Livin’ off the land

We may not be the Robinson Crusoe of this century, but we have managed to enjoy some of the bounty of the sea. Kim suggested we pick up some coconuts that were on a beach in Rum Cay. We shook them and sure enough we heard the coconut milk sloshing around. A few days later, I took out my machete, hammer and pliers and after about 10 minutes of hacking and peeling, I had two respectable inner nuts. We pierced the eyes and out came that sweet nectar. We saved the juice with the coconut pieces and they were very good.

We have harvested a few conchs and although my skinning is not surgical, we manage to get enough meat to make conch salad. We all like it raw with lime, lemon juice, and healthy amounts of chopped onion, celery and tomato.

Despite trolling all the way from Maine, I have only managed to catch 3 barracuda and 1 Spanish mackerel so far. The first two barracudas were returned unharmed to the sea until we heard from a local that the small ones caught well away from reef areas are unlikely to have the ciguatera disease that we were told they can carry. I’m happy to report that the third barracuda tasted just fine. I also managed to land a Almaco Jack on a rod at anchor which was really tasty. A few flying fish have landed on deck during night passages but they don't count since they were quite stiff in the morning.

The Caribbean lobsters although smaller than their northern brethren, are still pretty tasty.

I’ve tried spear fishing on one occasion, but never got close enough to get a good shot. Besides, I was distracted by a small hawksbill turtle and followed him slowly for most of the dive. Maybe I’m just not hungry enough!

Tom