We had a slow start the night after we'd been to Willy T's!  We finally left Norman Island around 11.30 am intending to go to Salt Island for a lunch stop.  There is some excellent snorkeling there, including over the wreck of RMS Rhone which sank in a hurricane in 1867.  We anchored off Salt Island and it was such a beautiful spot we ended up staying there all day and overnight as well.

Whilst Joe, Clair and John went off to snorkel over the wreck, I swam ashore and explored the beach and surrounding area.  I had just decided that the mounds of stones I was walking between a little way back from the beach actually constituted a makeshift graveyard when a man emerged from behind a bush singing 'This is Ganjaland!'  I think he had probably been sampling the ganja weed himself and was actually feeling very merry, but it did make me jump and I made a hasty retreat!  Later in the day, some local men set up a barbecue on the beach and Joe got into conversation with them about cooking Conch.  Armed with this knowledge he was determined to catch and cook his own Conch, so Joe and I set off in the dinghy for some snorkel-diving.  He was quite pleased with his catch!

 

We went ashore as the sun went down and set up our beach Barbecue.  We're quite practised at it now, but all agreed that this was the most civilised as someone had thoughtfully provided some wooden seating/table areas on the beach.

 

Joe successfully cooked and ate his Conch with garlic butter, though he only cooked one as he felt a bit sorry for the others that had been looking at him from the bucket all afternoon!  The verdict was that it was tasty, although some pieces were a little chewy.

 

We finished the evening with our customary singsong on the beach, and decided that this could definitely be described as the perfect Barbecue.

 

Susan