The saga of the crew of Adonis has yet another day in the BVI's . . .


Day 8: Who Knew Turtles Could Make You Feel That Way?

My first-mate and I woke and spent the early morning hour talking about the previous day—a good way to start any day—and one of her favorite things to do on the boat. We went to the galley and cooked the last two-pounds of bacon and had a breakfast of cereal, bacon, and orange slices. Does anyone make bacon-flavored cereal? Naturally, the remaining crew awoke to the tempting smell of bacon and everyone ate in preparation for our morning sail to Cooper Island—our final destination on our BVI adventure.

We dropped our mooring and Captain Bart motored us to The Indians for a snorkel. Matt and I jumped in and paddled toward those ‘ginormous’ rocks looking at all the great submersed aquatic treasures before us. Lots of colorful fish and the usual, million spiny sea urchins. As we slowly pushed along, we came to the edge of a rock that made an abrupt turn; we followed suit and came face-to-face with a sea turtle. There was a momentary pause in our (and the turtle’s) progress as we all just stared at each other for a moment. The turtle glided slowly around the rocks and we marveled at its watery flight. He hung around us for several minutes allowing Matt to get some splendid camera shots before diving and fading from view. What a way to end a snorkel; that was a terrific highlight! It was really special to see the turtles at Marina and Diamond Cays—so relaxed and very close to the boat—but to see one only two meters away calmly staring you in the face was magnificent! Makes a person feel special and humble.

We returned to Adonis to share our joyous adventure, showing the crew Matt’s photos and how very close we had came to this calm and pleasant animal. Once we settled down, we dropped the ball and Captain Bart took us toward Cooper Island. The engines went silent, the sails went up, and the wind pushed us onward. The weather remained hot and Red Stripes and bay breezes were essential in keeping the crew cool. What a nice sail! We grabbed a ball at Cooper and settled in for the day.

Blahhhhh! Goats? Again? You bet. They were bounding all over the place—except on the Cooper Island Beach Club resort property. Hmmmm. Maybe they had installed a “goarce field” (a futuristic ‘goat force field’ found in Fat Daddy K’s Dictionary of Seemingly Appropriate Terms). Not a single goat was seen walking about the Club grounds and the flora there looked like a goat buffet—lush, green, and low to the ground. They had somehow figured out a way to keep the goats out of the gardens and plant life. Hmmmm. Nicely done. Gotta look into this more later.

The crew elected to go ashore and take a look around. It had been five-years since Captain Bart and the admiral had been to Cooper and they spotted some serious improvements. One of the things everyone noticed was how the recent rains had washed-out the small beachfront area. Much sand and plant life had been stripped away from the beach and the gardener was busily raking, shoveling, and otherwise trying to bring things back to normal. Cooper had received enough torrential rainfall to wash the beach chairs right off the beach and out in the water! There were literally gullies that had washed out parts of the beach. Unfortunate, but part of life when you are situated at the bottom of a hillside. Cooper Island Beach folks were bringing things back to normal quickly. Lesson learned: roll with the punches.

We came ashore at the more-than-sufficient Cooper Island dinghy dock, acquired the essential libation, and looked around. We could see two villas on the southern slope of the beach club that were undergoing full renovations and it wasn’t long before my first-mate asked the bartender if we could get a peek at one of the newly renovated villas nearby; we were soon met by the manager. He took us inside the small, modern, and comfy villas to show us how truly pleasant they were. Very nice. The walls were clean and softly painted, the baths newly renovated with a modern basin and ample marble shower, the large, four-poster bed was romantically veiled in pale, white netting. I felt like this room had fallen right out of a Harlequin romance; I even began to feel a bit “randy”! The rooms have no air conditioning, so a stay in the off-season may be a bit uncomfortable; but, on-season, Daddy like! (Me thinks Ma-ma like too!)

We expressed our appreciation to the management for showing us the room, discussed some other details and wished them well as we made our way down the wooded-decked path toward the gift shop. The first-mate did a bit of browsing in the shop before meeting us back at Adonis for more water-frolicking. Before leaving, I saw the Beach Club’s solution to keeping the goats out: a high, green plastic fence. The fence is behind the beach buildings and up against the brush and foliage. Its color blends in well and does not detract in appearance at all. So much for my “goarce field” idea. The gardener explained the fence and the bartender mentioned it as well, telling me how well it is working to protect the expensive—and essential—plants around the property. We did note one VERY important sign before we finally departed the dock: “Happy Hour, 2 for 1 drinks, 4-6pm.” Two for one? Once again, Daddy like!
After swimming and taking care of a few details aboard Adonis, we dropped the ladies back on the dock at Cooper to continue some shopping while Captain Bart, Matt, and I putted over to a dinghy line at Cistern Point, just south of Cooper Island Beach Club, to snorkel for a bit. This rocky point sits on the edge of the ocean and provides a terrific spot for seeing lots of sea critters. Be cautious, as there is a bit of current and the pulsing ocean could easily push you into the rocks if you venture too close. We saw lots of barracuda, spiny sea urchins, different corals, spiny sea urchins, loads of assorted fish, and spiny sea urchins. Oh, did I mention spiny sea urchins? The BVI’s must conduct an international spiny sea urchin convention, or maybe it’s a retirement village for wayward sea urchins. Either way, we found spiny sea urchins in every drop of water we swam in. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you aren’t paying attention, or you become careless in the water, it would be very easy to get a nasty puncture from one of these passive creatures. Lesson learned early: do not try to stand, climb, or reach into ANY submerged rocks in the BVI’s—give spiny sea urchins their space.

The rest of the crew met ashore in the Cooper Island Beach Club bar and enjoyed a hot, steamy happy hour. Kim & Ashley had stayed ashore for some ‘beverage research’. While imbibing, I overheard a chef from the kitchen mention something to a co-worker about his curry. Hmmmm. I moved toward the kitchen like Sherlock Holmes with a magnifying glass to investigate the native-Indian chef and his cooking. I could smell the spicy aroma of his curry in the air; my first-mate and I LOVE Indian food! I introduced myself, and found the chef’s name is Sheldon. He was very pleasant, intelligent, and easy to speak with. He hails from India and is passionate about his cooking. Perfect! I tried to talk Sheldon into whipping up a batch of sagwalla, masala, or maybe gost biryani; instead, I was met with a soft chuckle and an explanation that he did not have the correct ingredients or spices to prepare these dishes here in the BVI’s. We talked about Indian cuisine, spices, and his “spice man” back home in India who mixes the secret recipes of dry spices for his dishes. Sheldon even provided me a sample his chicken curry, bringing me a rather respectable portion in a bowl from the kitchen. Ah, the splendor of authentic, aromatic Indian food! I just couldn’t resist and placed an order with the kitchen staff—selecting the chicken roti. We ordered some pasta for Matt’s first-mate too. We laughed because they didn’t “do delivery” so I told them I would return around 6:00 pm to pick up the goodies. I wasn’t quite done with happy hour, so I tried my hand at some of the bar games lying about and crushed another Caribe. We dinged back to Adonis to await the dinner bell and before we knew it, were back, and presented with the steaming containers of delicious, aromatic food—right on time!

Back on Adonis, baked chicken, salad, and garlic bread were prepared; I shared my roti—everything was delicious! We dined in the saloon’s air conditioning this evening to avoid the heat. Once dinner was finished, Matt dinged out to grab some wonderful shots of Adonis and the sunset over Tortola. What a backdrop! What scraps left over from dinner were held back for Matt’s F.F.E. (Fish-Feeding-Extravaganza). What a hoot to watch all those fish vie for those tiny morsels! Once again, it’s the simple things in life that are so enjoyable.

Later, we unpacked our food stores, piling up the unused dry goods on the saloon table in preparation for tomorrow’s return to the dock. Our plan was to give our remaining unused or unopened foods to others coming in for their own BVI adventure. Hmmmm. Two bottles of gin left? Sorry, folks, Captain Bart is NOT letting those slip away! We organized our belongings, pre-packed our bags, and prepared for our final night aboard Adonis and the waters of the BVI’s. A few more drinks, some reminiscing, and a final night on the beautiful waters of the BVI’s. Once again, lots of sun, lots of drinks, and lots of fun! Like McArthur, the first-mate and I, “shall return” to Cooper Island!