Fajardo,
PR. Overcast, threatening rain. Took main to North Loft where they fixing
it for a low $45. Dinghy had incorredct fitting on tank so we had to improvise
from an old gatoraid bottle until we bought the correct one. We dropped
off huge sail bag of laundry which should be ready tomorrow. It cost us
only $18. Gerrit & Santi went surfing at a point we saw yesterday on
the way in. It had great waves, and they later found it's called "La Selva"
or The Jungle.
Hoping to find overheating problem, I took manifold off of the old Volvo. I found and removed an old piece of impeller jammed in the thermostat housing, but despite my best efforts the flow to the fwd. cyl. is still not as good as I'd like to see (but much better than it was). Took the opportunity to put a fresh coat of paint on the manifold which has made it at least look much cleaner. I also cleaned some of the grease out of the wind vane bearings.
Went to Puerto del Rey marina with French/Argentine neighbors Eric and Diego. We semi-snuck in to the Heineken Regatta party and watched the very good band play many local favorites.
Fajardo,
PR to Palominos, PR. Sunny, Winds 10 knots E. Picked up laundy, did some
provisioning (not enough) and moved to Isla Palominos just to the East.
Windvane seemed to work better. Refrigeration working well. Took mooring
at Palominos. Palominos is a bit like Elliot Key near Miami. Filled with
noisy powerboaters. Lots of noise and boat wakes made for a less than ideal
anchorage.
Burrito kit for dinner, very good.
Palominos,
PR to Culebrita PR. Winds ESE 10-15 seas 2-4 choppy. Left Palomios 07:45
and arrived Culebrita 15:00. Anchorage full of loud Puerto Rican sportfishermen
(shouldn't they all be out fishing). Anchored in 12' with CQR and 80' scope.
As it was Sunday afternoon, all the powerboats left, and we moved to a
mooring, sharing the large anchorage with two other cruisers. Surge made
for a rolly and uncomfortable night for those in the single bunks.
Churasco, Black Beans, and Rice for dinner. SC milk on pound cake topped with cinnimon and milk for desert.
Culebrita,
PR. Put out stern anchor as soon as sun rose to hold boat into swell. This
made a huge improvement, but neither bow anchor makes a good stern anchor
as they are too heavy to be handled easily. Wish I had an aluminum danforth
type. Hiked around in morning. Rained in afternoon. Did some snorkeling,
windsurfing and fishing (one bite). Made bread which turned out well. Lots
of turtles in harbor. We were the only ones in the anchorage that night.
Slept very well.
Breakfast: fried tortillas and eggs. Lunch: Curry chicken sand. Dinner: cream chipped beef on english muffins & bread.
Culebrita,
PR to Jost Van Dyke, BVI. We got up early and hiked all over Culebrita
which has many spectacular sites. Went up to the old lighthouse on top,
and over to an area called the jacuzzis where the swells fill up a series
of pools when they break. Left culebrita at 10:10 with 15kn SSE winds and
choppy 3-5 foot seas. Sailed north of St. Thomas to White Bay, Jost Van
Dyke, BVI where we arrived at 12:10.
We
used the delta as a stern anchor again as a safety to keep us off the reef
in case wind should switch or drop at night (it did). That night we went
to Ivan's No Stress Bar where it was Ivan's birthday. Santi showed
off his bongo skills and we all drank plenty of "pain killers".