The flock at anchor

When you read the cruising guides about the Jumentos and Ragged Islands, they all say. "Don't go to the Jumentos unless you are 100% self-sufficient". That's because there are really no services down here: no water, no easy way to get fuel, no repair services, and certainly no marinas. Just about every year we see a boat have a major problem and have to sail back to the US with no engine. That's 300 miles just to the Florida Keys. It's a whole different issue with a power boat. Even with two engines, they could have a problem that shuts them both down.

That's why when you see power boats they are normally in a group. I guess if one has a problem at least the others could tow him back. Trawlers are a different issue. They are more independent. It may be the type of person that buys the power boats. I'm not sure, but I can state that in all the years coming down here, we have never seen a group like this in the picture. I think they are doing this to get the "Jumentos/Ragged Island Merit Badge". They can go back to Georgetown and say they went down to the wilds. Like I said, we've never seen this before...that's one reason we come down here.

They even stopped by to ask where they can go to shoot some lobsters. We said probably the coral heads, but not at 5:00 PM. It's not light enough. Sure enough, they came up empty handed.

Maybe they have different things to talk about during cocktails...how bright are your underwater lights, why you run a generator just to have AC, why you anchor so close to each other, and how much fuel do you have left, etc.


That's Veranda at the left

In the one picture, you can see Veranda at the left. That is the normal spacing we use down here. That's why the power boats were in a "cluster". This was when we were in Raccoon Cay. We left the next day to move south to Hog Cay. We did manage a couple of hours hunting...I got three lobsters and a Hogfish. Bill and I left several lobsters back there, but I doubt the members of the flotilla got to them. We'll go back later.


He's here somewhere


On the move...


We are now in final Valentine's Day Party prep mode. A fund raiser luncheon is being held at the school today. The mail boat will be back next Thursday and the big party and auction on Saturday. What a social calendar!

More later...