Sand Sculputre in Ponce
Fountain in Ponce



We left Ponce, PR about a week ago and had an overnight sail to Vieques in the Spanish Virgin Islands. The Spanish Virgins are still in Puerto Rico, so why they don’t call it the Puerto Rican Virgin Islands, I don’t know, but one thing I do know, is that the locals don’t like it! Anyway, there was basically no wind, and what little wind there was, it was right on the nose. We did have a nice big swell, however, and it was right on the beam. Now, I’m not sure why they are still using water boarding, because honestly, being on a rolly sailboat with no wind to stabilize you, for hours upon hours upon hours, seems like torture to me. But, we made it, and dinner stayed in everyone’s stomachs, so it was a good passage! We got to Punta Arenas on Vieques at daybreak, anchored up and had a good day hanging off the local beach, called Green Beach. Vieques is very green and lush, almost like a mini rain forest. We left the next morning and sailed over to Culebra, anchoring off of the main town, Dewy. The weather was pretty bad, as it rained non-stop for a week. We managed to entertain ourselves though, with internet cafes, a trip to Fajardo and hanging out at the local bar / restaurants.
One night we went to a really cool local place, Mamacitas. With the name Mamacitas, you know it’s gotta be fun! This night, the local bongo band was playing. One thing I have learned about Puerto Ricans is they love music, love to dance and love to party! The bongo players were unbelievably awesome, there really is no way to describe it. There were plenty of people dancing too, and let me tell you, it almost made you blush watching it! I’m not sure how they can move their hips so fast! There was one guy in particular that was dancing the entire time. He was wearing a grey wife beater tank top, jean shorts, black high tops, and he was going off. Even the locals just sat there and watched him in awe.

Culebra wasn’t all fun and partying though. As many of you know, Maria and I sailed around the world on the tall ship Picton Castle. Well, the PC is going to be in Jost Van Dyke, BVIs on Friday and we are going to sail over to see them, and also to check out the wooden boat regatta that is held at Foxys. Now, you know the Captain of the PC is going to scrutinize our boat, so we spent some time making her look all pretty…we repainted the black hull, the white topsides, and the beige deck. We also cleaned her inside and out. So, now she is one snazzy looking sailboat!

Rainbow over Vieques
We had to say goodbye to two of our crew members…Maria’s mom and dad, Nancy and Harold, had to go back home after sailing with us from Florida. They have been a huge help on the trip. I have to now be part of the anchor crew with Scott, and we have only eaten one meal since they left!
Not to make you jealous or anything, but as I am writing this, we are making our way from Culebra to the BVIs, before we head to St Thomas in the USVIs to pick up some friends. The sun is shiny, there is a nice steady breeze, the water is an inky blue, there are lush mountains in the background, the autopilot is on and Scotto is trying to catch us some lunch. Life is good.
When are you going to come sailing with us?



Bongo Band Jammin’