Lee Stocking Island — Cupcake Afloat

After an afternoon exploring tiny Leaf Cay (iguanas, spectacular views, clean water, great beach), hunting for lobster (great coral with all the lobstery-ledges and caves you could want, but way too much current for safe hunting), and cleaning Cupcake’s hull (so so fuzzy) we enjoyed a relaxing night at the Leaf Cay anchorage.

Hmm. Found this ashore at the Home Depot. Why anyone would want rust in a can is beyond me.

This morning, mindful of the big winds and squally weather coming tomorrow, we moved about a mile and a half to the more protected anchorage in the lee of Lee Stocking Island. Lee Stocking is abandoned now, but through 2012 it was a working marine lab/ocean research center. The place looks like the researchers were given about half a day to get their things together and split. There’s a post-apocalyptic vibe going on here that we very much enjoyed (after all, we’ve got fresh water, solar power, and the bounty of the sea to sustain us).

We got so excited when we saw this place.

Ellen hunted some coconuts today. Without a machete, those things are the proverbial tough nuts to crack.

Did a little more work cleaning the hull. It looks like it will be a three day job. When we are finished, Cupcake will be a speed-demon once again as she slips effortlessly through the waves.

Pretending to be airplanes on the runway.

Believe it or not, Ellen is hunting for coconuts in this enormous yucca plant.

Cupcake crew picture. — *Cupcake* crew picture.