We are now anchored by the Montego Bay Yacht Club and using the amenities again. In addition to the fabulous restaurant, there is a great pool, better maintained facilities, beautiful views and high-speed Internet. Also, it is quiet at night! If I had to choose between the Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio and the Montego Bay Yacht Club, this place would win hands down.
We had a great day and night over in Bogue Bay. We anchored behind one of the several islands in this secluded spot, in sight of the Houseboat Grill, having navigated fairly easily through the protective reef across the mouth of this wide bay. I took a nap and then jumped into action and cleaned the inside of the boat thoroughly. (Peter thought it was already clean.) About an hour and a half before sunset, we set out in the dinghy to explore the mangrove-ringed edge of the water and the islands. What a treat! There is one small island named eponymously Bird Island where over a thousand birds--including snowy egrets (some in breeding plumage), cattle egrets, great egrets, pelicans and Magnificent Frigatebirds (breeding males with orange throats, females and juveniles with white heads)--fly in to roost every evening on the limbs of the mangroves, squawking as they challenge each other for space, preening as they settle into their spots for the night. A small launch came by with a few passengers to see the birds, but it stayed only briefly, so we had the spot to ourselves and stayed until after sunset, as the latecomers continued to alight in the trees.
 |
| Bogue Bay Mangroves |
 |
| Bird Island |
 |
| Bird Island |
 |
| Bird Island |
 |
| Bird Island |
 |
| Bird Island |
 |
| Bird Island |
We stopped by Mantra to turn on the anchor light and pick up Peter's wallet and then dinghied over to the Houseboat Grill. This permanently moored vessel is accessed by a tiny ferry which glides across from the land to the entrance to the restaurant, powered only by the long-legged young Jamaican man who shoves off the dock and hops on; he then reaches across the water in a long stride as the ferry quickly but smoothly approaches the restaurant and grabs on to the houseboat. In all, the distance covered is four to five meters.
The establishment has a lovely seating area to the left of the bar, with crimson-colored table cloths on small tables with comfortable and attractive wooden chairs. The lighting is indirect and soft instrumental music lends itself to the peaceful ambiance. The wooden floor has a glass-covered opening below which are kept the lobster in the bay water, and customers can choose which one they want for dinner. Outside, sleek tarpon up to two meters in length cruise just under the surface of the water, jumping up to be fed by a waiter to amuse two children (and us!). We chatted with the owner, an ex-pat from San Mateo, California, and enjoyed excellent service and delicious food. (Two great dinners out in two days! Wow!)
 |
| Houseboat Grill from Mantra |
 |
| Peter and Sherri at the Houseboat Grill |
This morning (Thursday, April 4), we were approached by a small patrol boat and politely told that we were anchored in a marine sanctuary and needed to move within 24 hours. (This explains why we had the place all to ourselves!) We chose to respect the sanctuary and pulled up anchor within an hour and exited with the tide. As we wove our way out past shallow areas, we were joined by a school of six bottle-nosed dolphins, who accompanied us all the way out of the bay, playing off the bow. Their antics and close maneuvering with each other made me think of Mom, who was always delighted by dolphins.
 |
| Dolphins accompanying us in Bogue Bay |
 |
| Dolphins accompanying us in Bogue Bay |
 |
| Dolphins accompanying us in Bogue Bay |
 |
| Dolphins accompanying us in Bogue Bay |
 |
| Dolphins accompanying us in Bogue Bay |
 |
| Dolphins accompanying us in Bogue Bay |
 |
| Dolphins accompanying us in Bogue Bay |
The anchorage off the yacht club is still crowded, but we found a better place to drop the hook, so Peter is a bit happier about having the boat here. I'm happy that we saw the dolphins and that I have a lovely pool, drinks with as much ice as I want and fast Wi-Fi.
Tomorrow morning we will rent a car and go to a bird sanctuary in the mountains and do a bit of exploring, and then Peter will drive me to the airport on Saturday morning. I am flying to Florida then to join my sister Beth Ann and my dad for a week-long vacation. We will visit the Kennedy Space Center as well as relatives in Sanford before we go to Sanibel Island, where Beth Ann and her husband have a second home. On Monday, our friends Paula and Andrew from San Francisco (and the Bahamas and a canal boat in England) will fly to Montego Bay, and they will be with us until we arrive in Cartagena, Colombia later this month.
No comments:
Post a Comment