09 December 2009 | Francis/ Maho Bay
We spent the last two nights in Francis/ Maho Bay in St John. This is a very large, quiet bay with many small coves tucked along the rocky edges. The beaches are not very crowded and very beautiful. We climbed one of the higher mountains and when we reached the top my 11 month old Canon camera decided to get something, I later found on the internet to be called called black death. Black screen and won't turn on. It has been impossible to reach Canon and get any service, unless I want to sit on hold for at least 30 minutes at 50 cents a minute. Of course, the receipt is at home anyway. It was the pocket version and great for stuffing in a bag to keep from getting wet on a dinghy ride.
We spent yesterday cleaning the bottom of the boat, vacuuming and polishing stainless steel. There are still chores to do here.
The fish in this bay are constantly jumping out of the water as high as the side if the boat as bigger fish are chasing them. This brings a constant trail of pelicans diving into the water. We watched several baby pelicans learning to dive for fish and coming up with a bill full of water and no fish. We fed four remoras scraps off our dinner plates yesterday. They are amazing little scavengers.
Maho Bay has a facility located on it that has wood framed houses with screens on them as a room. They are very eco-friendly and the staff wears only recycled shirts. This is a bring your own flash light spot. From the reception area, Steve and Michael took a $32 wild ride through the winding, hilly, crumbling roads back to Cruz Bay for groceries a haircut and Uncle Joe's BBQ. They said it was a good thing I did not go because I would have had to get out and walk.
Today has been the rainiest day we have seen in weeks. It has rained off and on all day. We had time to run to the beach for an hour and make a run around the bay between downpours. We will be here at least one more night and then will move to the south side of the island.