Juli CT; Rainy; 78 degrees; 20 knot winds
03/06/2010, Fajardo, Puerto Rico

I am now on Day 457 of being unemployed (laid off), Day 401 of being a first time boat owner, Day 370 as a live-aboard and Day 340 since we first set sail (from Sadler Point Marina, Jacksonville). Unfortunately, I wish I had more exciting news to report in today's entry but, alas, we are still at SunBay Marina - with John back in Boston assisting his family and me with my little sister Ems here handling boat repairs as well as taking time off for a little Puerto Rican sightseeing.

In terms of sights, in the past 5 days Ems and I have hit Luquillo Beach, El Yunque, Melones and Flamingo Beaches (Culebra) as well as Old San Juan. See today's (and tomorrow's) photo albums for a summary of our trip ! Puerto Rico has such beauty that I hadn't expected.

In terms of repairs, I am proud to say that I am vitrually done varnishing the toe rail (still need to fix the caulking, however), refinishing our front door, have cleaned the boat top to bottom, fixed the problem with our Mercury outboard engine, with some assistance (darn water intake valve) AND, with the help of Ems, we took down the main sail for minor repairs. Taking the sail down was quite a feat I tell you - I have never done this without John, let alone in 100 degree heat and with shackles that just wouldnt budge. When Emily and I finally managed to take down our roller furling main sail and undo its shackles (thanks to alot of WD-40 and a hex set), a kind neighbour helped us fold up the mainsail and get it into a transport cart - and said the funniest thing I have heard in days....'Please do not take this the wrong way but it is unusual to see a woman working like this on a sailboat.' My response: 'Well, if you were impressed by this, you should have seen me replacing our generator water pump'. He was amused......Unfortuantely, we are again held up by a repair to our Westerbeke generator - apparently, the diode replacements have not yet arrived so our generator is still in parts in our walk-in engine room. Sigh.

The weather had been glorious here, albeit a little hot, but a front is now upon us - continuous rain for the past 24 hours and winds have notably picked up. In fact, even in our tight little slip, our boat is slowly rocking back and forth, you can hear the wind whistling through the rigging such that the boat is even vibrating a little.

Luckily, I am currently cozily cooped up in our aft bedroom with my computer typing this blog and watching Seinfeld re-runs.

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Juli CT; 90 degrees (humid!); 10-15 knot winds
02/25/2010, Fajardo, PR

Here we are back in Fajardo, PR, at SunBay Marina. Whilst it is nice to have these marine amenities: the items on our AC panel are running like a charm (the icemaker is making buckets of ice, the fridge is frosty cold and the microwave and stove are now working at their full power), excellent internet connection and an endless supply of fresh water, I have been here for 5 days and getting really, really restless. I want to be back out to sea. While John is back in Boston (lucky him, with the oncoming snow storm) helping out his family, I have taken over as "captain" of the vessel and put myself to work on our "To Do" list.

It is worth noting we had a rather scary surprise this week, as the mechanics were servicing our Westerbeke generator. (We are dealing with Marine Mechanical Services in Fajardo for this and I am so so impressed with the owner, Danny). They informed us that, in fact, the generator was not bolted down in the engine room !!!! He actually picked it up to demonstrate. It just appeared bolted down - interesting that our 2 surveyors missed this as did the 3 mechanics who have worked on the generator since we bought the boat. Although the generator is stuck in the front corner of our sound-proofed engine room, this could have been very dangerous, considering the rough seas we have so far encountered on our voyage. I am really learning more and more that we cannot depend 100% on the individuals working on our boat and must double,triple check every piece of work. (Please note this is obviously not applicable to all the individuals who have serviced our boat to date - we have had some great work done by select individuals). Despite throwing thousands of dollars at repairs, we are finding that time and time again, projects have not been completed properly, only to malfunction later. Again, another reason to do more boat work ourselves.

Here are my planned projects for completion for the next 2 weeks (Ems - take note!) I figure if I write them down on the blog, I will more accountable to complete them !

1) Finally strip and refinish our "front" wooden door (see pic). I found this safe and easy to use paint stripper down here - "Strip Ease" which works like a charm. After 2 hours of sanding (hand sanding as our hand power sander is on the blink) I started to varnish. It will be beautiful when finished!

2) Finish the sanding/varnishing of the toe rail - how long have we been saying this ?? Although our toe rail is narrow, this has been a massive job, given how damaged the wood was when we bought the boat. Basically required hours of sanding, cleaning the wood and then applying Epiphanes varnish. Also, all the caulking under the toe rail has deteriorated and fixing this may fix our kitchen leak.

3) Attack the anchor platform. John and I patched it up in Deltaville - our first ever attempt at fiberglassing - but it needs reinforcement, to be resanded, primed and painted. I have NO idea what I am doing but trying to figure it out via a variety of the helpful sites on the web. Trying to understand the benefits to using fiberglass mat to fill in the smaller cracks vs a resin paste vs just repairing the gel coat. Means I am going to have to hoist up our 60lb CQR anchor off its platform - sigh.

4) Repair mainsail. The attachement to the clew ripped while we were in rough seas on our way here. I was trying to figure out how to repair it with my Singer machine but its too tough a job given the stiching in the batten. Thanks to a neighbour, I found a North Sails down here and I will beg Emily to help my take down the mainsail when she is here so we can take it into their shop for repair.

5) Have the Mercury outboard engine serviced. Looks as though we have a bad impellor (of course, this one part is not covered under our 1yr warranty). Luckily the mechanic will come out here to service it - didnt relish trying to hoist the 90 pound engine to land.

6) Sort out our malfunctioning electric (12v) Raritan rear head - think it may be the motor itself but not sure. Raritan tech support (via email) has been helpful on troubleshooting this issue.

7) Spring cleaning - the entire boat. I have already started with the engine room of all places. The local Westerbeke mechanic came to service our generator and moved it around to remove the bad diodes so I could actually clean around the front/underneath.

When John returns, the boat repairs are complete and we have reprovisioned (much cheaper in PR vs the islands) we are heading back east and south. First stop will be Culebra, then USVIs, and then we had planned to go to St Maarten but dont fancy beating ourselves into the wind/current so are currently investigating other passages south.
We hope we can make it as far as Dominica by April/May !

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Juli CT; 90 degrees (humid!); cloudy; 10-15 knot winds
02/19/2010, Fajardo, PR

We rounded out our trip in the BVIs with one final trip to the paradise of Anegada. We were lucky with the positive turn in the weather (ok a little more wind would have been handy) and set off there for Valentine's Day. We followed in the footsteps of "Barking Dog" a lovely couple, Craig and Lydia, we met at Leverick Bay, also from Boston, Massachusetts. (Thank you for the contributing pics !)

Unfortunately, our scooter guy in Anegada has taken off for St Thomas so John and I had to grab a cab at Potter's By the Sea to head for Cow Wreck Beach, on the other side of the Anegada. It really is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen! John and I walked the length of the beach after putting our order in for lunch at the restaurant. And then swam the length of the beach, letting the current carry us back to our starting point. We finished off our visit to Anegada with dinner with the Barking Dog crew - Lydia's fantastic focaccia, followed by bacon cheeseburgers (on the grill), and lots of beer and wine. And, of course, exchanging amusing boat stories....

John and I sadly left Sopher's Hole on the morning of the 17th and signed out at customs (only $1 to leave) - and then headed for the Spanish Virgin Islands. The weather, I must say, was perfect - althought the winds amongst the USVIs were variable, when we hit the passage, the wind was 10-15 knots with very modest waves (limited Northern Swell). We ended up at Cayo De Luis Pena, thanks to a recommendation from Speedy, which was one of the most lovely, isolated spots we have been to in the Carribean. Unlike the BVIs and USVIs, which are crazy crowded right now, the Spanish Virgin islands are so quiet - and just as picturesque. So John and I parked ourselves here for 2 days, for some alone-time and alot of
amazing snorkelling.

With the oncoming new Northern Swell, and given our new timeline, we had to head for Fajardo this morning. After a rather bumpy 2.5 hours (John didnt want to take out the main sail), we are now parked back at SunBay Marina. It seems so odd to be back at a dock after all our time anchoring/on moorings over the past 2 months. On shore power, we can actually run all our AC systems simultaneously (including air-conditioning given the humidity) and they actually run to full power. And, the boat is as steady as if she was on land - no rocking whatsoever.

We will park ourselves here for 3 weeks while we do a few repairs, John travels home to Boston to take care of personal business and, the best part, my sister Ems is coming for another visit !

And, I am happy to report - our engine has been running very well and we are having no major mechanical issues. The repair to our generator (diode replacement) is an "age issue" and something we just didnt get to before.....This repair will also fix some of the issues we were having with our AC devices (fridge).

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Juli CT; Cloudy; 80 degrees; wind @ 10 knots
02/12/2010, Leverick Bay, Virgin Gorda

Where has the time gone ?? We arrived in the BVIs on December 20th, 2009 and now are planning our last few days in this fantastic sailing paradise. After extending our one-month visa, we are now set to depart the BVIs on February 17th. Although these islands are a little overcommercialized, I could stay here for another month at least. Such easy sailing and I never tire of the nature you witness here as well as enjoy the warm hospitality.

Unfortunately, we are backtracking slightly to Puerto Rico for a generator repair (which we didnt have time to complete prior to this leg of the trip) and it looks as though John may have to fly back to Boston for 2 weeks to take care of a few personal items. Then, after the repair and John's return, as well as checking out the Spanish Virgin Islands, we will head further down the island chain (St Maarten etc). We are still in a quandry about what to do regarding our broken centerboard. Our boat does not sail as well without it but we are hesitant to try and get it repaired down here, concerned about the repair cost as well as quality (alas, this repair will not be covered under our insurance).

Since our last update on February 3rd from Sandy Spit, it has been a non-stop, fun-filled adventure here in the BVIs. Ok, that is a little tongue in cheek as between our lovely outings, I have found myself cleaning out moldy, exploded, rusty tin cans of veggies from under our settee, sanding the heck out of our toerail (and then finally applying a first coat of varnish to the port side) and cursing as I attempt to make homeade french bread (only one success so far).

Yet, on the upside, a few highlights of our week:

John and I finally made it to the "real" Bubbling Pool on Little Jost Van Dyke. Our first visit to what we thought was the "Bubbling Pool" occured while we were chartering down here in 2007 - and after reading about it/speaking to sailors about it, we couldnt understand why were being tossed around so much and battered amongst the rocks in this oasis. The answer: we were in the wrong place and our visit this time to the "Bubbling Pool" was glorious - it was truly like being in a natural jaccuzzi.

We also put John's new PADI certification to work and dove (with Blue Water Divers) "The Wreck of the Rhone", outside Salt Island. It was quite amazing, between swmming through the bow and the stern, looking at the preserved floor tiles and rubbing "the lucky porthole" (the only porthole where the one surviving passenger escaped). We then followed this up with a dive off the reef near Cooper Island - spotting hundreds of fish, a live conch, a manta ray and a school of barracuda. By the way, the barracuda really seem to love our boat. When in Norman and Cooper Islands, there is always one huge, lone barracuda that swims under our boat, just circling it. Although barracuda are known to be curious fish, and not harmful, when they stare eye to eye with you and bare their teeth, it is disconcerting. (This cut our dive under the boat to scrape the bottom/propellor shaft short).

We have seen the most amazing natural sights here - but the best to date was our sighting of 3 enormous humpback whales this week off Cooper Island (right outside the Manchineel Bay mooring field) ! John, while reading Patrick O'Brian, heard the first "Pfffttt" and then looked up to see the whales blowing their spouts. I scrambled up the stairs just in time to see the last spout and their great tails flicking in the air before they dove deep into the water. Unfortunately, after a nearby sailboat called in a "Securite" to alert the bay of their presence, a whole host of boats chased after the 3 whales so they natually swum north. (When we have better internet, we will post our short video of our sighting....)

With the return of this lovely Northern Swell - the boat is rocking madly back and forth on our mooring ball as I write this - we are parked at Leverick Bay once again for 2 days and then plan for one final trip to the glorious Anegada, and catch up on the sights we couldnt see on our first visit there.

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Juli CT; 85 degrees; 5 knot winds (E)
02/03/2010, Sandy Spit, Jost Van Dyke

Last night, John and I decided to treat ourselves with a candlelight dinner at Saba Rock, Virgin Gorda. The plan was to have a few rum punches during happy hour but we were more than impressed by the place and decided to extend our stay for dinner. The place is really magical - and the fried conch was yummy as was the all-you-can eat salad bar.....This is an impressive resort for such a small island, including a lovely beach with hammocks and its own "natural" aquarium, complete with one of the anchors and cannons from the Wreck of the Rhone. (The gift store also had an impressive display of relics from the Rhone and the Atocha - apparently the owner of the resort knows Mel Fisher !) For dinner, John and I were seated right next to the sea and the island is surrounded by blue underwater lights such that you can gaze at the enormous fish as you eat dinner.

Today, the weather can only be described as perfect - our sail (motorsail) from Virgin Gorda to Jost Van Dyke (yes, we finally made it !) took 3 hours, with 10-15 knots of wind virtually on our beam and our boat skimming along at 7.2 to 8.0 knots. And of course the sun played its part today and sparkled all day.

Today we learned a new lesson. Apparently, it is not about being polite to one's fellow sailors but who pushes their way in first. I was astounded by the rudeness of a fellow boater (well, charter boater) as we spied the last mooring ball in Diamond Cay, just outside Foxy's Taboo and went for it. The author was standing on the bow, with binoculars and pointing at the ball, giving John directions such that we could pick it up. Then, as we made our final approach, all of a sudden a large catamaran came from an angle on our port side, sped up and passed right in front of us and grabbed the last mooring ball! We had spotted them a little while before but we, at the time, were clearly ahead of them to enter Diamond Cay. I stood on the bow, with my arms folded just waiting for any recognition from this Footloose Charter Boat ("OdeToJoy") - yet all eight of the crew refused to look in our direction and pretended there wasnt a 47 foot sailboat heading straight for them....well, until I shouted across -"That was a little rude wasnt it ?" Some guy who just caught the mooring ball while the others sat there looking everywhere but at us responded, "Who knows you werent doing the same thing?". You could tell they just knew they were in the wrong - I felt like we were in a game of musical chairs and had just been left outside the circle as the bully pushed us out of the way for the last chair. But instead of playing their game, we just turned out boat around quickly and headed for the anchorage near Sandy Spit.

Our first attempt at anchoring didnt quite work out well but, in the end, we were pleased with our "forced" anchoring. Our second attempt to drop our 60 pound CQR (in 15 feet of water) was largely a success - and John and I popped on our scuba gear and dove the boat to ensure our anchor was well entrenched and that we weren't anchored on any coral. The results - our anchor was "ploughed" in and the calm conditions of today made for limited swinging and pulling on the rode. We followed this up with a snorkel to the secluded island of Sandy Spit, took a walk around the island, searched for coconuts and clams and then wrote "Lucky Escape 2010" in the sand, up the beach.

However, I earlier stated "largely a success" as John and I feel we may be a little close to Sandy Spit and its choral reef should we swing 360 degrees on the anchor as we let out 6-1 scope. So now, as I write this, John and I are on "anchor watch" and popping our heads up from the aft bedroom every one half hour to check out our position (including following our movement on our electronic map). So far so good, we are just moving in a slow crescent and, if this keeps up for the next few hours, then we can finally hit the hay and sleep well. The winds have died down nicely - only about 5 knots or less. - and the waters are nice and calm.

This location is much more secluded than the various mooring fields we have been in so far (everywhere is packed despite the recession) and encouraging us to finally break free of our addiction to mooring (which we have been tending to do as winds have been rather strong of late).

With the onslaught of the night also came the fish. When John and I snorkelled over to the island, we saw very few fish - yet the darkness brought thousands of tiny blue and transluscent fish out, accompanied by a host of rather large fish chasing them around (grouper + others we couldnt quite identify). We turned on our spreader lights and followed them with our spotlight and also became very excited as our fishing pole was out (off the stern) - complete with tasty, juicy squid bait. It appeared fate that we would finally catch another fish (sigh, only one so far under our 1-month fishing license). However, there seems to be something lacking in our fishing technique...The huge fish swum in circles around our bait and John and I were literally jumping up and down on the deck at the thought of fresh fish for several nights. Yet, these BVI fish are too smart for us and we obviously dont know what we are doing as our fish hook remains empty. Alas, we did enjoy a nice fresh fish dinner on the deck, complete with Alex's recipe for mango chutney, with the catch we bought in Spanish Town.

With the drop in the wind speeds and swell (at least into the weekend) we think we will continue to enjoy Jost Van Dyke for another day or so.....Ahh...Bliss......

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Juli CT; cloudy/periods of rain; 20+ knots (E)
02/01/2010, Norman Island, BVIs

Given that we are still VERY slowly working our way around the BVIs, we decided to extend our stay for another 30 days - and went through the Customs and Immigration procedure in Spanish Town, which basically involves "importing" your boat (for $201, good for one year) and going through an interview and filling out more forms. So we are able to stay in the islands until Feb 17th, when we will then head back West to the Spanish Virgin Islands and PR.

We finally, finally went to the Baths on VG the prior week - albeit by taxi from Spanish Town, rather than fight the boat crowd for a mooring. The Baths are absolutely beautiful and well worth a visit, despite the massive winter crowds. We ventured away from the main beach area to explore the caves and snorkel off Devil's Bay, about a 20-min trek (and I mean trek) from the land entrance. After this, we sailed to another new area - Leverick Bay at Virgin Gorda. This is a very pleasant resort/marina that allows mooring guests full access to the resort/pool (+ a free bag of ice for each night of mooring). And there were laundry facilities + a surprisingly good market. We ended up parking ourselves here for a few nights as we could even pick up the resort's wireless internet from our boat. And, we were pleasantly surprised by their Carribean night on Fridays - all you can eat buffet for $30 + live band as well as witnessing "The jumbies". Of course, I personally also like the "2 for 1" happy hour.

Then it was onto Cooper Island, which we also had not yet visited. After studying the map, and with the winds as they currently are, we decided to head for a mooring at Manchioneel Bay. Lunch at the Beach Resort was uninspiring, although the Resort/Restuarant itself is very lovely. We also made our best purchase yet there - our colourful hammock (made in Mexico). We hung this right away, attaching one looped end to a winch on our main mast and the other is tied (securely) onto a line on our forestay. As the winds and swell picked up last Monday, however, we decided we could use a calmer anchorage and headed for Sopers' Hole. The Carribean Sea really picked up, with up to 30 knot winds although we were fortunate to have following seas and the winds/current pushing us along to as fast as 9 knots ! I felt sorry for the poor charter boats that were headed in the opposite direction, towards Norman Island as they were getting beaten to death as we watched their bows being thrown up...up...up and then crash into the waves. Unfortunately, alot of other boaters had the same idea and when we arrived at Sopers Hole at approximately 1pm, the entire mooring field was full and there was very limited room to anchor. We attempted to drop anchor in the North corner but there was very little swinging room (and the neighbouring boats looked at us nervously) so we hauled on the anchor and headed to Cane Garden Bay - knowing full well we would feel the effects of the swell. Really, this Northern swell has given us little respite in the past few weeks. We grabbed a mooring ball in the North East corner of Cane Garden Bay but we still rolled like crazy - albeit not as much as the monohulls on the opposite site of the bay. THIS is where the hammock came in very handy and I very happily swung back and forth on it while we were tossed around at our mooring. We have been waiting for a nice window to spend the night at Jost Van Dyke, waiting for tranquil conditions. Our prior attempt to land a mooring ball there (during a northern swell) resulted in my tumbling on the front deck.....

Tired of being tossed around all night (and it was so rough earlier in the evening that John was feeling a little seasick) we managed to squeeze into the Sopers Hole mooring field the next day, also with plans to do a few important but muntane tasks via internet (pay bills etc), reprovision as well as get John set up for his PADI qualification. Interestingly, when I have to perform these muntane tasks, I am brought back with a reality shock of the bureaucracy that I left behind on land. Nothing is ever straightforward, there are hidden fees for everything and you can never reason with any of the telephone customer representatives - they all sound as though they are reading out of a textbook for any question/comment and then add the obligatory "Can I do anything else for you - have a NICE day!" (after you have been screwed over in some way). And, believe me, there isnt alot of understanding when you explain that you are not regularly receiving their mail or do not have constant access to the internet as you are living on a boat. The fact that nothing really works that well here in the Carribean no longer stresses me out like it did when we were chartering - I just roll with it, but dealing with any 1-800 number (to work out bills/insurance) is what now stresses me out......

But we left this all behind as we set out for Norman Island, where we have been hanging out for the past 5 days as John finished up his PADI certification and we enjoy snorkeling on the coral reef. I also love watching all the pelicans flying around the island, then diving into the coral reef to fish for dinner......It would have been an uneventful few days had it not been for our decision to re-visit "Willy Ts". I won't bore our readers with all the details nor embarass the participants but our few free rum punches at Pirates Bight turned into dinner at the restaurant, and a drunken evening at Willy T's - filled with meeting interesting people, dancing and partying with a great group of Canadians - then a bit of jumping off the back of the deck. The festivities then ground to a halt when one of the Canadians unfortunately slipped and fell, hitting his head and VISAR coming to the rescue. John and I stayed behind to provide assistance....

The weather forecast calls for a weakening of the tradewinds and moderation of the swell so we hope to FINALLY make it to Jost Van Dyke this week !

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Juli CT; Still Rainy; 75 degrees; 20 knots winds (E)
01/17/2010, Virgin Gorda, BVIs

With this rainy weather, more time on my hands and finally getting internet, I thought the following recipe may be useful:

Gybing Juli's Crazy Carribean Rice.....

This is a recipe I put together from the contents of my cupboard, inspired by the available ingredients in the BVIs and our freshly caught fish.

Prepare 6 cups of plain white boiled rice.

In a separate, large frypan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil (rolled around the bottom of the pan). Add to this the following ingredients:

1) Finely chopped white onion (1/2 to 3/4 cup will do)
2) 1 cup chopped green pepper

When the chopped onion is "soft" add the following to the same frypan:

1) 1 cup of shredded coconut (I prefer sweetened)
2) A large handful of crushed cashew nuts
3) 1/2 can of tinned pineapple. I cut the rings into little pieces. If you can find fresh pineapple, even better !

Pan fry the above ingredients for a few minutes.

When the boiled rice is ready, increase the heat in the frypan and add the boiled rice to the existing contents. Constantly turn over the rice and added ingredients until well blended. (The rice will get a little sticky at this point).

Pour a little of the pineapple juice from the can into the middle of the frypan, essentially making a little "cup" with the frypan ingredients.

Add 2 teaspoons of cumin to this juice, let it soak in and then blend the cumin with all the ingredients in the frypan. Add salt and pepper to taste and fry for about 10 minutes on high heat (so rice will brown slightly).

And, voila - serves 4+ people and is excellent with fish.

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Juli CT; Very Rainy; 75 degrees; 20 knots winds (E)
01/17/2010, Biras Creek, Virgin Gorda

We are now on day 28 of our visit to the BVIs...After welcoming in the New Year at Marina Cay, we made it a mission to venture to locations in the BVIs we had not yet been to (on this trip + our prior charters)!

We ventured to Fat Hog's Bay last week where we took the local bus into Roadtown to provision and get our fishing license. We caught the bus outside of the marina terminal at Fat Hog's and rode in with the locals at $3 per person. (We decided that Roadtown, with its busy harbour, limited space and sand bars was not a place to take the boat). Fat Hog's Bay has surprisingly good facilities for sailors - with a local market, nearby fish market, a gas station (with huge $4 bags of ice!), and a dive shop. We also experienced something we never had before - at night we could hear this odd popping sound in the water under the hull. We originally thought it was internal but it was clearly coming from the water when we stood on the deck. Any idea what this might have been (fish) ?

Roadtown was fruitful in terms of provisioning at Bobby's and obtaining our fishing license. We were determined to start being more self reliant given how tricky it is to buy good quality, decently priced meat and seafood here. And we were rewarded one day later when we caught a snapper of sorts (we think!). We were pleased as we had to use cheap (previously frozen) fish as bait given the lack of a good bait store...There is nothing better than freshly caught fish for dinner - our guest Alex did a fantastic job in cooking it, complete with homemade mango relish.

By some miracle, Alex's return flight to London, UK was cancelled given severe snowstorms so she stayed on with us for an extra week, for our passage to Anegada. We were blessed with a day of good weather (before this current front hit us) so we sailed approximately 2 hours from Marina Cay to Anegada - a destination that we could not previously go to when chartering given its tricky entrance as it is a "reef island". I am terrified of running into a coral reef so I reviewed the map of Anegada and searched for navigation tips on the internet while John reviewed our Navionics Map.
We did have some difficulty locating the entrance buoys as our electronic map was incorrect and our guides write up the entry as if travelling from Virgin Gorda. So there was some frantic binocular searching for our buoys as we sailed closer and closer - and were finally spotted by Alex. Once in the channel it was an easier than expected entry, although you need to watch your depth at certain mooring balls for deep draft sailboats. With our 5ft draft, we had less than 2ft under us at times.

Anegada was everything glorious. Upon arrival, John and I rented a moped and toured the entire 11-mile island, including a quick visit to the Shipwreck Museum (which is basically a small room full of sunken treasures). We stopped by the salt ponds (yet didnt see any flamingos) but did stop for a hermit crab that was crossing the road ! We completed our stay at the "Drowned Island" with lobster BBQ'd on the beach at Potters on the Sea, which offers a very plentiful 1/2 lobster plate at $35. Neptune's Treasure is also worth a visit, it is on a lovely, secluded end of the beach where you can grab a glass of wine and watch the sunset (but bring the bug spray!)

With the weather turning, and Alex needing to catch her next flight, we had to leave Anegada on Friday, even in sustained 20+ knot winds. We decided North Sound would be a good protected place in the current weather so we headed out in between shower bursts. As we left Anegada at about noon, however, we noticed it was eerily lonely out there in the Carribean Sea. And we realized quickly why - the winds picked up to as high as 33 knots and the waves were the "roughest" we have seen so far, at about 4ft (but with only a few second intervals) - in taking the seas on our beam, it was indeed a very rocky 1.5 hours to Virgin Gorda. Although we thought we had stored our items below accordingly, we have been too used to very smooth sailing conditions recently, and numerous items came flying out of cupboards etc as we rocked back and forth rather violently. With the high winds (and our lack of centerboard) we didnt feel comfortable about taking out the sails...Luckily, after John had recently serviced the engine, we didnt experience any "surge and die" syndrome with our Ford Lehman, although I was sure the engine was going to sputter, given how much we were rolling.

We are now holed up in Biras Creek, next to the Bitter End, which is proving to be good shelter from the current strong tradewinds (although we had better protection when winds were from the NNE, rather than the East where they are currently blowing) and it was a relief from the waves of the Carribean Sea. Biras Creek moorings are only $20 per night (vs $30 for the Bitter End) and "The Fat Virgin" is a delight to eat at for lunch. The weather, however, since Friday has been rather dire. Every few hours we are experiencing torrential rains, with 20-25 knot easterly winds and bouts of fog. So we are spinning rather frequently on our mooring ball. I was awoken at about 5AM this morning with water dripping on my head (from the bedroom hatch, which I hadnt fully closed) and when I went onto the deck to check out the situation - it was raining so hard that you could only see several feet from the boat !

The positive side of this, nevertheless, is that we are managing to refill our water tanks the old fashioned way - by wedging towels down from the water holes to siphon the deck water into the tanks. After all the rain, I think our 400 gallon water tank is almost refilled at this point.

We will venture into Spanish Town tomorrow AM to inquire about extending our stay here for a few extra weeks - we still havent yet made it to the Baths nor some of the smaller islands. And we can make further use of our fishing license. Unfortunately, after this we need to get back to repairs so have decided to venture back to Puerto Rico to service our generator and re-provision. Of course, our dinghy's Mercury outboard has also started to act up so we need to get to a West Marine for its servicing. This will hold us up for about 2 weeks but we plan include in this trip a leisurely viewing of the Spanish Virgin Islands as well as St Thomas.

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Juli CT; Sunny; 90 degrees; 15 knot winds
01/05/2010, Virgin Gorda

This was a New Years I will never forget...It started out with Micheal Bean's "Happy Aaarr" one man band, pirate show at Marina Cay (in the hilltop bar in the gusty Christmas winds), which is always a great start to the evening. Feeling famished after several painkillers, we then
ventured across the bay, to Trellis Bay, in the dinghy to check out the Full Moon Party. Unfortunately, the remnants of a Northern Swell were
making for rather windy and choppy conditions in our 10.2ft West Marina dinghy so it was a rather wet and crazy 20-min dinghy ride. Our next stop was Bellamy Cay (only place on this island is a restaurant) where we "crashed" a rather fancy "Heaven & Hell" themed NYs dinner. (But we did get a free glass of champagne!) Moving onto Trellis Bay itself we found "Da Loose Mongoose" could squeeze us in for dinner - a lovely 4 course meal including fresh swordfish and lobster thermador.

It was then onto the beach "Full Moon" party, which was in full swing. Carribean dancers on stilts, a live DJ, hundreds of people milling about the beach and bars and several large fireballs in the surf summarize our findings there - all rather impressive. We decided to skirt out of the crowd and start making our way back across the bay in hopes of making it to the boat in time for the various fireworks displays in the area. Yet, conditions by this time were so windy and choppy that we had to proceed very slowly in the dinghy and ended up being a few hundred yards from the fireworks barge - and right under the main fireworks display ! Of course, the evening was not without incident, including our friend Alex's lost cell phone (our theory is that it might have fallen into the sea during various dinghy entries/exits), her wet camera (we do provide ziplock bags for all our guests but they are not always used) and 3 soaked and slightly seasick crew after our (drunken) dinghy ride home.

Our stay so far in the BVIs can be summarized as follows - very laid back. Admittedly, our boat projects arent getting very far at this point. John and I are taking it easy and our route so far has been circling the various main ports of Tortola - although we did finally make it to Virgin Gorda this weekend. A location we have never been to before: "The Bitter End". The sail here on Sunday was glorious, with sunny skies, 10-15 knot winds across our beam and calm turquoise waters - we actually turned off the engine, to sail an easy 5+ knots. The "Bitter End" impressive natural themed yacht club/resort with watersports comes to mind when I saw this place - very beautiful but a little "manicured" for my taste.

My favourite portions of this Virgin Gorda voyage so far were: our arduous hike to the top of the trail/hill on the island ("Guy's Trail") such that we had breathtaking views of all of Virgin Gorda + surrounding islands. All I can say is that going down was alot easier than going up, especially in the current heat ! Second, we found a lost coconut on the beach and eagerly took it back to the boat. John did a great job prying it apart with a screwdriver & hammer (see pic) - alas, it was a little old so there was no cocnut milk but we scooped out the coconut to use for our Carribean rice dinner. Yum ! Thirdly, mine and Alex's voyage to Spanish Town yesterday. Bitter End resort offers an excellent hourly ferry ride (free) to Gun Creek, where we then caught a taxi (with continuous negotiations regarding the fare)
into Spanish Town. The place is notably smaller than I expected for the BVI's prior main port but did host a lovely selection of restaurants and good choice of shops. Finding Buck's supermarket was a pure delight as they were selling fresh fish, which we eagerly bought and devoured last night for dinner (marinated in olive oil, ginger, garlic, line and green chili - we think it was wahoo). Buck's also had the best selection of provisions we have seen for a while. (The Emporium shop at the Bitter End leaves something to be desired and is very hit and miss with its provisions, understandably given its isolation).

We are waiting out the current NNE swells and a bit of wind to make our way to "Fat Hog's Bay". The plan will be to make our way into Roadtown from there (vis taxi) to finally obtain our fishing license and reprovision....

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Juli CT; 90 degrees, sunny
12/28/2009, Marina Cay, BVIs

What can I say ? After having our lovely boat for 11 months we have finally fulfilled our dream of sailing it ourselves to the BVIs.
(Unfortunately, internet is a little hard to come by down here so a few of these events are a little out of date).

The Plan - On December 6th, sail directly from Jacksonville, FL to Fajardo, PR in 6-7 days, rest for 2 days and then sail to the BVIs (Marina Cay) to
pick up my little sis Emily on the 21st, then our friend Paul on the 23rd for Xmas.

The Reality - Sailed for 9 days, to lose our centerboard, and finally be towed into Fajardo from just outside San Juan inlet in "small craft advisory conditions" as our engine died (read previous sailblog entry !)
Had a diesel mechanic come on the boat at SunBay Marina to assist with repairing the engine. Also found out from a seperate mechanic that our Westerbeke needs 2 new diodes, which is not an easy repair (and he couldnt do it in time). Was so exhausted from our Atlantic sail that we couldnt face heading out again so we stayed put until December 20th. But, we were determined to make it in time for Emily's flight on December 21st so we left at 8.30AM on the 20th (thanks for the send off from Calypso !) and halfway (right outside St John) our engine dies again. Aaagghhh !
Luckily Handy John jumped downstairs and bled the engine, which seemed to be the problem. Unluckily, the mechanic had tightened the engine filter bolts so much that John stripped the second one when he tried to loosen it !
Yet we were determined to not turn back so John came up with a makeshift repair while we drifted 3 miles off St John - plugged the hole with a similar sized screw, then covered with a small metal plate which was wiretied into place. And, it dripped, dripped of diesel
BUT we made it to Sopers Hole at 3PM-ish and checked into customs with no problem. After a glorious dinner at Pussers that night to treat ourselves, we slept like babies and headed out to Marina Cay the next morning, where we moored the boat while dinghying into Trellis Bay to pick up Emily.

The makeshift fuel filter repair, unfortunately, was leaking too much diesel so John improvised his "plug" with adding foam and a bung and double wiretying it into place. Excellent - no leaks....And who says sailors cant keep to a schedule ? We picked up Ems on the (late) evening of the 21st, at the surreal but excellent Trellis Bay cybercafe. The repair is holding and held us through our Christmas visitation.....When we arrived, I just couldnt believe that we actually made it on our time schedule....

It is glorious to be here ! John and I were engaged at Willy T's in October 2008 (a side note: it was a non-ruckus evening acutally, with us, the bartender Frank and about 10 drunk French Canadians/Kiwis) and also learned how to sail in the BVIs in March 2008. And it is nice, easy sailing from island to
island, which is a relaxing change. Christmas was a blast (depsite the periods of torrential rain), with our flippers turned into our stockings (filled with gifts), our boat decorated with white and blue Xmas lights and a festive dinner at Pusser's (thanks Paul!), followed by our special blueberry port (served with dark chocolate) and cuban cigars (thanks Ems !)
on the back of the boat to end the evening. Boxing Day was spent snorkelling and then drinking and partying at Willy T's, where we met a host of very impressive and interesting sailors. Somehow our 2-hour happy hour turned into a 6-hour party, as Willy Ts is a time warp of such.
Unfortunately, our bartender Frank - which announced our engagement back in October - was not there and the new English bartender couldnt give two hoots that we were engaged there (when we told him). WE partied like we were 25 again, the evening filled with rum punch, shots and ALOT of dancing.

Sadly, we took our guests to the airport today and they must return to 13 degree (F) weather while we tough it out on the boat in this sweltering heat. Alex, our next guest from London, will be arriving just in time for the Michael Bean show for NYs !!
After all this time off, we really need to get back to boat repairs. There is little we can do about our lost centerboard so we have decided we will sail without it for a period, the replacement bolts are on their way from American Diesel (which is a great company to deal with by the way) - albeit at shipping costs that are several times the cost of the bolts themselves -
and our main sail needs a tricky repair, which I am still trying to figure out, without taking it down. Of course, our freezer just refuses to freeze but John managed to solve our issue with the fridge in Fajardo so we are thankful to have a frosty fridge.

The Next Part of the Plan - Cruise the BVIs until January 18th or so and then we are on the lookout for a good mechanic who can assist with our Westerbeke servicing - we think we may head to the USVIs for the repair and then back South as we head down the island chain, hopefully getting the majority of the repairs behind us. The nice thing is that I am so relaxed right now, I am not fretting about our repair "to do" list as I normally am.....

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Juli CT; Sunny; 85 degrees 10 knot winds (NE)
12/19/2009, Fajardo, PR

As we have been recuperating at Sun Bay Marina, we finally mustered up enough strength to dive the boat and check out our missing centerboard (lost somewhere in the Atlantic !) The verdict is in - in fact, the entire board did not fall off as suspected but it broke in half !! So we have a modest centerboard left hanging under our keel (so total draft now closer to 5.5-6.0 ft). The force of the constant beating from the waves on our journey here was just too much for it.....Unfortunately, though, we think we will wait on this particular repair and will just need to sail lightly until we replace the board.

We are finally heading off tomorrow to the Virgin Islands - looks to be a motorsailing day as the winds (north swell) seem to have really eased off and weather conditions are looking promising. Unfortunately, Culebra will have to wait until our return trip. I am amazed but despite all our setbacks it really looks as though we will make the BVIs by Christmas !

One final word - this is one of the most pleasant marinas we have been to on our travels so far. The owners are lovely, very attentive and helpful and the marina itself is beautiful, well kept with all the amenities and very safe. A real bargain for this area at $1 per foot/night.

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Juli CT; Sunny; 85 degrees; 20 knot winds (East)
12/17/2009, Fajardo, PR

I cannot express my relief (!) to be back in port after our marathon sailing voyage from Jacksonville, FL to Fajardo, Puerto Rico - 9 days in total
at sea (versus our original expectations of 6-7 days). We "lost" 2 days due to the weather, current and our mishaps (see below). John and I are completely sore (I have lost count of all my new bruises and scrapes) & unbelievably exhausted after having little sleep and being tossed around like crazy for the final few days. We are now trying to shake "land sickness".

We are proud to have safely made it to our destination although this trip (our longest ever solo offshore voyage) made us realize that the length of the trip was also too strenuous for us (and our sailing & mechanical abilities at present) as well as our boat. This trip was very hard on poor old "Lucky Escape", although she was a real tank when we were running through bad weather.

Our route was a variation on "Route 66" - we ended making our way more SE versus full East to 66 then South given the winds & the weather to the North of us. This proved very troublesome later on, however, when trying to head due East against the wind/wave action and strong E to W current (along North Coast of PR).

Thought it would be interesting to sum up our voyage with the following "top" lists:

Top 5 Worst (in order of timeframe rather than priority):

1) Hitting Poor Weather - After 5 blissful days of sailing (and motor sailing) in 10-15 knot winds (E) - see pic - we missed the front to the North of us but were caught in a front off Bermuda. Although we largely avoided the rain, by Saturday winds picked up to 20 knots (NE) and waves were choppy & frequent at a reasonable 6 feet - however, the wind and waves continued to build and would just not let up for any period. By Sunday, we were seeing gusts of 30+ knots and wave heights at 15+ feet. The worst was at night. And, these are not the conditions you would usually see on the NE coast (under the same wind/wave parameters) - it just felt more severe.

2) Losing our Centerboard - This was terrifying ! On Saturday night, as we were motorsailing, we heard a huge clunk under the hull just as it was getting dark and we were bouncing through the waves. We quickly realized that something was wrong with our centerboard as we couldnt bring it up. No way to dive in and check it out, given the darkness and the choppy conditions. Our biggest concern was it breaking loose and damaging our propellor or rudder so we hove-to for the night and tried to get some sleep (with plans to dive the boat in the AM). Unfortunately, our sleep was fruitful as we were just pitched around in the waves, listening to the loose centerboard smash against the bottom. When we arose the next morning at sunrise, it was clear that our 4ft centerboard had finally broken loose and fallen into the Atlantic (with a big hole at the bottom of our keel).

3) Failure of Our Bilge Pump - By Monday, we were so worn out, we just wanted to get to our destination and were motorsailing again. With all the tossing from the bad weather, the bilge pump in the engine room was acting up so I went down periodically to check out the situation. I got
a nasty surprise on Monday night as I stepped into a few inches of water on the starboard side of the salon (side we were heeling to) ! And the bilge pump, for all my begging, refused to switch on...I yelled to John and we scurried to set up our emergency bilge pump, sticking the hose out the side hatch and hooking the spare electric bilge pump to our remote starting battery. (Thank god we had rigged this before we left Jacksonville !!) Imagine doing this in 8+ foot seas....On top of this, so much water was washing over the boat from the waves that literally every side hatch was letting trickles of water into the boat.

4) The Defunct Engine/Loss of Power - I cant express our level of excitement as we saw the lights of Puerto Rico in the distance early Tuesday morning, especially in continued rough sailing conditions. NE winds at 20-30 knots with 8-10 foot waves. We had been sailing all day to give the engine a rest and, given the NE winds, we could only hold a course close to the wind towards San Juan (rather than further East).
The plan was then to motor our final 40-50 nm SE (more E) to Fajardo for the night, to arrive mid morning. Unfortunately, as we adjuasted our course, the winds and waves were right in our face (and the current was beating against us) and we just couldnt take it so we started tacking back and forth, slowly motorsailing our way East. Then the biggest scare of all - our Ford Lehman gave up at approximate 4.30AM. We could discern it was a diesel issue but we had conserved our fuel such that we had plenty left yet the engine wasnt being "fed" enough. It would re-start, run for a short period and then sputter to a stop. After John tried to troubleshoot by changing the filters, bleeding the enging, and playing with the fuel pump in these crazy conditions, (as well as an emergency call to George for advice), we could not coax it back to life once it died for the final time. (Our generator also decided it would not start at this point, depsite the fact we had sufficient fuel and the battery power).

5) Lack of Sleep - We started the trip on 6 hour watches, but this quickly moved to shorter shifts and accomodating us when either of us became tired. So we didnt have a "regular" schedule. The first few nights were the calmest but we both had trouble sleeping and then sleeping became impossible when the weather turned. It was the stress of the trip, I think, as well as not being used to such violent movements on the boat. The engine and prop also added a certain noise level. We felt more comfortable when both in the cockpit under rougher conditions, to help each other out and provide support. It is interesting to see what happens to one's body when lacking sleep and food. I was very impressed that John and I did not get particularly cranky with each other, despite having 0-4 hours of sleep every day. But the lack of sleep was evident - our physical strength was drained (noticeable when we had to deal with mechanical issues and/or deal with the sails), we couldnt think clearly at times and had periodic hallucinations. I would sometimes hear voices in the cockpit and John thought on 2 occasions that he saw boats (the Coast Guard no less) approaching us. When the wave action got really rough it was impossible to do any real cooking and neither of felt like eating so we would snack on granola bars and drink alot of water.


Top 5 Best

1) Crossing the Gulf Stream - I personally had alot of concerns about crossing the Gulf Stream. People we talked to, articles/books we read warned of its impending wrath. Yet, in the end, we crossed with little impact, although were thrown a little North off our path.

2) Learning New Skills - I never thought I would be proficient at following the weather and radio mechanics ! And John is now really mastering our engine room (a long way from our purchase date when we didnt know what the generator was and whether we had an inverter on the boat...)

3) Solitude of the Ocean - We would often go for days without seeing another boat, just the expansive ocean and would see the most beautiful sun rises, sun sets, crescent moons and even a full rainbow one day ! When we were sailing, it was so peaceful. And the stars at night were nothing like I had ever seen, with so many falling stars !

4) Challenging Oneself - While this trip was chosen to save a little time and avoid the Thorny Path, we also felt confident enough to make this true offshore sailing passage. We enjoyed spending considerable time prepping the boat, watching the weather, provisioning as well as researching and discussing our optimal route.

5) Fulfilling Our Goal - Our dream when buying our boat was to spend the winter in the Carribean, sailing the islands. This was the first leg of our journey and we were happy to have arrived alive and safe.......

The grand end to our sailing voyage, unfortunately, was not so grand - with just 38 nm to go on Tuesday morning, the failure of our engine left us in a sticky situation. With winds from the east and the E-W current, there was no way we could make it Fajardo without significant tacking. We attempted to proceed under sail but this was also hampered by our
missing centerboard. Moreover, trying to navigate within the inlets under sail power alone given the currents & reefs (and our hard to handle boat) was just not an option. We decided we couldnt make it without engine power and, despite trying for 2.5 hours, we could not bring the engine back to life. we called BoatUS for a tow - they didnt have services in PR unfortunately. We called SunBay Marina (where we were heading) and asked whether they, or anyone in San Juan, may
have towing facilities. Unfortunately, this was hampered by the fact that there was a "small craft advisory" that morning. We were advised to call the Coast Guard and, embarrassed, we hailed the PR Coast Guard on channel 16. They were very responsive and helpful - we reported that we were not in "distress" per se but explained our situation of the missing centerboard and dead engine and were hoping to locate a commercial towing service to take us to East PR.

Luckily, the Coast Guard got in touch with SeaTow, who then headed immediately out from Fajardo at 8.30AM to our location for a pick up. What a relief ! We were beyond exhausted at this point and sick of being tossed around. As we waited, we took out the sails (but reeefed) and attempted to make our way somewhat SE (not making much progress at all). The Coast Guard continued to hail us every half hour to check our position and circumstance. Finally, after being towed for 6 hours with head on waves and winds (our boat was a disaster inside at this point), we arrived at SunBay Marina. (To put it into perspective, we often lost sight of the SeaTow boat ahead of us as they were blocked by the waves). We also faced a lovely $4,250 towing bill - but thankfully this will be covered by our towing insurance.

It was a warm welcome to the marina - the owners, who had thoughtfully called us several times during our predicament to ensure we were ok, came out in the winds (after the marina was officially closed) to greet us and present us a lovely welcome package, including a personal letter detailing everything we needed (where the closest restaurant, a pre-aranged taxi, internet passsword and the contact details of an engine mechanic).

The next few days will be spent recuperating but also getting Lucky Escape back on her feet to make our next destination - BVIs by Christmas !

Comments [3]

JULI COLLINS-THOMPSON
12/12/2009

After much debate, John and I decided to avoid the "Thorny Path" and instead try our own version of "Route 65" to sail to the Carribean in one haul. In speaking with Chris Parker, Weather Guru, we picked our weather window as Sunday, December 6th as 2 rather large fronts had moved through the area.

Of course, as we departed Jacksonville last Sunday, taking the St Johns inlet to the Atlantic Ocean, the weather and sea conditions took a turn for the worse. The temperature dropped, clouds rolled and winds picked up to 20-25 knots (continued gusting). As we were moving through the channel further out to sea, we were being tossed around like a toy in the waves. We only saw one other sailboat heading offshore, and I am sure that the various commercial vessels entering the inlet that day must have thought we were a little crazy to be heading out for a night in these conditions as we were pitching significantly. Wave heights were well above our bow. A conversation between us did take place about turning back to Jacksonville and trying again Monday but we decided to press on and see if the waves would calm down once we were further out of the inlet, past the breakwater. Unfortunately, they did not.

Sunday, Dec. 6th log entry (Leaving from Sadler Point Marina: 30 27'N; 081 72'W) - Course was to be almost due East from Northern Florida but given gusting wind and waves, we have chosen a SE course and are just motoring. Waves are 7+ feet and smashing against the side of the boat although centerboard providing some stability. Too rough to cook - crackers, gingerale and gummy bears for dinner. Have tethered myself into the cockpit for safety sake (with 3 layers of clothing). At this time, I can see where our leaking problems are (mainly selective hatches).

Monday, Dec. 7th (29 50'N; 078 34' W)- Winds ease up by the AM to ~15 knots from the South so we move our course East again (105-110 degrees). Crossed the Gulf Stream today (at an angle) so pushed slightly North although crossing itself was not bad at all - choppy but alot easier than we expected. Saw many commercial vessels as crossing the Gulf Stream. By late, waves really calm down and wind dies to 8-10 knots. Just motorsailing.....Biggest frustration was unable to hear Chris Parker on any of his SSB frequencies for weather. Resorted to email + WEFAX.

Tuesday, Dec. 8th (27 51'N; 076 05'W)- East winds at 10-14 knots, with rolling 3 foot waves...Aah...this is much easier. Under sail for part of the day, making 5+ knots. Winds die later to ~10 knots (ESE) and we go back to motor sailing. Mostly cloudy, with patches of sun. John tries trawling but unfortunately no catches this time - although we continue to see these amazing flying fish whizzing over the waves (and a few unlucky ones land on our boat). It is also amazing how much salt residue our boat has accumulated all over...No boat traffic to speak of. Now NE of Bahamas by 150 miles.

Wednesday, Dec 9th (27 19' N; 074 20'W) - Heading 117 degrees and continuing heading SE rather than attempting to sail further east to 66 degrees (and then turn south). Another front is to be coming in and best to be more South. South winds 13-15 knots. Needing to motorsail given current - for some time we were only making 4.2 knots. Wave height is 3-4ft, although very choppy. Sunny ! Checked diesel - one of our 200 gallon tanks is almost half empty but other appears almost full.

Thursday, Dec. 10th (25 42'N; 072 18'W) - Sailing in SE 20 knot winds @ 5-5.5 knots. Heeling significantly and, while getting smashed by the waves, somehow salt water flooded one of my kitchen cupboards. Cant find source but water flow has stopped....Ocean current still an issue. Wave height 4ft. Sunny. GPS adopts odd behaviour late afternoon - speed indicator starts jumping higher, from our 6.5 knots, to 7, to 10, then to as high as 14 knots & Raymarine map showing boat is being tossed West ?! This happens several times in succession and we wonder whether we are caught in some ocean vortex ! Finally, we are back at 6.5 knots and GPS accepting our position is on course. Looks to have been mild GPS malfunction. It appears we are having another issue with the fridge and freezer as well. This is incredibly frustrating as we just had it serviced and this is the fourth time the fridge was serviced since we bought the boat - in reading the manuals, however, it may be a voltage issue. Puzzling aS all other appliances running ok on the generator - just the fridge breaker keeps going. We have tried to play with it at sea but realistically we need to fix the problem until we are back in port and start troubleshooting. We are using the ice maker as backup and the bottom of the fridge is still cold. We are also eating like kings as the seas are calm and don't want the food to spoil.

Friday, Dec. 11th (24 39'N; 071 15'W) - Winds died as of last night so we took in our main sail and are motoring approx. 140SE towards PR. Winds less than 10 knots and on our nose (on the current course). Limited rolling waves, very sunny, 80 degrees or so. Managed to tune in Chris Parker finally on the SSB but transmitting seems to be an issue now. Sigh. According to our GPS, we have approx 74 hours to go to PR at our steady 6.6 knots (current still against us) so we would expect to now arrive on Monday. We are keeny watching the cold front from the North as it appears the weather in the selective Carribean will turn nasty tomorrow. I think we will miss the worst of it given our present course but discussing the option of ducking into Turks & Caicos as needed. John and I, after 5 straight days offshore, are exhausted as a result of lack of sleep. This will by far be the longest voyage we have done solo ! We love the sea and it is really peaceful out here (no traffic yet today) but admittedly we are dying to get back on stable land to rest for a day or two. You realise very quickly how much harder everything is to do on the open ocean when out here for a week and you keep getting tossed around.....Nice thing is that I have started working on my tan.....

Saturday, Dec. 12th (22 48' N; 069 30' W) - Auurgghh. Winds have notably picked up again so we are facing constant 17-20 knot winds this morning. Very choppy wave conditions @ around 6ft. Manageable but very uncomfortable. Will continue to hope this doesnt worsen although it looks as though these winds may blow to 25 knots into tonight/tomorrow. Another day of motor sailing for us with just the mainsail
up in these conditions. Luckily, we are 2 days away from our arrival point in Puerto Rico (and cant wait to get there!). Good news is that we appear to be utilizing alot less fuel than expected so we have plenty to continue motorsailing (without using our "spare" diesel). The fridge in definately on the blink again (voltage issue we think) so I am cooking most of remaining meats and keeping them in the icemaker. All else is running
pretty smoothly I am happy to report (well, so far).

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Juli CT; Clear; A Balmy 45 degrees
12/05/2009, Jacksonville, FL

Finally - a weather window seems to have opened for us, according to the forecasters so John and I plan to leave Sadler Point Marina late morning tomorrow (to catch the right tides), heading to the Carribean ! (See pic of the 24hr wind wave analysis from NOAA). Our final destination for this trip will be Puerto Rico, and we have decided after much debate to take the "Northern Route", despite a crew of just the 2 of us. The weather looks very good for this and beats being pounded in the face with wind/waves on the "Thorny Path". Expected timing of arrival will be 7 days, 6 days if we are lucky with the weather/currents and sustain ~7 knots. The plan is for rotating 6 hour watches for each of us - I am lucky to have the 6-12 shift !

The boat has been prepped and re-prepped for this long voyage so we feel very ready to go - and a big thanks to our neighbour George for assisting us with the cautionary last minute change of our Dahl fuel filters (Racor next year, definately).

We plan to post updates remotely (from the Atlantic) as we challenge ourselves with this journey !!

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Juli CT, Rainy; 72 degrees
12/02/2009, Sadler Point Marina, Jacksonville, FL

Well....the planned departure for Thursday is now not happening so we will need to stay put. The front coming through has put a damper on our plans - although it doesnt hurt to have a few extra days to prepare.

We are pleased to report that our repairs are virtually done (note - not all our projects of course but the essential repairs), thanks to the excellent Sadler Point crew. And, a special thank you to the MarTech painting team for their flawless and prompt repair related to our recent bridge accident. This time around, we decided to replace our slow bilge pump in the engine room, add a better high water bilge alarm (that will sound in the cockpit), replace our cheap plastic water strainers (that kept clogging) with copper ones, finally get our washdown pump working, fix the temp VHF wiring job, get the faulty nut replaced on our hydraulin piston on the rudder, have our engine serviced (including zinc replacement), fix the genoa roller furling, had the refrigeration fully serviced (where did those massive leaks come from ??) and had additional drain holes drilled into the side of the guard rail. Lucky Escape is really looking good after our work and the work of the boatyards we have visited. I remember fondly the rough shape she was in when we bought her in January 2009 ! Also, joined the Boat Option program through customs, fully provisioned the boat, filled up with diesel and had a pump out. I am also relieved to have the SSB and Pactor Modem up and running after the collapse in my hard drive put me back in square one (must remember to always back up !!!)

So we will sit and wait and hope to leave as soon as Sat night or Sun morning - with the view to keep to the offshore route to Puerto Rico. Our "farewell" dinner will take place with our fellow boaters at Sadler Point on Friday evening....Christmas in the Carribean, here we come !

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