High Seas Adventures

This has been the longest stretch of calm weather that we can remember. After going to the wreck of the Adirondack we decided to keep the wreck theme going and headed over to the remains of the Louis J Goulet that sits on the reef between Man-O-War and Hope Town. This drill barge (originally a Great Lakes ship) broke loose during one of the hurricanes several years ago and ended up aground on the reef where it sat for a couple of years. Finally the super-structure was removed and it was burned. Now there is very little left, but it's almost impossible to snorkel around it because of the swell and surge.

What it looked like when it went aground:

What it looked like two years and two hurricanes ago:

What's left of it now:

Barry and Barb were with us and got this photo of us:

After exploring the ship above water, we headed back out to Fowl Cay Preserve for more snorkeling. Along the way Dave spotted something that looked like an orange ball about a mile offshore. We had to see what it was and as we got closer it became more colorful. Naturally our imaginations started going wild. All I could think was that it was a person in a tube or life raft! Much to our surprise, all we ended up rescuing was about a dozen helium balloons tied together. Saved!

Actually, by picking up the balloons, we may have saved some fish and a few turtles. Turtles especially are drawn to balloons, because they look like the food they eat, namely jellyfish.

After our snorkeling adventure we had to go save the balloons once again because they escaped the skiff (someone...me... needs to learn to tie better knots!). They just did not want to go into captivity. New Horizon was quite festive for awhile until the helium ran out!

The adventures still continue so check back soon for more reports and great photos. Whew, this was supposed to be a vacation from vacation, but the fun doesn't stop...we need naps!