Sombrero Reef with new friends

Today was a beautiful day for a sail, winds 5-15kts., the seas were nearly flat....when we started out.  But more on that later... Pictures tell the story better!  (I cannot take credit for these beautiful photos; that would be Marc's handiwork, and very fancy camera equipment :)


Wendy is in the cat bird seat!



Willis came out for a look see while we were underway. Little
did I know his nose was to the wind for a reason.  He was trying
to get some fresh air...before he got seasick...three times... poor kitty.



Cap'n Donnie was just glad to be out sailing again.



A pair of dolphins came to play in our bow wake :)



Wendy's steering reminded me of myself as a rookie...zigzaggin'
across the ocean.  At least she was having a good time!



A school of juvenile yellowtail snapper. 
Check out the photo bomber!


 

Marc took a turn at the helm, too.

Oui, oui, a french angelfish :)
















The rest of the story is that I did not dive at all.  After cleaning up three Willis messes down below, my stomach locked up.  I was done before I ever got in the water. The waves kicked up on the reef to 3s and 4s, and on a mooring ball that's alot of motion.  Donnie took a wave to the face, and swallowed a bunch of saltwater.  Marc also took a wave to the face and swallowed a bunch of water.  Note to self: don't swallow saltwater, your body will quickly reject it.  So, Donnie 'fed' the fish.  Marc also 'fed' the fish.  I wanted to feed the fish, and Willis didn't care to even look at the fish.  Wendy was the only one with a cast iron stomach, so she very nearly had to drive us all home!  Believe it or not, it was a beautiful day in spite of the sickness.  The sun shone bright, the water was gorgeous, the reef even more beautiful.  We were moored in only 9 feet of water, and it wasn't even necessary to dive as the water was so clear.  I saw yellowtail, red dnapper, parrot fish, sgt. majors, and barracuda right from the boat.  Believe it or not after we got back to the marina, we all felt fine, so we joined the neighborhood for a surf and turf fish fry.  Any reason for a party, people.  It was a great day!