New Year, New Destination
It’s not always easy…
As we were leaving the Marina after getting our repairs and bottom paint done, our friends released our lines, got off the dock….No engine power. Come back friends….we need you 😳
We managed to return to the dock without hitting anything. Scary moment because there are big boulders in the water, with waves crashing all around. 😱 Called the mechanic and hauled out again. So frustrating. Luckily he was able to fix the problem while the boat sat in the straps. The propeller wasn’t put on properly. Jeez!!!
5 hours later, we were back in the water ready to take off again. Of course by then the winds were heavier and the swells bigger. Oh well that’s part of sailing. ⛵️
We were heading for Puerto Rico.
We crossed the Mona passage which is known to be treacherous. The Mona has some of the deepest water, 5 miles deep near the Puerto Rico Trench and it meets shallow areas which can create chaotic seas. Thunderstorms are a threat rolling off the West Coast of Puerto Rico.
It took us 47 hours to get to Puerto Real, Puerto Rico. For the most part it was pretty decent except for our last night around 2 o’clock, the seas got bigger, it became harder to steer. It was so dark, you had nothing to look at except the compass. We couldn’t put on the autopilot because it was too rough. We hand steered for the rest of the night. 😰
We did manage some sleep, 2 hours on watch, 2 hours of sleep. It worked out pretty well except for my forgetting to lock in the bed and Mike just rolled off. The expression “ rolling out of bed” took on a whole new meaning 🤣lol. We got to our destination around noon, dropped the anchor, checked in with Customs and Immigration on the App, had a celebratory beer and off to bed 🍻🥱.
Spent Christmas in Puerto Real, Then off to Boqueron, 4 miles down the road for New Year’s Eve on the beach.
On our way to the town of La Parguera, we had one of our most challenging moments. Mike had decided to do some fishing with his Cuban reel, which looks a little like a frisbee without the middle part. It’s used mostly for trolling. So out goes the line, hopping to catch dinner. We weren’t thinking and because we lost speed when we tacked, the line and bait came under the boat and started to wrap itself around the propeller. Big problem!! Not far from our anchorage, and can’t start the motor, Mike decided to dive off the boat to get the line off. The swells were pretty big, winds picking up and the boat was still moving even with the sails down. Tied a line to the boat so that he could hold on with one hand and have a big knife in the other. Luckily our friends were near by and stayed alongside our boat to help if needed. Trying to steer the boat into the wind to reduce our speed was nearly impossible. After 2 tries and 20 minutes later, he managed to get the line off and keep his swimsuit on because of the speed it was threatening to come off. Lol All worked out. Lesson learned and can tuna for dinner 😳
We’ve been in Puerto Rico for almost a month now. It’s very different from the Dominican Republic. The mountains are very beautiful, and the colour of the water is fantastic. Unfortunately when you go to shore, it does resemble Florida quite a lot with it’s Walmart, McDonalds, Costco and big highways.
We do miss the DR with its diversity, fresh fruits and veggies, lush mountains, the cows and goats on the road and the crazy drivers. 😳
We’ll stop complaining….just had a look at the weather for Ontario 😱 highways closed due to heavy snow, poor visibility, accidents and lots of shovelling.
Meanwhile Mike just jumped off the boat for his 2nd swim of the day, it’s almost 5 o’clock, time for cocktails 🍷😎
Cheers,
Mike and Pierrette
Hauled out again to fix the propeller |
On our way to Puerto Rico |
Nice day for sailing |
Christmas Eve Mike and Kurt |
Christmas Eve Anita and I |
Peaceful morning at anchor |
Love the light and clouds |
Waiting to be fed |
A little rough |
Great sunset |
Tall and proud |
Amazing colours in the Hibiscus |
Couldn’t resist another sunset |
And another |
Great architecture downtown Ponce |
Beautiful pictures and blog, I love your boat with the sails up. You're certainly having the adventure of a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteA Porto Rico vous êtes encore aux U.S.A. si vous allez vers Culebra et Viaques vous allez être sur une île. J’ai de très bon souvenirs de ces 2 îles,comme avoir pris une douche dans un parc avec des chevaux autour de nous . De très bons ancrages bien protégés et de belle baignade .
ReplyDeleteBons vents ,amitié ⛵️🏊♀️
Ha oui! Nous avons vécu une belle expérience de bioluminescence à Lagunaire Grande dans la baie de L’as Cabezas de San Juan. À Yokahu kayak trips tel 787-604-7375. Je ne sais pas si c’est encore bon ,mais c’était vrai le fun 😎
ReplyDeleteOu Biobay à Viaques pour la luminescence
DeleteWe were talking about you all at dinner tonight, wondering what you have been up to. We open your blog and looked into a dream!!! Looks awesome.
ReplyDelete