We ate dinner last night at Kendrick’s in Christainsted. The waiter earned Angeline’s ire by arguing with her over how she should have her food cooked. I had a grilled filet mignon in an orange-tinted bouillabaise, and Ange had a pan-seared tuna. My filet was a little overly clove-y, but done to perfection. The food was good, but as a Frommer’s two-star recommendation, I expected more.
We got up this morning to do a half day trip on Buck Island, the best beach and snorkeling spot around St. Croix. I had arranged a cab to pick us up at 11 so we could make the check-in time at 11:30. It finally showed, after a couple of calls, twenty-five minutes late. But all was well, we arrived just in time to board.
The transportation to and from the island is in a low two sail, one screw vessel that barely seats the thirty of us on her bulkheads and deck. Angeline and I found a nice spot next to a hatch and relaxed as the ship slowly left port. The seas were a bit rough that day, and we were soaked by spray that washed over the decks. And just in case anyone wasn’t fully wet, a hard rainstorm hit at the halfway point and drenched us for a good twenty minutes.
The rain dissipated as we neared the island. Someone spotted a dorsal fin off the bow, and we all craned our necks to see the source: a pair of dolphins swimming ahead of the ship. We watched, enthralled, as they swam on either side of the boat, came up for air a few times, and eventually lost interest and headed off.
We spent the next forty minutes or so snorkeling, near a large coral reef. All sorts of tropical fish swam in this underwater ecosystem. Blue ones, silver ones, skinny ones, fat ones. Yes, I am no marine biologist. I also swallowed a liter or so of saltwater due to poor snorkel technique.
The way home had another rain storm in store for us, of course. On the way we saw a pair of sea turtles mating on top of the water. The circle of life, and all that. We ate early dinner/really late lunch at Rum Runners in town. I had a jerk-style pork tenderloin and Angeline had huge cheese-covered scallops. This may have been the best meal so far despite the restaurant’s lack of stars in the guidebook.
The water here must be extremely salty, as cakes of salt kept appearing on our limbs and especially in our bathing suits. Nasty.