4/20
This was Joanna and Cayte’s last day (they got there 4 days before us) and they wanted to do WaterLemon. The water was a little choppy but not too bad. Joseph made it all of the way around the island with no problem. So if anyone has any trepidation about this snorkel just remember that a 5 year old on his 2nd day of snorkeling made it all the way around on a semi-rough day. Saw a great turtle and was able to dive down and stroke its shell. Just a note to everyone, remember to close your packs before leaving them on the beach. Some mongoose had a great beef jerky snack while we were snorkeling. Only downside of that day is that we all got blisters from our Teva-like sandals so we limited our hiking after that. Might have been a good idea to tape up our feet ahead of time.

Stopped for a quick lunch at the snack bar at the eco-tents. I wouldn’t really recommend this. Its spendy and a long walk down. Next we were on to Jumbie. The water was a little cloudy because of the chop but it seemed like a great reef. Joseph had a great time playing in the waves. Just a note about 5-year-olds. Although Joseph enjoyed snorkeling and didn’t seem to have any fear, he preferred goofing around on the beach and in the waves. So we usually had to compromise with him. You come snorkeling with us on the rocky beach and then we will find you a sandy beach to play on after that. Steve and I did a lot of taking turns snorkeling while the other stayed on the beach with him. Its amazing how many hours he could spend just goofing around in the water and on the beach. A coconut provided hours of entertainment. His swimming skills also improved immensely from all of the time he spent in the water.

It was now around diner time and Joanna and Cayte wanted to do a little souvenir shopping so we headed into Cruz Bay. Stopped by Uncle Joes BBQ first to put in our order, which was a good thing. They told us it would be around 45 minutes but it was really about an hour. So about the time their shopping was done, our food was ready. Took it to go and made a quick stop at the Dolphin Market for Ben and Jerrys ice cream. Back to the house and a great meal!!! I wish we had made it back to Uncle Joes for another meal, but I guess it will have to wait until next time. There was a great lightning show while we were in Cruz Bay. The first of many to come. I am told that lightening storms are not that common in the VI but we sure had some spectacular lightning during some of the evenings on our visit.

4/21
Joanna left early for the ferry because of an early flight and we took Cayte to the ferry at 11 AM. So we had a late start this day. Headed over to Lameshur which was the best snorkeling so far. I watched a hawksbill turtle munching some vegetation off of the coral for a long time while hovering just a few feet away. He didn’t seem to have any fear of me. Small fish would try to grab the stuff out of his mouth. Very entertaining. I also saw a very large lobster. There was a large sailboat moored in the middle of the bay and 2 of the largest barracuda I have ever seen, easily over 5 feet, were hanging out behind it the whole time. Even though I have been around barracuda enough to know not to fear them they are still very intimidating! We stayed until around 4:30 and for the last half hour had the whole place to ourselves. Even during the rest of the afternoon there were only a handful of others there. The drive there was much easier than other reports had lead me to believe. There was just one spot a hundred yards long or so that was pretty steep and rough but the rest was just fine. A lot of it is even paved.

Stopped in Coral Bay on the way home to buy some souvenir t-shirts and hats. There was some great blue grass music being played at Skinny Legs but we had planned diner at home that night.

BBQ’d some hamburgers at home and watched an amazing lightning show over Jost Van Dyke from our deck.