fun in the sun.
In this gorgeous anchorage you drop the anchor then tie stern to the rocks, it was our first time at the manoeuvre and after 20mins of stuffing around with Tom trying to tie two lenghts of rope together so we could reach the shore, we finally settled into position and ready to dive into some incredibly clear blue delicious looking water. Just to the left side of Bella was a small reef and so in we went with goggles and snorkels for a look. For such a tiny reef it had a really amazing amount of brightly coloured fish and coral, it was like having a pretty aquarium all to yourself.
After plonking around in the water for an hour or so Harri spotted something larger than the typical reef fish lurking just behind Pete. A one metre Barracuda had decided to come and check out the competition in his backyard. Barry as we aptly named him decided to stay and play with us all afternoon. He just cruised around Bella's stern, eying us off as we tried to feed him an assortment of goodies without success. I'm not sure what he was waiting for us to feed him or if he was waiting for us to get back in the water and feed him! Those teeth look pretty mean and he was not shy about showing them off either way he was not too scared of us and continued to watch us very closely for the next few DAYS as we swam and enjoyed his backyard.
Several pelicans also found this place pretty inviting as we watched them circle above in the sky then literally dive bomb head first smack into the water. If we dived like that we would break our necks but these guys come right back up, gobbling their catch. They aren't the same as the Aussie pelicans, they are slightly smaller, with dark feathers and as mentioned don't land quite as gracefully as their southern relatives but cute just the same.
The way we are tied stern too means we have a constant and private view of the shore, with only blue water and fish in between, one of the prettiest views we've had to wake up to. Unfortunately we have to leave and find some internet wifi so the boys can do their school work. This year much of their work is online, which is good insofar as there is not so much printed material sent out, however we become very tied to regular internet access. So it looks like we will be able to sneak away to nice anchorages for a day or two then back near town for internet lessons.
Comments
Greetings from Arizona
Hi, its Suzanne from the Summit. I enjoyed getting caught up on your adventures today. The Caribbean sounds absolutely beautiful. It has been years since I've been there except for St. Maarten and San Juan last December on the Summit. When I was a kids we took several Caribbean cruises and I remember the beautiful waters and striking scenery. Surprisingly, as you have mentioned each island is very unique.
The kids are doing very well. Sean just went to a school team math competition and they were pleased to have won 3rd place. Savannah and I went to a dance competition last weekend where she competed in Folkloric and Hip Hop Categories and I competed in Song and Dance. I won my age group but it helped that I was the only one in my age group, but the exciting thing is that she won her age group, her first time in 5 years of competition.
I look forward to keeping up with you. Stay safe and have fun.