Drama in Big Major

You're probably thinking that nothing really fun happens down here except the endless quest for internet, shade and vegetables, right? Well, Wrongo! A couple of days ago I dinghied down to get some better photos of the interaction between the pigs and people, always interesting. So first was a boat load of girls who were wary of all this, and stayed a respectable distance from them, some of which really do weigh around 500#. (I used to live on a farm and am known for my complete and utter inability to exaggerate about anything, ever, really.)

The next group were some New Yorkers we had met the day before in Black Point Settlement. The four of them were packed into a seven foot dinghy and they were loaded for pig, with bags of fruit, iPads and the whole setup. One woman got out of the boat with a bag of apples and was immediately pursued by them. She appeared to be a little frightened by this type of attention and the speed of the pigs and put the apples back in the dinghy with the three others. Now the 500 pound wild pig climbed right into the dinghy with them! (Could he have been looking for apples?) Now this was a small dinghy to begin with. Imagine it with three adults and a huge Duroc! Well the captain decided this was inappropriate (I forgot to mention all the screaming, but what was I supposed to do besides take pictures?) and tried to throw said pig out into the water. Mr. Pig really didn't want to get out because this is where the food was, right? So he promptly bit the guy on the forearm, causing a nasty gash. He finally departed.

By the time I got there he was bleeding and already pretty swollen. I recommended an immediate trip to the clinic, for all kinds of good reasons, but I don't think he went. "Aw, it's just a scratch," he said in front of the ladies. I tried to impress upon him all the places those chompers could have been before they tasted forearm, but........

Here's some photos, but I was a bit far away, zoomed in and on the wrong side of the action.

We're well, having dinghied into town yesterday for what we later realized was no reason at all. The store we had thought about checking out had closed for no apparent reason. Word on the streets was that the supply boat isn't coming in until Wednesday. No one really seems to know anything for sure about these matters. Times, dates, internet, boat parts, ATMs, fruits and vegetables are tough to pin down out here. It's best to just go with the flow.

Yesterday Sally and I did some drift snorkeling, a new concept for us. We drove the dinghy out to the end of an interesting reef on the ocean side, put it in neutral and just sat there for a while to see what the wind and current would do with us. We put on the dive flag, donned our snorkel gear and a tether and flopped overboard. it was pretty slick, actually, because the dinghy can't get away and you just hurtle along with the current or drag it behind or some combination of the two. The water is so clear there is always something to look at. When you've had enough, just hop back on and go somewhere else or back on board to a book.

Dennis and Mary are departing today to find a different spot to hide from a forecast west wind, as they have guests flying in next week and need to be positioned for them. We really hope to see them again before we really part. We will have the same concerns when David and Adam come in on the 17th. Excepts we will have to make all these decisions without the wise counsel of Dennis and Mary.

Capt. Jeff