Kelcey Chandler-Yates and Jim Yates present...

UnderSeaPhotoVideo.com

May 7th 2001
Ok guys, the writing has been a bit slim from this way this month due to the races the guys were involved in and my back-up position as mom and dinghy driver!  You guys think it is hard carting the kids all over on land you should try on water!  At one time Jim and I were trying to get video and stills of Chris's boat in 9 foot seas with boats all jockeying around us--it's scary in a 14 foot inflatable when a 90 foot boat is hauling at you full guns with nothing but waves everywhere! Anyhow we are now in rest mode in Barbuda--a very small sand spit north of Antigua--not much happening here for sure--we have seen 4 people so far and 6 lobsters -- does that tell you anything- (they were too young to invite to pizza tonight!)

Tomorrow we go into the frigate bird sanctuary and watch sex on a limb! If anything like Galapagos and this is supposed to be a bigger nesting site, it will be spectacular footage as well as stills.

Tonight we were blessed with a beautiful sunset to the west and a double rainbow of spectacular proportions to the east--when all calmed the full moon rose--life is grand in this 6foot deep bay with not a boat in site for, well, not a boat in site! --Nor anything but a beach and stars.

May 12th 2001
Today after a beautiful sail to Guadeloupe, we were 3 miles out and bang the fishing rods start spinning out!  Two tuna! -Better yet skipjack tuna! With blood everywhere in the cockpit we looked for the tell tail flock of birds following the bait ball-- we followed the birds for the next 2 hours and landed four more!!! All 15-17 pounds--now we have enough tuna for the rest of the month!!! Of course, we went almost to Montserrat to get them and had to sail into the anchorage in the dark tonight but it was well worth it! Sooooo much fun-They put up such a great fight, we lost lures and line but just kept replacing gear and reeling in.  Doesn't help that we have all fresh water gear leftover from our house boating days!!  It's much more challenging watching the line and the pole wondering which is going to go first as you bring in the big one!  Chris was driving, Nick scouting the birds. -The fish were flying out of the water all around us with every kind of seabird diving in for their evening meal-when one was hooked Nick would get the bottle of absolute vodka ready and Chris the gaff. -When the fish were next to the boat Chris would gaff em and nick would douse their gills with Vodka-this would sedate them to death and prevented flopping fish from splattering blood allover the boat.  It got a little tricky the two times that both Jim and I had fish incoming but we welcomed the challenge! By the end of the afternoon to look at the cockpit was extremely ghoulish as there was blood all over the place including our legs, arms and even my face-! -At one time Jim had a fish in his hand, I had one in mine, and a wave hit the boat.  We both went flying on our butts with tuna in our laps-"are you hurt I said"-"nope are you" "nope"- a laugh and back to business!  Wish my mother could have been here! She loves to fish.

Dreams are made to come true--we have been chanting--"here little tuni tuni tuni" for the past 4 months--It worked!

In addition, did I mention that in the morning I had caught what is called a little tuna on our way out of Antigua! He was only 7 pounds but a great meal for the four of us-now he looks like a midget!

May 13th 2001
This morning Jim cut up the fish into steaks and loins while I trimmed up the cuts, wrapped and put all in the freezer.  This took a bit of work.  Chris had to totally reorganize the freezer while Nick pulled sheets of foil and held open baggies for me.  When all was done, there was just enough room for all in the freezer!  Time for Jim and I to go diving and the boys to do schoolwork!

The dive was the best yet. Although shallow and at the mouth of the harbor it was crystal clear water and pristine reef.  More types of life than I could count, even free swimming scallops and octopus.  It was the sponges and anemone, which thrilled me.  If I had my cameras with both would have been shot dry!  There was even a 15-foot long tunnel with beautiful orange corals encrusting its rooftop and a narrow opening, which gave you a wild ride out the end in the surge!  While I prepared dinner for new found friends the boys went back and enjoyed the company of a beautiful turtle in the cave and out for close to half their dive. I think it is time to get all the camera gear out!  I haven't bothered with my underwater housings so far as the visibility has been very shoddy. -Not anymore!!

May 14, 2001
This am we all slept in as we enjoyed the company of other cruisers last eve.  They have been cruising the Caribbean for the past six years and shared much information with us.  We met them on the dock while waiting for Chris to pick us up. I was grateful to have someone to share seafood crepes (lobster and conch) and our tuna catch (Jim BBQed the little tuna whole and two of the skipjack steaks so they could taste the difference).  They were thrilled as they are not "water" people so lobster and conch are a rarity not to mention the tuna. She brought a delightful blue cheese salad, a bottle of wonderful French wine and some scrumptious cookies. I gladly sent the leftovers home with them!

May 15, 2001
What a wild day. Today Jim and I took a dive at the Cousteau Underwater Park off Pigeon Island on the west coast of Guadeloupe.  Entering the water I was awestruck by the complete clarity of the water-no wonder the dive site named "the swimming hole". Huge barrel sponges and plate corals. Encrusting sponges whose colors cover the entire artists palate. Right up there with some of the spectacular diving in the Pacific. Add in a couple of beautiful stonefish and several spotted moray eels free swimming in between the corals and you have the perfect dive. So we thought, however the boys and I beat that in the afternoon! Jim was caught up doing "boat work" so I stole the video camera and entered the water with two kids and a camera. Swimming along showing them the sight, I began filming a scrawled filefish feeding. As I was doing, so I hear Nicholas screaming "mom mom"-(no I can't get away even underwater!) so I ignore it for a minute but he keeps screaming-I figured I had better look around. I was treated to a vision with him unmoving in the water with two remoras circling him.  The next 20 minutes were spent filming both the boys playing with the remoras.  It was so much fun-I cannot explain it-You will have to watch the show!