Winding down…
I haven’t made very many blog posts this time around because we haven’t done much except read, work, nap and a few dips into the pool.
Yesterday, we went out on a catamaran, though – the Cool Runnings III.
They picked us up at 8:15 am. We were on time for once, but still the third of 3 couples going from The Crane. We didn’t make any more pickups. WooHoo!
So, we set off from the Careenage. This is an inlet into Bridgetown where several ships, boats and catamarans make berth. The “bridge” in Bridgetown is over the Careenage. There are two bridges now. The original is now a foot bridge with the newer, wider one for vehicles.
On any of these ships, they have an open bar and start off with yummy banana bread for a morning snack. After they clear the Careenage, they put up the sails and we’re off.
Tom on mobile – of course!
Our first stop of the morning was Payne’s Bay where Tom swam with the giant sea turtles. A woman taking pictures was talking kind of snootily to someone that “In Hawaii they gave them flippers…” I barged in and told her that they couldn’t have flippers at this stop because of the turtles but they would have them at the next. ”So?!?” I told her the turtles were an endangered species and didn’t like being kicked in the head with flippers. Sheesh!
Turtle at Payne’s Bay, Barbados
The second stop was Folkstone Marine Park. All these ships stop there because it’s home to a sunken barge. This creates a home for lots of marine life. I’m not very good at recognizing fish but I always know when I see a school of sergeant major fish.
School of fish, taken from the deck of Cool Runnings III
Our last stop was a swimming stop off Alley’s beach. During this stop, we had a typical Bajan tourist lunch. The main dishes in this are flying fish, barbecue chicken, peas’n’rice, green salad, potato salad, a lo-mein sort of dish and rolls. Sometimes a sweet coleslaw, macaroni pie or beef stew is added but not today. Today’s dessert was carrot cake with cream cheese. Just like at home!
I didn’t get in the water this time but that’s ok – I just love being on the boat.
Something new – just as we got back to the Careenage, the captain/crew started playing this and most everyone danced their way into port. What fun!
Back home and into the pool.
The next post will be the one where I list what I’ve been reading on this trip. It will be fewer books since I’ve been working more than usual…
Jammin’ Cat
What a nice – but early! – day. The taxi picked us up at 7:30 am for the Jammin’ Cats catamaran. Along the way we picked up a couple young women from Holland, then another from Australia.
We arrived at the Careenage, paid our bill, took off our shoes and got onboard. We found a nice little place in the shade for a while before leaving the dock.
Not long after we got onboard, we started motoring out of the careenage into the Caribbean for thesbille first snorkel site, the one where folks can swim with the hawksbill sea turtles. People coudn’t use fins here because the turtles are endangered. Due to Tom’s puncture wound, we had decided not to go in the water on this trip but it was fun to see the others swimming with the turtles.
We countinued along to a snorkel site over a scuttled French ship, the Berwin. The Berwin is a World War I French boat scuttled in 1919 by her own crew. Her captain thought that they were being followed by a German U-Boat and decided to abandon ship first. The Berwyn sits between 7 and 10 feet below the surface depending on the tide. We could see her outline from onboard ship. Because it’s so calm in the bay and because the wreck is nearly 100 years old, it is covered in marine life, such as coral, and lots of fish.
When we left the Berwin it was time to hoist the sails and head north to Payne’s Beach. In this calm bay we were close to land and it was pretty shallow so people could have fun swimming, floating on mattresses or going into shore. This catamaran also had the luxury of drink delivery to the mattresses and swimmers! Next time, you’ll find me relaxing on a floating mattress!
After a bit, it was lunch time. Those of us onboard got to eat while the swimmers were still climbing on board. It was a pretty standard Bajan Tour lunch – peas’n’rice, flying fish, curry chicken, salad, macaroni pie… I’m not complaining at all, though – I love it all 🙂
After lunch, a bit more swimming, then heading south again.
We disembarked about 2:30 or so and got home about 3:30. It was a beautiful day, no rain, but I was exhausted. I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until about 8.
We got a call from the front desk – someone from the Sunday non-catamaran had called. Tom got the number to call back on Tuesday.