First of all we would like to say a big thank you to our hosts Robin and Jenny – we saw lovely sun, a bit of rain and a whole lot of sea. And it is the sea out here which really captured our interest. Or to be more specific the creatures which dwell within...

 T’was a dark and stormy night; all but the skipper were asleep in their beds as the boat rocked through the waves. But one of the crew found himself in a fitful state of rest. Tossing and turning his mind just kept drifting back to the same image, his mind occupied by a single thought.

It wouldn’t be long now he kept telling himself; soon I can begin the quest I came to the Caribbean to conquer.  He rolled over and saw the time. 3am. Only 5 more hours before the hunt began. He willed his eyes to stay closed.

‘Land ho!’ the call came from above deck. The crew member rose filled with trepidation, his mouth dry, and his sense of adventure heightening. Tobago Cays had a far reaching reputation – if he was ever going to track down the animal, this would be the place. It had to be the place. He had already searched in Mustique but to no avail.

Strapping on his kit he leapt into the tender (a handsome specimen!) and tore away towards the beach. After dragging it on shore he waded into the water. Waist deep he stopped and took a moment to drink in his surroundings. The last week had been building to this moment.  Taking one final look, one final gasp of air he plunged into the salty water and swam out into the middle of the reef.  The hunt was on.

It only took about ten minutes, but to the eager hunter it seemed more like hours. Scanning the seabed he saw coral, exotic bright coloured fish, hermit crabs the size of your head. But none of these compared to the prize he was searching for.

He had almost given up hope until something caught his eye. A brown glint raced past his left side. It was fast, but he was faster and caught it in no time. He slowed down, careful not to disturb the water and the animal beneath.  As he hovered above he was finally able to study the creature. His back was covered in brown flames which changed to a dusky green as the sunlight hit the water. From his large rounded back his scaly cream fins skimmed the surface, propelling him forward fast and yet hardly making a sound.  And then there were those large jaws. Triangular pincers which devoured everything in sight. You couldn’t see any teeth, but the animal left in its wake a path of destruction. Leaves ripped from their roots, floating aimlessly to the surface.

All right it’s a bit over the top but all Charlie would talk about for about five days was finding a turtle. Since living with a tortoise he has become rather obsessed with the nonchalant attitude of these shelled creatures. And after a few near misses he was not disappointed in Tobago Cays. And as an added bonus we even went to a turtle sanctuary at Bequia , getting up close and personal with an albino and babies which I thought had a rather disturbing purpley/pink glow (and they hardly moved, even when Charlie poked them and got told off by the man in charge)

The turtles were great, we took in a LOT of sun (me far too much) and Charlie managed to nearly perfect a backflip off the side of the boat. I think we quite suit a life at sea... if only they made batteries big enough for all of charlie’s gadgets.