2024-01-28 - Wind and sewing

We left Puerto Patillas after just one night, as we wanted to make it to a protected anchorage, as 4 days of winds above 20 knots were forecasted.   

We motored into the wind all day, making it to the island of Vieques, and we anchored in the furthest east anchorage of Ensenada Honda (Deep Cove).   

The island of Vieques used to be a Navy bombing range, and there are still many unexploded ordinance on the island, especially the eastern part, so going further east is not safe.  It is a shame, as there are some beautiful beaches on the east side.  This anchorage is surrounded by mangroves, but very protected and good holding, so good for the strong winds predicted.

Monday we went out and explored the mangroves before the winds built.  

Charm at anchor as we head off to explore

Heading into the mangroves

Found a sunken boat.  Looks like it was pretty well stripped of items.   

Sunken boat

Water is fairly clear, can see the boat below the water.

Another boat in the anchorage with us is a person who runs sail charters off of his boat.  Visited with him a bit, and he told us the sunken boat was in hurricane Maria, with 150 knot winds and 12' of surge.  Almost 3000 people in Puerto Rico died as a result of the hurricane.   The fellow we spoke with also had his boat tied up in the same mangroves, and his boat also made it through the hurricane fine, and he was able to get back to his boat quickly once the winds died.  The sunken boat also made it through the hurricane just fine, but looters stripped the boat and sunk it, as the owner did not get back to it for a while.

After our brief mangrove explore, we headed back to the boat, did laundry and relaxed.   Winds started to build that night.

Tuesday we started a project.   We have been wanting to recover our salon cushions for a while, as the fabric we picked 3 years ago, always looks dirty and worn.  We bought new fabric, and supplies we would need, and have been hauling them around for a few months, so this seemed like a good week to work this project, as we would most likely be boat bound during the winds.

We started the project Tuesday, and worked on it every day until Saturday night.    With big projects, it turns the main cabin into a mess.   We had to re-cut all our foam, and add pieces in to make it fit the way we wanted.  Then had to make up a pattern for each new piece of fabric, since we were not using the same design as the old cushions - we just had to make it more difficult.

Lots of time, spent cutting, sewing, patterning, checking etc, and as of Saturday night two cushions done, but all foam cut.

Almost a entire day spent determining how we wanted the new cushions and cutting and gluing foam.

The boat was a mess for 4 days while working on the cushions

Two seat cushions almost done.

We decided to put a knee rise in the cushions, which double the work, and a non-skid bottom on the cushions, which added more work.  We are using a fabric called Ultraleather, which is nice fabric, but stretchy, so had to pattern and plan the stretch into each cushion as well - adding more work, and confusion as it stretches in one direction much more than the other direction.  Also decided to put French seams on the exposed edges.    All in all - we could not have made it more difficult if we tried.   

Kris not super happy with them yet, but still better than the old ones.   The back cushions will be easier, as they are basically boxes.

We will move today, about 4 miles to explore another anchorage on Vieques.

2024-01-21 We've been shot! - well the dink anyway.

We arrived in Salinas around noon on Sunday last.  Salinas is a very protected harbor, where many sailors stop to provision and to leave the boat to rent cars to tour Puerto Rico.   We were greeted by two manatee on our way into the anchorage.

Two manatee that approached the boat as we came into the anchorage

We went extra slow as they came right up to the boat

They left as we motored further into the anchorage area.   Next day a nice walk in order, took our dinghy to the local marina, who provides a dinghy dock for free.  We checked in with the marina, to make sure all was OK, and if there was a dinghy dock fee, and also got a phone number for a local rental car.

A quick walk through town, up to the large Econo grocery store, lunch out and walk back.

Kris always takes chicken photos.  This yard had pigeons as well

Large Econo supermarket and large "future" area for development

Lunch at Wendys - stale fries

Back at boat, nice rainbow over the anchorage in Salinas

We arranged a rental car for the next day, as we needed to get some plumbing parts to fix our broken coolant drain line on the port engine.

Dean behind the wheel - haven't driven in a while

Quite a few bananas grown in the area

We arranged the car for 9:00, but it was closer to 10:00 before we were on the road.  After drivng to Ponce and going to Home Depot, WalMart, National Hardware, Pep Boys auto parts and a quick lunch at McDonalds, it was 3:00 already, so we did not have enough time to do the scenic driving we wanted, so took a shorter scenic drive on our way back to Salinas, up into the hills to drive by Lago Toa Vaca, (All cow lake?) a large reservoir.   

Lago Toa Vaca at the dam

Spillway from dam, and downstream from dam

The countryside is very hilly, and quite steep.  Some of the roads are quite narrow,  and very few had a center line to seperate traffic.

Quite hilly and steep

We got back to the dinghy dock before dark, but to our dismay, found the bow section of the dinghy completely deflated.  Dean took a few groceries to the boat while I waited at the dock, and then grabbed the pump and came back for the rest of the groceries and me.  I pumped the dink while on our way to the boat.  By the time we got to the boat, and groceries unloaded it was dark, so did not look at the dink until the next day.  We found two holes in the dinghy tube - and noticed that they were in alignment, almost like something was poked from one side through to the other side.

Hole on outside through dinghy chaps

Dinghy chaps removed, you can see the hole

And a hole on the other side as well though the chaps

Chaps removed, you can see the hole.

The more we looked, it seemed like the dinghy had been shot, by a powerful BB type gun or something else.   We called the marina and let them know that our dink had been vandalized.

We had patch material, so spent the day working on that, and fixing the port engine coolant drain with the parts picked up in town.  We let some other cruisers know about the dinghy as well, since we were all using the same dock.

Next day, we decided to test the dink repair, by going in for lunch.  Kris had had mofongo when in Puerto Rico back in 2013, and enjoyed it, so wanted to have it again.  Found a close restaurant called La Bakira, and went in for lunch.

Sitting outside at La Bakira

Kris's lunch - Mofongo de Camarones

Lunch was very good, and enough to take a bit back home as well.  Unfortunately the dink still has a slow leak on one side, so will have to try that patch again.

Friday we headed 5 miles east to Bahia de Jobos.  Dean made bread and pizza dough, and Kris went for a nice kayak trip.

Kayaking through the mangroves

Water was surprisingly clear in some areas

Dean's perfect looking bread 

While there, we got an email from the cruisers we had met in Salinas.   They let us know that there was a fellow at the marina walking around with a 22 caliber rifle.  The marina hires him to shoot Caiman for the safety of the marina patrons.  Now we know what happened to our dinghy.  Either he accidently shot it and did not realize while aiming at a Caiman, or realized, but was afraid of repercussions so did not confess to it. Either way, we felt better knowing what had happened - at least we are 90% sure of the cause, and knowing it wasn't a personal attack on us made us feel better.  Still sucks though to have our brand new dinghy shot.

Evidently the non-native Caiman are causing quite a problem in Puetro Rico.

Smaller than crocodile or alligator, but still a pest.

Saturday we moved 15 miles east to Puerto Patilla, as a staging anchorage for the large trip east to Vieques.   This should be the close to the last motor trip against the wind for a while, and we can hopefully start sailing more.

2024-01-13 Gilligan's Island and Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island)

We had a relatively calm motor trip to the unnamed bay formed by Isla Ballena and Gilligan's Island.  No, not the real Gilligan's Island of TV fame, no professor, skipper, the movie star or anyone else.  It was nicknamed Gilligan's island in the 1970's by some folks from Philadelphia that just moved to Puerto Rico.   

Still the bay provided a calm anchorage, and we hung out there for four and a half days.   The bay is just east of Punta Ballena (Whale point), and is surrounded by mangroves, with a few upscale homes on the hillsides.  There is no town, but there is a resort a little further west.   

Took a trip up a small mangrove inlet and walked on the Punta Ballena beach.

Dink parked at end of mangrove inlet

Punta Ballena beach

Trail running next to beach

Some of the beach had lots of driftwood on it.

Went over and checked out Gilligan's Island.   When here in 2013 there were regular tourist boats that picked up people on the mainland and took them to the island, where services were set up for swimming an relaxing on the beach.  Due to the earthquake of 2020 and hurricanes, the beach is pretty much gone, the dock destroyed, and no more regular tourists. 

Some of the leftovers on Gilligan's Island

This is the biggest beach left on the island

Mangrove lined inlet at Gilligan's Island

We had been the only boat in the anchorage for the last 3 days, but on Wednesday a French boat arrived, and on Thursday two more boats.    

On Thursday we went into the the near the resort, where there was a restaurant called San Jacinto that used to do more business when the tourist ferry to Gilligan's was operating, but now is much reduced.  Out of the menu of 50 or more items, they only had about 10 items to choose from.  So Empanadillas were the lunch of choice.    Kris got lobster and Dean picked shark.  They were not that great - so glad we got potato wedges to eat with.

San Jacinto restaurant

Empanadas - called Empanadillas in Puerto Rico

Early Friday morning we headed out at 5:30 a.m. to motor east before the winds picked up.  We did not make it, and winds came earlier than normal, but it was fine - went 21 miles in 5 hours on one engine, doing around 4.5 knots.  Choppy head on waves, but going slow was fine, as we took very few waves onboard.   

Kris had meant to look at the port engine while at the anchorage as she had seen a small amount of coolant in the engine bilge, but forgot.  So after anchors up, she checked on it, and happened to touch the pipe we had put in place for early coolant draining.  The pipe moved - which it should not have, and gave Kris a nice spray of warm coolant to the face.  Luckily the engine had not been on long at all, so coolant only warm, and leak of coolant minimal.     This is when having two engines is great.  We shut off port and started the starboard engine and finished the trip.

Kris did spend about 15 minutes in the semi-warm engine compartment draining all the engine coolant so it would not leak into the bilge while we bounced around in head on seas, which was not fun, but that is part of boating.

We made it to our next stop at Isla Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island) before noon, and relaxed and had lunch, then started working on the engine.   A brass pipe nipple had cracked where it went into a reducer fitting where the engine coolant drain was.  At the end of the nipple was a bronze valve to use to drain the coolant.  In retrospect, a bad design of ours (hate to admit that), and the heavy bronze valve at the end of the nipple put too much stress on the joint when the engine was vibrating.   

The broken nipple, you can see it broke right where it entered the reducer bushing.

We tried to get the broken nipple out of the reducer, but no luck, so decided that we will just use one engine for the next trip when we head to Salinas, and will rent a car there to go pick up needed parts for repair.

Isla Caja de Muertos is about 8 miles off the south shore of Ponce - Puerto Rico's largest city on the south coast.  It is a nature preserve, and was maintained by the department of natural and environmental resources until the earthquakes of 2020 did too much damage and made the buildings unsafe.  There used to be a ferry to bring people out, but no longer, although still a popular spot of weekends for locals to come and hang out at the beach.   There is a 1 mile one way trail you can take to the top of the hill where there is an old lighthouse.  We took the trail, and wandered around the deserted and partially destroyed buildings.  The trail is no longer maintained, and was a bit rough.

Small but nice beach on NW corner, where we anchored

Charm, all alone at the anchorage

Some of the old structures, and solar panel array

Quite the buildings for tourism at one time

Inside the buildings, lots of leftover rubble

Nice paved and covered walkways and small cabanas with tables - no longer useable

This sign posted everywhere  " Do not pass - Danger zone - Area affected by earthquakes"

Inside main building

Dock, now unsafe to use

Part of trail to lighthouse

Many of these large cacti along the trail, and partially in the trail

Cacti must be at least 15' tall

Could not figure out this signs meaning.  Used to be more trails, so think it was where two trails joined and made a loop.  Could not find other trail, area too overgrown.

Old lighthouse

View from base of lighthouse.   Charm looks like a small dot 

We left for our walk at 9:00 am on Saturday morning.  By the time we got back, 4 more boats and couple of jet skis had arrived.   Boats came and went all day.  If you want solitude, then don't come here on a weekend.

After the walk, we got in the 83 degree F water, and scrubbed the hull.  Dean did not wear a wetsuit, but Kris did.   Saw two very large fish swim by under the boat while we were scrubbing, probably attracted to the little shrimp we were dislodging, and our thrashing in the water.  We think they were Tarpon.

Hard to see in the cloudy water, but they are about 20' away and are about 3' long.

After scrubbing the hull we relaxed and read while watching the activities on the other boats.

We did our good deed for the week, and did rescue three young adults in a dinghy who had run out of gas while out playing in the water.  They were trying to row against the wind back to shore.  They tried to get the attention of the parents, but they were on the stern of their large motorboat with music and drinks and had not noticed the kids situation.  The kids were never in danger, and the parents would have noticed soon, but Dean saw them and thought we should be kind and go help, which we did.

Early tomorrow we will head to Salinas, where we will most likely be for a while.