Great Guana Cay, Bahamas

Great Guana Cay in the Bahamas was once home to pirates. The cove is even named after Captain Kidd.  There are around 150 residents on the island, no police or government officials that I could see, it was really quite beautiful and peaceful.

Most important thing that happened, I may have seen a shark while I was in the water for the first time. About ten feet ahead of me, about four feet long swimming away from me. Ran out of the water and kept running, I twisted my ankle on the way back to the beach blanket.  I did build up my courage and got back into the water to snorkel.

After doing research, I found out it was a nurse shark! The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fishes, Whales, and Dolphins says: "To 14' elongate, grayish brown. Shark is most abundant off the coasts of Southern Florida. Small fishes, sea urchins and a variety of crustaceans make up its diet, Inshore, often on shallow sand flats, channels, and coral reefs."

Also took the ferry to Man-O-War Cay, where I was able to eate 5 different foods made from conch and participated in my first hermit crab race. On the subject of hermit crab races, I have consulted John Hodgman and More Information than you Require:

"These days you may have seen hermit-crab racing in Monte Carlo or in roped off , high roller areas of the casinos in Vegas. All of this makes the game fairly intimidating, but it is in fact one of the simplest games to play...  It is boring, and vaguely cruel and basically simpleminded, and that is what makes it the sport of Kings. You don't have to wear a tuxedo to play (though I always did). Still a certain formality recalls the game's royal pedigree, and pasting googly eyes on the crab shells is 'frowned upon'."

A week in Great Guana Cay is being cut off from the world- no news, no internet, peace and quiet. Plenty of time to keep careful drawings and sketches.