lee stocking island

**nerd alert**
the following photos may prove quite boring for some but i couldn’t help but share…

for two nights we anchored outside of lee stocking island, home of an abandoned NOAA marine research center. together with tove and alfred from gaija, we perused the land and all of its buildings for most of one day and the next, finding it fascinating. we aren’t sure of the exact date of when the center was established but based on the decor and some relics we saw we believe its heyday may have been sometime around the 80’s. the center was abandoned only a few years ago, in 2013. all of the buildings were left unlocked and it seemed as though the people there had no warning and left in a big hurry. there were items ranging from expensive machinery to cooking spices still left lying around. we were constantly baffled at the dangerous chemicals left out in the open and at how much of a mess the place was. it seemed no-one cared enough to clean up. maybe they intend to reopen? the whole thing was such a mystery…

sorry in advance for the excessive amount of photos, i actually went through and picked my favorite

 

we snorkeled the reef outside the docking area and saw spotlights and cameras they must have used to film the fish they were studying. super cool. it seemed like it was once a really neat place…hopefully one day they get the funds to reopen.

**we are finally in an area with wifi so more interesting photos to come