Welcome Capt. Brian's New Compass

The fog rolled in shortly after I left the north end of Cayo last week. I looked down at my compass to get a bearing. The compass was not working. Then I pulled out my handheld GPS and studied the last landmarks as the fog proceeded to get thicker. The GPS worked fine but not having a working compass made me uneasy. Today the new compass was installed. The old compass is from 1981 the same year my boat was built. I have a lot of fond memories with this compass. It has lead me to many places I have dreamed about. It never led me astray. ( Although I have been astray a few times, it wasn't the compass' fault.) I look forward to where this new compass will lead me.

Driftwood And Waves

Spent the morning playing with a new camera lens. I like how the waves move through the tree. Always changing, giving new perspective. Kinda how my week went.

Dolphin Smart Recognized 2013

I am happy to report that I have completed the yearly evaluation for Dolphin Smart. Dolphin Smart promotes responsible viewing of wild dolphins. I look forward to another year of educating people about wild dolphins in their natural habitat. The Dolphin Smart program is in Hawaii, Alabama and Florida. There are only two small boat operators in the whole program.  I am proud to be one of them.

Julie and Bob From Canada

 

 

Julie and Bob are well travelled shellers. I enjoyed listening to Julie's shell stories from Cuba. (Ahh, Cuba, in my dreams.) Bob was easy going and enjoyed the solitude of a beach empty of people. Julie and I walked, talked and stopped to take a few photos of the texture of one of my many favorite trees. Julie found quite possibly the most unique Florida cone that I have seen collected. The colors were amazing and the size for that cone was huge. (I wish I had taken more photographs with a different background) What a great find!  I look forward to next year when we explore again.

Good Times With Elna And Lisa

We left the dock under a sliver of moonlight. Elna and Lisa were troopers. The first spot we went to the sun was not up yet. When the first light hit the beach we witnessed many live olives. Elna found worm shells and this little horse conch. Next we traveled north of secret spot number two in search of mini shells. We filled the box with wentletraps, tusks, rice shells, and other cool finds. On the way back to the marina we saw dolphin and manatee. Lisa and Elna were very happy with their trip. I look forward to our next day on the water.

Shelling Walk And Talk With Fred And Polly

What a fun time with Fred and Polly. Fred found a beautiful worm shell just a few feet from where we anchored the boat. Polly really liked the jingle shells. Polly noticed a large horse conch close to the shoreline. It was live so we took a picture and put it back where it was. I enjoyed showing both Fred and Polly how to find rice shells. There shelling eyes got better as the day went on. We also found two crested tellins. I liked the picture of Polly holding it up with the blue sky as a background.

Margaret And Crew

 Margaret, Pam, Patti and Cathy went shelling with me in two different secret spots. Margaret is a mover and a shaker when it comes to shelling. She was leading the pack. Last year I took Margaret and her husband Manny out. What a great guy! This year it was Margaret and three of her friends. Margaret found a beautiful piece of junonia and an excellent lace murex. I enjoyed walking and talking with the ladies at secret spot number 3. We found many sandollars and one of the ladies found a stunning albino fighting conch. She told me I should have it because I had found so many treasures for her . Well you know me and albinos, I was very pleased to add this shell to my collection. It is the only one of this kind that I have in my collection.  It was a fun day on the water and the weather was in our favor.  Thank you Margaret and crew.

P.S.  Tell Manny I say hi. 

                                           Capt. Brian