It’s been positively idyllic spending time in Great Harbour Cay. Yesterday, with calm winds and sun we took our dinghy on an excursion about 2 miles south along the western coast to enter a mangrove swamp called “Shark Creek.” (hmmm) After a mile or so of motoring through very shallow waters with mangroves on either side and making a verdant canopy over our heads, we exited into a large shallow protected bay on the eastern side of the cay, into waters full of turtles and rays.
I followed a ray and various turtles around for close to an hour while Bob used the go-pro to get footage. It was exhilarating to see so many turtles!
On our way back out of the mangrove creek which is only navigable for a short time before/during/after high tide, we motored over to a well known fishing boat wreck that’s been stuck on the sand flats for many years. It got caught in a hurricane years ago and was thrown up on a sand bar. This is a great snorkeling and fishing spot for seeing lobsters and large snappers.
On the way back to the harbour we saw some striking shore birds with bright orange/red bills. I’ve never seen them in US waters, but after searching for them on the internet, we discovered that they are called American Oyster Catchers. They summer along the New England coast and then migrate as far as Chile! I have never seen one before yesterday, and now all at once I’ve seen a large flock of them. We approached slowly to get photos, and it was a thrill to see them all take flight together!
Their bills are much brighter orange/red than this photo shows. In fact, what caught my attention from a long way off was all the bright dots of red I could see along the shore.
While it’s been quite a bit colder than ‘normal’ in this part of the world, the manatees have been looking for warmer water. They’ve been visiting in the harbor here, and yesterday a mother and cub were quite interested in hanging out behind Pandora. They enjoyed drinking fresh water right the from hose on the dock, and drinking the salt water that came out of our stern from our refrigeration unit. They particularly like having water from the hose aimed at their bellies when they roll over. The mother seemed to be showing the cub just how the ‘rolling over’ trick is done. What fun!
Here are a few close ups of the manatees. I was fascinated by their mouths….they seem to have hard gums rather than teeth.
Mom and cub sharing a drink of fresh water from the hose.
Mom looking forward to a splash of fresh water on her tummy.
A little salt water drink from Pandora’s refrigeration exhaust.
Quite an exciting couple of days! Today we plan to walk to a land based resort at the other end of the island to check out their restaurant. Then tonight I will attempt Valentine’s dinner in the smallest kitchen you can imagine (unless you are also a sailor!). The menu is pan seared filet mignon with a butter/brie sauce, roasted cauliflower with tarragon, and hopefully lobster tails if the fisherman comes in today. It should be quite a feat in this galley….
