We have been parked in this most protected anchorage and are getting to know the routine. In the morning a turtle comes around and seems quite curious about us as he pokes his head up and looks around. He's had a remora hitchhiking with him a couple of times but makes his stately pass around the shoreline unconcerned unless snorkelers actively start chasing him. Afternoons we have had a barracuda hiding in the shadow under our boat. Towards sundown - he can make the fish in the harbor jump but good. There are also a couple of small squid in our "backyard". For some reason, squids seem to come in pairs. The floor is littered with conch and a couple of sea snails and the sky is

patrolled mostly by pelicans. The island is typical of the Virgins: steep volcanic heights covered with cactus and various prickly, dry plants. Sea grape at the shores. It has not been particularly dry (it rains here a couple of days after there are storms in the East Coast of the U.S.) but there is nothing to hold the water - it just runs right off and the hot sun has things dry in minutes after it comes back out. There are reefs all around the little bay except at the center and they look just like a giant aquarium. Schools of silver sides flash through and yellow tails congregate around favorite rocks. Bright red squirrel fish (with giant dark eyes) hang out under every available ledge. Brightly colored parrot fish keep up an underwater grinding of coral into sand (which makes a most characteristic

sound underwater). The smaller angel fish seem to stick to small areas while goat fish dig in the sandy bottoms everywhere. They seem to get quite excited when our dragging chain saves them some work. Trumpet fish seem to like to hang upside down (pretending to be stalks of grass) over coral heads, hoping an unwary fish will venture out. Every once in a while we see evidence of a sea urchin which has been completely torn apart. Does anyone know what eats sea urchins? The only positive thing about sea urchins is that tiny shrimp can shelter in their spines. They are too small to be affected and no larger fish dare comes in.