WINDWARD SIDE OF " CONCEPTION "...................................

Despite the spectacular beauty of this uninhabited island, the windward side is the catchment of everything that can float ashore, and 90% of that is plastic. What used to be 'driftwood' is now 'driftplastic'. Everything from plastic chairs to plastic fenceposts, to buckets, trays, barrels, helmets, you name it. If it is made of plastic, chances are you'll find it somewhere on the beaches. Still, amongst the trash there is beauty (and you thought I was going to say 'treasure') The master photographer has taken some wonderful pictures, including those of wild "passion flowers" and a kind of succulent that seems to grow on the edges overhanging the chalky white limestone cliffs.................................. O.K. I've opened this coconut, does anyone want some..................



You should double click on the "TRASH" photo below, to get a real idea of the discarded stuff. One of the objects we found buried in the sand was this huge and heavy slab of whitish yellow flexible "......whatever .....". For awhile we thought we might have been in the money.............., but then I remembered I had seen this stuff before, and realised it was a slab of cured latex rubber, the basic material used in the vulcanising process before it finally becomes the tyres (tires) on your vehicle............. back to combing the beaches for more treasure............ Oh, and we found "WILSON"............. he was washed up on "Conception" island, a little more bleached and he has obviously gained some weight, but otherwise O.K....... Please let Tom Hanks know......



With each succesive storm more of this plastic gets buried in the sand, and one day someone will come here to discover this giant natural landfill............ In the photo below is the wreck of a fishing trawler, but you have to double click on it to see the stern and the bow sections.............Ten years ago I took a picture of the same wreck when everything was still above water......... and look at the wreck now.......And on the left is the photo of John Bruton, sailer, mechanic, adventurer, diver, tug-boat operator and lover of life..... He sailed alone in on his 30ft catamaran, towing this baby sailboat, in order to explore the nooks and crannies of this beautiful "Conception" island. He made a run for Cat Cay when the weather turned ugly............. a champion sailor and a true "salty" from the outer banks of North Carolina.



Check this out............



This photo on the right was taken in 2000 from the dinghy..............And it just goes to show the destructive power of the windward side and the corrosiveness of that magnificent blue water. We too, had a rough night of it, trying to ride out the 25-30 knot winds by anchoring around one corner of the island and moving each time the wind changed direction as the "cold front" came through........ the photo above was taken from the cliff looking back towards the stern of the trawler.

And by the way ......" THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS NOT TO ARRIVE AT THE GRAVE WITH A PERFECT BODY, BUT TO SKID IN SIDEWAYS WITH A SHOUT OF " WHAT A RIDE"...."