Time seems to be moving at an ever increasing rate, it is already August and yet it seems like I have only blinked since the beginning of the year. This year has been a busy one, with many changes taking place,as well as a couple of great trips off island.
This has meant that I have become rather lax at keeping in touch with people, not out of laziness, but rather that I have been caught out by how quickly time has passed.
Three days ago I managed to turn my ankle whilst carrying scuba cylinders - the result is a crack and chip out of one of the minor bones in my ankle. This means that I am currently in a cast and confined to home for a week to rest and keep it elevated. It is frustrating being so confined, as well as rather painful, however 'every cloud has a silver lining' as it is allowing me to catch up with people and finally update the journal with what has happened this year, as well as post a few more photos.
So, how has the year progressed so far ?
January saw a New Year spent with both old and new friends. 12 months earlier we had only been on the island a few days and spent it in unfamiliar surroundings wondering what the year would hold. This year we drank beer and champagne, sitting on out decking with Kes & Sarah, as well as some of the good friends we have made on the island, namely Nik, Steve & Eric. A great evening, resulting in sitting on the beach watching the various New Year firework displays from the various resorts. Work wise, I was beginning to follow one of my main goals for the year, that of learning to drive the boats. Its been a while since I have to learn so much on a daily basis, luckily I have a good teacher, Deb, this still meant that I was getting home exhausted (both mentally & physically) for quite a while - every time I thought I was getting to grips with it, something new was thrown at me, reminding me how little I knew. Jo also managed to adopt a second potcake, 'Whiskers', so now we have 2 dogs !
February most importantly saw the birth of Ruby Read (the daughter of Jo's sister Heloise, and brother-in-law Terry). She was born on February 17th. There were big changes at work, with 4 members of the team leaving, shrinking the team drastically. This meant more work for the remaining staff and saw my boat driving being 'stepped up', to try and get me upto speed sooner rather than later. The month also saw a great trip to Cuba with Kes, where we met up with one of my best mates, Giz - this has been one of my highlights of the year to date - nuff said as there is a separate story on this in the journal. Finally the month saw one of my best diving experiences to date - having a 40ft humpback whale swim right by me in 40ft of water and no further than 30ft away. The whole experience lasted no more than a couple of minutes, but the memory will remain with me forever.
March saw Jo leaving Beaches and moving to the dive centre Big Blue (www.bigblue.tc). They differ from the other centres in that they are also an eco centre, offering kayaking, mountain biking, and island tours. All those who know Jo, know that this sort of diversity is ideal for her and she has enjoyed the variety of work ever since. They are also slightly more exclusive operation, often undertaking private charters and catering to some of the more famous visitors to the island - Jo has even managed to take Tom Cruise diving (and yes apparently he is a very nice bloke). We finally gave upon the jeep ever becoming a reliable form of transport (its now a project !), so we bought a Ford Explorer which has made a big difference to our lives to date. We also managed to escape the island for a day, along with Kes & Sarah, by visiting North Caicos (again a separate story exists). Finally and a significant milestone for me was finally driving the boats without another Captain to be there for guidance and reassurance.
April is a busy time of year here, the team at Dive Provo was thankfully back at full strength and not too much took place outside of work. We managed a visit to the Cheshire Hall Plantation on Provo on one of our days off, this is one of the best preserved on the islands, at its peak it covered approximately 5,000 acres. When the plantation was finally abandoned,384 slaves were left behind, these are believed to be the people from whom the 'Belongers' (native population) have descended.
May saw further progression for me at Dive Provo, as I was offered, and accepted the role of Operations Manager. The month also saw both myself and Jo returning to the UK (separately) to see our respective family & friends. It was great for both of us to be home for a few days after having been away for 18 months. It was especially special for Jo as she finally got to see her new niece, Ruby. Whilst away Kes & Sarah moved into the apartment beneath us - who would believe that your school mate and best mate, that you have known for 25 years (since that age of 14) , would not only also become a Scuba Instructor, but end up on the same island as you (some 4500 miles from the UK) and also be your next door neighbor - small world !
June saw Jo starting to drive boats at Big Blue and continue to fit in well at work. For me work was taken up continuing with my new role, whilst still driving boats & diving on a daily basis - challenging but fun. The waters continued to warm and saw the shortie wetsuit being hung away and the rash vest taking its place.
July saw another busy month at work for both of us, with evenings being generally relaxed and days off dealing with the mundane. The day out on 'Scot-Free' (see 'following your dream'), being the highlight of our free time.
So finally to August, Jo is now driving the boats unaided and enjoying every minute of it. We both still love being on the island and are in the great position of both enjoying our work generally. The ankle has laid me up for a few days, but is allowing me to catch up with all the things that have have been putting off this year - its easy to adapt to island time !
We are off on holiday in September (hopefully I will not be in a cast), with a 2 week road trip through the American Southern Sates of Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, visiting Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans - so watch this space.
