<< Day 5  Day 6: Friday, September 3, 2004  Day 7 >>

Lara at breakfast

Mary's Creek/Leinster Bay...gorgeous!

This morning started off again with the breakfast buffet...good as usual...a cool little rainstorm swept through. The rain here is so different in that there are little five minute showers, and it'll still be sunny while it rains. Very pretty. We packed up and headed down the North Shore Road toward the Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins. They were in very nice shape and there were signs to describe what you were seeing. I love history and it pained me to mostly skip looking at them, but we were headed to Waterlemon Cay, something that I had wanted to do for months. The trail is beautiful because you get awesome views of Mary's Creek and Leinster Bay. I think this might be the most beautiful bay on the island that I've seen. We kept walking down the alternating rocky beach/dirt trail until coming to a small sand beach. We kept on past that as I wanted as short a swim to the cay as possible. We stopped right by a huge tractor/truck tire that was on the beach.

On Waterlemon Cay!

Lara stayed on the rocky beach and I got in the water. It was very rocky so it was slow going getting in. Once in a little way I put my mask and fins on and headed toward the cay. It seemed so far away. Fairly soon I was in 40 feet of water and it seemed kinda scary to me, but I was determined to get to the cay. It shallowed out as quickly as it got deep and I was across the little channel. It wasn't that easy getting on the beach there either...a very rocky entry. It's a neat little island and has a spit of sand, rocks, and coral pieces that juts out toward where Lara was. I could have spent an hour just exploring that little spit, but I felt bad that Lara was there on the mainland by herself, so I got back in the water to try the snorkel.

Waterlemon Cay: Coral Forest

I've heard to go counter-clockwise around the cay, but it was very difficult getting in on that side, so I got in the water on the left side of the spit if you're facing the water and went around the cay clockwise. About a quarter of the way around the snorkeling was just incredible.

Waterlemon Cay: Tons of starfish!

It was even better than the snorkeling on Peter Island...the best way to describe it would be a coral forest. There was just tons and tons of hard and soft coral...I saw my first staghorn coral here. Coral was covering most of the rocks. It was beautiful. There were the usual beautiful fish everywhere. I continued my way around and it was great, but I think the best part is on the southwest portion of the cay...there is just so much to see. I heard that there were starfish here, and I thought I wouldn't see them. But as I started the swim back to the mainland, about halfway there I found them! There must have been 20 or so of them that I saw...they were probably about a foot or so wide and they were all within about 10 feet of each other. It was awesome! They were in about 30 feet of water on the seabottom. I tore myself away from the snorkel because I felt bad about leaving Lara on the shore.

Waterlemon Cay: After the snorkel, back on the mainland

When I returned, we made the hike back to our car at the Annenburg ruins. I had heard a lot of good things about Skinny Legs in Coral Bay so we decided to go. It is kind of hidden! When you get to Coral Bay, keep left at the point where all the signs are. There is a surfboard that says "Skinny's" on it. Park on the left side next to the t-shirt/souveneir shop and walk across the street.

Skinny Legs

It's near the Guy Benjamin Elementary School. Walk down near the surfboard and you'll find it. I heard the hamburgers were good so we both got one. It's a very informal place...the menu is on a surfboard, the bottom of which says "Same Day Service." One of the owners is big into the New England Patriots and has pennants and other Patriots stuff everywhere. He was really nice and came and talked a bit with us. There were probably 8 or so people at the bar, and us and another couple were eating. The service was good and it was fun to watch roosters come in and walk around the open-air eating area. I would have to say though, that the hamburgers weren't spectacular...very average.

Hawksnest Bay: Absolutely gorgeous

Hawksnest Bay: Elkhorn Coral

After lunch we headed to Hawksnest Beach. It is absolutely gorgeous. Lara loved it. There was actually some decent snorkeling here. Offshore in front of the center of the beach is a reef that gets better the further out you go. If you go to the far side, you'll see an underwater sign, Trunk Bay style, that says that they've transplanted healthy coral onto the reef to encourage regrowth of the damaged reef. I don't know what kind of coral they put on there, but along the right side of this reef there is a spot that has the most elkhorn coral that I've seen anywhere on the island. There was tons and tons of the stuff...very neat. There was quite a bit of cool stuff to see on this little reef...I was pleasantly surprised.

Hawksnest Bay: Tiny fish everywhere

I also snorkeled on the right side of the beach along the rocky point. The highlight here was the enormous amount of small silver fish that seemed to envelop you on all sides. They shifted whenever you got close, there must have been thousands of them...very cool. There were larger fish there that would dart in and out of the schools and eat some of them. I could have stayed there all day and watched. My final stop at Hawksnest was a rocky reef more to the left of center. It wasn't all that spectacular, but it was decent.

Hawksnest Bay: Thanks for the thrill, turtle!

As I was hovering over the reef a turtle came toward me from behind a ridge. I'm wondering if they have bad eyesight because he was about ten feet from me before he saw me. The reason I know he saw me was that he suddenly jerked and went in another direction. I kept thinking to myself: "Don't mess this up...turn on your camera." I did and took several shots. I followed him for some distance and then backed off as he headed for the surface. I figured he was going up to breathe and so I put my head above the water. Sure enough, his head poked up a second later. It was an awesome experience. I told him "Thank you" and let him go in peace...I was wondering where the line is between harassing him/scaring him by following him and just observing...I decided he had probably had enough of my chase.

I headed back into shore and excitedly told Lara about the turtle. I was so happy to have seen one before leaving St. John. We got back in the Jeep and headed for Cruz Bay. We wanted to do some shopping for our parents. Parking at a little shopping center near Conrad Sutton's car rental, we started going in all the shops. We had a good fruit smoothie at a little stand near The Balcony restaurant. After looking through a bunch of shops we got some cool caribbean-themed Christmas ornaments at Bougainvillea(sp?). Nothing was cheap in there, but Lara liked some of their stuff. I got a nice fish identification book at the Park Service store.

Outside the Turtle Bay Estate House

Back at Caneel, we decided to go to a happy hour being held at the Beach Terrace. We went up to the bartender and got a couple of drinks. Turns out, we had just taken two drinks from a wedding rehearsal dinner. Lara felt guilty, but it was probably the worst thing she's ever done, so I think she'll be okay. We never did find the happy hour thing. We boarded the Caneel shuttle to the eastern side of the resort to have dinner at the Turtle Bay Estate House. It was good food and good service, and a pleasant atmosphere. In hindsight though, I wish we would have tried another restaurant in town. The food was good, but not as good as the previous two restaurants. After dinner we got another drink at the bar and sat on the restaurant's porch. It was very nice and we took some nice pictures.

One of the cats that joined us at breakfast every morning	Waterlemon Cay: Parrot Fish	Waterlemon Cay: Brain Coral	Waterlemon Cay: Starfish	Waterlemon Cay: Starfish	Waterlemon Cay: Starfish
Waterlemon Cay: Flounder	Me with Waterlemon Cay in the background	The trail back to the Annaburg Ruins	Lara at Skinny Legs	Hawksnest Bay	Hawksnest Bay
Hawksnest Bay: Parrot Fish	Hawksnest Bay	Hawksnest Bay: More elkhorn coral	Me at Hawksnest Bay	Hawksnest Bay: School of silver fish	Hawksnest Bay
Hawksnest Bay: More silver fish	Hawksnest Bay	Hawksnest Bay: Clemson at Hawksnest	Hawksnest Bay: Turtle! My best underwater shot of the trip	Hawksnest Bay: Hawksbill Turtle	Hawksnest Bay: Hawksbill Turtle
Hawksnest Bay: Hawksbill Turtle	Hawksnest Bay: Hawksbill Turtle	Before dinner near Caneel Beach	Before dinner at Caneel Beach	Sunset at Caneel Beach	Outside the Turtle Bay Estate House
Outside the Turtle Bay Estate House