Beautiful Puerto Rico

Cruising the South Coast of Puerto Rico
     Boqueron was a great anchorage.  After all the wind and waves in the Mona passage, the calm anchorage at this small tourist town was a welcome respite. We arrived on a Monday and our first impression was that it is a failing little dirt hole but some people we talked to enlightened us to the fact that it was hangover Monday, the slowest day of the week.  On the weekend, they assured us, the place would be rockin like spring break in Ft. Liquordale.  We took the dinghy out and snorkled the reef guarding the anchorage and then explored a small beach nearby.  A path led to a marsh at low tide bjillion little crabs.  The mud squished through our toes as we found another path leading to an open field and some trees.  Puerto Rico is very beautiful .  It reminds me of the Florida gulf coast but surounded by mountains.  The country deserves months of exploring.
     We hung around here for a few days as Corey departure was impending and I was waiting for engine parts via Fedex.  Corey left and my parts came, new fuel delivery pipes.  A pipe had cracked in the run to the Mona passage steadily squirting fuel into the bilge with each pulse.  It was a great relief to have the engine back to its normal reliable steadiness.  With all systems go and my confidence in myself as a solo cruiser growing I was ready to move along the next morning.  The day dawned with the usual PR loveliness, cleas skys and the sea glassy.  This condition has been pretty constant with the wind picking up from the east about 10am.  Several other boats were already underway as I got the boat ready to go.  I got a radio call from my friend Mike, on Zero to Cruising, who claimed Boqueron was not letting go of him.  His anchor was well stuck.  I offered to swim into the murky water and see what the problem was.  I took a breath and pulled myself down the chain about 10ft to see his anchor chain dissappear into a 20 ft. wreck that he had unknowingly anchored right on top of.  This is a very unusual occurence as we can normally see the bottom and large hazzards are normally marked some how.  Repeated dives did not reveal any solutions as I could not stay down enough to figure out where the rest of his chain was.  To the rescue came Dave on Promise with a scuba outfit.  I donned the tank and then I could see that about 15 ft. of his chain was well buried and unlikey to be pulled out with anything less than a crane.  Reluctantly Mike handed me a pair of big bolt cutters that I used to cut the 15 ft. of chain off, a big bummer for Zero to Cruising.
     They left the anchorage bound eastward and I got back to getting going myself.  I had just gotten the anchor up when I hear this horrible knocking coming from the engine.  Somewhat panicked I checked the engine where the knocking sound was unmistakable to me as a major malfunction but everything looked fine and the engine ran the same.  I quickly weighed the choices of putting the anchor back down and commence a 3 week engine tear down to see what the problem was or turn up the radio and try to ignore it until a catastrophic failure occured.  I chose the latter and reluctantly headed into the beautiful Caribbean Sea.  Fishing and the gorgeous scenery got my mind off the noise which wasn't getting worse.   Caught a Barracuda, not good, and continued to La Paguara, a weekend party town and tourist dive destination.  Afer a beer and burger in town with Mike and Rebecca I settled down for a nice calm night behind a small mangrove island.  Love this life.
     The next morning off to Ponce, a larger city with access to parts and reprovisioning.  The small yacht harbor was not to my liking, deep and surrounded by manmade improvements like a boardwalk and wooden pier so I was ready to move on the next day.  My friends needed to stay as they had some repairs to do take care of.  The next morning I headed for Salinas.   As I came down the mangrove lined channel I said to myself, this is more like it.  A natural mangrove lined harbor with about 50 or 60 boats, a nice dinghy dock, and good holding ground for the anchor.  I met up with some other friends who had preceded me and we had a good happy hour  session aboard Top O' the World.  Cruisers are quick to party with no fanfare and they always bring their own booze and some food to share.  This makes invitations to watch the sun set easy to give out.  Bob and Janice from Tsamaya are very interesting retired folks who spent much of their youth in Botswana as Peace Corps voluteers.  Martin and Johanna are a young Swedish couple who are very kind and tell great stories as well.  We added a new friend, John, on Dancyn, a 32 ft. boat on which he had just completed a 10 year circumnavigation.  This was an amazing feat to me and I soaked up his many cool stories.
     One morning I was patching the dinghy and I looked up to wave at a passing dinghy with a man and a dog.  The man looked familiar but I didn't have my glasses on and as I was psyferin'  he turned back and approached.  "Is that you Henry?" I said.  Yes it was a fellow from Titusville who had given me much good advice when I started the boat project.  We caught up and I told him about he engine noise.  He said he wanted to hear it so I fired up the engine and was able to produce the noise.  He said he thought it was an injector and explained that a bad injector can make a hell of a racket.  He grabbed a wrench and within 30 seconds he diagnosed the problem as the number 2 injector.  I as so relieved and happy I insisted that we have a beer right then.
     I happily waited for the part in Salinas doing boat projects and getting great sleep as the wind in the anchorage was nil every night.  The problem with that is that no electricity being generated by the wind generator.  I watched the battery voltage slowly drop down below the the 50% level.  Running the main engine with only the load of the alternator is bad for the already hurting engine and a poor use of fuel, so I kept everything but the fridge turned off for a couple of days.  When the part came on time I was so pleased and immediately set out to install the new injector.  With fingers crossed I fired the engine up and IT WORKED! No more hideous knocking.  I went over to Henry's boat with the good news and thanked him for his expertise.  I was now ready for sailing to the Spanish Virgin Islands.

The Mona Passage and Puerto Rico

Corey and I decided to leave Luperon at 9pm.  This strategy would give us the calm conditions near Hispaniola at night through to the next morning.  Leaving at night was very hair raising.  While staring at the chart plotter screen in the cockpit and Corey on the bow with a flash light we inched towards the exit following our buddies on Zero to Cruising.  As we approached a critical turn in the channed Mike calls me on the radio, having difficulties, and asked me to take the lead.  I could not see a thing so with ultimate faith in the machine that I burned a hole through with my eyes we threaded out way out into the ocean.  Once there, wind in face, and waves, of course.
     The trip across the top of Hispaniola to the Mona passage was largely uneventful.  Corey and I took turns resting and the wind did lessen in the early morning.  We got a favorable wind at some point, enough to motor with a sail to help a little.  The lights from Puerto Plata outlined the mountains that we slowly passed at 4 knots.  As the sun rose we were rounding the NE corner of the island and that gave us a better wind angle, enough to shut the engine down and sail SE along the coast towards the dreaded Mona Passage.
     Many guide books and other sailors make a big deal about the Mona passage, a 30 mile wide gap between Hispaniola and Puerto Rico in which the wind and current from the Caribbean gets funneled.  I was not taking the warnings lightly but I like the way the boat sails in 20 kts of wind and medium waves.  We were making good progress and I realized that we needed to slow down or build in some time so as not to make a night landing in PR.  There is a large area to avoid off the DR coast called Hourglass Shoal which we were heading towards and I figured that the 6 hour tack around the shoal would give us the time we needed.  The wind built through the afternoon giving us conditions that the boat can steer itself in.  By locking the steering wheel (the helm) in a slight turn and sheeting in the sails very tight, the boat steers itself into the wind just right.
    We relaxed and I read some and once an hour or so I checked our progress towards the shoal.  Tacking north in the middle of the Mona Passage to get around the shoal was not something I was looking forward to but I tried to relax.  I checked the chart plotter a couple hours later and got a very odd feeling.  My angels had intervened once again and the wind had shifted.  This caused the self steering boat to turn with the wind and the boat was actually sailing itself around Hourglass Shoal. The line showing our position on the chart plotter was curving perfectly away from the danger, amazing!  That night the wind built to about 20 kts, but we were pointing right at our destination, Boqueron.  I had lost track of Mike and Rebecca during the night as they were motor sailing to a different town than us, since they are Canadians and have a different check in procedure.  During the night we both happened to be checking on one another at the same time using the SSB radio which worked great.  All was well with Zero to Cruising.
     The sun set for the third time since we left Luperon and the wind was blowing but all was still good.  Corey gave me a needed rest about 4 am.  As I came back on watch I psyfered (figured in Jethro Bodine speak) that we would hit Boqueron at about 5am, not good.  I rolled in most of the jib, lowered the mizzen sail, and put a double reef in the main.  We still  were speeding along at 5 kts so I lowered the main and the boat slowed enough for an 8 am landing.
    A great feeling of accoplishment swept over me as the anchor went down.  I poured a stiff drink and went to sleep.  As I awoke about noon Corey informed me that he had purchased a room for the night at a fancy resort ashore.  He needed some solid civilization after the 55 hour passage, so off we went to the beach and the red roof behind the trees.  Once in the room we showered in hot water and flopped on the beds with a tv remote.  It was a odd feeling.  I realized it was the first hot shower I have had since I left Florida.

Getting it on in Luperon

Raw sewage flowing through the dirty filthy unpaved roads, poor people living in decrepit little huts amidst the squalor and garbage, an anchorage so dirty that you have to wash your hands when you touch the dinghy rope,  and MAN OH MAN DO I LOVE THIS PLACE!
As I entered the lake like anchorage surrounded by mangroves I drank in the beautiful tall green hills all around.  You can see why this is a great place to hide from a hurricane.  Hispaniola's 11,000 ft. peak is a tremendous steering force for the prevailing wind and waves coming out of the south and east.
The people are all very nice and the cruising community here is strong.  You make friends fast and easily.  They have some activity most nights like trivia games or jam sessions.  The boaters all look after one another as well.  My good pal Corey Crowley flew in from Florida on my first day here.  He may be able to accompany me for the remainder of the trip to the virgin Islands.
Our daily routine began with a dinghy trip to town and a visit to Captain Steve's family restaurant.  For 100 pesos ($2.85) you got a big plate of eggs, fried plaintains, a big smoked pork chop smothered in onions and garlic with coffee.  They offered free internet, a cold shower, and a small swimming pool, all under a spacious outdoor shaded patio.  Breakfast took a solid 3 hours once all the visiting, emailing, and relaxing was done.  Next stop, the boat for a noon beer and a game of chess or scrabble on Coreys Ipad.  Before you know it it is time to get back in the dinghy for a trip to Blanca Marina, another spacious shady hangout with 22 ounce beers for $2.  The breakfast was so big that we rarely needed any more food for the day.
The only drawback was the inability to swim or fish.  I saw some crazy europeans in the water on the first day and when I saw them in town I mentioned that swimming may not be such a good idea.  I don't think they had seen the stuff flowing out of town yet.
We shared a taxi ride with a very nice couple, Mike and Rebecca on Zero to Cruising, into Santiago, about a 2 hour drive.  I'm glad we had a driver as it is the wild west on the roads people driving in whatever lane that suits them, cars passing trucks that were passing other trucks at the same time.  Motorcycles everywhere going both directions on both sides of the roads.  Santiago has considerable size so Kiko, the driver, took us to an ultra giant and modern supermarket and a huge hardware store.  We stocked up on beer and food and stopped for a snack on the back, a corn and ham pizza and a giant Presidente beer of course.
Our weather window is approaching though so we are ready to leave tonight.  The boat is all fueled and watered and we are stocked up and ready for the 3 day trip to Puerto Rico.  Thank God that I have Corey to help on this difficult leg of the journey.  The north coast of DR has very few places to safely stop and the wind may be against us the whole way.

The Caicos Bank

Crusing the Caicos Bank
With some trepidation I awoke on Sunday morning for my first day alone on the boat.  The days job was to motor the 43 miles across the Caicos Bank, an area of shallow water (10 to 15 ft) which has only one passable course for my 6ft. draft vessel.  The trip was uneventful since I'm getting used to the beauty of the banks.  At around 4:30 i approached Ambergris Cay dodging the Elkhorn Coral heads and anchored right behind a nice patch of coral.  There were no houses on the island but some kind of radar installation or something with a large concrete building and some heavy equipment scattered about.  I was the only boat is sight which was wierd but I focused on my next duty, snorkelling the patch I next to me.  Grouper, Snapper, and lobster dotted the reef but I was just observing as I haven't eaten half of the big dolphin yet despite having it 2 meals a day.
     Weather on the SSB radio suggested another day at this spot so the next day I did a little housekeeping and a few sewing projects.  My goal of getting to the DR is close as I can get the DR fm stations at night.
      The trip to South Caicos, a settlement on the east end of the bank, was only 20 miles so I got the anchor up late morning for the second time alone, getting confident now.  I was able to sail most of way thankfully, the motoring is getting old and depending on the engine is worrisome.  I sailed along the line where the bank met the ocean in about 30 ft of water.  The fishfinder showed so many fish.  It indicated fish all along the bottom continuously for about an hour.  I was starting to relax on this first day of sailing the boat alone.  The wind on the nose at about 15kts and waves about 4ft., very pleasant.  I heard a pop behind me that I thought was a flapping sail and then I caught a white flash in my periferal vision.  When I turned I saw a large area of disturbed water about 100 yds away.  Just then a large Right Whale breached, most of his body clearing the water, and then the pop like a gun going off and a humongous splash.  I started yelling to no one that I saw a whale.  A whole family of them continued for a few minutes.  I grabbed camera ready for the next one but only got the children.  They were copying their parents like good kids.
The little town on South Caicos had very little evidence of the modern world.  The signs were faded paint on wood, the wooden huts with rusting corrogateted roofs house people and businesses and trash everywhere of course.  Everyone says good morning in spanish or french or the king's english.
After a day or so I was ready to move on and so I walked to the government office, a hundred year old wooden house that was freshly painted, the customs people fiddled with their forms and asked for the $15 exit fee of which I only had $3 of.  I asked if there was a bank and they said yes, the bank would be downstairs in the Treasury dept. at 10am and they only come one day.  I sat out front watching people amble in and form a very loose line.  A van and a truck show up and out comes a bright uniformed man with sunglasses and a shotgun, his hand floating just over the trigger.  Behind him a different uniform with a machine gun poised for business as well, then 3 ladies with the money and the computer.  They set up shop in a tiny room in "the treasury" and started helping people through a hole in a window.  It took about 10 minutes per person and I was about halfway in a 50 person line moving so slowly.  At home people would be bitching and moaning about the service, which was my initial reaction, but the people of the TCI are laid back and happy.  The very well dressed people seemed to all know each other and I gleaned that it was payday and these were the town elite, the lucky ones with government jobs, fireman, cops, and assistant librarians.   They spent several hours laughing, back slapping, and teasing each other.  The only gringo in sight,  I really enjoyed it and got to add my two cents into the mix now and then.  When my turn came there were no problems, so I got my money and headed back up the stairs to Customs.  Closed for lunch till 2.  Oh well, another day in paradise.
The next morning I successfully checked out and sailed the boat 20 miles south to big sand Cay to stage for the overnight sail to Hispaniola.  There were 5 other boats also staging for the sail and all hoping for the predicted 10 to 15 kt. NE winds that were predicted.  Everyone weighed anchor about 2 pm and headed out.  The wind was blowing 20 kts from the SE of course, the direction I needed to go.  I set the sails and the autopilot to point into the wind as best as I could and checked the chart.  I was heading for Haiti and there was nothing else to do.  The others decided to motor the 80 miles if neccesary, an option I was not willing to do.  2 hours into the trip though the wind veered a little bit and I was able to turn about 5 degrees, enough to aim for Luperon, DR.  As the sun set on the building seas and 20kt winds I discovered what my boat is really good for, bashing through the sea.  The only problem was that the autopilot does not do well in those conditions so I had to hand steer the whole night.  It wasn't a difficult job as the boat could almost steer itself in these conditions but there was no way I was going to sleep.
As the sun rose my eyes were hit with a large green gorgeous mountain and my nose was hit with the most unusual smell of rich earth.  Pehaps a bit of sewere also, but whatever it was I was so happy to have made it safely.  I followed another boat, "Zero to Cruising" into the anchorage and tied to a mooring.  I wasn't even tired as I was so pumped up with my accomplishment.  I tidied the boat up and the immigration people requested that all the newcomers head in to check into the country.  The only time I have ever seen a third world type of town was when sheril and I took a caribbean cruise 20 some years ago.  There was so much for my gringo eyes to take in and I was very excited for the coming exploration of Luperon and the DR.  Once the check in was complete I got a wave of fatigue so I went back to the boat to rest up.  The angels had once again intervened and my good friend Corey Crowly was coming from Florida later that day to help me get the boat to the Virgin Islands.