Kelcey Chandler-Yates and Jim Yates present...

UnderSeaPhotoVideo.com

March 19, 2001
Well at least we made it to the other side of the island! We have been in Orient Bay for the past four days. It is nothing less than spectacular! The water is deep turquoise blue, the prettiest you can fathom. The beach of the islet we are currently anchored near is fine-grained, very soft and has huge pieces of driftwood, which glow beautifully in the setting sunlight. Behind us are the peaks of French St. Martin where Christopher and Jim are currently paragliding high above. Very jealous but realistic with my ribs paining me as I write this update - don't you just pity me!! I guess I wouldn't if I were you either but to be high in the sky looking down at this pristine landscape would be awesome. Not to mention the images I could take while up there! At least I sent Jim off with my camera and wide-angle lens. We spent the first two days here exploring. The boys went to the resort on the other side of the bay and met up with a fellow Chris sailed with. They flew huge kites shaped like a paraglider, which pull you across the water while standing on a modified surfboard that has foot pockets. Nick met several French children and had a blast doing tricks and orchestrating a competition on the trampolines set on huge tubes out in the bay. The next day Nick and I enjoyed snorkeling all over. Not much fish life other than a few small reef fish but in the grasses I found a massive amount of conch. Hundreds of them in all sizes. Nick and I free dove in 35-40 foot of water repeatedly looking for the ones we were to harvest. I did not want to take the immature ones so we were looking for the ones with fully developed mantels. After a few hours, we were sure that we had found the biggest ones and swam back to the boat with our prize. Jim hammered the holes (this time outside!) and released them from their shells while I scraped and cleaned the meat. I think we finally have this down! It was much easier than our experience in the BVI. A long bit of pressure-cooking and we were half way to our conch fritter destination! They were a lot of work but delicious with mango and papaya chutney.

March 23, 2001
Well I had NO idea what date it was when I sat down. I thought it was the 19th but the computer says no, it's the 23rd! What a life. After polishing stainless and sanding all day I am relaxing while Jim drags the kids around wake boarding. I can't believe still that we are doing this. It beats working for sure even with the intense work it takes. I watch the kids and say to myself - God they are soooo beautiful and so animated. This life is so conducive to them accepting who they are and teaching them so many things. I do not have one regret about leaving the "real" world. Other than possibly spending more time with my grandmother - I miss her dearly. At 95 I know she has limited years left so it comes to mind often. Life is like that though, so I will live it to the fullest. Cooking has been a great outlet of creativity for me, as well as my jewelry. It is funny being on a small boat. What do you do all day??? It is interesting what comes up, as I am not one to sit and let life pass me by-although I feel like I do some days! On a boat there I so much to accomplish as in your own mind. I think this was the problem with me at home. I was so busy outside "me" that I did not have time to see "me". Not as a self involved human. Unfortunately I was very self-involved! I mean exploring my potential. What can you accomplish in a space 40 buy 22? Just you, no one else. How can you grow and how can you become a productive member of this world?

March 29 from Jim
Just returned from five days at Saba. While Kelcey spent days here doing glass at Jobeans Studio and adjusting the locals, I spend my days exploring the island. Hiked the 1067 steps up Mt. Scenery. What a hump. Straight up volcanic and concrete steps for 48 minutes. The view was spectacular. After the hike, I walked, if you can do that on an island that goes up or down, to Hell's Gate. There is a paragliding launch there that rivals sites in the Alps. Nice rounded launch on top of a 300 foot cliff, about 2000 feet above sea level. I spent the rest of the time on the island Para waiting for the right conditions. On our last day, we were at launch in perfect flying conditions and could not fly. I did as I was told and went to the airport to request permission to land and was told no problem BUT you have to get permission from the Commissioner. Back to the Bottom and the Government building only to be told, he was in a meeting until late in the afternoon. No problem man, just come back in the morning. Woke up to blown out conditions. Too much wind, white caps on the ocean. We left for St. Martin. One for the Para gods.

Two days ago, Chris and I went scuba diving at the Pinnacles.  These are pristine coral encrusted seamount about two miles east of Saba.  Since you cannot dive Saba independently, we were forced to pay to dive there.  Luckily, Kelcey, having dived this site ten years ago, gave us the earring money she made that day to go for it.  You descend into dark blue with no bottom, as the mooring line is at the top of the pinnacle at 105 feet.  Since the outside of the pinnacle is a wall, it is easy to get deeper that you realize.  We ended up with a maximum depth of 148 feet amongst large groupers, black tip reef shark and barracuda.  The computer told us to return to the real world, so up we went.  The corals were spectacular with no damage, which has plagued the reefs here due to the hurricanes over the past five years.  Well worth the expense and not bad for Chris's eighth open water dive.  He is a natural in the water.  Fluid yet very adept about safety.

From Kelcey
Nick and I spent our days in Saba hiking the hills up to Jobeans glass studio - a must see/do for any artist type.  She is so talented as well as her apprentice, Kerry.  Nick and I learned how to make beads in all shapes and sizes.  Although they did not look anything near like theirs, I was still thrilled with the results.  I am also proud to have her carry my earrings in her studio/shop.  We were able to see a lot of the island in detail this trip because when there were no cars/trucks to hitch a ride with up or down the hills, we walked.  Since the hills are so steep you can virtually see the surrounding hills and sea from every point on the island.  This was especially noticeable when hitching rides on the flat bed trucks.  While the drivers quickly drove down the hills and around the steep, blind hills you must stand and hold on to the back of the cab or risk rolling off the truck as there is nothing else to hold on to! You dared not look at the road so you tried to absorb yourself in the panoramas instead of acknowledging the intense fear that was ever present in the pit of your stomach! Fortunately, most of the time 4 passenger cars picked us up.

Nick also climbed the mountain with a couple we met from Santa Cruz.  I declined due to the ever-present pain in my ribs. The steep hills and truck rides were enough much less the 1067 steps to the top of the mountain!

We are back at St. Martin to provision, pickup parts and get the boat fumigated.  Then to St. Kitts in search of a new flying site and colorful reefs.  Last night we finally succumbed to the Sunset Beach Bar.  It is this po-dunk little bar by the end of the airport runway.  Most people get drunk and then stand at the end of the runway holding on to the fence as the 747s take off!  We skipped the drunken part although I can understand why it would be necessary for more sane people to have an excuse.  We held onto the sand-basted fence while the engines began to roar.  A blast of hot air that seemed to never end followed by relief as wind cooled you down and pounded your ears.  The wait was impossibly long while your whole body felt as if it was going to fly into the ocean behind you.  Then silence and the weightlessness subside.  Only then do you realize that you have been lightly sandblasted! On to the next adventure of insanity!