With Lyle and Lawrence flying home, it was time to start moving a bit again. Staying at a slip for one thing was starting to make us lazy, and it didn’t exactly resemble how I pictured us for this trip. Instead we motored just a couple of miles around the bend to a spot that OCC friends had recommended called Christmas Cove. An idyllic, rather large cove on the leeward side of an island halfway between St Thomas and St John called Great St James.   It’s the perfect place to drop anchor and just enjoy life.

We were just 100 feet or so from the rocks that bisect the cove which happen to make for really good snorkeling. We threw on our snorkeling gear and swam off to investigate. Though it’s obvious that there’s been a massive bleaching event at some point in the last 10 years, coral is starting to regrow again and the animals that come with it are rebounding. Elkhorn coral and brain coral were the most prevelant. Anemones, sea sponges, sea fans, Christmas tree worms were turning up as well. And the fish – it’s a good thing I spent money on a reef fish identification guide because it’s going to be put to good use the next few months. Sargent Majors and Ballyhoes looked to be the most prevalent but we also spotted angelfish and many others I have yet to identify.

Back to the boat and we put up the awning to block us from the worst of the sun for the rest of the day. The brutalness of the sun is probably going to be what I struggle most with the rest of the trip, but the awning (especially with the side and back panels) plus everything open on the boat makes for some good airflow in the shade.

I’ve also very quickly discovered that cooking dinner is fast going to become a thing of the past. Heating up the boat is the last thing I’m interested in doing when it already feels like 90 degrees below and eating a hot meal doesn’t exactly appeal either. So, two new recipes here for cold pasta or grain salads that require a minimum amount of cooking but are chilled and eaten cold: Tuna Barley Salad and Chicken Sesame Noodles.

One of the funny things about the islands is that the sun is gone and it’s dark by 6. We have dinner by 7 at the latest and have often gone to bed by 8. Which feels a bit unnatural because then we’re wide awake by 2 AM. I’ll usually read for a couple of hours (love my kindle) and then fall back asleep till the sun comes up around 7 AM. I’m beginning to think the 2 AM-5 AM shift might be better used for blogging.

The second day in Christmas Cove we put our snorkel gear back on but this time dove on the boat. Trip checked the zincs, which still look to be in good shape. He scrapped the keel cooler for the fridge again to make sure it’s as efficient as possible (you can watch the temperature go up 5 degrees just reaching in for a few things midday). I took a chamois down with me and lightly wiped the film of organic matter that clings to the entire hull. Others have told me it’s no big deal, and you have to be careful not to take the ablative bottom paint off (it’s designed to slough off, so too much pressure will turn the water red with paint particles).

While we were down below I happened to look up and saw a rather large fish just watching from about 15 feet away. It took me forever to get Trip’s attention diverted to the right direction, but he immediately swam after the fish to investigate, whereas I decided to maintain a healthy distance. We never did figure out what it was. About 3 feet in length, thicker than a barracuda, not so thick as a tarpon, wrong tail to be cobia or wahoo. Someday we’ll figure it out.

Trip went rowing in the afternoon and invited new friends Ray and Jennifer over for cocktails. They live part time in St Thomas and have a 52 foot ketch. We pulled out the island maps and they gave us all sorts of ideas for routes this winter as well as good advice for many of the islands we’d be visiting. Always nice to find new friends who know the area!