12 April, St Barts, VI Catamaran and Another Sub Delay

We had a wonderful experience sailing on a catamaran on Colombier Bay, Gustavia St. Barts, VI. A late couple caused a delay and reduced our time by 30 minutes. Benjamin was our skipper and a jack of all trades woman, did everything but guide the boat. Great excursion, good food and drink and the island water was so turquoise, it didn’t look real. Round trip was about 3 hours. We were able to get in the water at one stop. Rick jumped right in. I needed a little coaxing from Benjamin (he was really cute), but I jumped in and floated around for about 45 minutes. Rum punch and extra snacks of fruit, cheese and popcorn awaited us. This is one of the best activities of the Caribbean. We had to return to the ship after this.

Guess who's yacht

Would buy this or a trip the International Space Station?

The island in the background is where I snorkeled

Our Yacht

I was scheduled for a submersible dive and Rick was scheduled for a snorkeling adventure. I should have gone with Rick. After 90 minutes of waiting around, delay after delay, the submersible event was cancelled. One of the submersibles was disabled and the other could not be used due to rough swells. So, Rick and I are both scheduled for tomorrow around noon.

All dressed up. They recommend dark clothes to minimize reflection on the plexiglass bubble

Submersible recovery

I opted for snorkeling and had a great time! We motored to the site on a Zodiac, donned the vendor provided gear and jumped in. So sorry Karla missed it because all you really needed to do was get in the water, swim about five yards and watch the brightly colored tropical fish dart in and around the rocks and coral. We saw a stingray, a barracuda, and many other fish. Some swimming just below the surface. The trip back was delayed when the Zodiac ladder broke, and two swimmers were still to reboard. After many jokes about “Left Behind” and it’s not that far to swim, a sister Zodiac came by and “rescued” our shipmates.

After I returned to shore I searched for a souvenir T-shirt, walking rapidly past the Louis Viton, Dolce and Gerbera, Christian Dior stores that lined the street. St Barts is not for the poor as I’m sure you noticed be the yacht pictures. I found a slightly, only slightly less expensive store and now own a $38.34 US T-Shirt that will be unlike any other in the gym at Reston. So there.

Not my $38.34 T-Shirt. This is my $25.13 one from Barbados with a Deputy beer by Banks Brewing

This evening’s music was sung by the new entertainment manager from Scotland. He did about 6 songs and seems talented. He’s replacing Elmer who is going on vacation to his home in the Philippines for a 2-month break.