Roosey Roads, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

I’m sure you can tell by now that I love my computer. It’s a complex toy that I enjoy playing with. When it works. When it doesn’t work and I know that it’s operator error, it can be the most frustrating piece of hardware on earth.

For example, when we received an e-mail from our insurance company indicating that they wanted a recent survey on our boat before renewing our policy, it should have been a simple act of scanning a copy of the one we had done last fall (thank God and Jim Campbell) and e-mailing it back to them. Except that when I connected my new HP laptop to my old HP printer, the computer wouldn’t recognize that I had connected it. What a pain in the patoot!

Since we hadn’t brought along the CD containing the printer drivers that came with the old printer, we had to pack both the laptop and the printer into backpacks and schlep them into the bowling alley to connect both of them to the internet to download the software. Even that was more problematic than it should have been. The long (an hour for the download) and the short (Dale’s temper by the time we were completely done) of it, is that once the laptop and printer were happily clicking in the same direction, I was able to scan the document and forward it on to our insurance company (another hour of uploading the information). The things we do to keep that particular industry happy.

With the morning completely gone, we started our trek back to the boat. Along the way, the base CO spotted us and flagged us down to tell us that the package we had been waiting for was in his office. It had been mis-delivered (since it was clearly addressed to the marina) a few days before.

We quickly went through it and found 3 of our 5 Florida registration renewals; one of them was for the Palace, so I’ll be heading back to the bowling alley for one more connection before we leave. As I started out, when my computer and I are working as a cohesive unit, you can hardly tell that we’re out of the country. However, when there is a break in communication between my computer and its operator, I can tell that we are in the farthest reaches of the world without Cherie and the IT crew to back me up.

Roosey Roads, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

There was still no mail for us today, so we pedaled our way to the Bowling Alley and uploaded the blog posts, made sure our bills were paid and answered our e-mails. The rest of the day we spent rearranging book shelves and cupboards. Unfortunately, this makes for a boring entry.

We did finally hear from Rainbow Rider. They made it to Luperon, DR. At this rate, we won’t see them until we make the turn to come back. I guess that’s better than not seeing them at all.

Roosey Roads, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

We spent most of Sunday, returning the items removed from our guest berthing area back to where they belonged and vacuum sealed my larger purchases into smaller ones for storage. I even pre-baked several 2 person meatloaves for freezing, saving one for dinner. We repackaged anything that originally came in cardboard into plastic and then swept, mopped and shook all of the rugs. We’ll give the Palace a thorough cleaning, inside and out, before we take off.

This morning, as is our usual habit before we undertake a big crossing, we started listening to the weather. This time we were waiting for information on crossing the Anegada Passage. We had hoped to cross either tomorrow or Wednesday depending upon when we received our mail. Unfortunately, our mail didn’t come today and as of tomorrow, the weather is predicted to deteriorate with the seas picking up to over 9’ in the Passage. It’s not anticipated to calm down until the weekend, so we slowed our pace and ended up reading for most of the day.

However, this afternoon, earlier than forecast, the wind picked up. With any kind of luck the front will move through more quickly than predicted. We’ll pick up our pace again tomorrow and once we get our mail, we’ll move on to the Virgin Islands to wait for the first opportunity to cross from there.

We’ve really enjoyed our time back at Roosey and look forward to returning here next year on our way back home. Hopefully, it will still be open.

Roosey Roads, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

Too soon, Michelle is leaving. Spring break is over and we were delighted that she wanted to spend it with us. She seemed to have enjoyed herself just floating in the water or reading a novel as opposed to the text books she been pouring over for the last couple of semesters.

On her last day here, we decided that we would indeed start heading south shortly after she left. Since we had rented a car to take her back to the airport, she was kind enough to go provisioning shopping with me before her departure which included buying some things in bulk and yet others in as small of a container as we could find. She helped load and then unload all of my giant purchases of toilet paper and paper towels and helped bag and contain all of my little jars and cans of this and that.

We headed back to the Palace and set up a bucket brigade of unloading the cart from me on the dock, to her in the cockpit and then to Dale down in the salon. We hastily put those items that needed refrigeration into an ice chest, placed a couple of bags of ice on top, and then loaded the car with her bags to head to the airport.

We stopped for a bite to eat on our way and then kissed her goodbye at the airport. There would be no place to sit and watch the planes take off for us this time. Probably for the best, it was hard enough saying goodbye to our friends, this time it was our daughter.

The drive back was pretty much in silence. We stopped by a hardware store to pick up some more bungee cords (you can never have too many) with our minds already checking off the things that needed to be accomplished before we left.

I had mentioned to Dale that I should probably get a hair cut before we left. He had seen a hair salon near the base so we stopped to see what their hours were. Lucky for me, the proprietress was there and offered to cut my hair right then. She did a great job. As of this date, my hair is officially shorter than Dale’s. Any day now he will sport the pony tail he’s contemplated since the 70’s, not an easy thing to do with the curly hair as he has.

Culebrita, PR
18 19.173N
65.13.699W

As we approached Culebrita on Wednesday, Dale and I recognized Nicolino (a sistership to the Palace,) sailed by Gate & Darby, whom we had met in Luperon. We hailed them and told them that we were planning on mooring in the harbor beyond where they were anchored and promised to catch up with them in the Virgins next week.

Michelle recognized the harbor we entered and we sat reminiscing about our adventures here 12 years ago. You see, the first time we ever anchored in this harbor, it was after a rain squall had broken our genoa halyard. In the pitching seas, standing on the pulpit, Dale had done his best to jury rig the sail but the pitching and rolling was more than he could take.

In order to be better able to help Dale sail our first boat, Michelle (about 16 at the time) and I had just finished our basic sailing course and passed the test to get our skipper‘s card. We were pretty proud of those little cards but that particular rain squall put us to the test more than any pencil, paper, or trial runs ever could. Before going down to hit the rack, he pointed to the closest island, showed us which harbor to go into on a chart and asked us to take us in. We did. In fact, we only woke him to help us anchor. I guess that’s when Dale’s dream of cruising became more of a reality; when I realized that I could sail the boat too and would have some control of my own fate at sea.

Yesterday of course, was a gorgeous day and the most we’d be tested this time would be how much sun block we could use in a single afternoon.

On Thursday, Dale decided that not only was he going to work on the macerator pump again but that he was going to make a better repair to the rub rail that had been damaged in a storm several years ago. He pried the rub rail off with a screwdriver, cleaned the old caulking off with a knife, applied some new adhesive, hammered it on with a rubber mallet, and slipped a couple of ropes completely around the boat sandwiching the fender board over the repair and then twisted the ropes into a tourniquet holding the fender board in place over the repair. My assistance in this matter was limited to handing him whatever tool was needed when required and tidying up the repair with “GooGone” when he was done. I swear I’d make a good nurse.

Next, he moved to the macerator pump and poo tank. I handed him some latex gloves and moved to the farthest reaches of the boat and read silently; Michelle went swimming; trying to keep most of her body underwater and away from the sun.

When Dale emerged, snapping his gloves off and tossing them into the garbage, he declared that he had done what he could for the patient and that we would have to wait and see if it would work. He pushed the button for a quick check. A small dark cloud emerged from under the boat; Michelle screamed that we should have warned her and paddled her inner tube up current towards the beach and away from the discolored water as fast as she could. At first blush, it appeared to be working. We all went snorkeling and hoped for the best.

On Friday, he removed the tourniquet from the rub rail; the repair looked good and seemed to be holding. After allowing me to finish my book (remember the back of the boat?) we hoisted anchor and when we reached the proper distance from shore, we pushed the button and held our breath. Thank heavens, the gauge indicated that the tank was emptying. We put some disinfectant into it and sealed it up. We’re now ready for anyone else who might want to visit.

In the meantime, do you recall that I told you Dale and I had taught Michelle how to play Mexican Dominos? She loved it! In fact, she wanted to play it every night she was here. She was pretty dang good at it too! Be careful if she tries to get you to play a game with her, she’s a bit of a ringer now.

Roosevelt Roads, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

On Monday morning, I thought I would make a quick trip to the Bowling Alley to log onto the internet but ended up staying there 3 ½ hours. The connection was slow and by the time I answered all of my e-mails and updated my posts from the Virgin Islands, Dale had come looking for me fearing the worst; I’d gotten a flat tire and had to walk back in the heat, somehow finding a way to blame him for all of my misfortune.

Michelle had scoped out a seat on the back of the boat and had settled into a routine of reading, taking a quick dip and then returning to read some more.

Dale had been anxious to tear the front cabin apart as the macerator under the deck and the holding tank under the forward bunk were not cooperating when he tried to empty them; fortunately, we have a second head (toilet). Michelle and I convinced him that he should wait until the morning and we would get completely out of his way as we didn’t want to be around when poo might fly. He agreed. There is a great deal of salty language in the air when work is being done on the poo tank.

So that evening, Dale and I taught Michelle how to play the Palace’s version of Mexican Dominos. She grasped it quickly and ended up winning that night.

Tuesday morning, as promised, Michelle and I strapped our inner tubes and noodles to the bikes and headed off for the beach I remembered as having trees very near the water so that I could sit in the shade and read, while she made like a duck and bobbed around. Every once in a while she would emerge and I’d slather her back with SPF 60 sun block and she’d head back out to float around in the tube. Some things never change. I’ve been slathering her snow white skin with sun block since she was born and she’s still trying to tan it before it burns.

Since we were trying to stay out of Dale’s way, we spent a great deal of time at the deserted beach and only headed back when Michelle’s stomach started making the most unladylike noises.

When we returned, I threw some pizza in Michelle’s direction and then asked about the poo tank. It appeared to be a go. He discovered (reading the manuals) that if there are any air leaks in the tank connections or hoses, it won’t work. Exposing a couple of these leaks, he repaired them and sealed it all back up. All we needed to do now is head 3 miles away from shore and let her rip.

Today is Wednesday. I made a quicker run to the Bowling Alley for my internet fix and we are presently heading to Culebrita with the wind directly on our nose. Dale has already tried to use the macerator and unfortunately, it’s still not working. I suspect that although Michelle is nursing a nasty sun burn, on her feet and armpits of all places, we’ll be expelled from the boat again tomorrow, the front berthing area will be dismantled, and repairs will be attempted once more. It’s a dirty job and Dale has to do it.

Roosevelt Roads, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

Did you know that weights for dive belts come in colors now? I’ve had mine since 1982, so I hadn’t paid much attention to them since them.

With only a slight glitch in getting the rental car, we headed off to pick up Michelle from the airport.

We stopped by Puerto del Mar and bumped into Gate off Nicolino. He and Darby had probably arrived there shortly after DocNoMore and MTNest left. He anticipated that they would be heading to the Virgin Islands this week and would more than likely spend the better part of a month in the area before moving on. We expressed our hope that we would see them again down island..

We stopped by the local Home Depot to pick up another pair of dive gloves for Dale as one of his was cast to the deep when the buckets we rinse them in took a leap off the back end last week.

Michelle arrived pretty much on time and without too much drama; except for the fact that she had gone to the wrong airport in Orlando to catch her plane. Obviously, she found the right one with time to spare.

We had a quick lunch at Fudruckers, one of Dale’s favorite hamburger joints, then sought out a dive shop to replace the dive belts and weights that had gone for a swim without their owners at the same time as his glove took a dive. It was the only time, including the day that it happened, that I mentioned, casually and in jest, that it was an expensive lesson . I never mentioned or even alluded to the fact that I had suggested securing the buckets for sea but had been advised in that manner husbands save for their wives in front of guests, that it wasn’t necessary. Not that I would remind him of any of this but since there were some bright pink weights that matched perfectly the snorkel and fins I have, I took advantage of the captive audience I had in Michelle and told her the story. With emphasis added--at just the right places--to poke some fun at him. We all had a pretty good laugh, including the shop manager.

Michelle is spending her spring break with us says that she just wants to float in water where she can see her toes for a couple of days. I think we have that covered.

Roosevelt Roads, PR
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

We hoisted our anchor and slipped out of Charlotte Amalie at 6:30 am. We passed Calaloo bobbing silently at her anchor without a dinghy which would indicate that Rick & Connie (whom we had met in the Exumas) were elsewhere. As silently as we could, we left St. Thomas behind. The cruise liners were just arriving, so we left by the west side of Hassel Island and out through Haulover Cut.

For the longest time, the anonometer indicated double zeros but once out into the ocean, it started registering a slight breeze; we kept motoring in the calm seas. We adjusted course to skirt a tug and barge near Sail Rock. We motored past a white research vessel, more than likely on its way to the coral preserve off St. John.

Between 8 and 8:45 we listened to the SSB for DocNoMore and MTNest, periodically hailing them. We motored past the sail boat race on Culebra that Dale had originally wanted to participate in but visiting with Gerry & Nicky until Friday and picking Michelle, our daughter, up in San Juan on Sunday, was more important. We looked for Dotty II, the boat Chuck McLaughlin would have been racing on but didn’t see her.

We did pass St. Christopher on her way to St. Thomas from Roosey to pick up guests and spoke to Tom & Jordan briefly regarding their plans for heading south. For old times sake, we hailed Rainbow Rider on the radio, just in case they might be within range. No response.

The wind never did pick up to more than 6 or 7 kts. We motored the entire way back to Roosey Roads and arrived by 1:00 pm. Once we were tied up at our slip again, Dale set about scrubbing the salt off the Palace and I started getting caught up on the laundry. Tomorrow we pick up Michelle.

St. Thomas, USVI
18.20.236N
64.55.605W

For some crazy reason, we all were up early today. We had a leisurely breakfast before Gerry & Nicky set about packing for their return trip. We spent the rest of the morning scavenging St. Thomas harbor side for great duty free deals.

I finally got a chance to rummage through the straw market that is set up right across the street from the dinghy dock. They actually had the best deals on souvenirs throughout the Virgin Islands. We stopped by a store that specializes in Rolex watches. I believe Gerry said that the watch he had priced on the internet was $1000 cheaper here. Nicky & I found Liberty Jewelers again and each came away with a pair of ear rings. Our eyes were tantalized by the crystal fish, turtles and parrots in the House of Crystal but both of our husbands reminded us that we live in houses on water and crystal really didn’t mix well with water.

We ate lunch in a restaurant called Herve’ that was located next to the Hotel 1629. Great food at reasonable prices. We sat at a window table overlooking Charlotte Amalie Harbor and watched the boats and sea planes come and go. There were bananas growing outside another window; for some reason I get a kick out of seeing bananas hanging from their trees.

Too soon we had to make our way back to the boat to pick up Gerry & Nicky’s luggage. We sat for awhile talking in the cockpit before we had to dinghy back in to take them to the airport. It was a very quiet dinghy ride. I guess none of us really wanted to say goodbye.

Dale and I thought we would ride with them to the airport but when the Jeepney stopped, Nicky turned and gave each of us a hug and said goodbye. Gerry was next and then, they were gone. A few seconds later, I thought it would have made a good picture of them sitting in the open air taxi.

We made our way back to the Palace even more quietly than we had left. I asked Dale if he thought we would be able to sail her by ourselves again. Once we had developed a new routine, it was nice having extra sets of hands. I know for me, it was especially nice to have another female sailor onboard who could, with a simple look, assure me that she knew what I was thinking and felt the same way.

A big jet just took off from the airport, banked over the harbor and headed out across the ocean. Hopefully, it was theirs and they saw us waving farewell to them from the Palace.

St. Thomas, USVI
18.20.222N
64.55.607W

It was a quiet night and we awoke to wild donkeys braying on the beach near where we were moored; alternative alarm clocks are unique to each island, I‘m learning. Due to the genset malfunction last evening, however, Nicky and I knew that we should probably make ourselves scarce when the tools came out in spite of the possibility of donkey spotting from the boat.

You’ll probably remember from my previous post about Leinster Bay, there is a nice little snorkeling island called Waterlemon Cay right here. So when the guys started demolishing the salon, we took the dinghy and went snorkeling. We saw rays, flounder, sergeant majors, about 20 barracuda (young ones with one big one patrolling the posse), butterfly fish and tiny little silversides. We even saw a couple of hermit crabs living in fairly large conch shells crawling along the bottom.

At one point we looked up from our snorkeling and saw the guys on either side of the boat hanging off the standing rigging, rocking the Palace from side to side. We didn’t want to hazard a guess as to what they may have been doing.

When we thought we were as waterlogged as we could possibly get, we headed back. We approached the boat slowly, so as not to disturb geniuses at work. We could see that the genset was running again; that was a good sign. We boarded the Palace and learned that the genset impeller had not disintegrated as they had speculated but instead had sucked up a gob of seaweed. How it got through the strainer is beyond anyone‘s imagination. In any event, it was working and we’re all happy campers again. (They had been rocking the boat to look for the cooling water being expelled from the genset).

We slipped our mooring lines and motored over to Soper’s Hole on Tortola to check out of Customs. Once that was done, we dinghied over to the brightly painted stores along the waterfront to peruse their wares. Inside the grocery store, Nicky and I had fun looking at what was available. Nicky was pleased to see several items from England. I was pleased when Nicky found some canned cream for me. I had been looking for something that didn’t need refrigeration.

We found the guys drinking ‘pain killers’ at Pussers and joined them for lunch. We placed our orders then took off for the jewelry store to see what they had to offer. We got back just as they were setting the food on the table. I think we’ve got this island time down to a fine science.

We left Soper’s Hole and pointed our bow towards, St. Thomas. We were all rather quiet on the sail back. I know I was thinking that the week had flown by and that they were leaving too soon.

We anchored in Charlotte Amalie Harbor in pretty much the same place as before. We cleaned up and headed to The Green House for dinner. As luck would have it, the same waitress was assigned to our table. She was a good sport, as was the man at the corner table to whom we sent our bill. (Another table had previously sent us theirs.) He plopped down a business card and sent our check back. We pondered what it would be like if we had the resources to pay a bill that someone sent to us in jest. Wouldn’t it be fun to be able to make someone’s day by paying it?

It was another fun filled day but tomorrow they would be leaving us. Dale and I both wish they had been able to stay longer. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye.

St. John, USVI
Leinster Bay
18.21.928N
64.43.366W

We awoke today to the roar of airplanes taking off over our mast. Apparently, there is a runway just opposite the restaurant where we ate last night and just beyond where we moored. Not your usual alarm clock.

After breakfast, we slipped our mooring and pointed our bow downwind in Sir Francis Drake’s Channel between the islands that comprise the British Virgin Islands. We rounded Beef Island, with Virgin Gorda on our left, rounded again along Tortola leaving Ginger Island and Cooper Island behind us. When we reached Norman Island, we headed toward “the Indians,” which had been too rough for us to snorkel on our way up to Virgin Gorda. Today they were decidedly calmer.

We had to pace back and forth a couple of times waiting for a mooring ball to become available but once we snagged one, we pulled on our snorkel gear and jumped into the water.

Again, we were awed by the fish and coral within the nooks and crannies of the Indians. Dale did his usual trick of free diving through the underwater tunnels while the rest of us bobbed around until he appeared on the opposite side. I’d tell him to his face that he was showing off but in truth, we probably all wished we could do the same.

We returned to the boat and Nicky and I looked through the fish book trying to identify all that we saw. I guess the most interesting were the pale blue filefish.

The guys slipped our mooring lines, raised the sails and again, we raced against anyone who dared to go in the same direction; we almost always won.

This time at Leinster, we dinghied to the beach and walked the path that led to the Annaberg Sugar Mill. We climbed the wooded steps that the Park Service built up through the trees up to 1700’s stone structures that had been a windmill, boiler room, furnace, storage rooms, and slave quarters surrounded by stone fences. We poked around the buildings, marveled at the view from the top of the hill, took a few pictures and then turned around and headed back down the road, walked the long path back to the dinghy, and dinghied back to the Palace. Another full day.
While I was making dinner, Dale was running the genset. Then it quit; all by itself. Not a good thing. When Dale and Gerry opened up the access panel to the genset, it was extremely hot. Dale was very calm about it all; in fact, I was very calm about it. He said that it would take a long time to cool and that he’d look at it in the morning. I agreed. If the dang thing was going to break, I was glad that an engineer was on board. Dale can fix a lot of things but its always better to have two mechanically inclined heads instead of one.

Beef Island, BVI
18.26.919N
64.31.943W

Before we untied from the trees, hoisted our anchor and prepared our sails for the upwind beat to “the Baths” in Virgin Gorda this morning, Nicky and I conducted an experiment. She had told me about making omelets in a ziplock bag and since omelets were on the menu for breakfast, we tried it.

The way its done is, you put all of the ingredients into a ziplock bag, mix thoroughly, then place the bags into boiling water for 13 minutes. Since they didn‘t appear to be completely cooked after 13 minutes, I added another 5 minutes to the cooking time. The result was an omelet that tasted pretty good. We decided that the next time, we should use a bigger pot to boil them in since they seemed a little squished in the pot I used. Anyway, it’s worth trying again as it is a method that allows everyone to eat at the same time.

After breakfast, we sailed. Since there were other boats in Sir Francis Drake’s Channel going in the same direction, we raced. The Palace did well in the 20 kts winds with a full jib and a reefed main. We teased Gerry that he couldn’t complain about not having any wind in which sail on this trip, we had more than we knew what to do with.

Along the route to the Baths, Nicky spotted a run-away dinghy without a motor drifting toward Beef Island. We debated whether or not to drop sails and go retrieve it but a catamaran coming up behind us veered off and picked it up. Most of the dinghies out here belong to charter companies and have identification numbers stenciled on their pontoons. Since it was a charter cat that picked it up, we figured it would eventually find its way back to the rightful owner.

We were lucky in finding a mooring right away at the Baths and moored 2 boats behind MTNest who were showing their guests the same attraction. We dinghied into where we could tie our dinghy off on a line well outside the swim area and then donned our snorkel gear for the swim in the rest of the way.

We stooped through the rock overhangs, waded through the tunnels that flooded with the waves from outside and clamored over the boulders that make up the Baths. Then once we had explored our way through, we pulled on our snorkel gear again and swam around the boulders and coral heads on the outside. I never tire of playing and exploring among these rocks and am so glad we were able to show the kids these sights while they were young and imaginative. I think Gerry and Nicky liked them too.

With Gerry at the helm, we slipped our mooring ball and headed to Trellis Bay on Beef Island. With just the jib out, we were surfing along at 8 kts + crossing between Virgin Gorda and Beef Island. We were definitely in our groove, except for the following seas, which I really don‘t care for.

On the way over, we heard MTNest say that CheSerah had lost her dinghy near Beef Island. We radioed to them our sighting and the fact that a large cat had picked it up. CheSerah picked up the transmission and said that they had in fact lost their dinghy and that after a diligent search, had located it at the back of a large catamaran anchored in Beef Island. They went on to say that the cat was more than happy to relinquish their hold on the dinghy and it was returned to them. They were very lucky!
When we finally arrived in Trellis Bay on Beef Island, every mooring had been taken. We tried to anchor within the mooring field, but the anchor wouldn’t bite. We circled around and started to anchor again between two mooring balls, when a boat we were passing offered us the one that was being held by a kayak. We accepted eagerly and snagged the mooring without further embarrassment to ourselves or our guests. They didn’t offer any explanations as to why they were holding another mooring and we didn’t ask. I was grateful that I didn’t have to worry about swinging into the moored boats around us.

We had a nice dinner at The Last Resort, a restaurant located on tiny Bellamy Cay, an island hardly bigger than the building on it. After dinner, dinghied across the harbor to where the local artisans and craftsmen were holding their monthly full-moon festival.

They had dancers and musicians and crafts of leather, basket, wood sculptures, tin sculptures, beaded jewelry and coconut creations. Then at 10 o’clock pm they set two orbs aflame to top off the celebration. The orbs were made of metal designed into shapes of dancing people all over it. So when the orbs were set ablaze, it looked like people dancing around a fire. We had already left by that time and watched from the Palace. What a sight.

A full day spent with friends completed by an enchanting night.

Peter Island, BVI
18.21.208N
64.36.036W

Instead of heading to ‘the Baths’ as was our original plan, we changed our minds because the weather was deteriorating and decided to go to Peter Island.

Peter Island is only a few miles away from Norman Island but since there were a couple of other boats going in the same direction, we raced the whole way. Due to the high winds, we only had our jib out, but we were we were speeding along at 6+ kts often hitting 7 and better when a gust would catch us.

As was with the other anchorages, this one was filled to capacity as well. We ended up following the others in the harbor by dropping our anchor and then backing to the trees along the beach to secure ourselves; similar to a Med mooring but with a little more space between the boats. It took a little tweaking, but we finally felt secure with the arrangement.

Neither Dale nor Gerry seemed content to sit and talk, so they grabbed hand brushes and started cleaning the Palace’s hull, which had already started growing its own little eco system below the waterline. They kept themselves busy for the better part of the afternoon and had just finished when the rain came.

After the rain had cleared, Dale and I took Gerry and Nicky up to see what was left of the old mansion on the hill. We walked up the old cistern path through the undergrowth of scrub trees and cacti. An old eucalyptus tree was still standing along with more than a few aloe plants that had gone wild. The buildings were primarily constructed with cement and rocks so the ’bones’ of the place were still there. What had been a barely recognizable garden 12 years ago, was completely gone. The raised beds surrounded by rock fences were still intact but the roses and plants they once contained have been replaced with the surrounding vegetation.

Twelve years ago, you could peek through the shutters to see slivers of what lay behind them. The end room, a ballroom of sorts, was the only one that had its doors open. Today the entire home is open. I noticed that the locks are still in place but the hinges holding them to the wood have rusted away and they now swing still locked from the open doors and windows.

Much to my surprise, it appeared to be a single bedroom home with a formal entry, dining room, and living room. Termites have climbed to the highest rafters and the roof has collapsed in many areas leaving holes to the sky. The unique frescoes that once adorned the several nooks that contained fountains have been vandalized. I’m glad I took pictures of them long ago as not one of them had been spared.

The iron fence surrounding the covered patio leading from the house to the view overlooking the harbor is rusted and worn but still standing barely parting the patio from the encroaching elements beyond. Only the granite tiles on the patios and walkways seemed to be impervious to nature reclaiming what once was hers.

We walked around for a little while trying to envision what it might have looked like in its prime, speculated about what had happed to the original owner, daydreamed about what it would take to bring it back, before making our way back down the cement trail we had followed up.

We made our way back to the boat and barbequed dinner on the transom at sundown, watching the moon rise over the island surrounding us. Gerry was the first to see that we had a barracuda that had taken a position under our boat, looking for hand outs no doubt. We had just finished our after dinner margaritas when it started raining again. Seeing how it was after 9pm, we decided it was time for bed.

Norman Island, BVI
18.19.026N
64.37.048W

Much to our surprise this morning, there had been no collisions during the night and only one boat had left; a large motorboat. We noticed that he had been conscientious about setting his anchor but must have run into problems during the night as he left well before dawn.

We said our goodbyes to MTNest; they are trying to make their way directly to Virgin Gorda so that they can make a crossing to St. Martin by Friday. DocNoMore thought that they would transit the BVI’s slowly and stick around with us for a while. We wanted to show Gerry and Nicky some of the sights, so we took off for ‘the Indians’.

Gerry was at the helm and seemed to truly enjoy racing the Palace against anyone who happened to be going in the same direction. We were able to sail from Jost Van Dyke to Norman Island quickly but since we still had the 20+ kt gusts periodically, we elected to snorkel ‘the caves’ on Norman Island instead of ‘the Indians’. The caves were more protected than the exposed Indians and assumedly offered better visibility.

The water was brisk and presented an array of coral and fish, including a spotted moray, along the route from where we moored to the 3 caves we had come to see. From the direction we took, each cave we entered was larger that the previous one. The first had a few fish and some interesting orange coral ‘flowers’ along the rocks. The second you could go further into with a school of fish (glassy sweepers) at the entrance and the last was bigger, deeper and went further back to where Dale was able to climb out and stand up in the back most portion.

On our snorkel back, we checked out the coral formations leading up to the caves and played among the sergeant majors guarding every entrance.

I really do think that the moorings are allowing the coral to return as there seems to be more live coral now than there was 12 years ago. Again, there doesn’t seem to be as many schools of fish but more varieties of the ones we do see. Maybe the hurricanes have something to do with it.

We had a quick lunch and sailed around the corner to ‘the bight’ where the Willie T Floating Restaurant is. The Willie T we knew sunk in a hurricane but the new one provides food and drink for those brave enough to cross the many dinghies tied along her rails to the dock to gain entrance. We noted that even along the opposite side, the go-fast boats come from afar to quench their thirst at her bar, rafting 5 and 6 deep in rows of 3 along the side that used to be the exclusive domain of the cook’s ferry.

Of course, we’re brave and had little problem scooting our dinghy into a spot almost underneath the aft section of the boat, so that we could get a foot up on the corner of the dock.

We soon discovered that several young ladies (extremely young in my opinion) had already jumped naked from the uppermost deck into the waters aft of the bar to receive their commemorative t-shirts. The last of the group was resisting extreme peer pressure, who were literally pulling her bathing suit off her, and was able to at last declare that there were boats in the way and couldn’t jump.
Needless to say, Dale and Gerry were very attentive in getting Nicky and I our drinks from the aft bar as we held the table waiting for our dinner. Being gentlemen, not once did they ask us to offer our bodies for belly shots! Our knights in shining armor were actually willing to cut through the crowds just for us.
After dinner and an evening of watching people leap frogging from dinghy to dinghy, we made it back to the Palace just as it started raining. Perfect timing.

Jost Van Dyke, BVI
18.26.596N
64.45.099W

After a leisurely breakfast, we hoisted anchor, tucked in a reef and motorsailed out of Charlotte Amalie Harbor and started our voyage around St. Thomas to Yost Van Dyke. We had no sooner exited the entrance to the harbor when we had to practice a man overboard drill; actually it was a bucket overboard drill.

Gerry was on the wheel, so Dale grabbed a boat hook, while I went to the swim platform for a second chance in case Dale didn’t catch it with the boat hook. Our first attempt looked the best. Nicky rolled in the jib, Gerry brought us up close but the bucket was upside down and Dale couldn’t get the hook around the handle. I actually grabbed the bottom of the pail but couldn’t get enough grip on it without letting go of the boat. As it was supposed to be a practice and not an actual man over board, I resisted the urge to dive in and get it.

Two more attempts in 20 kts of wind and Dale and Nicky were able to retrieve the run away bucket. Unfortunately, our weight belts and one of the four gloves that had been in the bucket made a clean escape.

We finished our voyage without further interruption and I think Gerry enjoyed sailing the Palace in high winds.

When we made Great Harbor in Yost Van Dyke, we did an anchor dance rarely seen on the Palace, thank heavens. We tried to anchor in a sand over marl bottom. Our first attempt, looked good after it stopped skipping along the bottom but when Gerry dived down for a look, the anchor was lying on its side. Not a good thing.

We circled around and tried another spot. It wouldn’t bite. We circled around again and tried a different spot; again, it wouldn’t bite. To be honest, I lost track of how many times we tried to anchor before we decided to let out 120 feet of chain, added the 35 lb kellet and hoped the winds would remain moderate within the bay itself.

We settled back and watched other boats come in after us. A few dropped their anchors and stayed where they had dropped them; oblivious to the bottom conditions. Others did as we did and dropped their anchor, backed down, tried again and backed down until they either gave up, left, or dropped a ton of chain then, like us, sat in their cockpits to see what would happen.

Once we felt comfortable with our anchor, we all loaded into the dinghy and went to check in with Customs and Immigration. Roger had told us that the day before, everyone was grumpy but today, probably because Mike, from MTNest, was pulling everyone’s leg, was in much better spirits. We smiled broadly, wrote legibly, and paid in cash.

In the evening, we joined DocNoMore and CheSerah on MTNest before we all went into Foxy’s for barbeque on the beach. When we approached the dock, one side was filled with dinghies, so we scooted over to the other side which had signs declaring that it was Foxy’s private docking space. I pointed the signs out to Dale and we kept working our way down the dock when a man on the dock said to toss him our lines that he knew Foxy’s boat wasn’t that big. When we climbed out and onto the dock, I recognized that we were speaking with Foxy himself. He didn’t perform at the barbeque as I had hoped he might, but it was good to see him again. The barbeque was tasty, bountiful and filling. Some of us danced to the music that was provided, while others preferred to sit and talk with those around them but in the end, I think we all had fun.

St. Thomas, USVI
18.20.204N
64.55.523W

Today’s the day! Gerry & Nicky come in.

We walked to the side of town the cruise ship people miss to do our laundry and stock up on fresh fruits and veggies and make sure that I had all the ingredients for my recipes for the week. Dale was very gracious in not saying anything when I returned to the laundry mat where he was guarding the laundry, loaded down with groceries. The wheels on my poor little cart that I use for hauling both laundry and groceries were barely able to roll on our way back to the boat. I didn’t dare let him carry the bag on my shoulder as it was overloaded too and I didn’t want him to know. When he helped me lift all of the bags out of the dinghy, his only comment was ‘where are you going to put all of this?” I did manage to tuck everything away so that the boat was presentable.

Once again in the anchorage, we had moderate winds punctuated by extreme wind gusts. At one point, Dale had raised one of his pirate flags to welcome our guests. A couple of hours later, a gust of wind tore out one of the grommets and he had to climb the mast to retrieve the flag halyard.

MTNest had also returned to St. Thomas to pick up guests and when they didn’t arrive within a couple of hours of their appointed time, Mike started a grid search of the harbor side trying to locate them. After a couple of exasperated hours, they located Brad & Angie, who had arrived without luggage and were trying to track it down. Something has to be said about priorities when the guys were more concerned about finding the missing meat than they were about finding the missing clothing and jewelry.

Gerry & Nicky arrived pretty much on time and with all of their baggage in tact. We promptly took them out for ’pain killers’ the local rum drinks to welcome them to the Virgin Islands. It’s so good to see them again.

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.