St. Thomas, USVI
18.20.204N
64.55.523W

We awoke during the night to gusts of wind that caused the mooring lines to strain against the toe rail of the boat. We peeked up to make sure that our day mooring was holding us through the night; it was doing a fine job. By morning we started dancing around the mooring with the gusty winds well into the 20 knot range. Apparently, a high pressure system was moving through the area bringing the winds out of the north.

We radioed to our buddy boats inside the harbor and told them that we wouldn’t be snorkeling in 20 kts winds as it would stir the water up too much but would instead wait for a break in the winds to sail over to St. Thomas to start preparing the boat for our guests. The break never came, so we tucked a couple of reefs in the mail sail and the jib and headed out.

With gusts up to 28 kts we scooted over to St. Thomas doing speeds of 6.5 -7.5. Thrilling just bordering on nervy. Thank heavens the seas hadn’t had time to build into anything dramatic.

Even in the protected Charlotte Amalie Harbor where the wind stayed at 6-7 kts for the majority of the time, suddenly would gust to 30 and 40 kts unexpectedly.

We anchored in just about the same place as we had a few days earlier and started to unpack the guest berth and forward head to incorporate those items into our stateroom in the back. That task done, we joined MTNest, who had also returned to St. Thomas to pick up guests for dinner at The Green House.

St. John, USVI
Salt Pond Bay
18.18.115N
64.42.243W

We tried sailing today but as we didn’t have more than 5-8 knots, we weren’t going anywhere very quick. Eventually, we gave up and turned the motor on.

Each time we fire up the engine in these waters, I’m reminded of when James (about aged 10) would ask in an extremely frustrated manner, why we couldn’t just turn on the engine when we wanted to go a short distance. Why did we have to go so far in the opposite direction just to turn around to almost come back to where we started? Today it was his father who was getting frustrated at not being able to make the progress he had hoped for.

By noon, we closed in on Salt Pond Bay. Unfortunately, there were not enough moorings left for the 3 buddy boats. As we were the last one in, we took a day mooring to the side of the entrance hoping that another boat would leave by night.

We grabbed a light lunch and then dinghied to Booby Rock to snorkel. What a treat! There was a colorful array in both fish and coral. Finally, there were the schools of tropical fish that I remembered as once being here. There was also a wonderful underwater topography of canyons, walls, huge crevices, and all sorts of rock formations and places to explore. We swam around the entire cay twice; first one way, then the other.

We then dinghied to the reef that was located near the anchorage where our friends were. This was a good place to snorkel but paled in comparison to what was only a short distance further out. We told the other 2 boats about Booby Rock but by the time they tried to go out, a dive boat had taken the only mooring ball available and didn’t want to share the rope. We told them that we enjoyed it so much, we’d probably go back tomorrow morning. They’ll try again at that time as well.

Friday, Gerry & Nicky (our friends from home) will be coming for a short visit. We’re so excited to see them! Tomorrow, we’ll head back to St. Thomas to tidy up a bit and pick up a few fresh veggies in anticipation of their arrival. Then off to the British Virgin Islands for a week.

St. John, USVI
Leinster Bay
18.21.823N
64.43.376W

Happy 48th Birthday Gary. Hope it was a good one!

We continued on to Leinster Bay this morning. In years past this was another favorite anchorage. In fact, I used to have a poster of it hanging in my office at work.

Leinster is now covered with mooring balls as is all of St. John. This has pros and cons associated with it but the more I think about it, the more I’m leaning towards it being a good thing. They’re easy to pick up, even those with less experience who charter boats can figure out how to tie up to one. They allow more boats into the anchorage without the problem of having enough room to swing (although we have heard of an anchorage where this isn‘t necessarily so.) There isn’t the problem of those with less experience or just bad luck dragging into you. However, the major draw back is that you have to pay for them instead of dropping your anchor for free, and . . . They are supposed to be paid for in advance, and . . . There is no refund if they overbook.

We flagged down the Park Ranger and asked about how and where to pay for the use of the mooring balls. It’s a bit of a catch 22. You take a dinghy around the point to a mail drop along a path. The catch is that there is no place to land your dinghy. Dale found it easier to dinghy into shore where we were and walk the distance along a path rather than mess up our dinghy on the rocks. The Ranger also explained that you are obligated to take a mooring ball if one is available but if one is not, then you are allowed to anchor beyond the mooring field.

There are “bay sitters” as well. These are volunteers who make sure that everyone knows the rules and keep track of who comes in and out of ‘their’ particular bay. The Park actually generates spread sheets showing who is where and if they’ve paid or not. I think this probably works for the charter boat companies but we cruisers throw a monkey wrench into the whole mess.

Eventually we snorkeled Waterlemon Cay and found that the coral was doing much better but the fish didn’t seem to be as abundant. We had a good time anyway.

I think the most fun was when a rather well endowed lady snorkeling in one direction around the Cay tried to readjust her bathing suit, exposing herself completely to Mike who was swimming towards her from the other direction. They both looked up to see each and started screaming underwater, each trying to get out of the way of the other. What a hoot! They scared every fish and swimmer within ear shot.

Tom and Jordan on St. Christopher told us about a great snorkeling area called Booby Rock over by Salt Pond on the south side of St. John. None of us have ever been so we’ll head over in that direction tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what happens to Mike over there.

St. John, USVI
Caneel Bay
18.20.804N
64.47.366W

I remember a song from an old Broadway show . . . La, la, la, . . . I enjoy being a girl!

This morning the crews from the 3 boats dinghied into the dinghy dock and went shopping. Elaine wanted to pick up some things from Kmart. Terri wanted to check out the grocery store to see what was available when her company comes in, and the guys wanted to dump the trash. I’m still looking for a current cruising guide to the Virgin Islands; ours is dated 1994.

When this was all done and the groceries stored on board, we roared off into town. We followed the others around the duty free shops and souvenir stores until we found Drake’s Alley and Liberty Jewelers. The people at Liberty Jewelers were well known by the Wives Clubs on Roosey for having great prices. I don’t think any of us have ever forgotten them. So Dale and I excused ourselves from the group and promised to meet up with them later for lunch on MTNest.

Ladies, it’s not very often your husband is in the mood to buy you jewelry but when he is, go for it! I’ve decided not to think practically any more. This entire trip I’ve been saying I can’t wear it; I don’t want to lose it; I don’t want it stolen. Today, I started off saying the same thing but when it became evident that he was going to get something in spite of my protests, I picked out something I liked. Actually I picked out 3 somethings I liked. Rather I picked out 8 somethings I liked and narrowed it down to 3; a necklace with 2 different pendants for it. I still won’t wear them on board and will most likely tuck them someplace safe so that I won’t find them again until we off load everything. For now, I have a pretty necklace that I can wear two different ways once we get back to somewhere that I will have more than shorts and a bathing suit to wear.

After lunch we hoisted anchors and pointed our bows toward St. John. Our intention was to anchor in Cruz Bay and visit their town. Unfortunately, the bay looked a little crowded, so we moved further along the coastline to Caneel Bay and took a mooring. We’ve been told that the Forestry Service has mooring balls in all of our old anchorages and that in many of them, you are no longer allowed to anchor. I really do need to find a current cruising guide so that I can make sure we don’t get fined. In any event, the rain came and none of us went anywhere. Tomorrow we’ll try again.

St. Thomas, USVI
18.20.204N
64.55.523W

Have you ever done something so many times that one day you do it without thinking but totally screw it up?

DocNoMore and MTNest hoisted anchor and pulled out about an hour before us and motored the entire way to St. Thomas. However, I had managed to pinch the sail in the mast by pulling the out furler more than I pulled the out haul, essentially unrolling it in the mast before pulling it out far enough first. Dale ended up standing on the boom and pushing the sail in an inch at a time so that we could tighten it back up and pull it out correctly. As a result of this delay, we caught the change in direction of wind and were able to sail from Culebrita to St. Thomas under blue skies, fair winds and extremely calm seas on a single tack.

(Note: this was the first time we used the windless after Dale replaced the motor and thankfully, it worked beautifully. Patience only goes so far and I‘m sure I used most of his up today.)

We arrived at St. Thomas about 4 pm and were amazed by how much the harbor town had grown and changed. We knew that the Charlotte Amalie’s Yacht Haven had been destroyed in a hurricane and was in the process of being rebuilt. Yet again, knowing and seeing are two different things. There is absolutely nothing remaining of the old Yacht Haven buildings. The only evidence of their prior existence are the concrete piers that are still standing. It appears that the new Yacht Haven will be bigger and better and I'm sure, more expensive.

One little interesting note, the buildings in town that have been standing on this island since the 1600’s are still standing with no noticeable damage. I wonder what that says about our new, improved, bigger and better technology.

We joined the others when they returned from exploring and shopping and have decided to head to town tomorrow to see what other changes have taken place.

Culebrita, PR
18 19.173N
65.13.699W
I awoke this morning hearing an engine near to us but then bounded out of bed when I heard another that sounded as if it was going to run us over. The Puerto Rican Armada was arriving.

Dale was already awake, sipping his morning coffee in the cockpit and watching the morning activity. Huge powerboats would come roaring in, drop their anchor, then back up to the beach before dropping a second anchor. Each boat that arrived seemed to be a larger version of the one before it. Already there were twice as many boats as there were last night when I went to sleep. Oh well, the secret is out I guess.

As pre-arranged, we met the crews of DocNoMore and MTNest and hiked the trails up to the lighthouse on the hill. We were a bit disappointed when we arrived and found the lighthouse was surrounded by a fence with barbed wire at the top but we took our pictures and returned, pretty much, the way we had come. Only one detour to the wrong bay. What can I tell you, it’s hard to tell which path to take when they all look like deer paths to begin with.

We returned to the correct bay to see that it had been completely inundated with powerboats. They were lined up the entire length of the bay, except for where our sailboats, on the moorings, blocked their further assault on the beach. Or so we thought.

By noon, when it appeared that you couldn’t get any more boats backed onto the beach, one resourceful captain decided to drop his anchor, then back over our mooring line at an angle to access the beach beyond. Once he did this, others followed. Within an hour, we were perpendicular to four powerboats on the beach with nowhere to swing. Dale was determined to “hold his ground” but I was a nervous wreck. You know the old saying “when Mamma’s not happy, no one’s happy.” This boat is my home; I was definitely not happy!

Needless to say, we dropped our mooring line and backed out to where we could anchor; a feat in itself considering how many anchor lines where stretched along our path. Dale was a bit put out but I felt a lot better.

I spent the rest of the afternoon swimming, snorkeling, floating in the water with Terri and guesstimating that the 50 boats in this single bay were probably valued in excess of $20,000,000. Except for the overwhelming number of powerboats, I think Terri finally found that ‘one particular harbor’ she’s been looking for. What a great day.

Tonight, we’re listening to the Armada’s music and trying to keep the Palace lit up so that the drunk dinghy racers don’t run into us. I honestly think they’re using us as a marker on their outside leg.

Tomorrow, we’ll head to St. Thomas and, hopefully, the Armada will head back home.

Culebrita, Puerto Rico
18 19.173N
65.13.699W
Today, we slipped our lines to go sailing. We radioed ahead to harbor patrol to advise them of our sail plan (the new routine,) then raised our sails and exited the harbor into the channel between Puerto Rico and Vieques. The wind (15 - 18 kts) and seas (2-3’) were perfect sailing weather. The sun was shining, the sail upwind was brisk and we thoroughly enjoyed our 5 hour sail to Culebrita.

Dale did have to rescue the dinghy when one of the cables holding it on to the davits gave way and had to be replaced. Thank heavens we had made several more and had them ready for this small emergency.

Twelve years ago, Culebrita had been one of our favorite anchorages in that it was a nice stopping place between Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. It was quiet, as we rarely saw more than one or two boats on the few occasions when we didn’t have the entire anchorage to ourselves, and I could let the kids swim with the turtles and explore the reefs inside the horseshoe shaped bay without worry. Today, we found that it had 6 - 8 mooring balls. Obviously, it has become more popular.

MTNest had held the last mooring ball for us and we easily slid up to it and secured ourselves for the night. We met the crews of DocNoMore, MTNest and St. Christopher on DocNoMore and visited until sunset. They told us how much they had been enjoying the bay and wanted to stay an extra day to explore the lighthouse on the nearby hillside tomorrow. So, that’s what we’ll do tomorrow.

Roosey Roads, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W
Computer Melt Down, Part II.

Before Dale went in search of a computer store this morning he called Fred, his buddy who just so happens to be a computer guru. Fred ran through all of the functions I had found in the computer manual (I’m female, I read the book first) plus a few more, and felt that the crystal display was shot but that it could be a loose connection.

So, Dale went up to ask Hector, the marina manager, who to call for computer problems. Hector said he always called Dan in the work shop. Dan is the resident techy type right here on the base. After a quick inspection, Dan said the same thing as Fred. It could be a loose connection but more than likely, the crystal display was shot. He was also familiar with our story; one minute its there, the next its not. The two guys discussed the pros and cons of sending the entire computer back to the manufacturer for a new screen, the costs associated with such a task and decided that our best course of action would be to buy a new monitor for the computer.

This entailed another car rental. So, off I go to rent another car for the trips to the various stores to compare prices and pick up a new monitor. I learned that there was a new Sam’s and a Wal-Mart in Humacao, the opposite direction of where we‘ve been shopping prior to this. It was the same distance as the one in Carolina but if I took the toll road, it would be quicker. So I spent the better part of the day comparison shopping while Dale finished off the genset repairs.

We now have a flat screen monitor about the same size as the computer that also needs to be stowed in a safe place prior to taking off. This poor boat is going to sink under the weight of everything it has to carry. At least we have our communication system jury rigged for use again and that takes some of the panic out of the situation. Now I need to locate all of those software disks and load them onto this computer for a true backup.

I guess you could say that this is another installment of ‘what do you do all day‘.

Roosey Roads, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W
The unthinkable has finally happened. I am devastated.

We started the day anticipating that Dale would get the windless back together and possibly start working on putting the little shock absorbers on the genset that came in the mail so that we could catch up with our boat buddies heading to Culebra.

Then, suddenly, my computer crapped out. Yes I mean crapped, not crashed! This morning it worked fine in the bowling alley when I decided to catch up on our bills. Two hours later, we could hardly get a picture. In fact, it was only because I was sitting at an angle that I could see that there were images on the screen, they just weren’t illuminated.

I tried turning the lights out to see if that helped. That made it worse. Then I grabbed a flashlight; we could see enough for Dale to print out the database I had set up with all of our financial information in it. That stopped the cussing and threat of tears.

Then I started thinking of all of the other information we have stored on it. All of our electronic charts. All of the addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses for our family and friends. The pictures of the grandbabies. The blog posts. My recipes. The calendar with everyone’s birthdates and the maintenance log for the boat. Finally, it really hit. All of the software for connecting the sat phone with the weather information is loaded on that computer. My God, we can’t go anywhere!

Yes, we had purchased a back up computer, the one I’m presently using, but we hadn’t taken the time to transfer any of the information to it. Of course, I realize that until this trip, we’ve never used any of the weather information software. But we’ve become accustomed to having it available to us and we like knowing what may be coming towards us over the horizon. So now what?

Dale thinks that we brought all of the disks to load the weather connection software into this computer. I have backup disks of the electronic charts but unsure of whether I brought the software package that makes them all work together. The computer itself if out of warranty (of course) so we’ll make our excuses to the rest of the flotilla and stay an extra day to take it in to a repair facility. Hopefully, it will be a loose connection of some type. Otherwise, I’ll see if they can download my hard drive onto a thumb drive and I can transfer it that way.

You know, if isn’t not one thing, it’s another!! My budget is too totally shot for words.

Roosey Road, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

We exchanged our small car for a minivan today and headed to El Yunque, the only rain forest in the U.S. Forestry Service. We wound our way up the narrow streets of the mountain to the visitor center where we stopped for a short film regarding the history of El Yunque and the work toward bringing the Puerto Rican Parrot back from near extinction. We admired the orchids hanging throughout the center, the red ginger flowers, the multicolored lobsterclaw flowers, and the multitude of other topical flowers, shrubs and trees too beautiful to describe.

We continued up the mountain past the pink impatients growing wild along the roadside and ferns of every shape and size to stop again for a photo-op near a waterfall close to the road. A few of us climbed up the rocks for a better pose; you never really grow up.

When we reached our destination, we stopped again to hike to the La Mina waterfall located at the junction of two nature trails. We ventured into the thick shade of the forest along a pathway that meandered up and down along the side of the mountain. The sights, sounds, smells and feel of the forest were a delight to all of the senses. The chirping of the coqui tree frog (yes during the day time) could be heard along with the tweets and calls of the birds, the wind rustling through the leaves of the canopy overhead and the sound of falling water in the distance. Light filtered through the canopy wherever it could to dance upon the vines and flowers before being soaked into the decaying wood to provide the incubator for new life to spring up. Even the boulders were a sight to behold and touch with the variety of mosses and ferns clinging to them.
This wonder and mystique was broken only by the shrieks and shrills of children of all ages playing in the waterfall beyond. At the end of the trail, a small stone bridge arched over the stream and ascended to the hillside beyond where the second trail also ended. On either side of the bridge, boulders were populated with humans looking much like sea lions, entertaining themselves by sliding into the water, climbing out on the rocks to warm themselves, preening before their mates, or clapping at their offspring's marvelous tricks. The water was brisk, bordering on frigid, but once submerged, it became refreshing on a hot day. The six of us frolicked until we recalled that we were only half way through as we still had to make our way back, which amazingly, didn't seem as far when we did reach the car.

On our way back down the mountain, we stopped at a tower shaped like a turret on a castle that had 750 steps up to a beautiful panorama of the surrounding areas. As I've climbed this before, I stayed on the ground and took pictures of everyone hanging out of the windows, instead of climbing them myself. I remember the last time I did something like that and since we're headed for a tour of the Bacardi Rum factory tomorrow, I want to be in perfect condition for that.

Roosey Road, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

Maybe it's just my imagination, but this morning, we met the base Commanding Officer, the Security Chief for the base, and a few other people. Until recently, this has been a sleepy little base. Suddenly, Dale was holding court on the dock in front of our boat with everyone who just happened to be dropping by the marina today and wanted to say hi to the new folks.

Last night we traveled to San Juan to pick up Roger & Elaine returning from Denver where they visited with their daughter's family in record setting cold weather. They both returned with colds. They said that their little granddaughter is a "Petri dish" for bacteria but they thoroughly enjoyed their visit.

Again we made the rounds to the necessary stores; West Marine, WalMart, the local grocery store. I'm beginning to think that the greeters are going to know us by name after this. Three times in three days.

Roosey Road, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

OK, OK! I apologize for being remiss in updating my posts.

For the last 10 days, Dale and I settled into a routine of him rising each morning at dawn to jog and I would sleep in. Then he would return to attack a project and I would ride my bicycle to our old house on the opposite side of the base and back for exercise (and stay out of the way of the salty language associated with the project.) I thought I was riding about 7 miles each day. I found out that I was riding closer to 13 miles instead. No wonder I'd get back exhausted.

Anyway, he tore apart both toilets to clean them (the first one took about half a day, the second took about an hour). We took the windless motor in for testing and found that it was shot; but we were lucky (so far) that we've been told that we can replace just the motor, instead of the whole windless (we should know tomorrow if the motor is in.) We took the main sail down and took it into the sail loft to have the repair I made replaced. (My repair did hold but the webbing that I used stretched and that was why the sail started to sag (See 01/25/2006). I now have a bit of the correct type of webbing in my repair kit.)

We cleaned the bottom of the boat again. The protective paint is starting to die and the barnacles and grass are starting to grow more aggressively in the warm Caribbean waters. It was the first time I used the hooka and found that it was harder than I had anticipated. Normally when using scuba gear, it's easier to draw a breath from the tanks. When using this apparatus, I found it more difficult to draw a breath and then trying to keep from pushing away from the boat while scrubbing was exhausting.

Mike & Terri returned from the Miami Boat Show. They fly back to Miami to help at the Manta Catamaran exhibition each year. The 4 of us drove around Fajardo running our various errands. Then we took them around the base but this time, the security guards chased us away from a housing area and then followed us around as we toured other areas that for the last 10 days have been open access. We noticed that they were also wearing their flak jackets and that they were closing the main gates after dark. Me thinks there's something about! Oh well, if they say shoo! We shoo!

Tonight Roger & Elaine return from Denver, so the crew will all be together again.

Roosey Road, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

Dale and I are definitely getting our exercise these days. Dale has returned to his Roosey routine of jogging bright and early each day. Then after he returns, he rides his bike with me as I pedal my way to the bowling alley for my news and internet fix. After we returned, he tore apart the windless, then called the vendor and their representatives in the area to discuss the motor problem. I have a feeling that this month's budget is really, really shot.

In the meantime, I made a potato salad from scratch. Not that it's any big deal. I used to do it all the time. However, once I started finding a potato salad in the stores that I could just 'touch up', I got lazy. So when I sat down tonight to write this post, I sat here thinking 'what did I do today?' Just domestic stuff; no short cuts.

This evening we met the crews from St. Christopher, Dawn Trader & DeDeMau for a pot luck barbeque. It was Tom's birthday and tomorrow DeDeMau is heading out on their return to the States. We sat and visited until the MiMi's or No-See-Um's, or flying teeth, whatever you might want to call them, chased us away. Lots of great food, including a pretty good home made potato salad.

Roosey Road, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

We arose before dawn this morning to get DocNoMore and MTNest to the airport on time. Traffic has probably gotten worse, if anything, but I did notice that they don't honk their horns the way they used to. They still drive on the shoulder of the road and a red light still means 3 more cars can go through, but I saw a lot more police cars monitoring the traffic than I remember in days past.

The airport is in the process of adding a new terminal and the landscaping is now 12 years old and well established. I almost didn't recognize the turn off for it. It's a good thing there was a sign.

Downtown also looked like it was undergoing a revival of sorts. It seemed cleaner than I remembered it. There was fresh paint on the apartment buildings and not as much clutter hanging on and out of the tiny patios associated with them.

After we dropped off everyone, we headed on to Ft. Buchanan and picked up a few items. Dale felt that we depend too much on our computer and decided that we needed a back up one in case something dreadful befalls this one. Normally, I'm the one that likes backups but instead I told him that he just blew this month's budget. What it really means is that now I have to stuff two into the oven during thunder storms.

Dale returned the car to the rental agency and was warned by the gate guards when he pedaled his way back, that the base requires helmets when riding bicycles. Another catch-22. We don't have helmets on the boat. To buy helmets, we need to ride our bikes to the nearest stores off base or to another car rental agency. Maybe there will be a different guard on duty when we have to go out again.

Roosey Road, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

Prior to renting a car today, we hitched a ride with some of our boat neighbors to the bowling alley and finally were able to upload our posts. I also tried to get caught up on paying some of our bills electronically and promptly locked myself out of one of my accounts. Without a telephone, I couldn't call the bank to ask them to reset my password and going back to the boat to use the sat phone, I'm couldn't access the internet to find out what I was doing wrong. A modern catch-22.

Since, we had to rent a car to take DocNoMore and MTNest to the airport tomorrow, we took advantage of the situation. First we checked in with them to make sure everything was still a go and suggested meeting for dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day, then took off to make sure we still knew how to get around this side of the island.

For those of you reading this that were stationed here at the same time we were, you wouldn't believe the changes. Back then, if you saw something you thought you might have a need for in the next 6 months, you were advised to pick it up, as you might not see it again when you did need it. If it couldn't be found on base, I had to travel to the nearest mall in Carolina, about an hour away. I was in hog heaven when they built a WalMart a few miles outside of the gates of the base. Today, there are strip malls leading up to WalMart and all the way to Plaza Carolina. Every store, restaurant, and service is represented and now the mall in Carolina is about an hour and a half away.

The first thing we did was get a telephone so that we could make calls at a reasonable rate. Then we tried to find the Mexican restaurant we'd been telling our friends about to make reservations for dinner. We thought it was called Lolita's but when we found Lolita's, we recognized it as once being a little hole in the wall that served great food. It has since tripled in size and is a fashionable restaurant now. The one we had been looking for was Mona's. The hill top where it was located has been leveled off and now there are hundreds of condos overlooking the ocean. We were able to locate the West Marine, a Home Depot, a WalMart, and the sail loft but we'll have to wait until another time to visit those stores.

We had been invited to cocktails and hors d'oeuvres for this evening on St. Christopher, one of the boats here at Roosey to meet all of the other 'live aboards'. So we rushed back to join them for an hour or so before we returned to pick up the crews from DocNoMore and MTNest for a Valentine's dinner at Lolita's. We met two other couples, Chris & Jeff on Dawn Trader and Shirley & Jack on DeDeMau, both of whom have been cruising for some time and are now on their way back to the States.

There's something about having a car these days that means packing as much as you possibly can in the 24 hours that you have it. Tomorrow we'll pick up DocNoMore and MTNest at 6:30am to take them to the airport. Then we'll head over to Ft. Buchanan to run through the PX before we have to take the car back. Dale promised to check into some of the weekend specials that car rentals have, so that we can finish off some of our projects.

Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

We sailed away from our anchorage at Green Beach and pointed our bow towards Roosey Roads. Approaching from Vieques, there were a few changes that we noticed right away. A new commercial fuel dock that was only in its construction phase when we left here. There were new barracks that we could see on the hill that we didn't recognize. The mooring field in the harbor appeared to be larger than we remembered and the slips have been greatly improved.

We radioed ahead to the harbor master for permission to enter the harbor and when we were granted authorization, the next radio transmission was to the marina, who told us to take whatever slip we wanted. We took one that, if it isn't our old one, it's very near it. There were quite a few boats here; all at slips. Water, electricity, showers and the laundry room were included in the slip fees.

After washing the Palace off and doing our laundry, we pulled out our bicycles and headed towards the bowling alley to upload these posts. Unfortunately, the bowling alley, where the internet access is located, is only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and the small restaurant associated with the bowling alley is only open from 9am - 2pm the rest of the time. We'll pedal in again tomorrow to try once more.

We've lived here from 1991-1994, when this base was working at full capacity. Now, although all of the lawns are still well maintained and all of the bougainvillea and hibiscus are still vibrantly blooming, the atmosphere is surreal. The road leading to the opposite side of the base where the Officer's Club and golf course were and the road leading to the high school and Officer housing are blocked off with signs warning that special permission is required to travel beyond the barriers. The Navy Lodge, the new commissary, the old exchange and all of the little shops associated with it stand empty. The hospital is empty, all of the barracks are empty, the schools are closed; the MacDonalds is abandoned. The post office is still functional but on a limited basis. No traffic. No people. Total quiet. We understand that there are only 15 or so people left as security for the area but, supposedly, only the Commanding Officer is living on base. Other than that, we are only one of a handful of 'live-a-boards' who are the only other residents of this base. The remaining boats are stored here.

Being here brought back so many happy memories. Dale and I speculated as to what it would take to live here again. His retirement would cover the boat payment and the slip fees. Our cruising kitty would cover food and fuel for a while. It's the insurance we having a hard time with. Oh well, looks like one of us will have to go back to work; at least part time. I believe that's called locum tenems.

At least for now, we're going to be here for a few weeks. I'll try to keep the posts interesting.

Green Beach, Vieques
18.06.976N
65.34.639W

This morning while Dale cranked the anchor up, I pulled out the main and we sailed away from our anchorage. We haven't done that in a long time. By the time we left the bay, we were sailing at 7.8 kts. In monohull speed, that's flying. We turned out of the bay and started surfing down the waves with 18-20kts of wind coming from behind us to push us along. What a blast! Later when we turned the corner of Vieques and headed to Green Beach, it was a beam reach, so the cats screamed along at 10 and 11 kts and we brought up the rear with our 7-8 kts. Considering we are traveling with catamarans, I thought we made a respectable presentation.

Green Beach is definitely a home coming of sorts. We used to sail here on weekends or even long afternoons, if we could get away. It's more lush than I remember but we figure that its because we were stationed here shortly after Hurricane Hugo swept through and more than likely cleared away a lot of the brush.

As its the weekend, there were about 20 or so powerboats here but without the blaring music that we remember associated with them. DocNoMore & MTNest explored the beach area while Dale & I sat on our boat reminiscing. We invited them over in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day listening and discussing our eclectic collection of music. I made a big pot of jambalaya for dinner which we ate at sun down while listening to Mike play his sax. It was a beautiful day no matter which way you looked at it.

We look forward to seeing our old home, Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, tomorrow.

Sun Bay, Vieques
18.05.540N
65.27.381W

Happy Birthday Geri! We hope you had a wonderful day.

The group decided to stay an extra day at Sun Bay so today we toured the various gift shops to see some of the local artisans' work. Unfortunately, the items I was drawn to were made in China. We explored the town to find the local Catholic Church for Mike &Terri, found some interesting fruit trees that we couldn't identify, then walked along the beach back to our dinghies to return to our boats.

For some reason or other the swell at Sun Bay has been particularly troublesome. Each time we've landed our dinghies, we've all had to time our approaches, then pull the dinghies out quickly before they were swamped. Over the last two days, each one of us has had to bail our dinghies out to some degree. Suddenly, I'm wearing two and three changes of clothing a day and not because I want to.

Tomorrow we'll head to Green Beach, our old weekend get away from when we were stationed at Roosey.

Sun Bay, Vieques
18.05.540N
65.27.381W

We waved goodbye to Mac at 6:45am as we pulled out of Palmas del Mar Harbor and turned our bows toward Sun Bay on Vieques. We have been telling everyone about the great phosphorescent bay near there where we used to take our children when they were younger and couldn't wait to show them in person. We'd heard that the locals are now making tours to the bay and discouraging boaters from entering on their own but we thought we'd just wait until after dark and give it a shot anyway.

We had a great transit across to Vieques and anchored by 10:15 am in Sun Bay which is beautifully accented by a long, white sand, crescent shaped beach. Incredibly, we had the bay to ourselves while the next bay down, Puerto Real, was rather crowded.

At lunchtime, we dinghied to the almost deserted beach and walked the short distance to the little seaside village of Esperanza, which has become quite the little tourist town. Scooters, kayaks and jet ski rentals were everywhere; gift shops and restaurants were peppered in between. Photo-ops along the wide cobblestone walkway bordering the beach appeared by every palm tree as you looked out at the sea with the mountains in the distance. We stopped for some of the famous burgers at the Bananas Bar & Grill (which we paid premium prices for) before returning to our respective boats.

Dale took the opportunity to put the two zinks on the shaft while we were anchored in clear water. The remaining zink that had been on our shaft was now completely gone, so it was good timing. With us using two zinks every six months, we'll make sure to have a few in our inventory before we leave Puerto Rico.

The full moon was already up when evening came and we joined everyone on MTNest. Mike played his sundown sax melodies before we sat down to a wonderful pork chop dinner. About 8 pm, we divided ourselves into two groups of 3; Elaine, Dale and I in one boat and Mike, Terri and Roger in the second, for the ride over to Mosquito Bay, the official name of the phosphorescent bay.

As I mentioned earlier, Dale and I have done this a couple of times before. We know that it can be a wild ride if the wind is up but since all was quiet in the bay, we hoped that the small swell in the bay would be all that we'd encounter. Of course, a small swell in the bay means a large swell outside of the bay and our one mile dinghy ride turned into one of the water rides amusement parks yearn for. Dale tried to minimize the splash by taking the waves at an angle but then we ended up getting closer to the rocks we were trying to avoid. Eventually, we made it around the last rocky outcropping, soaked to the skin, and turned into the bay.

Once again, the conditions calmed and by the time we entered through the narrow into the phosphorescent bay, it was flat and glassy. We turned off our outboard light and kept going. And going. And going, and going, and going. Did I mention that it was a full moon? In the past, I remembered that the glow from the fish movement would be a green glow when there was any moon showing and a neon blue glow without any light. What little we could see tonight was pale white and hard to discern from just the moonlight shining on our own wake. Needless to say, it was 'much ado about nothing' and a total bust. Thank heavens the ride back was an exhilarating surf and much, much quicker. However, we felt for Elaine knowing that Roger was going to be crumbling for some time about Mr. Toad's Wet & Wild Ride. If their dinghy was anything like ours, it took almost 10 minutes for the water to empty out when we got back.

Palmas del Mar, PR
18.04.680N
65.47.765W

Happy 50th Birthday Nicky! I hope you celebrated in a new red hat.

Dale is certainly getting a work out each morning as he cranks in the anchor chain. We had a nice motor sail to Palmas del Mar, tacking back and forth for a little extra assistance from the wind. As we turned from the south coast to the east coast of Puerto Rico, we were welcomed with steady winds off the starboard bow and dropped anchor about 4 hours later in the jetty protected harbor. Unfortunately, it doesn't protect us from all of the swell.

We quickly showered and changed into our yachtie attire (polo shirts and nice shorts) to see if we could locate Mac & Marie. We were in luck, we were able to find their telephone number in the book but they weren't at home. We looked around the few shops and restaurants, checked out the property values in the area at the local real estate office, then returned to the Palace.

We had missed DocNoMore and MTNest when they went exploring but when they radioed later, we thought we'd give Mac & Marie one more call before we headed in to meet the crew. This time we made contact and agreed to meet them at 5:30. As it turned out, we were anchored about 100 yards off their back patio.

We had a great visit and learned that Roosey's future is still unknown. They told us the hospital is vacant but is still being air conditioned to preserve its recent renovation with hopes that it can be used as a VA hospital. Apparently, the only services remaining are the marina, a tiny mini-mart associated with the marina and the bowling alley. Rumors abound regarding the fate of Roosey but we certainly hope that the Coast Guard or Army can take it under their protection.
They also told us that the anchorage that faces the sea behind their home is slated to become a marina with over a 100 slips. Needless to say, the homeowners aren't happy about the proposition.

Mike serenaded us on his sax from the top of his boat and many of the homeowners along the harbor came out to applaud.

Since DocNoMore and MTNest don't have to be in Fajardo until Monday, we have suggested a quick trip to Vieques to see the phosphorescent bay.

Dale and I sort of have the feeling of coming home. We're anxious to get to Roosey but a quick cruise to our old stomping grounds will be nice too.

Puerto Patillas
17.58.517N
66.00.012W

I'd like to say that we hoisted anchor and left in the dawn as usual, however, the windless hadn't improved with Dale's labor and he was forced to retrieve it manually cranking it in 6-8" at a time. With 100 or so feet out, it took time.

We tacked our way back and forth through the wind that was constantly on our nose the entire length of our trip which was made more interesting with the occasional rain cloud and 4-6' seas. After 4 hours, we anchored in Punta Patilla where we rocked and rolled for the rest of the day and where it doesn't appear to be letting up anytime soon.

We'll be heading to Palmas del Mar tomorrow. With any kind of luck, we'll be able to locate Gordon & Marie MacDonald. Mac was also stationed at Roosey's hospital when Dale was there and retired to Palmas.

Salinas, PR
17.57.383N
6617.539W

DocNoMore and MTNest slipped in and anchored before we poked our noses out of the boat today. We all had our little projects we wanted to complete and pretty much went our separate ways, meeting for lunch accidentally, then off again in different directions.

Dale tore apart the windless and greased the various wheels that looked like they needed it. He said that the motor ran great as long as there was no load put on it but even adding the wheels without any load seemed to slow it down. We won't know until tomorrow morning at 6:30 whether his maintenance helped or not. Our list for West Marine in Fajardo is getting longer and longer.

In checking our e-mails today, we learned that Chuck McLaughlin and his wife, Judy, will be in Fajardo in March. Chuck, Judy and Dale were all stationed at the hospital in Roosevelt Roads together 12 years ago. Dale crewed on Chuck's boat, Aggressive, for a couple of races and Chuck offered him a chance to race again in March. Dale's mulling over whether we can do everything we'd like and still make it south before hurricane season. In any event, we look forward to seeing Chuck & Judy again.

Tomorrow we head out for Puerto Patilla and will keep side stepping our way around the island until we get to Roosey Roads.

Salinas, PR
17.57.383N
6617.539W

Dale and I left Ponce before everyone else did today and ended up being the only boat to make it to Salinas before the winds made it impossible. As it was, we got caught out in them and ended up breaking a couple of attachments to our dinghy from all of the gyrations. It really didn't feel that rough but obviously it must have been more than what we normally encounter.

It took us a couple of tries to anchor in the mud and the last time Dale retrieved the anchor, the windless started grinding in a most distressful manner. He thinks that it only needs lubricating and will tear it apart tomorrow to accomplish this.

Once we were certain that we were securely anchored, Dale was able to find a marine store within walking distance where he purchased the pieces and parts needed to fix the dinghy attachments. He was also able to purchase a couple of zinks. We've been eating zinks recently and after consulting his books on the matter, he decided that it is the result of adding the copper dynaplate required for a single side band radio, near the steel shaft thus creating an electrical current between the two, forcing the two zinks to eat their little hearts out keeping an equilibrium. As he sees no way around this, we'll just have to keep a supply of zinks on hand to counteract the electrolysis.

DocNoMore and MTNest left about an hour to an hour and a half after us and ended up having to take shelter at Caja de Muertos, a small island half way between Ponce and Salinas. They were being slammed too hard by the afternoon winds and waves to continue on. When we last spoke, they anticipated an early morning transit to catch up. This means we'll be staying an extra day here. But!!! Salinas has WiFi, so you know what I'll be doing tomorrow.

Ponce, PR
17.57.881N
66.37.043W

We were supposed to visit the art museum and the sugar plantation mansions today, but I have been fighting a nasty headache for the last few days and today, it got the better of me and developed into a cold. Dale and I stayed back while the rest went sightseeing. They returned in time to watch the Super Bowl and Dale joined them up at the lounge area for the evening. I am drinking lots of water and sleeping.

Ponce, PR
17.57.881N
66.37.043W

Today we marveled at man and nature's awesome creations. We visited the Rio Camuy Caves and the radio telescope both located in Arecibo.

We crossed over the island from the south to the north, along a modern highway, over the mountain system, until it gave way to a small rural road that wound its way down through the subtropical forests to the bottom. We stopped for the construction that was building a giant bridge that would someday cut the distance in half but would also bypass the beauty we saw by traveling an arms length from the plants and people of the island itself. I was delighted to see that Puerto Rico is much cleaner that I remembered it to be 12 years ago when we were stationed here with the Navy.

The Rio Camuy Caves have only recently (the last 30 years) been available as a tourist destination. Obviously they were developed over thousands and thousands of years ago. The indigenous Indian tribes knew of their existence and used the caves for protection during the hurricanes of long ago. Then for the longest time, the caves were located on private property until the 1950's; my guess is that when the two major highways were built over them they were once again, "discovered". Anyway, it took 30 years to explore and develop the caves into the tourist attraction that they are today while preserving their natural beauty. The portion that you could once repel down into has been closed as the tour guides started developing lung problems from a fungus growing at the lower portions of the site.

What we were able to see, was phenomenal. It appeared to be only one cave that we were allowed to visit but the sheer size alone was extraordinary. There were stalactites and stalagmites and the ones that met in the middle were called columns. The ones that came down like icing on a cake were called drapes and the semi-liquid ones that might come down on your shoulders were called bat guano. At the very bottom was a river that was described be the world's 3rd largest underground river. Concealed lighting was used to illuminate various points of interest without loosing the sensation of being underground. Where the two natural openings where located, the tropical forest once again dropped its seeds and vegetation tried to gain a foothold.

When we reemerged, we sought out the Arecibo radio telescope, the largest in the world. I was kind of disappointed in this attraction as it didn't have any guides that we might have asked questions. What information was provided only added to my curiosity.

The radio telescope is used 24/7 for various scientific projects but there was no one to ask how many projects are being worked on, how many scientists can the location host (they can live on the premises), what have been some of their more interesting discoveries? What are they working on now? I suppose it didn't really matter, Dale and I were the only ones truly interested in seeing it. Roger & Mike fell asleep during the movie portion of the presentation and I don't think the other ladies were interested in astronomy.

One really cool presentation were the sphere's along the path leading up to the radio telescope. It started with a golden orb about the size of a basketball located in the parking lot representing the sun. Then along the path, each of the planets were depicted by a silver orb in relation to its distance from the sun. The first four were relatively close, the fifth at the top of the stairs, the next was located on one of the columns supporting the radio telescope. The next would have to be placed at the end of the island and Pluto, would have to be placed in Hawaii. Absolutely mind boggling when you think we're one of the smaller galaxies in the universe.

When you start thinking about both of the attractions, the caves and the radio telescope, side-by-side on a small island, one representing the past, the other the future, it's astounding in so many directions.

Ponce, PR
17.57.881N
66.37.043W

Once again we rose with the sun to make our way through the reefs and on to Ponce. We entered the harbor to find that Romance and Nicolini, who had traveled with us from Luperon, had arrived before us. Nicolini must have passed us while we were in Gilligan's Island, as we had left them in Boqueron.

We each took our turn at the fuel docks and then took slips. Roger and Mike were impressed that I was at the helm not only when we pulled into the fuel pier, but also when we pulled into the slip. All of the women are at the helm during our anchoring exploits and we all stand our own watches, but we see don't see the ladies at the helm pulling into slips very often. Dale and I started off with me at the helm as a safety measure in the event something happened to him, I could bring the boat in myself if I had to. Then, we attended a seminar that Tom Neale presented in which he encouraged the women to be the helmspersons, as the men had the upper body strength to fend off in emergency situations and manhandle spring lines as necessary. This we knew to be true, so we've just sort of left it that way. Anyway, I take acknowledgment when I can get it and today they both had kind words that I appreciated.

The three boats split the cost of renting a minivan and took off to downtown Ponce to see the sights. We found the art museum that DocNoMore wanted to tour. Unfortunately, it was half an hour before closing and they didn't want to purchase the admission for just half an hour. We also found the cathedral that MTNest wanted to see but it was closed, so . . . we went to Walmart. There were lots of little things that we all needed and this was the store to fill the bill.
We finished off the day by walking along the boardwalk outside of the Yacht Club to a Cuban restaurant not far away. We all enjoyed our dinners but the plantains, whether mashed, fried, or sculpted into a bowl for stews, where not making any points with our group.

Tomorrow we're all headed to visit the caves in the center of the island. In the 3 years we lived here previously, I don't recall anything about sightseeing caves. This should be fun.

Gilligan's Island, PR
17.56.837N
66.52.279W

We explored what there was of Gilligan's Island today. Actually, it's just a small island that the park service has turned into picnic areas. It does somewhat resemble the island depicted in the 70's TV show and apparently at one time there was a fisherman than frequented the area that looked like Bob Denver. The best part was snorkeling up one of the mangrove canals and drifting back through another one. When we were done, we had circled the interior of the island. It was educational to see how mangroves grow from the bottom up. The park ranger had given us the heads up last evening about getting there early, so there were lots of small fish to see and of course the ever present barracuda, since we had arrived before the tourist ferries came over and the water was churned up by the vacationers.

We returned and set about cleaning the Palace's hull. Dale and Mike used the hooka to scrape the barnacles and I went behind them with a brush getting the loose dirt. Apparently, there is a remora that has taken a liking to our keel. No matter how much they tried to shoo him away, he was determined to stick around (no pun intended.) I certainly hope this isn't one of the ones that gathered around us in Cambridge Cay and followed us down. If it is, he's come a long way.

We ended the day with a pot luck on DocNoMore and played a couple of rounds of dominos. Since all of the guys were exhausted, we called it an early night.

At first light tomorrow morning, we'll head off to Ponce. The wind that was predicted to stay light until the weekend, has already picked up. Hopefully, this only means that it will be a quick and easy sail.

Gilligan's Island, PR
17.56.837N
66.52.279W

We rose with the sun this morning and after maneuvering our way through the reefs, hoisted sail and turned off the motor. We were the purists in the group and sailed the rest of the trip averaging about 4.5 kts upwind out to the deep water and tacking back in to the reefs along this coast. The two catamarans have a hard time pointing into the wind so they powered their way through to Gilligan's island arriving a whopping 2 hours before us. We probably had a lot more fun.

Once anchored, Dale busied himself cleaning the refrigerator strainer as the refrigerator kept overheating and tripping the circuit. Everything is working beautifully now.

He also dove in to check the bottom of the boat. When we left Luperon, we were told that anything more than a couple of weeks there, you needed to have your bottom cleaned. I have been scrubbing the bottom with a brush the first of each month to try to keep ahead of any serious incrustation. When we left, we could see that we had some growth along the waterline on the side that faces the sun, as well as a plethora of small barnacles on the bottom when the boat rocked. He resurfaced and said that tomorrow we'll be digging out the hooka to clean the bottom as it was worse than he had anticipated.

In case you wondering, a hooka is a diving apparatus that pumps air down to two divers without the need to carry tanks on your back. We can dive to about 40' for sightseeing as long as we carry the battery that powers it in our dinghy above us. We do have to be careful in some of the islands, as it is unlawful to fish using a hooka and it is up to us to prove that we weren't using it unlawfully.

Tomorrow we plan on joining the other two boat crews to explore Gilligan's Island in the morning and snorkel the small lagoon in front of it prior to the tourist boat arriving at 10:30. Then we'll head back to the Palace to scrape her bottom.

Cabo Rojo, PR
17.56.369N
67.11.846W

Pam & Charlie hailed us early this morning to let us know they were making their move north. We said our goodbyes and wished them well.

We made a dinghy ride into town to upload the internet posts and returned to ready the Palace for pre-staging to Cabo Rojo. We hoisted anchor about 2:30 pm and sailed most of the way.

After leaving Boqueron Harbor we looked back and witnessed for ourselves the thunderstorms VanSant describes in his cruising book. They build up over the land and then drift northwest out over the Mona Passage. An artist that we met in Boqueron told us that it rarely rains there. The rain clouds just pass overhead and move out to sea. When we called later to speak with Moon Goddess (who had elected to stay there for a few more days), it was raining.

Another observation that we made is that the mast isn't creaking as much. During the time that we were sailing across the Mona and things were quiet during the night, we heard a new creaking sound. We tracked it down and discovered that it was emanating from the mast (or at least the compression post vibrated when we heard the creaking sound. Dale tighted down the mast bolts that came through to the salon side and one of the pieces of standing rigging. So far the sound seems to have subsided.

Tonight finds us tucked just below the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse, a beautiful structure that is actually functional. It's refreshing to find navigational aids that work.

Tomorrow we head to Gilligan's Island. We were trying to hum the tune for Mike so that he could play it tomorrow at sunset on his sax but then Dale up and sang the entire song for him; word for word. Just when I thought he was under control, he lets out with one of his quirks. Oh well, I guess his real personality was bound to come out sooner or later.

Boqueron, PR
18.01.299N
67.10.621W

We searched out the internet cafe this morning. The crews from DocNoMore and MTNest joined us and we all hiked to where we thought we might be able to catch a bus to do some exploring. Unfortunately, after getting there, we learned that the buses only run every three to four hours at this end of the island. We did find a panaderia where we purchased the fresh bread I remember so well.

On our way back, we found a pizzeria where we ordered a couple of calzones. What? You've never heard of authentic Puerto Rican calzones? Well, these were good. Particularly when you haven't had one in a while. I tried making them on the boat but they turned out mostly bread. I'll continue to work on my cooking skills the further down island we go and the more expensive eating out becomes (the Luperon marina spoiled us with a special entre each day at happy hour.)

We finished the day playing Dominos with DocNoMore and MTNest. I really enjoyed that. I have either developed a compulsion to keep linear things lined up or its manifesting itself more aggressively now. Everyone had fun of me trying to keep the dominos straight on a boat. (I have a habit of arranging my french fries according to size too but don't tell anyone; its probably a symptom of some psychological malady.)

The wind is starting to calm down today and it supposed to do so again tomorrow. We plan on prestaging to Caba Rojo tomorrow afternoon and then on to Gilligan's Island on Wednesday.

Boqueron, PR
18.01.299N
67.10.621W

For us, it was a quiet day today. Darby came by to tell us how her cat had gone missing during the night. She surmised that the cat likes to sit in a port hole watching the world go by and must have fallen out during one of the more aggressive rolls (it doesn't wear its kitty lifevest when its inside.) Naturally she was upset and she and Gate searched not only the boat and its surrounding area but also went into town to search the shoreline. Incredibly, the cat was sitting a few feet from the dinghy dock by the telephones. It's a good thing the tide was coming in as it's a good 1/4 mile to the shore from where we are anchored. One life down, 8 to go.

We all joined up on Pam & Charlie's catamaran to study the islands to the south. They were very helpful in indicating where good anchorages and marinas were and very candid about the crime on the various islands. When you hear about the various dinghy thefts and boardings for money in such a concise fashion, it causes you to pause and reconsider the decision to cruise. Then I thought about the number of boats cruising, the number of incidents of crime, the safety and security measures we've taken, considered the percentages of it actually happening to us, then figured that we'd just be extra cautious or bypass those areas we've heard about and continue on our adventure. It's not like Dale is about to turn around and go back. Besides, I have pepper spray and I'm not afraid to use it! I guess that means I'd better find it.

We're still rolling considerably at anchor today so we went into town to get off the boat for a while. We walked down the beach in front of cabanas that appear to have been left over from when the Army was here. Dale thinks he remembers from our Navy days in Puerto Rico that MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) had cabanas that could be rented out. Well, they're still here and the park system is still renting them out. We met a couple from New York that come here for a couple of months each year for their vacation. They are right on the beach and something to keep in mind for future vacations.

We met up with crews from BlueStar, MTNest and Moon Goddess later for dinner. We learned that Moon Goddess' tender was damaged at the dinghy dock by a larger ski boat. We're not sure of the chronology of the events but it is evident that it fouled their prop on Moon Goddess' aft anchor line and sliced a gash in in their pontoon. (Due to the incoming swells, we would tie up to the dock and then throw out an aft anchor to keep us in place so as not to crash into the dock itself.) We're not sure if this all happened before or after the ski boat slammed into the docks tearing the end portion to pieces. Moon Goddess returned to find their anchor sitting on what remained of the end portion of the dock and 8' missing from their anchor line. Someone had moved their boat further down the dock to keep it from damaging further on the splinters and exposed bolts remaining.

We ran into Gate & Darby from Nicolino as we were leaving. They were delighted to have their cat back and Joe & Diane decided to pair off with them to go dancing the night away; what else can you do after day like theirs? The rest of us returned to our boats to turn in early. We're definitely cruisers now. Up with the sun; down with the sun and if you have a bad day, go dancing.

Boqueron, PR
18.01.299N
67.10.621W

Well the weather window definitely slammed shut today with winds in the anchorage at 20 kts and the swell rolling us from side to side. We've heard that the waves/swell in the Mona are now approaching 15' and the Coast Guard is broadcasting a lookout for a small sailboat overdue to arrive and a surfboard last seen heading out to sea.

We saw Darby leaving s/v Nicolino heading for town in her dinghy when it appeared to stall out. She tugged and tugged on the engine motor crank but to no avail. Dale and I jumped in ours and headed her way. When we got up to her, she threw her arms up in the air in frustration and promptly fell overboard. We grabbed her dinghy and held it for her as she crawled back in. Once back in the boat, she explained what she had done and Dale teased her that she needed to connect the fuel line to the engine to get anywhere (she had connected one end to the fuel tank but not the other end). I guess the reason I mention this at all is that it reminded me of something I had done in the Bahamas. Geri and I, being military wives, are independent women and had taken off into Marsh Harbor on our own. However, on our way back, we couldn't get the engine to start. I tugged and tugged on the crank until I was red in the face. A gentleman walked by and took pity on us and reminded me that you need to turn the switch on before anything will engage. Its all in the details!

Dale & I met up with Mike & Terri (MTNest) and walked around the little seaside town of Boqueron. It's a hopping place during the weekends, likened to Key West on Spring Break stateside. The music blared quite late into the night but we were too tired to notice for very long. Eventually we met up with Roger & Elaine (Doc-No-More) and sat outside the local establishments drinking sodas and watching the crowds pass by.

Dale and the guys headed back to the boats and gathered our information for checking in. Gate & Darby (Nicolino) told us that they had only called in using the Culebra telephone number (Culebra is an entirely different island but if it worked, we'd use it). Unfortunately, Culebra instructed us to call the local number. However, that was all it took. The guys passed the telephone around and within an hour, we were all checked in and administratively pure.

Later in the evening, Pam, Charlie and James (their crew) joined us where we had staked out a table. Then during the course of the evening, we would dart off in various directions for local delectables being sold on the street. Of course, we touted the flavors of "pinchos" and encouraged everyone to try them (barbequed meat on a stick). Pam & Charlie started telling us of their experiences down island and when we started taking notes (literally) they invited all of us over to their boat to go island by island down the chain and they would tell us whether, in their opinion, it was worth going to, crime in the area, cost, etc. We all promised to meet tomorrow and headed back to our boats.

I guess we've outgrown Spring Break. We were there for the food and what shopping bargains we could find (none).

Boqueron, Puerto Rico
18.01.299N
67.10.621W

Land Ho! Puerto Rico! As soon as the sun set yesterday, you could see the glow from Puerto Rico on the horizon.

As you may recall from yesterday's posting, we were making pretty good time on our transit from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. In fact, we were doing so well that we needed to slow down. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to slow a boat down when you're traveling too fast? First, we turned off the engine. Then we reefed the jib. Then we reefed the main (we began to wonder whether it would or not with the pucker at the bottom). Then we reefed the jib again and pulled the main in completely. Then the wind died down and we had to let everything back out again. When the wind finally quit all together, we pulled everything in and turned on the engine running at 1000 RPM's and still doing about 3.5-4 kts. Then the tide started pushing us to shore. At that point, the sun was starting to rise so we kept on going. We set our anchor at 7:45 am, about as exact to 48 hours as you could get.

We were the first into the harbor and spotted a large catamaran in the anchorage. We circled around and then hailed Blue Star to wake up Pam & Charlie. We had first met them 3 years ago when they were in Jacksonville tied up to a slip just down from our friends, Fred & Geri. They've been in Trinidad/Tobago and other southern islands for the past 3 years and are on their way back to Jacksonville to replenish the cruising kitty.

Two of the boats traveling with us elected not to slow down but to continue on to Ponce further down the southern side of Puerto Rico. Four of us entered into Boqueron within 2 hours of each other; the fifth, a couple of hours after that; and finally Moon Goddess came in just before sundown and promptly ran aground. They backed off without difficulty and were able to anchor not far from us.

After a quick chat with Pam & Charlie, we hit the rack to make up for the missed sleep. We spent a quiet afternoon, washing the salt off the boat, putting our transiting gear away, and taking much needed showers ourselves. Except for Moon Goddess, who couldn't resist the throbbing beat of the local music establishments, the rest of us elected to stay on our respective boats and call it an early night.

Tomorrow we'll figure out how to check in. The cruising guides say its just a matter of calling in but others believe that since 9/11, it is necessary to physically go over to Mayaguez to check in. We'll sort it out in the morning.

01/26/2006
East Coast of the Dominican Republic


It was a quiet night and thankfully nothing of interest happened; the main sail is still holding; hopefully until we can get to Fajardo where we know there is a good sail repair facility. Dale and I alternate 3 hours on, 3 hours off watches. We try to nap as much as we can in our off hours during the day so that we can stay alert during the night, so I was proud to be able to tell Roger when he radioed about the bright light that had started him when he turned around, was just a light coming from shore without a touch of my normal panic whenever there's even the most remote possibility of a freighter in our vicinity.

We finally made it to the hourglass shoals which seemed to take forever. The currents in this area kept shoving us north and for a period, we seemed to be making a circle around our waypoint without getting any closer to it. We are officially in the Mona Passage now. Thank God its quiet. For as far as we can see, the Mona is calm.

We have been doing better than we anticipated time wise and estimate that at the rate we're traveling, we'll arrive in Puerto Rico about 1 or 2 am. We prefer to enter a new harbor in the daylight, so we're going to turn off the engine and sail from here on.

Seven of the eight boats that took off from Luperon yesterday are now scattered along the route for about 20 miles. Moon Goddess is falling further and further behind; we're guessing that she's 50 miles behind us. We worry that she'll not make it across the Mona before the window closes.

North Coast of Dominican Republic
19.39.673 N
69.52.735W

We kept saying we weren't leaving, right up until we hoisted anchor at 7am and left. What can I tell you? When we went to bed, the wind finally died down and the wind generator did not come back on for the remainder of the night. This morning we got up at 5:30 and pulled up the weather information; no change; a window of favorable conditions for about 48 hours.

We saw signs of everyone else getting up and making preparations but no movements. Edgar over on Nine-Twenty-Four radioed to let us know that his brother called from Puerto Rico to say that they were predicting 12' waves in the Mona Passage by Saturday; they weren't going. We knew about this and reminded him that the plan was to be in by morning on Friday. Gate over on Nicolino asked that we call them when we went out and let them know what the sea state was. Still no one made a move. It was going on 7am, the Commandante had not appeared. Everyone kept asking us what we were going to do. Finally, we said let's get this over with! We'll go out, if it's bad, we'll come back in.

Obviously, it wasn't that bad. The sea was calmer than the first time we tried a week ago and we knew that as soon as we cleared the point, it would calm down even further. Which it did. We've motorsailed all day and have made good time. We've learned that the Van Sant cruising guide was right about the cape effects but we haven't hugged the shore as closely as he suggested and have been doing quite well. We just head towards shore until the seas and wind subside a bit and then tack back and forth until we get around the point. So far, this has paid off for us since we point higher than our catamaran buddies and use the extra wind to our advantage.

We've also noticed that our main sail is starting to show a pucker at the bottom of the sail which would indicate that the sail needs to be hoisted up. This probably means that my attachment repair is failing and it is starting to fall. Since we need our sails for as long as possible, we have elected to tack as quickly as we can until it either completely fails and collapses, or the winds subside to the point where we can try to roll it back in.

Hispanola is a massive island. Sailing along its northern shores showed us more of its natural beauty. The subtropical greens of its mountains reached down to the cliffs that bordered the Atlantic Ocean along this shore. We saw several mansions along this coastline that we imagined must belong to the Dominican baseball players that come to the US to play professionally. Several areas looked like they might be golf courses overlooking the cliffs but then they could have been meadows simply seen from a distance. It only proved to us that there is much more to see on this beautiful island.

This will be one of the longest passages we've ever made and, of course, through the Mona Passage which takes a full 24 hours to transit by itself.

For background information, the Mona is very much like the Gulf Stream, only wider. It has its own current/currents and with two good sized islands (Puerto Rico on the east; Hispanola on the west) with huge mountains channeling their winds and thunderstorms down and around through the passage. If you don't wait for a favorable weather forecast, you'll get your clock cleaned pretty quick. We've waited for one that predicts less than 15 kts of wind and seas of 4-6'. If anything, wind and seas have been less than what we were expecting. I guess all of those weeks waiting is finally paying off.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

We started the day listening to the weather reports and checking the various sites for sea states. We determined that we might have another small window of 48 hours to try to make Puerto Rico. After having done this once before, I didn't feel the anticipation that I normally get before a crossing. Still, we went through the motions. We paid our tab at the marina, picked up the laundry, uploaded our posts to this site and visited the Commandante. Apparently, there is a new rule (according to him per US instructions) that all vessels leaving for US ports, ie Puerto Rico, must have an inspection to document that there are no illegal aliens on board 1 hour prior to leaving. OK fine. Since we plan on leaving at 6 am that means they have to be here by 5 am. No problemo he tells us. He gives us a new dispatchio and says he'll visit us in the morning.

We make arrangements to meet later with several other boats besides our little group that are hoping for the same window. However, by the time we meet in the evening, we all notice that the winds have not died down as predicted and still gust to 20kts or better in the harbor. Elaine made the observation that there is no dominant voice in the group to say 'This is what we are all going to do' to make it easier for everyone to blame someone other than themselves for making the decision.

Although we are anxious to leave, Dale & I and Roger & Elaine are leaning more towards not going at this point. We learned from the last time that the winds and waves are a lot more than we bargained for when the winds are still blowing in the harbor. Moon Goddess is hell bent on leaving in the morning. MTNest is cautious but anxious to leave; we'll see what happens.

After all of the back and forth, we returned to the Palace where Dale asks me what I want to do. I tell him that once we go to bed, we should leave the wind generator on. If it starts turning (usually at 10 kts) prior to our departure time, we stay. It's about time for us to go to bed now and it hasn't turned off yet. I don't think we're going anywhere tomorrow.

The next window looks to be in another week. We're going to get pretty good at playing dominos. We're also going to have to start a college fund for the Commandante's new baby and make our dispatchio deposits there.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

Again with the wind and rain. At least today it was more wind than rain but still the wind continued to blow 20 kts. with gusts up to 30kts. I noticed another boat had dragged during the night and another that decided to use their riding sail. I'm surprised they haven't used it before now since they were one of the ones dancing like crazy and dragged the first day. My little homemade sail it still hanging in there and doing a fine job.

I started the day making English muffins from scratch. Not bad. Next time I'll make them bigger and let them rise longer. Dale and I had wanted to check e-mail and upload the last 7 posts today but Steve's was closed.

It was our turn to host cocktail hour among our little group, so we swept, mopped, dusted, scrubbed toilets, sinks and finally tucked those items away that have no real place on the boat. We hung my swing from the back arch, rolled up some of the side curtains, added a few throw cushions to the cockpit, took the wheel off and welcomed our friends. The first few minutes were show and tell to those who haven't been on it before and then the rest of the time we talked about everything and nothing. Again, the big topic of conversation was the go, no go decision to be made on Wednesday.

We'll have to go soon or I'll have nothing more to write about.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

Another rainy and windy day. Since we had dinner reservations at Casa de Sol, we decided to forego our trip to the Sunday swap meet/barbeque and save our appetites for dinner.

We spent most of the day reading and tidying up inside. When the wind picked up to 30 kts, we watched as a couple of boats that have been here for months/years? started dragging and offered to assist when other boaters went out to forage in the anchor lockers for secondary anchors to throw out. The only problem is who's going to go out when the wind changes directions to untangle the anchors when they foul and the boats start to drag again? Thankfully, MTNest stayed put as did the rest of our little group.

The rain seemed to abate when the sun went down and we all ventured out in our dinghies (except Joe who's still under the weather) to meet for dinner. The meal was good but the desserts were excellent. Stan, who owns the restaurant, picks up the patrons at the marina and drives them to the restaurant, cooks and entertains was quite the guy. He prepared bananas flambé and pineapple flambé for our desserts with the flourish of a born actor. Then he prepared a coffee liquor that was also flambé d. We tried to tell him that he needs to advertise either on the radio net or by brochure to let the boaters know what his restaurant has to offer. He seemed genuinely interested in our suggestions and we wished him well.

When we got back to the marina, it started to rain again. Of course, by the time we descended the hill and into our dinghies, it was a downpour and we were soaked to the skin when we finally made it back to the Palace.

The main topic on each of our minds has been the tiny window we thought we were going to see this week. Unfortunately, it seems to be disappearing before it ever developed. We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. Right now, it seems we are in for a few more days of this weather.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

It was rainy and windy today so Dale and I stayed on the boat most of the time. I had made a riding sail prior to leaving Florida and we attached it to the back of our boom today. It does seem to keep us from swinging so drastically in the winds that gust to 30kts (thankfully we haven't seen any 40 kts ones today,) but I worry that since I made it of canvas, it won't hold up in these winds.

Elaine and I took her laundry in during one of the dry spells and we walked up Gringo Hill for something to do. We stopped and explored a house that had been built but then left unfinished. It was in a hacienda style with the house built around a small open courtyard. We teased that if we can't get out of Luperon that we'd sell the boats and buy the house.

Later in the evening, we all made the wet dinghy ride in and trekked up the hill to hear Mike play his keyboard and saxophone. Terri seemed to be in better spirits since they didn't drag today when other boats did.

From the top of the hill we saw Darby (from Nicolino) trying to paddle with one oar against 20 kt winds. (She had made it to the dock but was blown back out again when she didn't get the boat tied up quickly enough.) Dale was on his way down to go get her when we saw Doug swing by and tow her in. She still mourns the loss of a custom dinghy (that "drove like a car") which was lost prior to arriving in Luperon. Gate purchased a new one but it is smaller and has an outboard motor that she hasn't mastered yet. Needless to say, by the time Gate arrived, Darby was wet, mad, frustrated (they've been here for 2 months) and on her second beer.

One sad note today. Norma is a tiny lady about 70 years old. She and her husband arrived here about 3 years ago with their cocker spaniel. Four months ago, her husband died of a heart attack. She decided that she loved Luperon, her boat, her dog, and her life here (social security goes a lot further here than it does in the US). Today, her dog died. Those that knew her well held a little funeral and were comforting her as best they could. I realize that it's her choice to live here, but I find myself wondering what will happen to her when people move on.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

Today was a farm yard day. Mike & Terry (MTNest), Roger & Elaine (Doc-No-More) and Dale & I met early to go horseback riding. Diane & Joe (Moon Goddess) declined as she was just getting over a bug and Joe was just coming down with it.

Mario picked us up at the government dock and took us to his home. While the rest were talking with his daughter, I watched as his stable boy brought in the horses and then as they selected the ones we would be using. I spotted a pretty red stallion that didn't look very old and stepped rather nicely when he was roped.

Mario selected a grey and asked who had experience riding. Mike indicated that he did and Mario proceeded to pair us up with horses that would match our abilities. Although I have experience, its more than 20 years old. I was hoping that it would be like riding a bicycle. He generally put the men on the livelier mounts but when he said that he was going to put me on a slow one, I declared my experience and was delighted when he indicated the red pony I had spotted. I was pleased to hear that the red preferred to be in the lead yet I had to prove to Mario that I could mount, ride, stop, and turn before he agreed to let me have it. Thank God it was like riding a bicycle.

Once I got my rhythm back, I became the instigator to a quicker ride and Dale and I rode in the front often allowing our horses to break into a trot and occasionally a gallop before Mario would put his hand over his heart and beg us to slow down. I have to admit, some of our fellow riders looked like they were clinging to the saddle horns for dear life. Poor Roger mounted reasonably well but for the life of him couldn't figure out how to get off when we stopped for a soda. Elaine sweet-talked her grey mare into keeping up but then learned that the mare was a follower; if we walked, she walked, if we trotted, she trotted. Throughout our 4 hour ride, Elaine stayed in the middle and was quite content to do so. Terri brought up the rear but flatly refused to use her heels or a switch to cajole her mare into keeping up. I don't think she was happy about it but she was one of the people who looked white knuckled too.

We rode along dirt roads throughout the countryside. Little farms nestled all the way up to the foot of the mountains; I thought it was beautiful. We still saw barefoot children playing in mud puddles but here it just reminded me of what country kids do on rainy afternoons.

We visited a local farm that made the cheese Elaine and I had purchased when we first got to Luperon. We stopped for a soda at a little shack alongside of the road and we stopped by a retaining pond that the farmers had constructed to help irrigate their farms. Mario told us of how back in the 50's the dictator had taken half of everyone's property for the state creating a mess of red tape to this day (since the government couldn't reimburse them for it, the people still retained title to the property so the government can't sell the property and the people can't use it.) He explained that the farmers became discouraged and stopped farming but that things are starting to change now and the government is encouraging people to farm again (he didn't say that the government was giving them back the property either.)

We returned in time for a late lunch in town and decided that we would catch the Friday afternoon cock fights at 3:00pm. The preparation was more interesting than the actual fights in my opinion. We watched as the roosters were shaved (except for their heads, wings and tails), taped and then the spurs were added to their legs. The one thing that we noticed, that we hadn't taken into consideration, was that there were "more people packin' than at the Policeman's Ball" (Dale's description). Most of those who were carrying handguns were asked to empty the chambers at the door to the club wielding and pistol packin' security guards. They were allowed to keep their weapons and keep their bullets so I'm not sure what type of deterrent this was supposed to create. We watched two fights, with its tickets and money going this way and that like the feathers that eventually flew, then left. Mike had started hooping and hollering when everyone else did and we got more of a kick out of him than we did the fights. But now we can say that we've been to a cockfight.

About half way in our walk back to the dinghy dock, Jose (our previous tour guide) caught up to us on his motorcycle and told us that one of our boats was dragging in the harbor. He didn't know which one it was. As we got closer, some other boaters recognized us and identified the the vessel as MTNest. We picked up our pace and I heard Terri tell Mike that she just wanted to leave (they've had a horrible time trying to stay anchored here.)

We got back in time to see several dinghies finish securing MTNest to Moon Goddess again. There were 3 anchors out at various angles and Diane told us that they had endured 44kt winds in the anchorage while we were gone. MTNest was one of many that had dragged. As they had 140' of chain out and they didn't want to put out a second anchor with the 360* turns we make in this harbor, we suggested that they add their second anchor to their primary about 40' back from their first anchor. They decided that this was a good idea and we helped them collect the anchors that held them in place and then re-anchor setting the two anchors. Dale had them square up on the single line and back down hard. They didn't appear to move, so we're hoping that they stay put for the rest of their time here.

Since we're now in the midst of the front that is moving through, we realize that we're going to be here for a while longer. It will take days for the seas to calm down after all of this wind.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

Happy Birthday Kyle! We love you.

Elaine and I got our hair cut today. A lady on another boat offered to do it for us. I guess you get what you pay for. Both of us ended up with quite short styles. At least mine grows quickly. It seems the longer we're out here, the shorter mine gets and the longer Dale's gets.

By the time I returned from my scalping, Gate and Darby from Nicolino (a sister ship to ours) were just getting off their dink for a visit to see the modifications we've made to the Palace for cruising. I'd heard that they keep their boat immaculate, so I was hoping that Dale had made the bed after we stripped it for taking to the laundry. I wasn't that lucky. They graciously oo'd and aah'd and then invited us over to theirs later in the day.

It rained off and on most of the day but we were able to join Roger & Elaine for a hike up the hill on the other side of the harbor to a proposed marina site. The developers have extensive plans but apparently faltered when it was discovered that they didn't hold a clear title. If its ever completed, it will be quite grand. Unfortunately, until the water is cleaned up, I don't see where they will attract the clientele it would take to make the waterfront condos, single family home sites and a golf course a successful business.

Between rain drops, we took our laundry in and then stopped by Nicolino to compare notes. It was true, their boat was immaculate. We found out that Gate is an interior designer for large hotel complexes. It showed. The boat was beautiful and inviting but it wasn't set up for long term cruising either. However, it did give me some ideas about making the cockpit more comfortable when we return stateside.

The nasty weather we've been watching should probably pass through here this weekend but we're hoping that we can go horseback riding tomorrow.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

You know, you really don't exercise on a boat the way you do on land. I figured that running up and down our stairs on the companionway half a dozen times a day would put me in pretty good shape. However, today I feel each and every one of the 365 steps I climbed yesterday.

Dale and I went for a walk over the hill to the beach today to help loosen my legs up. Elaine and Roger joined us. We walked by 'Gringo Hill' where the ex-pats live and through the resort over by the beach. Then we followed a dirt road up the hill to the plateau that marks the way to the entrance channel to Luperon. From up there the view was magnificent. We could see the ocean to the north, the channel to the east and the harbor to the south with the mountains in the distance. Intermingled with all of this was farm land. Roger, Elaine and Dale deferred to my farm girl judgment in passing a herd of cattle that lounged in the middle of the road. So I picked up a stick and took the lead. I'm happy to report that nothing happened. Even the two Brahma bulls laying in the middle of the road ignored us as we passed by. (I have to admit, after wacking them on nose if they had challenged us, I'd run like hell. I try not to mess with bulls.)

If you only saw this little corner of the island, you'd live here in a heart beat. At the top of the hill looking down, there was a small house tucked below the plateau yet still quite a bit higher than sea level. It had a beautifully tended lawn and a rock fence surrounding the property. There's something about that house that's stayed in my mind. A lot smaller than the gringo houses but so peaceful and serene.

Later, Dale & I walked into town and stopped into Steve's Place where he checked our e-mail and I rocked Stephanie, Steve's 4 month old daughter, in a wicker rocking chair on an open air veranda. We met MTNest and Moon Goddess for lunch, then we dropped by the local bakery on our way back to the boat for a couple of loaves of freshly baked bread for slicing up and dipping in olive oil sauces for appetizers on MTNest later this evening. We were joined by our regular group plus Edgar on Nine-Twenty-Four (Jenny wasn't feeling well) and Marc and Louis, a couple of French Canadians on their way to St. Martin to pick up their wives. It was a wonderful day for enjoying the simple things in life.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

I believe I've mentioned before how just doing the simple things can take an entire day. Today was one of those days. We hired a minibus to take the four boat crews (Doc-No-More, MTNest, Moon Goddess and us) to Santiago to do our grocery shopping. Janet at the marina loaned us her Price Club Card so we were excited to go shopping American style. However, we knew that we had to be back to the marina by 5:00 pm because Mike (MTNest) was going to be performing at happy hour. He's a very talented keyboard and saxophonist. (Remember back when we were in Georgetown and I thought the guy who played during the Christmas sing along might be a preacher? Well, he's a retired music teacher and has a rather ribald sense of humor.)

We stopped at the monument to various revolutions in Santiago and climbed the 365 steps to the top. After we descended, we apparently offended the local who opened the door for us because we didn't tip him to his expectations. We've been told that there is a fine line between tipping for a service and being "stupid". The only thing this guy did was open the door; we certainly weren't going to tip him the $5 he wanted from each of us and he wasn't very happy with what we offered, so we left.

We then went to a Radio Shack at the local mall to pick up a couple of motion detectors we had been told about. (We heard a first hand account of an incident in Venezuela where a boater was boarded by would be thieves.) While we were at the mall, we had lunch at their food court. All of the Dominicans were eating at the Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dominios and Chinese food take out, and all of the 'gringos' were eating at the DR fast food place. Dale & I decided to eat at the Puerto Rican sandwich shop.

From there we did our grocery shopping. First at the Price Club and then at another local grocery store. Unfortunately, when we returned from our second store, our driver was missing in action. It took us a hour to track him down. I don't think we ever did completely understand where he disappeared to. Of course, this put us dangerously close to running out of time as we were over an hour away from Luperon.

Unlike our way to Santiago when we got caught behind a horse drawn buggy (like what you might see the Amish drive,) on our way back we were behind a convoy of trucks hauling dirt/mud up the mountain side and then down the other. We didn't pull in to the marina until 5:30 pm and then we had to dinghy our food back to our boats before returning to watch Mike perform.

However, it was a great ending to the day. A couple of the other boaters got up to sing while Mike played the keyboard and Nancy played guitar. It's amazing when people have such clear, beautiful voices sitting next to you but put a mike in their hands and suddenly every squeak comes out.