Cooper Island
Moonshine
Sun 15 Apr 2007 22:23
We had dropped the anchor in 45 feet of water. We have 200 feet of chain, so that should be ok, but it dragged each time we reversed to try to set it. The book says "in this bay, a prudent mariner will snorkell over his anchor to ensure that it is set properly".
I swam over it and could see that it was not digging in so swam down to it to try to set it. I could just do the 45 feet. I could do nothing useful except panic whilst down there. Panic is natures way of telling you you are doing something stupid. I tried only that once. It would hold for two hours though.
We spent the day at Cooper island, there was no sailing to be done to get there. It was directly upwind from Salt Island, and the sea had become quite rough. We motored instead, towing the dinghy, and looking back every few minutes to make sure we still were.
We anchored in Machineel Bay, where the sea was flat in the lee of the land. The bay is named after the trees. Machineel trees are like large apple trees, with abundant small apples. Problem is, they are very poisonous. Eating them kills you. Playing ball with the windfalls gives you extremely itchy hands, and sheltering under the trees in the rain gives you blistered shoulders. The last two from previous experience. They catch people out!
The bay was alive with rays and turtles, and of course with those fish.
We snorkelled out with bread rolls to see if we could feed the fish.
Feed them - It was frightening! They attacked the bread in shoals moving so fast it was like a Hitchcock film. (no thats birds, but you get the idea)
A plan was hatched - we had more bread.
Back on the boat - bread in small chunks - one chunk on a hook - all thrown over together. Total chaos! A massive feeding frenzy, with fish scrabbling and jumping to get to every last bit.
Every last bit - that is - except the bit on the hook. It stayed there unmolested amidst all the chaos.
We still had more bread.
Smaller chunks, smaller hook, thinner line. The frenzy started again right beside the boat, and clearly visible. Not once did any fish consider that the bread on the hook was food. When all the bread was gone, I pulled in the line- the bread came off, and they all raced for it. How do they know? In the Atlantic they think bits of inedible pink plastic on a wicked hook are a 'must have before you die' delicacy, whats wrong with my bread?
We didn't need the fish, there was a restuarant on Cooper Island.
The snorkelling was good though. At one point we saw what we thought was a large clump of bright green seaweed swaying in the current, and swam over to it. It was not seaweed, it was a shoal of bright green fish that were tight together mimmicing the action of seaweed. They stayed tight together in strings, nose to tail and slightly overlapping, even touching, and gently swaying in the current. If we took our eye off them, and then looked back, we had to concentrate to see them as fish again.
Sandra saw a barracuda. We went back to the boat.
We had an excellent meal out at a hotel close to the anchorage, and in the morning left for the last island - Tortola.
Rod, Sandra, and the mouse.
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.782 / Virus Database: 528 - Release Date: 22/10/2004