Southern Bahamas

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Teresa

It’s strange once you enter the Bahamas, all the wind patterns change. We are used to the easterly trade winds, which are pretty constant. Suddenly we are now faced with winds coming from all directions and changing daily so planning where we are going to anchor for protection is key.

Needless to say we have been sailing and finding some great anchorages that have been protected and nice & secluded. There’s no one down in the Southern Islands but I think thats going to change quickly. The sunsets here are amazing so far.

We tried to check in at Abrahams Bay on Mayaguana but they had no forms. The Commission told us to just go on and check in when we could. Got to love these islands. ‘Yule’ a 7th generation local walked with us telling us tales of Mayaguana and his family. He gave us coconuts from the trees that his granddaddy had planted.

Castle Island at the bottom of Acklins Island was a treat with excellent snorkeling,a lighthouse to make our way to and leave our mark like so many other cruisers and a beach fire with marshmallows. The boys enjoyed a kayak every morning for exercise.

Note the lack of stairs

Jen cooked up some amazing meals thanks to the boys catching a nice big lobster and Jen & Richard sharing the two black fin tuna they caught with us. Can’t say we are going without, that’s for sure.

Life is good.

Happy Birthday Brett

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Teresa

Brett “celebrated” his birthday in Little Harbour on Long Island. Secretly I think Brett loves the attention and he should, its his b-day! Jen started the day out with making Brett’s fav, home made Cinnamon Buns. Yummo! Jen & Richard came bearing gifts; some cedar fishing plugs to help improve the fishing stats as we have not been too successful of late. Here’s hoping they help. The day was a tad windy, so difficult to get from boat to boat but luckily did not deter Jen & Richard from joining us for dinner along with Brett’s choice of b-day cake. Thanks Jen.

We enjoyed scallop salad followed by ribs & rice and then Carrot cake. All in all a great day.

Here’s to another year bud!

Turks & Caicos

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Teresa

We entered the crystal green/blue shallow waters of the Turks at Big Sand Cay, a uninhabited small island with white sand beaches and limestone cliffs. It’s amazing how the sea goes from 2000 meters down to 6 in a short period of time and its so clear.

Wandering the beaches on the island was interesting. On the windward side lots and lots of rubbish mainly consisting of plastic and nets. Such a shame. The leeward side was very protected with lovely sand to wander on.

Jen & Richard spotted a humpback whale with her baby just off the back of the boats while we were wandering the island. They were lucky enough to get a photo with the baby jumping out of the water. There are a lot of whales in the area between the Dominican Republic and Turks at the moment as they come to breed in the warm waters.

We went to Long Cay and South Caicos where we wandered around Cockburn Harbour. It’s a small fishing town with approx 1200 residents. It was like walking around a deserted town wondering if anyone was about. The people we did meet were so friendly. The buildings were pretty much in disrepair.

We crossed the Caicos Bank to French Cay with depths of between 2 and 4 metres and were constantly on the watch out for Coral heads that we had to drive around. The water the whole way was crystal clear,so amazing. 7.5 hours later we arrived for some great snorkeling on the reefs around the island. We saw 2 huge spotted eagle rays, some large Queen Triggerfish and other brightly colored fish and coral. Best snorkeling we have had in a while.

You unfortunately see some boats that are a reminder of how shallow the banks are.

Our final stop in the Caicos islands was Sapodilla Bay, Provenciales a beautiful bay.

Off to the Southern Bahamas.

It’s my birthday

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Teresa

Well I had my birthday again and enjoyed spending it in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos at the beach.

For dinner we went to Jen & Richards restaurant on Our Rose for lobster and chocolate cake, yummo!

Good day that’s for sure.

Samana, Dominican Republic

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Teresa

We decided to stay a week at Puerto Bahia in Samana Bay to relax, get some boat jobs done and of course enjoy the local area and marina facilities. Jen & Richard from Our Rose were also very keen to stay.

PUERTO BAHIA MARINA
We don’t normally stay in marinas but this one exceeded all our expectations. We met some great people and had some rather late nights out.

Hazel sung for us on our last night and we found out she has a beautiful voice.

Out with the crew from Dezeo (Jimmy, Tristan, Captain Danny & Elesha), Jen & Richard and Hazel

We met lots of great people staying at the marina who shared info with us for heading to the Bahamas. Thanks to David & Isabel from Morning Haze and Mark & Fiona from Avatar.

Chocolate tour guide extraordinaire

LOS HAITESES NATIONAL PARK

We organized a tour with a local called Chocolate who was quite the character. The day ended up being the highlight of our trip here. We were collected at the main gate to the resort and driven to a fishing village called Sanchez where we got to see how the locals live and how welcoming the community was. Chocolate proudly introduced us to his family, showed us his community and taught us about the local fishing industry.

We then boarded a local fishing boat with Chocolates friends Tony (car driver who picked us up), and Ricky (boat driver) bound for Los Haiteses.

A little bit of a wet trip on the way over, but all part of the adventure.

They took us to a fishing camp where the local fishermen stay for approx. 2 weeks to fish, which was an eye opener seeing how they lived with their open cooking facilities and tents for sleeping.

We drove around the many small islands in the park, through the mangroves and into two caves to see old drawings and petroglyphs stopping to spot various birds along the way. All very impressive.

Our trip back to Sanchez was a little more adventurous with us nearly running out of gas but thanks to Angie, another friend of Chocolates, who came to the rescue with more fuel, we made it back. Note the new fuel tank in photo on right.

Chocolates mother had made us lunch and brought it down to the community hall. She had prepared chicken, fish, beans and rice for lunch, which was delicious. The locals all came by to see us and say hello. It was amazing sitting around with everyone. The fee for Brett to pay dominoes was a beer and so yes he paid up.

Our day did not stop there. All of the boys we had met wanted to take us out dancing so we found ourselves at a local bar on the side of the road on the way back to the marina. Was completely unexpected and lots of fun. Great group of guys that made our day.

Toronto, Chocolates brother came out to the bar with us to enjoy a few drinks. Yes he had been to Canada hence the name Toronto.

Toronto and Brett

Richard noticed some men across the road setting up to watch us all, so he took them a beer. It was appreciated as you can see.

LAS TERRENAS
We hired a car and drove to Las Terrenas on the Northeastern Coast of Semana peninsular for a provision run and lunch on the beach. This was a really touristy area compared to Samana town and Sanchez. We were all hurting form the night before so it was good to just laze at the beach.

LOCAL WATERFALLS
Hazel organized an outing to her local friend Cookie’s private land, which had a couple of waterfalls on it. There was a pool at the bottom, which Cookie and his family swim in. We sat around the base of the pool and listened to the waterfalls around us. Magical.

From what we could see Dominican’s have a great attitude to life and are so friendly welcoming you and sharing what they have. We really enjoyed our stop here in the DR but our bodies need a break from all the socializing here so we are off to the Turks & Caicos.

Mona Passage

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Teresa

Well we had heard lots of stories about going over the Mona Passage, between Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. Watch the weather and don’t go near the hour glass shoals which are like washing machines with very confused seas. We luckily were going the right way, down wind!

We had a great crossing, beautiful sunset and full moon. Winds were terrific calming as we got closer to the Dominican Republic.

It was like we were on a lake when we got closer to Samana Bay.

We saw lots of humpback whales in the bay. Amazing to watch. Thanks to Jen from Our Rose we got these photos.

We found Marina Puerto Bahia further into Samana Bay our home for about a week while we look around the DR and yes relax in those crystal clear pools scattered around this resort/ marina. Sorry, but this is like no marina we have ever seen. We can not believe we have access to all the facilities of the resort.

South Coast, Puerto Rico

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Teresa

The southern coast of the mainland of Puerto Rico is a lot more built up than Brett & I thought it would be. There are towns and industry dotted all along the coast with lots of reefs and mangrove areas. In the far distance we could see the mountains which looked very brown and dry.

Our first stop was Salinas where we ended up staying anchored for a few nights. It was a shock coming into the bay and seeing all the boats after being in the deserted Spanish Virgin Islands. To be honest there are not a lot of boats sailing around these waters, which is a shame as its so beautiful and the people are so friendly.

Given it was Saturday night we decided to hit the streets around the Salinas marina and go for a few drinks and have dinner out at a seafood restaurant. In the area there were a lot of restaurants to choose from and the people so friendly.

We hired a car on the Sunday and drove up into the hills to the Rio Camuy Caverns on the Northwestern end of Puerto Rico. The drive was really picturesque and surprising green given the brown we could see from the coast.
The caves were spectacular and the tour for US$12 well organized with transport and a guide.

The Cave system is actually the worlds third largest with more than 220 caverns with these huge stalactites throughout. Pretty impressive.
We stopped at a couple of roadside stalls for fresh fruit & veg and to see the brightly coloured hammocks as you do.

Ponce sounded like a great place to stop for dinner so we went into the town centre, to the Plaza de Las Delicias with its beautiful park area. They apparently always have exhibits in the park and while we were there they had lots of decorated lions scattered in the park which added to the interest. The are a lot of interesting restored buildings surrounding the plaza.

The old Ponce fire station built in 1833 with its old fire engines sits in the middle of the square as well.

We sat on the walkway outside a restaurant watching some of the Puerto Ricans come into the plaza in the evening. A symphony band was setting up as we were leaving and had put out lots of chairs, for people to sit and enjoy their music. Great people watching area.

After doing a provision run at the big supermarkets before our car was returned we headed over to Isla Caja de Muretos (Coffin Island). The small island is just off Ponce and has a lighthouse at the top, which of course we had to walk to.

Would have been nice to spend a couple of days but we had made a reservation at a marina in the Dominican Republic so had to move on.

There were lots of little islands on the South Coast. We decided to stop at Gilligan’s Island, a protected mangrove bay in a state park and anchored off the Copa Marina Resort.

On our way to Mayaguez we had a couple of dolphins come and play in our bow.

We stopped at Mayaguez to check out at customs and walked up to the main town plaza. Wow were we surprised. What a beautiful area to sit back, have a coffee and people watch.

Why whose this playing one of the many pianos scattered around town? Jen, didn’t realize she was so musical.

We were really impressed with the southern coast of Puerto Rico and had great downwind sailing. Even learned a new technique to go right downwind from Jen & Richard.

Seismic Wave

Our Rose

Lots of bays and reefs to get behind for protection and to anchor with interesting towns along the way. Now its an overnight to the Dominican Republic over the Mona Passage.

Back in Vieques

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Teresa

Our Rose off Culebra

We enjoyed a great sail over from Culebra with Our Rose stopping in the bay of Salina del Sur where we went snorkeling out near one of the small islands at the entrance.

The Coastline of Vieques is very rocky with lots of little bays along the south coastline that you can go into to anchor. We stopped at Ensenada Honda Bay for the morning and went out to the reef in search of lobster. No luck. We did find really clear waters and a huge stingray and nurse shark.

Everybody we had spoken to talked of the bioluminescent bay so we anchored in the entrance. Jen and I kayaked up into the bay so we knew where we were going at night. Alas the moon was too bright and we did not see any bioluminescence. Shame.

We returned to Sun Bay which Brett and I enjoyed last April. On entry into the bay Jen & Richard were followed in by dolphins so Richard jumped in with them. They just wanted to play.

Once again a great anchorage and nice beach to wander along to get to the town of Esperanza.

Before heading over to the main Island we decided to stop at Green Beach on the Western end of Vieques. What a beautiful place. The water was so warm, the beach line had lots of coconut trees making it look so inviting.

The boys went in search of coconuts and yes returned with a lot, for rum cocktails. Our last night in Vieques was spent on Green beach with a fire roasting marshmallows, with our rum cocktails. Richard can make a good fire. Great fun night ashore.

Lots of adventures in Culebra, Puerto Rico

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Teresa

We had a great downwind sail with our screecher up to Culebra, one of the Spanish Virgin Islands. In no time we were checking in at the airport in Dewey with Jen & Richard.

Caught up with Bob and Leo from Adastra on our first night in the bay. Leo has lived on the boat since he was 2 months old so soon became very comfortable.

There were jeeps and 4 seater golf carts buzzing around the island. We rented the more breezy golf cart which was good fun with the 3 of us only having to jump off once so Brett could make it up a rather steep hill.

What a great way to get our bearings around the island and see some of the hot spots. We tried to drive into each of the bays to help us to decide where we wanted to head to with the boats to enjoy the snorkeling and diving in the area. It was so much fun buzzing around the island.

Flamenco Beach

Even managed to come across an old tank from battle practice as Culebra was utilized by the navy for training.

The Dingy Dock Restaurant is a great place to catch up on emails and lime.

The bridge in the town of Dewey

Ensenada Honda the main anchorage on Culebra was really windy and the waters choppy so we decided to move over to Isla Culebrita. We walked up to the lighthouse on Culebrita, which gave us great views down into the bay where the boats were and out to the surrounding islands.
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On our return Jen & Richard noticed someone in the water near the reef signaling they needed help, as their boat wouldn’t restart. It turned into a real adventure with Brett towing their boat in closer to shore and Jen & Richard bringing the kids aboard as they had been surfing while waiting for help. Luckily we had a cellphone so they could get in contact with someone on Culebra to come and rescue them all.

Richard and Brett tried some wind surfing in the bay we were anchored in as it was nice and windy. Looks like a tough sport if you ask me.

Richard gave Brett and I a diving refresher course as its been a while since we had been diving and we had heard there was good diving in the area and up in the Bahamas where we are heading.

On one of the points off Isla Culebrita there are some natural pools that you can go swimming in. Soooo clear and a great place to just kick back for a while.

We definitely found some great anchorages in Culebra and had great fun doing lots of different things.

In the boatyard at Nanny Cay, BVIs

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Teresa

We have spent 4 days at Nanny Cay Marina in the BVIs, out of the water in the boatyard getting new bottom paint applied and working on a few boat jobs.

The marina facilities are pretty impressive with great showers, a pool and a beach area. Very nice, shame we were too busy to use everything.

We were set back in the water with a nice clean looking bottom and polished sides.

Our starboard engine had cooling water and everything ran fine however, our port engine was not getting cooling water through it while running. We had replaced a leaky salt water pump during this haul with one we recently had rebuilt. The rebuilder was nice enough to put the pump on backwards on the bracket thus when it was installed on the engine it pumped water the wrong direction and we couldn’t keep a prime. After Brett tried for 1/2 hour in the loading dock and not getting it fixed we manhandled the boat to a side dock as boats were there waiting to get pulled out. The local mechanic spent an hour doing what Brett had already tried then he had a brainstorm that the pump was on backwards and yes another hour later everything was good and we left the side dock. Phew!

Got to leave the BVIs. We are Heading to Puerto Rico’s Spanish Virgin Islands to hopefully go diving with Jen & Richard from Our Rose.