Back out to sea

After our few days R&R, our time to leave the shelter of Nanny Cay has come. The timing of our prize of an extra two nights here was good - the trade winds have picked up with high pressure shifting across the near Atlantic and the brisk NEly wind has been accompanied by a steep NWly swell making conditions at sea look most uncomfortable. Although we had a torrential rain storm last night and the wind is still howling through the halyards, the forecast is for it to die down again. We intend to spend tonight in the shelter of Gorda Sound and then look for a window to get up to Anegada for some diving and snorkeling. We'll come back to see our new aerialist friends perform at the Full Moon Party on Monday and then visit the Royal BVI Yacht Club who so kindly agreed to receive some deliveries for us.

The children have really benefited from their shore time. Matthew has taken o the water and spends hours each day in the pool. Without his buoyancy aid, he can swim a few metres now, but has such confidence in he water now. He spends most of the day with his head under the surface, mask on, enthralled with the novelty of being able to see underwater, or trying to hold his breath as long as possible, or swim as far underwater as possible. The rest of the time he spends taking a run up at the poolside and then seeing how far and how violently he can hurl himself in. James let him play with Croix des Gardes' horse-shoe lifebuoy and we pretended he had fallen overboard and we were rescuing him. It is a great relief to me to see him now relaxed in the water and I shall fret less about him falling overboard.

Whilst relaxing aboard, we can watch egrets and pelicans fishing in the mangroves, and Matthew has taken to counting how many different species of fish and marine invertebrate there are in the marina. As well as the usual corals, algaes, sponges and tube worms, he found a bizarre arrow crab and has become fascinated with tunicates (sea squirts). The waters team with shoals of tiny fish, pursued intermittently by large yellow- and bar-jacks, young barracuda and there is at least one immense 2

½ ft snook in there too. Matthew's favourite are the needlefish that he has names crocodile fish on account of their long jaws. 

Brown pelican stooping between yachts at Nanny Cay, Tortola

The danger also comes from above - the pelicans wheel between the 400 yacht masts until they spot their prey. They then twist round to plummet vertically from 70ft into the water right between the boats and their pontoons. I'm amazed they don't concuss themselves.