This was one of the days that we were really excited about - sailing out into the Atlantic to a "distant" island.  Since it was just the four of us, Cedric made arrangements with his friend, Jean-Marie, to take us out on his smaller (and faster) catamaran.  Staying true to form, we were a little bit late, but that turned out to not be a problem.  Cedric drove us over to Marigot's marina where Jean-Marie's boat was docked.  After some brief introductions, Jean-Marie boated us out to catamaran, Turquoise.  Once we got all of our gear, we found that we were joining a couple from one of our favorite towns in France - Colmar, Alsace.  They were absolutely floored that we had not only HEARD of Colmar, but had actually been there several times!

When we originally signed up for our excursion, decided that we didn't have a specific destination in mind, just wherever the winds took us, be it Anguilla, Prickly Pear, or ????.  Once we got on board, we found that because of the dismal weather over St. Martin, we were going to hear northeast out of Marigot, around the southwestern end of Anguilla to the small, deserted island of Prickly Pear.  It was about a two-hour ride, which was about 1¾ hours longer than Kelley would have liked!  The morning didn't start off to well for her was an understatement!  She didn't wake up too well and was so laid out on the canvas at the front of the catamaran with Victoria to catch some zzz's.  Big mistake!  The up-and-down motion of the boat along with the movements of the Atlantic made her quite seasick.  Victoria, one the other hand, was having a blast!  Sitting up as close to the prow as we would let her, she was squealing with delight each time the boat dipped down into a wave or a wave crashed over the front! 

After two hours, we had rounded Anguilla and made it to Prickly Pear Isle.  This deserted isle was a definite piece of Eden.  The private beach had a small grill/restaurant with a little bar attached to it along with beach chairs, umbrellas, and volleyball court.  The island's beaches were not at all boring as they stretched for miles, with reefs coming right up onto the sands.  The crowning glory, though, were the waters and reefs around the islands.  When we dropped anchor in the bay, we were in about eight or nine feet of water, but as you snorkeled across the top, it felt as though you were flying eight feet above the sand because of the water's clarity!  Absolutely breath-taking! 

We all made our way into shore in our own way - Kelley and I with our snorkeling gear while Jean-Marie brought Kathie and Victoria in by dinghy.  After lunch at the grill, Victoria and Kelley played at the water's edge, making sand castles and running amidst the waves crashing on the beach.  While they were doing that, Kathie and I went for a walk along the beach.  It was really breathtaking.  The way the reefs came right up to the beaches was quite dramatic.  Tossed up on the dunes was one of our prettiest souvenirs of the trip, a huge conch shell with a beautiful pearl-like interior.  We returned to the girls with our new treasure and Kelley and I hit the waters to do some snorkeling.

I mentioned how beautiful the waters were.  The reef that surrounded the Prickly Pear was equally beautiful, with a wide array of fish and plants.  We chased after flounders and grouper, hovered over corral, and pursued beautiful fish that were a rainbow of fluorescent colors.  The afternoon flew by as we explored the reefs.  We had to take a break after a while, though, as we wanted to give Kathie a chance to come out onto the reef.  For her, this was her first experience with a snorkel in almost twenty years, but it was worth the wait!

While we were exploring the reef, Jean-Marie brought Victoria and Kelley out to the Turquoise for a second lunch and then brought us out as well.  He did a great job putting this lunch together, with barbecued chicken, tabouli, and a vegetable dish that quite yummy!  It wasn't quite hauté cuisine, but rather something that you would enjoy with out with some friends for the afternoon.

We finally pulled up anchor around 3:00 and made our way back to Marigot.  Kathie, Victoria, and Kelley all spent the majority of the trip in the front of the boat, screaming and giggling whenever we hit a wave.  I joined them for a few minutes, but went back to practice my French with the others after Victoria pleaded with the sea to "get Daddy wet!" (it worked, too).  The Captain was a little concerned about Victoria being in the front of the boat, especially as we rounded Anguilla and the waves got bigger.  For her, though, it wasn't nearly enough as she literally screamed for more.  Needless to say, our captain was very impressed with her skills as a sailor--testimony to her family heritage!

We made it back to dock around 5:30 and made it safely to shore (although Kathie and Victoria almost took a spill into the harbor!).  We were originally planning on having our last dinner in Marigot, but it was so late and we were all so tired that we opted to head back to the Divi for dinner and an early evening.  I think we were all fast asleep by 9:30!

Tomorrow: Adieu To The Caribbean