Wrapping up in Coral Bay

Well, much accomplished in the last few days.

I found a coconut, brought it home, and enjoyed nibbling it while I read.

​
I got up the nerve to go see Alan to get the name and number of the fellow who owns the boat I hit, Gigi, so I could call him. "Well, the guys is hardly ever down here, but is arriving today," he said with a wry look. I hung my head, groaned, and said "well, I guess I'll catch him when he arrives."
Later I saw the boat hatches open for airing out and, figuring that there is no time like the present, grabbed my paddle and went over and said "Alan probably told you.." "Told me what?" "Ah! I guess he didn't. Well, I am the one who hit your boat a few days ago and I will definitely take care of it." ""Well, I guess you better come aboard for a drink!". And I spent the next couple hours drinking, talking, and laughing with Larry and his friend Michael and I will fix it at my leisure and all is well.

​
I bought some line and replaced one of my mooring lines. When I pulled up my chain swivel I found only my anchor chain, not my mooring chain, so had to hire a diver to find it for me: thank goodness I did that before leaving. I've put little bits of gray gelcoat on all the bits where the old stuff has come off, have gotten measurements and photos for replacing drawers, salvaged a part for my front hatch from a derelict, and have measured my main sail for replacement: seems endless, but satisfying as well.

I woke yesterday morning to glassy still water. Quite beautiful, but the mosquitoes and midges can really fly quite a way when the air is still, right to my boat, so I need to use mass quantities of deet to keep them away. Often I can simply sleep in the v-berth and soak a cloth slightly down wind in the stuff so that I don't need much or any on myself, but sometimes, if I want to sleep out and enjoy the cool air and shooting stars, I have no choice but to slather it on when the wind dies. Fortunately, the wind here is usually pretty darned steady.

​

Once the wind picked up, I took a final sail (my first sail in days) to dry my sails and take a final snorkeling trip. So slow in the light winds....but eventually I reached Princess Creek, tied up to a mooring, and began swimming along the shore. Shallow, grassy, lots of interesting corals, lots of fish, water so warm I felt myself sweating under water. I assume that larger waves would have mixed in the cooler water a few feet down, but we had calm. I swam on to deeper waters with far more fish and dove down to find a large spiny lobster and a nice spotted spiny lobster, a protected species. Twice I peered into holes and found a large face looking out: big pufferfish. I am eager to snorkel along Johnson Reef and all the other places I can find: if these places that are not even marked as having reefs have such beauties, what else is waiting for me?

Finally, while packing and cleaning in preparation for my trip, I found this little lizard egg on my boat. I am sure it is non-viable, but it is so perfect and tiny. The container is the lid to a gallon water bottle.

​

Well, my flight leaves at 2:30. I better continue to get my stuff together, dry out a few things, and generally leave things ready for storms, sun, etc.