4/17/12

We had a few days of good weather moving in so after catching up on a few chores and getting some provisions we decided to take a day trip (about a five hour sailing trip) and sail along with our friends Sue and Al on Wind Dancer, boat in the picture, to Conception Island.

Conception Island is barely six square miles of uninhabited land area that is preserved in its natural state. It is a sanctuary for migratory birds, sea birds and green turtles. It's also considered one of the islands Columbus is to have landed.



The anchorage was nice with only a few boats in the harbor.




We had a nice sail over but had to motor most of the way. The fish were biting and kept the guys busy trying to bring them in. Evan caught a nice size Blackfin Tuna that was later used to prepare four different types of sushi for dinner. Chef Evan prepared tuna and avocado tartar, spicy tuna, sesame tuna and seared tuna sectioned off on a bed of sushi rice for dinner. Quite yummy!

The tuna carcass didn't go to waste either and was used as bait to attract a bull shark so Evan could use the new GoPro he brought back with him from the States. It didn't take long for the shark to arrive once Evan dropped the Tuna in the water. In about fifteen minutes we had one swimming about the boat. The water was sooooo clear that we could even see the bull shark circling the boat.



It was so peaceful and because there were no facilities on the island at night you can see so many stars and planets. The water was calm and the weather was good so I slept well!



Al had mentioned to the guys that the wind needle at the top of his mast wasn't working. Evan jumped at the chance to go up and in the morning went over to their boat, with GoPro in hand, ready to take a closer look at the problem.



Once at the top of the 60' mast he saw the wind needle was stuck and with a flick of his finger it began to spin way it should when driven by the wind.



Later that morning we joined Al, Sue and their cute little doggies Chelsea and Sophie to explore the Mangrove creek in our dinghies.



It took some maneuvering to make our way over the rocks at the entrance of the creek - think white water rafting. John and the boys guided us over the rocks and once in the creek the water was shallow enough for us to see a shark, sea turtle and lots of bonefish.




The Mangroves take on interesting shapes as they grow with their roots arching above ground and it's an excellent habitat for baby sea creatures.





In the afternoon we snorkeled the Southampton Reef which is four miles long on the North side of the island. The reef is a marine park made up of Elkhorn coral that is easy to snorkel. The massive coral is tall and compartmentalized giving you the feeling of swimming through a maze of different rooms of coral.

After spending a great day on the water we called it an early night after dinner in preparation for an early departure the next day.

The winds were perfect for our trip back to George Town and we sailed the whole way at nearly consistent speeds of 7.5 knots.



Sailing at those speeds can present some challenges when a fish bites the line especially if it's a Dolphin otherwise known as Maui Maui because they put up a good fight. The adrenaline gets going and everyone is running around the boat getting into position to help bring in the fish. One guy has the fish on the rod, the other goes for the net, John is at the helm and I'm taking pictures. What a team effort!

Evan caught the first Dolphin - a Bull Dolphin at 40 pounds.



Owen caught his first Dolphin ever shortly after Evan that weighed about 25 pounds.



Catch of the day - Dolphin and we had plenty to share with our cruising buddies Al and Sue.



Sue and Al joined us for a Maui Maui dinner once we got back to George Town. Sue made a wonderful tomato sauce for the fish and bought a bottle of red wine. It was a great way to end our trip to Conception.