BEACH DAY AND ROGERS BAR AGAIN

Up early again, went down to the restaurant and had the apple fritters.  Not what I expected but they were very good.  Not sure what I expected, really, as I haven't had fritters before.

Apple fritters

I walked over to the Allemanda to the beach and this time I spoke to the couple that have been there every day.  Turns out they are from England, although she is originally from Grenada. They have travelled all over the world and they come here every year.  They tell me, once they find out I am from British Columbia, that their trip through Alberta and B.C. was the best holiday they have ever had. Given how many places they've been to, that is saying something!

I ask them if I can leave my beach bag in their safe-keeping and then walk down the beach, back to find more beach glass and I get another nice haul.  It's a gorgeous day and I stop along the way to swim in the beautiful clear water.  Nothing but sand on the bottom and it's glorious. I love how so many local people come down here on the weekend to enjoy the water too. You don't see a lot of that in the BVI - I even met some locals there who hadn't been to the beach in two or three years.  Boggles my mind. Here, at least this time of year, there are more locals than tourists.

Today's glass haul

I just nicely get back to my chair when Michael shows up, thinking I am some other woman he met on the beach yesterday. There is some confusion with this as I do know him from when I met him with Rick and we had pizza and burgers together at Prickly Bay but at first I didn't realize who he was because he was wearing sunglasses.  I got him to take them off then I recognized him and told him I wasn't who he thought I was but we had met. He was embarrassed at his mistake but I laughed it off; no big deal.

Michael, surprisingly shy for the camera

He offers to take me over to the dock to be picked up by Rick for the BBQ at Rogers on Hog Island. I accept and, after hanging out on the beach a bit, he makes a call and we head off to his friend's car.  His friend delivers bread for a local bakery and has some in the vehicle and it smells divine.

Waiting at the dock for Rick to pick us up

Black sand beach, lots of garbage... we waited quite a while for

Rick and I was wishing I had a garbage bag

This time, for the meal, I ask for it without the meat as the chicken is all legs and I prefer white meat. Roger's wife heaps the plate with her fabulous potato salad and charges me $5 less.  It is delicious!! However, my afternoon at Rogers decides it for me.  Not to offend anybody, but this is just far too strange a crowd for my tastes and there's lots of locals there today and they are definitely keeping to themselves so it doesn't make for a good atmosphere. I really anticipated that the cruising crowd here would be the same sort of bunch you find cruising in BC waters but they're nothing alike. It seems to me that those who really cruise have left for the northern islands already and these guys are the ones who never actually get out and sail. They're not very friendly to strangers either. I try to say hi and talk to a few but they'd rather go back and talk to the people they know. Even the ones who come and sit down at our table to talk to Rick completely ignore me.

Rogers Bar

Capt. Rick and Lucky - who I find out is a girl after 

thinking she was a he for 10 days!

I leave with Mike before dark as he isn't into it either, and catch a ride back with the same friend. I give him $20 for gas.

I get back to my hotel room to discover that a bunch of very loud Italians have moved in to the room next to me. It sounds like at least half a dozen of them.  I can hear every word, bump and scrape.  I have four more nights here. If these guys are here for the entire time, I think I might go insane. The lovely peace of this place has been completely shattered.

There's no way I can sleep while they are up so I don't get to turn out the light until well after midnight.