Wednesday 30th June

Location: Columbia Bay, St.Barths.

It was one of those wonderfully idyllic mornings in the Caribbean. Absolutely perfect weather, just enough clouds in the sky to offer occasional protection from the blistering sun, and a welcome cooling breeze. A fabulous brown Booby seems to have taken a liking to Daisy, and has been fishing off the pulpit since we arrived yesterday. I was able to approach close enough to touch before she took off, but I received a definite look of displeasure for disturbing her.
I made basil & cheese omelets for breakfast, which I served with fresh baked biscuits. We ate on deck while watching all the turtles surfacing around us. There are so many in this bay you don’t even need to look for them, they’re everywhere. We spent the early part of the morning, just tinkering around with little jobs on the boat. Then around eleven we all went snorkeling.
As usual the turtles were plentiful, swimming and grazing on the grassy ocean beds. We also saw dozens of stingrays, and many cushion starfish. We saw possibly the largest adult French Angelfish I have ever seen, it must have been about 14”. Yesterday I spotted a juvenile one, recognized by its black body with vibrant yellow body bands; the Angelfish change color and pattern as they mature.
To our great delight Edi sighted an enormous Spotted Eagle Ray. We swam with it for about 10 minutes, before it turned and swam circles around us, seemingly as curious about us as we were about it. We estimated its width to be around 5 feet, with a tail that was at least 10 feet in length. The Spotted Eagle Ray can grow as large as 11 feet in width. They are reputed to be wary and shy of divers, but this one was totally unconcerned about our presence in the water, and made no attempt to get away, giving us plenty of time to observe it. What a privilege it is to get so close to these amazing creatures and observe them in their natural environment, we are truly blessed. I enjoyed a lazy afternoon, relaxing on deck sipping Corona, listening to Jack Johnson, and watching the turtles, with Daisy bobbing gently around in the bay. Bob and Edi were doing jobs around the boat, there’s always something to do. Our list of must do jobs is endless, but occasionally I like to take some time off and just relax.
I made my quick chocolate mousse, as a decadent treat for desert, and my sweet mustard crusted lamb lollypops for main course, with caramelized onions, steamed broccoli, and yucca fries.
I love French fries, but Bob won’t eat potatoes, so I’ve started using yucca instead, it’s delicious. The yucca looks like a tree root. I cut it into 3” lengths, peel it, then cut it into ½” thick slices, soak it in salted water for an hour, bring it to a boil for about
1 - 2 minutes then drain, and fry in hot oil, sprinkle with salt and serve. Try it, and let me know what you think! Enjoy ☺