For Pete’s last day we decided to take a dinghy ride over to this small island that is known to be the home of a Rock Iguana colony.  We heard all about it from Cam at the Southside marina.  He warned us not to chase the iguanas because if they bite you it gets really infected and you may lose a limb.  He also told us they were very shy so we may not even see them.  Oh well we thought.  We’ll head over there and enjoy the scenery at least.

We got to the island and beached the dinghy and climbed around to explore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After about 10 minutes we were thinking we wouldn’t see any of the iguanas when Pete turned around and practically jumped 10 ft!  There was one looking at us.  Wow cool we thought.  We get to see the iguanas.  And then it ran at us!  Yikes, I thought they were shy.  This is when we noticed 2 others coming at us from different angles.  It was almost as though they were surrounding us!  Trying to save ourselves we picked up a rock and threw it between us and the nearest iguana.  Instead of running away though it ran towards us!  Now I am freaking out and thinking I’m about to lose a leg or something.  We finally threw a rock over its head and got it to run that way and cleared a path for us to get back to our dinghy.

 

 

 

 

 

Thinking the danger was over we played in the water for a little while and walked on the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we turned around though there they were!  On the rocks right at the edge of the beach.  Creepy!  Ryan took a few pictures and then walked past one.  When it spit at him we’d had enough and made our retreat!  Crazy Iguanas!!

After an easy breezy 3 day sail we got into the Southside Marina in mid morning.  Southside Marina would be our home for the next week as we explored Turks & Caicos and just enjoyed hanging out with fellow cruisers.  It was really a great place to unwind and connect with real people.   South Side Marina is a small independently owned an operated marina with very little flash but it’s charm lies in the people.  Bob goes beyond hospitality by offering rides into town, arranging customs and helping in any other way possible.  

Bob’s Bar which is open every night 5-9 is a mix of locals, vacationers renting villas and fellow cruisers. We had a great time hearing stories of the folks that helped develop Provo and Ryan really thinks a book needs to be written. Cruisers seem to congregate in the gazebo near the dock and we spent a number of nights chatting well past our bed time.

Ryan had a blast watching Jorge from C’sta Time repair his v-drive while the rest of the guys sat around drinking beers and offering advice.  We had a great dinner aboard Ainulindale with our new friends Kirk and Donna and Jorge and Kim.   It was just a really nice time hanging out and destressing.

We did get out of the marina too though!  Pete was able to spend a few days with us in TCI after the sail so we rented a car and went exploring.

What we found….

Some gorgeous beaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A conch farm (btw I may never eat conch again after getting a good close look at what they look like before they become conch fritters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An amazing lunch at Bugaloo with great fish, a great view and music too!

And my future home!  I thought this place was awesome!!  And as a bonus the house next door is owned by Prince and has a purple driveway!  That may be the coolest neighbor ever! 🙂