Position 29.01.2014 Diamond Key, Jost Van Dyke
Stream
Darrell Jackson and Sarah Barnes
Tue 4 Feb 2014 13:27
(Probably Wednesday, but days are becoming less distinct) we were ashore early as there was a launderette and Sarah needed to tackle the pile of laundry that has been building up. Darrell went as well, carried the bag, and provided the quarts for the machines. We share everything! Huh! I am sure I was left in the laundrette while Darrell had urgent jobs to do on the boat, involving coffee!
Washing completed we sailed the short distance (about 6nm) to a new island, Jost Van Dyke. This is allegedly named after a Dutch privateer, but is known as the birthplace of Dr John Lettsom who was born into the Quaker community, but later retuned to England and founded the London Medical Society and a became a founder member of the Humane Society.
We picked up a mooring in Diamond Cay between Jost Van Dyke and Little Jost Van Dyke.
The wind over the last few days has been quite strong, blowing between force 4 and 5 from the east and it is always quite reassuring to lie on a well maintained mooring and generally stops Sarah waking up shouting "what was that noise?" Despite the wind, the bay was sheltered enough for some more snorkelling and again we saw turtles with sucker fish, barracuda, rays, crayfish, and the usual unrecognisable large and small brightly coloured fish. At least it means we can spend a few hours going through the books trying to identify the critters. As it was so calm it meant we could swim off the back of the boat, so no clambering back into the dinghy at the end, much to Sarah's relief. It's always a little disconcerting swimming where there are pelicans diving into the water nearby, but they seem to be able to recognise that, however gracefully we are when swimming, we are not like a food source for them, and we always emerge unscathed.
We then took a short walk over to the much heralded 'Bubbling Pool', which unfortunately on this occasion was not bubbling in the way it normally does (according to David, who was acting as our tour guide) as the swell was not in the right direction. But after watching for half an hour, the waves breaking over the rocks did get their act together and come rushing and bubbling into the pool, knocking the drinking tourists over much to their delight. Then back to the boat for another snorkelling session. There is a collapsed jetty, on which the coral is forming and it is teeming with fish. As we are getting more accustomed to snorkelling we are finding that we are now looking past the fish and at the coral. The colours and shapes are fantastic and draw you in, but we take care not to get too close or touch it, which can be difficult when it is shallow and there is a swell. Along the sandy bottoms there were a variety of ugly bottom dwellers; Barfin and Dusky blenny and Frillfin Goby, that blend in so well they are easily missed. In the deeper parts nearer the boats we passed a turtle swimming serenely along unfazed that they are so close to you. In the rocks and coral there are fishes of all sizes. Some brightly coloured Parrot fish, Queen Angel fish and tucked into a hole a crayfish. This has been the best area so far with the different varieties of fish we saw.
That night we had a slightly damp dinghy ride to Foxy's Taboo, the beach bar and restaurant for our reservation. We received our starters, that would have actually been enough for each of us, and, as we were eating them and chatting, our main course arrived. "Well" said the waiter, "there is enough room on the table to leave it until you are ready." Strange service, but maintaining the traditional Caribbean custom of serving food warm rather than hot!
30th January
Thursday - breakfast and a snorkelling session and then a sail to the small island of Sandy Cay. If you imagine the archetypal desert island, this is it: white sandy beach and palm trees, surrounded by turquoise blue seas. However, a flotilla of catamarans were on the buoys and no space for us. Obviously, you need to get up early to beat the rush! So we sailed on to Little Harbour, which was deserted, for a coffee stop on Stream. It is a pretty bay but we were the only boat in. Then we sailed on looking for a bay that Jane and David remembered, with a white sandy beach and the bar where the famous 'painkiller' cocktails were invented.
After a short sail we found White Bay and negotiated the narrow channel through the reef to pick up a mooring at what was the quiet end. This is a stunning bay, with everything we had envisaged from the description. As no-one wanted to make lunch we dinghied ashore in search of food. At Ivan's Stress Free bar we had a good lunch (only warm food again!) before a wander along the beach to the other hectic end. Full of catamarans and powerboats anchored right on the beach and what seems like hundreds of people swimming to the beach heading for the 'Soggy Dollar' the home of the Painkiller cocktail. So we sat on the beach watching people fall off their boats, rip their shorts, playing beach games, while we enjoyed our cocktails.