After a fun night at Marina Cay, we get up early and head out at a little after 6 to go over to the Baths on Virgin Gorda. The wind is still blowing strong, and it ends up being a bit rough for the hour long trip into the wind. Kids still manage to sleep through most of it. We get to the Baths around 7:30 and grab a ball right in the middle, between the first beach and Devil’s Bay. We watch as the catamaran that came across with us runs over the ball and snags the pennant in the prop. We notice that both the father and roughly 8 year boy are in the water with snorkel gear to clear the line. When its free, the cat takes off in the wind, and it doesn’t look like the mother is going to be able to bring it back. We contemplate jumping in our dinghy to help, but figure we should give her one chance to turn around. Eventually she does, getting close enough that the father can climb on, then he brings it forward to attach to the pennant. All the time, the boy is floating right on the ball, but doesn’t appear scared.
With that drama behind us, we finish a quick breakfast and head in to shore. We can’t beach the dinghy, so I drop everyone off and then take it back to the dinghy tie up, about 30 yards off shore. While swimming in, Tim and Tracy are guiding me towards a cut in the rocks. With head down I can’t hear them, but they are warning of jellyfish that are along the shore. As I reach shore, suddenly I’m surrounded by the horrible beasts. They move in from all directions, lashing out with their stinging tentacles. I fight them off as best I can, but ultimately succumb to the attach. (Actually, I didn’t see any, but just as I was getting out of the water, I did feel a quick sting on my arm)
The jellyfish are laying on the beach, washed up in the waves. While watching the water, we can see some more floating around. (All pictures are on the waterproof cameras, so no images yet.) There are a lot of them, and we won’t be able to swim. We start down the trail towards Devil’s Bay, going through the first tunnel and to one of the small pools of water. The jellyfish are there as well, so we won’t be able to go into any of the deeper pools and grottos. Too bad, because this is really the highlight of the trail. We make the best of it, carefully wading through the shallow sections, watching closely to avoid the jellies. I was lucky, with only a small sting on my arm, but we pass a couple of people that got hit hard, with multiple stings and large red swollen areas that burned. Nasty. We are hopeful that at Devil’s Bay it will be clear, but no luck. They are on the beach there as well. So no jumping off the rocks this time. Tim hikes back to the other beach, and waits for someone to give him a lift back out to the dinghy, so we don’t have to swim out. He gets lucky, and quickly gets a ride. He comes over and picks ups Katie and the girls. Tracy, Noah and I hike back to the first beach, so Noah can do some more climbing. While Tim was back at Seabbatical, the VISAR came out to the boat next to us. The teenage boy on board had been stung and was having a reaction. They took him on their boat and sped off to the North.
Tim came back in to get us, at 11:00, and we went back to the boat to prepare lunch. We pulled out of the baths before noon, noticing that the boy on the other boat was back on board, so he must be fine. The wind is blowing from the Northeast, turning what I was hoping to be a beam reach into a beat into the wind. This kids start off on the nets, but we take a couple of waves that drenches them, and they come back inside. Wind is now sustained at 25 knots, and we have about half the headsail out, motor-sailing at over 8 knots – hitting 9 for a brief time, before rounding the top of Gorda and having to turn more into the wind. We make one tack, and sail in through the channel in the reef. The water is calm here in North Sound. We head right in to Saba Rock, and grab a ball with a great view of Eustatia Sound. The reef protects us from the waves, but we have a nice, cool breeze blowing. We watch behind the boat for signs of jellyfish and jump in to check it with a mask, its all clear but the kids decide not to swim.
Remembering that Saba has a good happy hour, we go into shore a little after 4:00. The Painkillers are even better than last time. While we there, they came out to feed the fish in the aquarium. Two big moray eels were cruising around the tank up at the top and taking the fish scraps right out of his hand. Very cool. Then he took the rest over to the dock to feed the tarpon. There are about a dozen huge tarpon that stay there under the dock. Now we know why they are here. As he throws the food, they see it in the air and race over to where it lands, grabbing it just as it hits the water. We end up staying for dinner there at the pub, and then head out to the boat to watch the stars from the netting.
Forgot the camera today – no pictures other than the underwater ones.
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