VISITING THE YACHT CLUB

The excellent company of Dale and Lorie Boyd on the Yacht " GYPSEY PALACE", a beautiful 45 ft, centre-cockpit Hunter, made it possible for us to visit the ALLENS-PENSECOLA Yacht Club. Membership is free, but you definitely need a dinghy to get there. In the photo below, you will see Captain Dale leaning on the bar. It will take a good hour to read all the plaques left behind by all the visitors to this "Yacht Club". We also left our small contribution.............. Nailed up with silicon-bronze nails, guaranteed to outlast humanity. So in a zillion years and at least one hurricane, the nails will still be there.



Oh, ...and this is what our anchor looks like when anchored in the sea-grass bottom, two metres down...........

Not that we were alone........ There was some very serious lizard love going on. Check out the photo below. The boy on the right, was making some very suggestive gestures with his tail........ which clearly upset his girlfriend who turned away in disgust.........................



After visiting the "Yacht Club", we met with a couple of local fishermen, whose diving compressor had given up the ghost. We came to their rescue with a tool bag and an Allen-Wrench. You would have thought that at Allens-Pensecola, the obvious thing available would be Allen wrenches. The compressor got fixed, and they returned that evening, with two huge hog snappers. Cleaned them for us and presented the skinned fillets. Feasting again, like Kings and Queens. A big thanks to Kirk Darville and Junior Mackintosh (Uncle Junior Mac). We promised we would visit them in FOXTOWN.



The crew of "Gypsey Palace" had the GPS co-ordinates of a sunken ship from the WW II era, or more correctly, a liberty ship that ran aground after WW II. The wreck site was more than a mile offshore, but spectacular, when we found it with GPS. Steel beams overgrown with coral and algae. Even an anchor chain link was brought to the surface. The ships propellor shaft is visible on the left. Lorie and Laurie took some of these beautiful underwater pictures.



One could spend all day looking at the range of life and colour in the underwater world ........... The Queen swimming over the top of the wreck. Occassionally a little wave would break in the shallow depth. Much of the material from the shipwreck is spread more than a mile along the fringing reef and we were able to locate the ship's anchors as well as the stern section and the propellors. Below is a photo of the remains of the anchor winch and at least one of the deck fairleads. Huge chunks of steel plate and girders everywhere, like a lost city.



Inside the Allens-Pensecola anchorage, at the head of the bay, we found a pile of old conch shells ready for serious cleaning. They have to be dead for a while, because the 'smell' of the animals's remains is pretty powerful. Cleaned and inspected, they are now on board drying and ready to be put away, as future "presents from paradise".



As with everything else in this world, there is bureacracy and hierachy. The photo on the left is our own "Anchor Inspector". This nurse shark lies quietly on the bottom and waits for the unwary..... a fish, you,....... me ................ dipping your hand in the water and splashing, while sitting in your dinghy, is a good way to do it......



Our trip to the wreck in the morning, and our subsequent afternoon trip to swim on the coral reefs, in near perfect conditions, was a highlight, after so many stormy days with tempestuous winds and powerful squalls. The wreck-site is so vast, that the few photographs included here, do not do it justice. When we finally returned, nothing beats the ending of a day shared, than some delicious hog snapper fillets, with peppers, lime, onions and spices, wrapped in foil and slowly cooked on the BBQ grill. a glass of chilled something, and topped off with a magnificent sunset....... Well, almost nothing......

We are very grateful to Dale and Lorie Boyd, on "GYPSEY PALACE" for a memorable visit to some special places, and great company, and for bringing our 'care package' from the Queen's daughter, that included two underwater cameras and a tin of our favourite coffee. The morning after the beautiful sunset is just as good, and we are off to find FOXTOWN and some fishermen......................