Off The Grid, But In Touch With Nature

Emerald Rock  

Overnight, the weak cell signal we were thankful for yesterday disappeared. A common error message appeared on all of our devices. It was official -- we were off the grid. We piddled around Crossroads in the morning while waiting for both high tide and lunch time. Following lunch, we took the dinghy a short distance to the sandy cove directly in front of us. We walked north until we ran out of sand then turned around and headed as far south as we could go. A small sign directed us toward the Davis Ruins. We followed the rocky ledge to an elevated plateau where a stacked stone wall ran lengthwise to the island. Somewhere beyond the wall are the ruins of a plantation that time has forgotten. We gazed north across the Emerald Rock mooring field before returning to sea level.     

Several curly tailed lizards darted into vegetation as we approached. There is always one that realizes we're of no threat and stubbornly holds onto his coveted place in the sun. We found the sign marking our presence on Rendezvous Beach. With no more to explore in that area, we relocated the dinghy to another calm little cove. Beryl's Beach has a northerly orientation, with a rocky point protecting it from the southerly swell. We found the marker for Peggy's Trail and followed it across a rocky stretch. It was slow going as each footstep needed to be analyzed. Several large craters filled with water were just outside of the yellow paint splashes that marked the trail. 

Eventually the rock was replaced by sand and we exited onto Loyalist Beach. We again walked as far north and south as possible. It was another ideal beach -- clean soft sand, a gentle slope with small wave ripples, and a dreamy light blue tint to the water. We stopped our southern trek at Cockle Beach and will save further exploration for next year. A surfside tree cast an interesting shadow upon the sand.

I could have walked and lounged here for hours. Barry was a bit more anxious to get back to Crossroads. The dinghy once again appeared to be hovering in air as opposed to floating on the water. The ride back was flat, dry, and beautiful. 

We waited about an hour for the tide to fall some more. When the water turned a shallow milky white, we knew it was time to go snorkeling at The Rangers Garden. This coral reef is located between the park office and Narrow Water Cay. We tied up to the dinghy mooring and slid into the water overtop of an active reef. Immediately I was drawn to to the colorful fish, but then we had a turtle siting.  

The turtle was in no hurry and allowed us to swim along with him for a good distance. Once it got out into the deeper water with lower visibility, we turned back and revisited the reef to find more interesting blue fish. (Next year, I'll have a book to help me identify what I see.)

The water depth and lighting were both perfect for capturing a few decent shots. The coral reef itself was as captivating as the fish. Large purple sea fans waved gently in the current. We were in the water for about an hour and never ran out of exciting and interesting things to observe. This is how it is supposed to be. A small rain cloud moved over us after returning to Crossroads and raising the dinghy back to the upper deck. The rest of the evening disappeared with showers, dinner, and watching a movie. We will make another short jump north tomorrow where we should have a stronger internet signal.