Day 3

Thursday
Trellis Bay

After a very restful night (I went to bed at 8pm!) we all got up about 7ish and I fixed strong coffee which only Lewi and I liked... then I made bacon and eggs for breakfast.  

We then moved the boat around the corner to a mooring in front of the Caves so the girls could feed the fish and snorkel. That's when I got a real fright.

We were trying to pick up the mooring ball line when the boat hook fell into the water. They said it was floating down along side the boat so Lewi hollered for me to jump in and rescue the hook. I jumped in but the hook drifted far ahead of the boat before I could get to it so I had to swim hard to catch it.  No fins... No snorkel... fairly big swells (when you're in the water)...So I hollered for them to come get me in the dingy.  Walter came after me but I couldn't get in the dink without fins.  So I asked him for a line and he backed down towards the boat, dragging me slowly from the opposite end. 

Then we stopped at the mooring ball, waited for our boat to come back up close (it had drifted off), handed the mooring line up to the guys at the bow, and with me still hanging onto the painter at the bow of the dingy, Walt started to go forward instead of backwards. 

The movement of the dingy over the water instantly dragged me under the small vessel... my feet dangerously close to the propeller.  I had to yank hard with all my strength to bring my head up from underwater and I screamed at Walt.  He slowed down but didn't stop. I choked on a mouthful of water as I tried to yell at him to stop.  He came round a bit which gave me just enough maneuverability to try and push myself away from the dingy a little but I still thought my feet were going to be chopped off by the prop. Walt revved the engine and I curled into a ball, tucking my feet under me just as the side of the inflatable dingy bounced over my shoulder.  

I was struck with instant hysterical fear that made me sob uncontrollably as I was bobbing in the swells and drifting away with the current.  Walt was far away from me now and at the back of the boat.  Lewi kept hollering at me from the boat, "You're OK Babydoll, you're OK!" but I was really hysterical.  And at that point, I was also out of energy.  I'd been swimming hard to catch the hook, fighting the waves and swells and slow current without fins, 
and had a near catastrophic event that scared me to death... I was limp and sobbing in the water and drifting away.  

Big Walt lunged into the water and pulled me back to the boat.  He just held my hand and swam back with me, telling me I was safe now. The girls tossed us a line and pulled us alongside the boat till we were at the stern ladder. My sobbing was finally coming under control but I was incredibly shaken.  

When I got back on the boat, all I could do was rush up and hug the other Walt, clubbing him on his back.  I was so mad I wanted to punch his lights out for scaring the shit out of me but I hugged him instead.  I guess I was just so glad to still have my feet and that I was NOT being airlifted to a hospital at that moment!  I don't think I've ever been that scared. 

And from what Walt said to me, it was apparent he didn't realize what happened.  He wasn't concerned at all... He couldn't see that my feet were so close to the prop or that the dingy ran over my shoulder. It still makes me "dodge" just sitting here typing about it! 

I accused Lewi of total lack of sympathy since it was Big Walt who jumped in to retrieve the hysterical bundle of nerves I'd turned into so quickly... I didn't see LEWI in the water saving me!  But he later confessed that he would've been useless as well in the water... he was never a strong swimmer and we both would've been flailing in the waves. 

My nerves soon calmed and the girls and I swam to the Caves with our Ziploc bag full of crawling cereal... and once there, I opened the bag just a bit so the flakes would come out a little at a time.  The fish began to swarm and the seagulls fluttered over head making their usual racket.  We swam into one of the caves and met other swimmers coming out... but with no flashlight, it's very dark and eerie in an underwater cave with lots of debris floating on the surface... so we didn't tarry.

Next, we moved the boat a couple minutes away and moored at The Indians to snorkel what used to be considered the best snorkeling in the islands... It is now dying too.  We didn't stay long.

On Line!

Moored at Trellis Bay... we had a calm evening. Lewi was able to pick up "Wi-Fi" for email and spent hours entertaining ourselves... much to our friend's boredom. 

LOVED getting our email! 

Everyone showered on the stern... then went to bed by 9ish. 

Next Day