Swallows and Amazons
15 March 2011
Catherine
Reading this to the kids at the moment as Mia has expressed her desire to build a little rowing boat, but then I suggested that if she was going to go through all the trouble of that then she may as well have a little sail too. So, it made me giggle when Pegasus set off with Samba and Eol for a little jaunt round the coast as it was just like an adult version of Swallows and Amazons, with us all trooping off for a BBQ. We were the only three in the bay, all anchored next to each other. You'll be pleased to know that our new Delta anchor is holding well and we haven't ended up in St Lucia yet inadvertently. I should think not too with Mark having chosen a 25kg one! It was really lovely sitting on the beach with the kids all playing well together. I even finally joined the kids for a snorkel so was delighted to see a large starfish, if not much else! BBQ on the beach - well, just off the beach in the mangroves. We were a little worried that the surrounding trees were manchineel which produce a burning rash if you stand under them when it's raining (it was!) but we were all OK, the only skin irritant being the mozzies. We haven't been bothered by mozzies for a while because it's been pretty breezy at anchor, so it was a shock to the ankles again and the DEET rapidly made an appearance. Campfire after the BBQ; the kids all loving poking it with large sticks and dodging flying embers became the order of the day. I was probably the most excited to see a little whitey brown creature in the trees with a long tail. None of us knew what it was, but I found out when I got back that it was a marsupial called a Manicou, apparently close to extinction – now there's another animal for Lochy and Mia to put in their project books!