2024-02-11 A week in Culebra

We left Fajardo on Sunday, as winds were predicted to build out of the south, and we wanted a better anchorage - plus we were done with Fajardo.  We sailed the 23 miles east in light winds, with lots of tacking, finally having to turn on the engine the last two hours to make it in before dark.   

The anchorage in Culebra Ensenada Honda is very large, and well protected.   Monday we headed into town to stop at the post office.  We had used our spare water pump a while back, and wanted to keep a spare on board, so stopped at the post office to make sure they would accept general delivery shipments.  Smallest post office we have ever been in, but very nice people, and yes, they would do general delivery.  We walked around the area a bit while waiting for the post office to open.

Street post office is on.

Nice artwork - probably paid for by Coke but still decorative

Got a kick out of the gnarled tree in the sidewalk.  Wonder how long it will survive there

It is important to look up as well.  Chicken and cat sharing the perch.

Chickens here don't cross the road, they wait for the bus.

Hector Protector at the entrance to inner bay of Culebra.  

Nice stairway to lower buildings

On the way back to the boat, we stopped by another Manta catamaran anchored by us called Gypsy. We met Alan, whose is 80 years old, and single hands Gypsy for the last 5 years, sailing in the Caribbean.  Monday night we picked up Alan and headed off to dinner at Zaco's Tacos.    

We enjoyed Zaco's Tacos when we were last here in 2014 on our previous Manta What If.    

It still looks similar, but the menu and seating has been upgraded.

Sign from 2014

Sign today

Lower eating area in 2014

Same eating area today.

The food was still good, but not the sleepy little restaurant that we experienced before.  Quite popular and busy now.

Monday night the winds picked up, and Tuesday and Wednesday were windy and rainy.   20 to 30 knots.  Wind got bad enough the small planes that fly in here were not able to land.  Dean had a good time watching them trying.  Usually they come through the small pass, but with the strong wind direction, they had to come over the hill, then take a sharp dive to the airport.   

While the winds blew, we decided to try to take this week to finish recovering our salon cushions.   Kris got the lower ones done while we waited out the last blow in Vieques, so now was time for the backrests.  This involved cutting and refitting the foam.

Dean working on foam fitting and patching

Kris test fitting the first back rest cushion completed.

Kris made the first backrest, but it was a fail, did not fit as well as we wanted, so she sewed that one again.  Very glad we have extra material, as she is not happy with the bottom corner cushion so will want to sew that one again as well.  We are running out of thread though, so that will have to wait until after Derek visits, as he will bring more thread to us, as well as other stuff.

After two days of wind and rain, and another day of rain we were ready to get off the boat for a while.  We went over and toured Gypsy, and Alan came to our boat as well, then we were off to dinner at the Dinghy dock restaurant.  This restaurant is on the water, so you tie up the dinghy, and step off into the dining room.  Had a very good meal, and enjoyed watching the many tarpon swimming by the dock waiting for the stray bit of dropped food.   Also many birds fly by, and catch food people throw up into the air.

Many 3 to 4' tarpon at the restaurant.

We have a few more days here, as we want to finish all the cushions before leaving, do some snorkeling, and most likely another dinner out.