We had a pretty full day yesterday.
Dawn and I got off the boat before 10 AM, a real record. We went ashore, checked for some rather basic pharmacy needs (and found what we needed), then headed for the steepest roads on the island. We walked up to the top of Mount Pleasant, and then circled its crest. Mount Pleasant has a good road all the way to the top, and a pleasant road around the upper area with many beautiful estates. We were looking for an old fort, but the fort property is privately owned, run as a villa, and is presently under renovations - so there was nothing to see there. The walk was invigorating, and the views of the sea, coastlines and neighbouring islands were fantastic.
On our trip down, we took a short-cut through a property along the waterfront called Plantation House. It is a large property with many small guest-houses, restaurant, bar, swimming pool, and other facilities. However, it was closed in a hurry three years ago and is slowly becoming dilapidated. So sad. Last time we had set foot there, it was with John Fallon, who had taught the bartender the not-so-secret recipe for Bushwackers. The good news is that we found a few giant mango trees on the property with fruit nearly ripe. We filled our knap sacks and tiptoed away. They should be ready for eating in about a week!
Before our return by dinghy, we had a nice snack and a couple of beers at the Green Boley. We sat at the outdoor picnic table, nursing the last beer for some time, just watching the water, birds, and boats.
Soon after returning to the boat, our new friends from Magique arrived to go snorkeling at the nearby rocks. Dawn swam over with them, while I did some maintenance on our hull bottoms. There were hundreds of newly-formed barnacles to be knocked off, and the cleaning of our propellers also took some time. I was just finishing when they started their return swim. I was told the snorkeling was good, with a juvenile french angelfish, many huge parrotfish, and some good-sized schools of other fish. However, as Dawn approached the boat, she caught a jellyfish tentacle across her face just above her lips. Her upper lip immediately swelled up, and she had a few unhappy moments. No lasting damage, but a cheap lip puffer alternative to the collagen treatment.
Last night, we were guests aboard Casa del Mar, with Mike and Linda from Portland, OR. The food was great and the company even better.
