boat day

On the day we discovered the island, we spent most of the day on a boat. Moby Dick Tours played as our host, and we cruised around the North Sound spotting fish and kissing stingrays.

Shortly after arriving on Grand Cayman to live, we found that these activities are not limited to tourists. Plenty of residents charter boats every weekend to spend a little time "off island" enjoying the scenery, swimming with the rays, and visiting Rum Point and Kaibo. This is exactly what we and about 15 other accountants did a couple weeks ago on Remembrance Day - a public holiday like the U.S. Veterans Day - that even the accounting firms observe.

We met at the Yacht Club on West Bay Road shortly after noon to meet our group and our boat. Don't ask me who the tour guide was; I didn't organize the trip, and I didn't care. With approximately 20 passengers, we each paid $25 for several hours on the boat, leaving at 1 pm and not arriving back at the Yacht Club until after 9 pm. Everyone packed their own food, drinks, music, etc, piled in, and off we went.

KK in front of the Pirates Week flag on boat day

Our first stop was out in the middle of the North Sound where we could safely jump off the boat, snorkel, and dive for conch shells.

AK taking the plunge

Don't know if he's just gasping for air or really amazed

The colors! I was in complete awe.

NS coming in with a full-sized version

Feeling like a treasure hunter

After bringing them to the surface, our guide harvested the conch to feed the stringrays we were about to visit and to make some fresh, delicious ceviche for us humans!

Sushi, in original form

Mmm, fresh. Not gonna lie: I did this too. Nope, not gonna include the pic.

Chopping up the conch to prepare fresh ceviche (which most people ate as it was drowned in bbq sauce.)

Then we were on to Stingray City to feed, pet, and kiss stingrays.

NS and BK enjoying the (huge!) rays.

photo credit: ME

Great underwater photo of a ray. I'm guessing female, since they're bigger than the males.

The trick with feeding the stingrays is to make a fist, and hold the food in your squeezed hand with your thumb tucked in. The stingray will swim over your hand and suck the food out like a vacuum cleaner.

I don't like tricks, so I only did it once.

After Stingray City, we moved onto Rum Point for some relaxation on the beach.

photo credit: BK

Sorry, KK, had to steal this photo from you since you're just too cute.

The next stop was at Starfish Point, which is known for its beautiful views and dramatic drop off not far from shore - perfect for boys who want to jump off tall boats.

The view

The jumpers

Found a live starfish!

Recalling memories of his PA bridge-jumping days

Great view; great couple

Finally, we docked the boat at Kaibo, the restaurant at Cayman Kai, ate dinner, and watched the sunset.

Bliss

Being on a boat is an euphoric experience. There is something about being out in the middle of an expanse of water while the sun is in its glory and the wind is redesigning your hair and the salt water is flavoring your food that just lowers your blood pressure, relaxes your muscles, and puts a smile on your face. Most accountants have experienced the rat race - stuck in a windowless cubicle until the wee hours of the morning telling yourself you're heroically saving the world from materially misstated financial statements while chasing promotions and raises like a hamster in an endless wheel of dollars and cents. Being on a boat makes me forget all of that - gets me out of the race - and lets me be human again, bringing life to the "work/life balance" we all strive to achieve.  It's just straight up healthy.

I have a feeling there will be more boat days in front of us... more on that to come.