March 16, 2011

As has been the case since my days in the military, I am an early riser. Nothing has changed and it is rare that I am not the first one awake in the anchorage or slip. I strolled down the dock today and noticed that at 0530 I was about the only person awake in the harbor. The only exception was the crew of a local commercial fishing boat heading my way as evidenced by the navigation lights. The only sounds were my clonking down the dock and the wavelets hitting the boats in the marina. The wind is still, at least behind the cliff to the East and no sounds of the wind in the wire could be heard. Unlike Green Turtle Cay where the roaming roosters herald the day, this place is unbelievably quiet.
There is a fellow, supposedly an old Nam Special Forces vet that actually stays hidden in the day and is out only at night. He will make his presence known to those that venture to the facilities in the wee hours of the morning. I have spoken to him a time or two as he remains in a sort of hidden place, easily defended, and with full visual command of the marina. Some habits never die. I am told that he makes a great night watchman and has “discouraged” pilfering several times.
A very shiny trawler docked next to us yesterday. It turns out the captain is a retired UPS pilot and the two of them are on their first visit to the islands, just as we. There are decorations hanging everywhere, mostly sea junk with the names of vessels and the years they have visited. One such decoration shows S/V Kokopeli has been here every year since 2001. S/V Lee Ann made its first visit in 1991. Some of the locals came for a visit and never left.