Mission Accomplished - 1180 miles from Brunswick, GA to Tortola, BVI

Well. they say you can't go home again, so we were a little worried about returning to the Virgin Islands - would we think it was as good as we remembered?  Would we be disappointed and regret leaving US and Bahama friends behind?   No worries - it is as wonderful as ever !!!   In fact , it looked even better to us.  After the flat landscape of the Bahamas, the green high hills with ridges and valleys are so pretty and change colors all day long.  The water is clear and best of all, deep, so that we don't have to worry all the time about going aground in shallow water.  Also, love hearing everyone talking in British accents around the marinas or the musical speech of the locals.  They also love to sing, even sometimes when checking you out at the grocery store.  We are so happy to be back.  We WILL miss so many people - so "Come on Down!"

We only spent 10 days here so will have lots to do next year when we get back.  We spent about 3 weeks in Puerto Rico, cruising the south coast then anchored in the harbor of Culebra, a Spanish Virgin Island 20 miles east of Puerto Rico.  The town of Dewey always reminds me of a dusty border town and it has not changed a bit. There are some fun restaurants, basic stores, and a ferry to Fajardo on the PR mainland that costs us senior citizens $1/person.  So for $4 roundtrip we went to PR,  rented a car for $25/day,  shopped and then went to the El Conquistador resort to meet Megan and Judd for lunch.  Easy-deasy.  Judd won a trip through his company and after their 4 days there they took the ferry over to Culebra and joined us for the sail to St. John and stayed a week.  Highlights were Ivan's and Soggy Dollar on Jost,  lobster dinner at Abe's on Jost,  great beach day at Sandy Cay, wonderful dinner at Caneel.  Megan and Judd especially loved the night time rain squalls
 1) Close ports and hatches
 2) Open them back up 5 minutes later so you can breath again
 3) Do this 2-4 times a night.  Welcome to cruising  in the Caribbean.

After they left to go back to Chicago we then had three days of intense boat work (cleaning, taking off jib sail, engine maintenance,etc.) , which we did while anchored at Maho Bay, St. John.  Next and last stop was Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola, BVI, where we had the boat hauled out for hurricane season.  Nanny Cay is our most favorite place and it is looking better than ever.  It felt like a homecoming, we ran into so many people we used to know.  Out on the beach we found Jose, who was my brother and our favorite bartender at Peg Legs, so right then and there he called my brother Jim to tell him we were together.

Ray with the island of Culebrita behind him.  It is about an hours sail from Culebra and a beautiful place to anchor while waiting for company to come.  It is uninhabited, therefore quiet beaches and trails.

We dinghy to the town of Dewey thru this canal dividing the island of Culebra.  The American Navy put this drawbridge in accommodate fishing boats but is never used now.   

Megan and Judd on Megerin

Megan found a perfect place to hang her feet!

The busy lawyer at work on Megerin.

The view from the upper deck of Caneel Bay on St. John, USVI.  We love this place.  Even though it is a resort, no problem to go there for drinks and delicious food.

Caneel Bay

Megan the dinghy captain

Ray in his favorite place to sneak a cigar - the swim platform

Ray talked Judd into playing dominoes

A drink called "The landscape" at the Peter Island Beach Bar

Girls drink.  Ray had Heineken (shocker) while Judd loves the "Painkillers"

Megerin at Maho Bay

While walking around the boat yard at Nanny Cay we saw this horrible sight.  A brand new 45 foot catamaran went on a reef off of Jost Van Dyke and ripped the whole bottom off.  Supposedly the captain went below to take a leak!  Now he has a leaky mess on his hands.  We couldn't believe  the wiring and hoses hanging out of it

Love this sign - the islanders keep it simple

Nanny Cay Marina

Steelers hat at Nanny Cay beach looks right at home

The crew at Gladys's restaurant on St. Thomas.  We used to go here a lot and when we walked in after four years they said "Welcome Back".  We were surprised they remembered us.

With Megan and Judd at Peter Island

  In conclusion - five things we can't live without on a boat
1  Beer
2  Wine
3  Ritz crackers &/or chocolate
4  Chart plotter
5  Head phones

Anyone care to tell us theirs?

Mona passage - DONE

A great weather window popped up, so Megerin left Luperon  last Thursday and arrived Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Saturday morning - a 38 hour trip.  After an annoying customs/immigration encounter (but free!), we proceeded to make our way slowly down the west coast and around the southwest tip to the southern coast of Puerto Rico.  We are lovin' life right now, with no long passages ahead of us.  Every day we wake up early, go about 10-12 miles to the next anchorage before the easterly trade winds start, and then we have the rest of the day to do whatever we want.  Each stop has been fun.  Boqueron had a nice street fair going, Capo Rojo was a serene anchorage under a lighthouse and had a nice little resort for happy hour.  La Puerega was only 8 miles away and it is very unique - many mangrove cays and waterways between them to explore.  We think we heard the monkeys but coundn't see them.  Next was Gilligan's island with pretty beaches and a nice resort for dinner out.  The south coast of Puerto Rico is gorgeous but also quiet, with few tourists or boats.  So welcome after the noise of the DR.

Houses in La Pageura are built right on the water in the mangroves.  

We dinghied through the many mangroves

Time to leave Dominican Republic

Cows in the street - not a rare sight in Luperon.

We took a cable car to the top of a mountain for amazing views of the area.

We stayed in Luperon, Dominican Republic for one week, and though it is a  beautiful country , we are so glad to be out of there.  It was interesting to see people on horses or donkeys carrying old fashioned metal milk cans hanging over the side, Haitians who carrying baskets of goods on their heads,  2-3 people on a motor scooter carrying bags and baskets of stuff.  I saw someone transporting a washing machine on a scooter!  Often a small herd of cows will be coming down the same road as the vehicles.  We took an island tour  in a 13 year old car fueled by a propane tank installed in the trunk because the poor people cannot afford fuel.    But the dirty conditions of many places and lack of good sanitation plus the language barrier made it pretty easy to leave.  We loved the people and will have good memories of them.  and luckily, we have some Santo domingo coffee to help us remember too.

This lady, who everyone calls "Mama" does laundry right on the sidewalk.  Usually hoses are stretched across the street.  

Then the laundry gets hung up on any fence available.  But look at the great view in the background.

Outside of the town it is farming country and we saw people on horseback all the time.  Notice the dilapidated structure on the left.  There are so many abandoned  houses.

Horse with amazing straw saddle.  Most ride bareback.

Typical fruit and vegetable stand outside Luperon.

Ray playing first base on the "Gringo" team.  Baseball is a passion here.  Most are NY Yankee or Boston Red Sox fans.

Ray and Nino, our guide, who did speak English fairly well, which keeps him busy taking gringoes wherever they need to go.  It is cheaper and easier to hire him than a rental car plus he knows where to go.

Nino took us to the town of Sosua, which was founded by European Jews fleeing Hitler.  I thought the sign so funny but guess it reflects the ethnic heritage of the people who live here.

Street in Sosua

The beach in Sosua is lined with vendors who are very aggressive salesmen.  We think they should realize that they are all trying to sell the same things at the same time at the same place.  Oh, and of course it is all on sale - "cheapy, cheapy" 

The beach at Cabarette, near Sosua.  

Comfy beach lounge in Cabarette.

Wendy serving coffee to Ray.   She owned the bar but just walked across the street to her brother's when Ray requested coffee and brought this nice tray.

Gladys, who followed me around whenever she saw me.  Couldn't understand a word of English.

Dominican Republic

Last view of incredible blue waters in the Caicos.  See the blue outside the harbor?

JT and Ray

The anchorage at Luperon harbor - nice to see green hills and mountains beyond after the flat and arid Bahamas.
Luperon is known as the best hurricane harbor in the Caribbean

Entrance into main part of town.  Luperon is pretty poor and un down but a popular spot for cruisers to stop on their way south or north.  People are friendly but living conditions look third-world.  Many small motor cycles whizzing past, tavernas playing loud music, people sitting out playing dominoes at tables, lots and lots of dogs. 

The Dept. of Agriculture, one of four depts.  to complete check-in

Typical scen in town - hanging out laundry.  Many homes are also businesses.  Of course, there are nicer areas around, but this is within walking distance of the dock.  Many expats live on "Gringo Hill' in nice new homes.

The beers here are "grande"- I can't finish one.  We are looking forward to buying some Santo Domingo coffee here

The DR loves baseball and every evening there are long games of pick-up baseball.
They don't have uniforms or a lot of equipment, & the field is hardscrabble but they love it.  We wish we had some Pittsburgh Pirate hats with us.  Saturday the gringos play the locals in baseball and then have a barbecue.  We're told the gringos never ever win, as everyone here plays all the time.

Headed for the DR (Dominican Republic)

April 16, 2013
Well, we have been here 12 days, much longer than expected.  Ready to move on and have a pretty good weather window.  Highlights of Provo have been - meeting new friends, beautiful clear water with great colors, excellent grocery stores, though pricey.  Great wifi at marina so lots of skyping.  We got some boat chores finished, rented a car to tour around, etc. - basic tourist stuff.  There are many more islands here to see but not enough money in the kitty this trip.

Happy hour "up on the hill" at South Side marina.  Owner Bob in striped shirt and his sidekick Campbell beside him.
Campbell and his wife Judy come from Canada every year to stay with Bob and help him run the place.

We were taking a walk one evening and a fishing boat had just come in to the marina.  the nice guys gave us a red snapper to carry home.  He doesn't look too happy, does he?  Great dinner.

Out to dinner with view of Turtle cove on Provo behind us.

Friends Mark and kathy from Carina with us at dinner. 

Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI)

Beach at Clarencetown anchorage - we spent a very windy Easter Sunday afternoon here.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

We left Clanrencetown, Long Island at 7 AM last Tuesday and sailed directly for 30 hrs the 180 miles  to Sapodilla Bay off of the island of Providenciales in the Caicos chain.  We were worried about coral heads coming in but it was pretty easy to maneuver - just go around the brown spots.  Luckily, we also had calm seas then, though our trip here was bigger seas than predicted, but we were able to sail a lot rather than motor - Yea!  There are 40 some islands and cays in TCI, and we will not get to most of them.  We needed to get here to prepare for next leg to Dominican Republic, which is about 140 miles away.  Now we are at a dock at the South Side marina on Provo and it is great to have good wifi, take a walk every day, and enjoy daily happy hour at their bar.  Bob the owner runs a laid back personal business here, and will take us to stores or any where we want to go.  To see the sights would require renting a car, and since they drive on the left side of the road here, we are afraid we might kill ourselves or someone else!  Cabs are horrendously expensive, so we have learned to just walk along the road and a "jitney" driver will see us and for a much smaller fee drive us back to the marina.  I think the jitneys are illegal.  I always wanted to see the TCI but have to say it is a little bit of a disappointment from a cruising standpoint.  too expensive, too far  to walk most places, and many dangerous reefs that prevent us from taking the boat most places.  Plan is to stay here with friendly Bob and his crew until we leave for the DR, which may be over a week.

Our table set for Easter meal

Some of the shells I found on Easter Sunday

View of the entrance to South Side marina in Provo - with our 6 foot draft we can only come in on high tide.
A nice reef outside the red buoy.  The land on each side is used as a quarry.