sunning in the mangroves. Their bodies were in the
three to four foot range with tails as long, or longer.
From there, we visited “Secret Beach” on the north
end of the island. Interestingly, “Secret Beach” is not all
that secret, as the local bar t-shirts announce. The first
clue, however, was the close to two hundred lounge
chairs spread around the beach area! Apparently, the
area is a favorite among the younger crowd for winter
and spring breaks!
Back on land, we visited Ron and Addie’s new
property, which is much closer to town than the one
they are selling. The property has a sea wall and very
cool “crooked pier,” but no buildings. We were told
that recent storms had put the twist in the pier. And
although Addie and Ron plan to straighten the pier, we
felt they should name their vacation home “Crooked
Pier.” We were also introduced to a resident stingray
that was cruising the shallows at the base of the pier
while we were there—we named him “Fuzzy.”
Tuesday, we split up. The guys went lobster fish-
ing while the ladies enjoyed yoga and spa treatments
and lunch at the Science and Soul Wellness Center in
the Mahogany Bay Club. Lobster fishing was a kick.
With a long stick and hook we searched for lobsters in
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coral crevices and under traps. Bobby, our guide, was
phenomenal in the water. He was very much at home
on the boat and diving for lobster. Because of the reef
the water tends to be very shallow. We were a good half
mile from land and at one point could stand up! The
water around the reef is warm and generally calm. We
again lunched at a local waterfront bar.
That evening we enjoyed twenty-four lobsters and
a fantastic dinner prepared once again by Delisa and
her crew. Before dinner we gathered on the dock for a
Champagne toast to Ron and Addie in celebration of
their 20th wedding anniversary. In the course of the
conversation Ron proposed the idea of jumping off the
dock as an alternative to having to give a speech later.
We all thought that a great idea and accepted the chal-
lenge. In went Ron—followed by Mike and Dennis!
Back at the Villas, we had a great dinner—a lobster
gumbo and lobster tails with all the fixings. In spite
of his dock plunge, Ron gave a heartwarming toast to
Addie and we all enjoyed being part of their celebration.
Wednesday, we set off on an all-day sailing and
snorkeling trip. Bobby shuttled us to the downtown
dock where we boarded a catamaran, the Cas Cat. After
a leisurely sail to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, we
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018
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