Female leatherback turtle similar to the one I watched lay 120 eggs on a east-facing beach north of Grenville, Grenada last Saturday night. the turtles are six to eight feet long and can weigh up to 800 pounds. The conservation society organizes tours. We met the tour guides just after dark and then waited until a turtle had come ashore. Watched her dig a nest, lay her eggs, cover them up, camouflage the site, and then return to the water. The females lay eggs every 2 to 3 years, and when they do, they'll make five or six trips to shore and lay 100 to 120 eggs each time. It's tough for the baby turtles -- only one turtle out of every thousand that hatch makes it to adulthood.

Back on a plane heading north-west to Miami and then on to JFK and New York City. It's been a busy week in Grenada, perhaps the most difficult part of the trip is reacclimatizing to the heat and humidity. When there's a breeze, it's not too bad, but particularly at night when the air is still or there's a good chance of showers so the hatches are closed, the air in the boat can get a bit close and even with the fan, it stays hot. We had two days of rain and there was a pretty good swell running through the anchorage and the boat's been rolling pretty good for the past two days. Borrowed Danny and Lesley's dinghy for the past week and was spoiled by a large, heavy, fiberglass inflatable. Particularly enjoyed the stability and a bit more speed from the larger outboard.

** update ** Boarding of the flight to New York went well and we pushed back from the gate on time -- but then the starboard engine died and they couldn't restart it. Back to the gate and after 2 hours, off the plane. Now it's 3.5 hours later and no news yet on when the airplane will be fixed. So much for dinner in New York (the brisket platter at the Ice Box was actually quite good).

The highlight of the week in Grenada was being back on the boat and seeing my friends. The low point is the fact that my frig isn't running and the tech only seemed to make it worse. I'll have to call Rich and talk over my options -- I'm not happy owning a frig that needs attention every time it's been turned off. We should be able to figure out a plan otherwise I may have to use the compressor as an anchor.

Dove the past six days -- another 13 dives -- 225 to date in just under two years. Led several dives and made good progress on my divemaster training. Watched a world cup qualifying match between Grenada and Puerto Rico at the National Stadium. A good game and since the Spice Boyz won and will advance to the next round, the crowd was energized and it was a fun afternoon.

Back in the States now for almost a month with family and friends up and down the east coast.