Monday 3rd May (Lini’s Journal)

Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Sat 8 May 2010 15:24
We woke to changeable weather and attempted to use the wifi from
Foxy’s Bar while waiting for the skies to improve. It was a very
frustrating morning for those of us using the old antenna as every few
minutes the internet dropped out as the boat swung on her anchor. I
did manage a brief chat with Dan on skype however and Si managed to
chat to his brother Guy as well as completing all his business. With
blue sky and sun we then went ashore to dump the garbage and pick up a
few provisions.
Great Harbour was not great in terms of size with a sweet little
police station at the foot of the dinghy dock and a few bars and surf
shops dotted along the beach. We took the mud track inshore in search
of Nature’s Basket and Christine’s Bakery with promises of fresh bread
and locally grown vegetables. We were disappointed. O.k. there were a
basket of local mangoes on the counter and a stand with bananas by the
door but the only other vegetables were poor quality, imported,
refrigerated and few and far between. We put a few things in the
basket to tide us over and were charged $17.90 US OMG! Well let’s face
it, they can charge what they want really as they know there is
nowhere else to shop and most customers are rich American charterers.
The bakery was no better. A few cakes sat on plates in a cupboard with
no sign of any bread. I asked the sour faced shop keeper if they had
any and was charged $5 for a small loaf. A smile would have lessened
the blow as it would have done in the grocery store too where the shop
keeper talked straight faced on her mobile phone the whole of the time
we were there and was still talking when we left. What a change; most
of the locals we meet are very jolly and chatty. It was like shopping
in England.
We upped anchor and motored along the coast a few miles to Diamond
Cay between the main island of Jost Van Dyke and Little Jost Van Dyke.
Turtles were surfacing near the shore, the water was beautiful pale
shades and white foam highlighted the beach and reef between the
islands. We didn’t waste much time before jumping in.
There was a bit of a swell starting to build which unfortunately
stirred up the seabed making the visibility poor. We swam over to the
reef which was clearer and again brought new delights and scary times.
We skirted the shallow water with weed just inches below us then
watched the bed fall away like an underwater wall of sand. Sun
reflecting off the waves sent shafts of light through the lightest
blue water until suddenly everything was dark and thousands of palm
sized silver fish zig-zagged around us catching the sunlight. It was
incredible how so many fish could stay in such perfect formation. From
underneath us approached some ‘big boys’ out for a snack and on the
sea bed a ray. I clung onto Si feeling rather nervous as to what might
be dangerous. I later asked Si what the little fish were called and
he replied big fish food! Turtles lightened my anxiety though despite
another ray right beneath us.
The wind was building a little during our evening of pretty sunset,
supper then a bit of tranquillity. I retired with the ship’s medical
book for some first aid revision but very soon fell into the deepest
of sleeps. In the night as voyages into oceans approach I grind my
teeth through vivid dreams of storms at sea: Lighten up Lini!