Sailing on Fortitude (July 18-23)

Christmas tree worm on star coral (Jul 20, 2004, 12:05pm) The red growth on the top of this star coral is actually a worm, called the Christmas tree worm. You see a lot of these on the coral, although this is one of the more spectacular specimens. The twin "Christmas trees" (red with white tips in this worm) are the worm's radioles. The worm uses these radioles to filter plankton out of the water for food, and also to breathe.

Seagull hangs out on the dingy (Jul 20, 2004, 02:30pm) The sailboat has a small dingy that is used to ferry people between the boat and shore. When not in use, the dungy simple floats (or is dragged) behind the sailboat at the end of a rope. This seagull found the dingy to be a convenient platform to hand out waiting for table scraps.

Family beach day on Sandy Island (Jul 20, 2004, 03:10pm) Sandy Island is a popular spot for the sailors. After mooring, many people take a dingy over to the island to spend some quality time on the beach.