Saturday, 11/29/03
Awoke at 0800 on the mooring at CIBC to find I was alone on the boat...the rest of the crew were either in the water or on the beach. Ini was getting a tank fill ($7 each).
All aboard, we headed for Salt Island and the wreck of the Rhone. Picked up the last available non-commercial mooring at 10:15. The moorings were so close together that we had to leave one person aboard at all times to fend off the sloop moored nearby. The boats would have collided several times otherwise.
Ini and I dove the shallow part of the wreck (we had to fly the next day) in 40-65 feet. STRONG current at the west (deep) end of the shallow part! Took some more great underwater pix of coral and various marine life including one of the largest lobsters I have ever seen. Couldn't get close enough to the barracuda to get a shot.
Dropped the mooring and headed for Deadman's Bay on Peter Island for our last afternoon away from base. Dropped anchor close to the beach at the eastern end of the bay to duck the swell.
There is a newish barge dock at the northern end of the bay where they were on- and off-loading cement trucks all afternoon. The propwash from the barges has wiped out the fine reef that used to be there. There is a large resort or something under construction in the notch right above the best part of the beach. The cement trucks couldn't make the turn on the switchback to the new road that leads to the construction site, so 4 cement mixers at a time BACKED up the access road, dust flying, engines revving, and backup horns blaring. In addition, they have butchered the hillside on the peak just west of the building by terracing it.
Weighed anchor at 2:30 for the trip back to Road Harbour. Winds E 15-25, crossed the Drake and were in the harbor at 3:30. Just as we took the sails down the starboard motor engine alarm began blaring. I shut it down and proceeded to the dock on the port motor alone. Called Conch on the radio...they came out and helped us into the slip using a dink as a mini-tugboat to push the bow around. Docklines at 4:00 as planned
Ini and Debbie had early flights the next day so they began packing while the rest of us organized the boat.
Got a taxi to Cane Garden Bay for dinner. Myett's was the biggest disappointment of the trip. Fairly crowded, with a cruise-ship carnival atmosphere, liquor promotions all over the place including a girl in a vinyl nurse's uniform. Band was playing Van Morrison. Both bar and table service were painfully slow (again, we weren't in a hurry). The conch fritters were mushy and without flavor. The PK's were excellent, when they came.
This was the only place on the entire trip that tried the "tax" scam on the dinner check. All of us were underwhelmed. Could have been the BVI pavilion at Disney World, but it wasn't Caribbean enough.
Took a walk down the beach to Quito's. It was very quiet, pehaps 15 people in the place. Very strange for a Saturday night! There were huge washed-out gouges in the beach where the rain runoff had done its damage.
Dean, our friendly taxi driver, whisked us off to Bomba's shack for the remainder of the evening. What a blast!!! Partied and danced on the sand and finally had my picture taken with the Great Man himself, who was in the house. He gave a shirt to my wife Jenny and signed it. We hung out there until WAY too late. Got back to the boat around 0100. I don't know how Debbie and Ini made their 6:30 taxi, but they did.
Jamie came aboard in the morning for the post-cruise check. We told him about the DF and the engine shutoff and the dinghy painter we parted. No charge. Also that the bimini interfered with the main sheet on most points of sail. We could tell that he genuinely enjoyed the fact that we genuinely enjoyed ourselves, and that the minor problems were of little importance to us.
Conch is a third-tier company, the boats are older, and one can expect things to go inop. But the boat worked when it needed to, held 8 with room and stowage to spare, and cost $375 per person for the 10 days we chartered. We spent the difference between that and a first-tier boat on food and drink!
Can't say enough good things about the crew at Conch Charters, especially Emma, Adam, and Jamie. All were friendly, helpful, and responsive. Will be back perhaps in March, but definitely next Thanksgiving. They've earned our trust, and our repeat business.
Said good-bye to Melvin and got to the airport at 12:30 for our 1:30 flight to San Juan. Out my window I could see the entire Puerto Rican Navy heading home. I hope they had as much fun as we did.
Thanks to all on this forum for the hints, suggestions, and advice. It made the trip so much the better!
best,
Chuck, Jenny, Joe, Jeanette, Charlie, Cristina, Ini and Debbie.
