Wyuna -sailing north in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean, Puerto Rico(PR)

Hurricane season is June to Nov.- let's SPLASH WYUNA in the waters of Puerto Rico
(PR, Spanish virgin islands).

We had a short stay in LA, to wander the art and sculpture garden of the stone galleries of the Getty Museum plus take an historic architectural tour of the stunning hand built Craft Houses of Pasadena - a movement of the early 1900 to bring back rustic living in cities!

Gamble House 1908

Anxious to climb aboard WYUNA on the hard stand, we arrived the 6 Dec. in Fajardo, at Puerto Del Ray Marina to don gloves for the clean up and restarts; 5 days later we tired of doing jobs so booked the enormous travel lift . To our relief the driver took WYUNA to the dock with 3 belts under her hull, after a visit by police about our missing dinghy outboard engine.

Ahhh, deep breath. Bruce helmed her with 2ft either side, to the marina berth. Hurray! 
Our first night we partied free with 100 boaters at the marina to PR music and pig on a spit.  Then headed next day to BIG US supers; Sam’s Club, Costco and West Marine to stow WYUNA with 6mths food, 6 new batteries and a new 15 hp outboard– in 26c humid winter heat!

Cruisers step 1: share the adventures

We cracked the local Don Q rum for Mojitos to celebrate with our sail mates Roni and James, for them helping us get back on water.  The very good news for us is they’re cruising a similar route like to share ripping yarns, have sailed the Bahamas banks and reefs and can duck dive snorkel til they DROP in the Caribbean Sea.

Step 2:  : be friendly to strangers

Our season begun in familiar seas, sailing to Culebra Island before Xmas, with no plans for January.  Within 24hrs of mooring in Honda Ensenada, instead of feeling lonely, we met other cruisers and invited our neighbours by dinghy (who to our surprise came) for Xmas eve drinks.

One joy of cruising for us is meeting liveonboard workers, kite boarders, NASA IT programmers, peace corps adventurers and die hard sailors who believe living on water is even better than Noah’s Ark.  US ‘seasonal blow-ins’ had a warm welcome from Culebra cruisers, who are chilled out unless a storm is coming.  Thanks again to Roni and James we joined them and their friends for a fun Xmas BYO lunch on our back patio.  Between 8 of us we drew on 37 years of Caribbean yachting tales, true or hearsay, of shark sightings, romances, natural wonders ...yes you can guess the rest!

Happy New Year *

Step 4: carry a torch at all times

"It's TOO good to be true, NYE fireworks are exploding around the bay." When the lights went out at Susie’s restaurant we lit the bar with torches for the barmaid to mix our margaritas. Along with others we waved hands to the music and went off to the street party for live Latino dancing. They love fast beat , loud, non- stop salsa with hips bouncing – (better we tap than attempt daggy dancing) - and we loved being amongst them.

 

 

Step 5 : snorkel slowly so not to frighten the fish

After a month we were desperate to jump in for a swim at a peaceful anchorage. Culebrans are proud of their natural wildlife, working hard to regrow marine reefs and fish life with water temps rising, so offer free moorings.  We sailed 5 miles, moored and duck dived at Pt Tamarindo a beach with idyllic vistas of small islets. The water shone under the moon-light, coral gardens with soft leaf fans wavered in the current.  Coloured blue tang and stoplight parrot fish fed in the day.
Yeah this is the cruising life …afloat on blue water ringing reefs.

 

Step 6: sail off the beaten route

Our next island hop was to Vieques another Spanish island, til 2003 it was a US military bombing practice base until a local was killed and protesters gained agreement for closure.  Thus not surprising it's not a popular sail destination.  The new Garmin blue chart did help with unusual navigation - umm where do we drop the anchor away from unexploded ammunition?
 "NO l'm definitely not swimming where the 27yr old got bitten by a 6ft shark swimming in the world’s largest  bioluminescent bay.” Our first swim was a brush with a large 15 inch moonlight jelly fish. Out we quickly jumped!

Culebrita island national marine park is a favourite bay we revisited for a few days to swim, hike, snorkel and see the old ruined Spanish lighthouse - it's beautiful, uninhabited for 500 years and a P.Rican weekend place to escape to.

 

Step 7: go where the wind takes us

 

On our longest passages so far, to Vieques and ST John’s, US Virgin Islands, winds have hit over 20knt sailing to windward.  Damn it we don’t like tacking ALL day, and not reaching our waypoint because of wind changes.  The US national parks are pristine here and so are the dreamy turquoise white sand beaches. Below we swim with beautiful spotted eagle rays as they glide past and stay away from big southern rays….....much prefer to shadow a green turtle any day! 

Next .....Sail along new coasts for the thrills of open waters and skies

At last we’re on route, getting excited to sail hop the 100 mile south coast of PR next week, and make the passage west to the east coast of the Dominican Republic where we will meet R&J to arrive for the whale season in February.   That’s of course if we are in the lap of the easterly winds and can scream along running with the headsail full and even lay the waypoint.

Wish us luck on that one!!!

 

24 Virgin Islands (VI'S), reunions, wet tropical rains here ……… May 2013

Wet is wet is wet on a boat, close all hatches, stay inside, no going in the dinghy ashore- it’s “ pissing down” buckets in ST Croix, US Virgin Islands-thunder day & night today!    

Locals speak American English here on the street; Good morning or some say Good mahnin! Check yoh latah, t’anks. We say Hello, how are you? see ya later crocodile!                                    

Reunion with friends in the British VI’s

Keeping in touch with sailing friends on the radio/email network is fun. For weeks we heard Steve & Carol, on Innamorata and John & Linda before our rendezvous in BVI's Great Harbour. 

Kool Kat leaving..

 J&L plan to sell their home of 6 yrs, Kool Kat (sistership to Wyuna) and head back to Houston.  


Since we came to Grenada they've adopted us and taught us about sailing a Leopard.  Sharing their Texan spirit, Xmas lunch, music jams, dinners and playing Mexican trains- lucky us! Sadly, we waved them goodbye.

Surprising us Steve and Carol, English mates we met last year, sailed in the next day with Ian & Wendy on Outsider, lifting our spirits. 
We were excited to catch up on their year’s adventures to the Bahamas, US east coast and Haiti. 

Carol, Gina & Wendy ?

Next day we moved bays, going to Carol’s birthday in the rain.  

We hired cars to tour Tortola island with steep switch back turns but worth it for dramatic sea vista's.                 

Bill’s arrival party

The welcoming party for Bill’s ferry arrival in Roadtown,16 April was us and the BVI sports team, home from the Caribbean Games.

Great seeing him looking relaxed and hearing his news & RMYS Dalliance, Mt Gay crew tales.

We sailed to meet S&C and spent the week snorkeling, exchanging sail tips, dived the Pinnacles, BBQ’d (this word comes from the Caribs - Kalinago's), showing our fish videos and telling hilarious sailing stories.  

Steve & Carol with kanga

Like any campers, on water, we had What international flag is this? happy hr.  Afterwards Bruce decided to fly the Boxing Kanga, our torn red ensign is relegated to the upper stay. Relief too, we now have a new sun cover expertly made by Carol. 

We had a last farewell dinner with S&C to wish them many fair winds and cheers. Unfortunately they're sailing home crossing the Atlantic to Brighton UK, back to work and to save for their next cruise!  

Bill & Bruce after lunch

Bill was yet to see tell tales fly so we headed for Marina Cay to visit Pussers Rum bar and put our feet in the sand.   

Lunch on The Royal Mail Steamer Rhone                                                 

Our last lunch destination with Bill was snorkeling on The Wreck of the Rhone, a 310ft ship that hit the rocks in 1867 in a hurricane on Salt Is.!  All 260 passengers drowned as it sunk, except the only guy who wasn't tied into his bunk!

It’s enormous steel hull, broken in half, is now home to fish, coral, some relics – a porthole, rum bottle & biggest steamed propeller ever made.

Rhone stern - Gina dived the next week inside the bow- "it,s haunting but exhilarating to swim in"- with a dolphin watching!    

Hawksbill Caneel Bay

USVI’s parks and turtles
The US bought the USVI’s for $25mill from the Danish. The National Parks Service & Lauren Rockefeller have re-created marine reserves on ST Thomas, ST Croix, and especially ST John’s. Protected beautiful sandy bays, turtle breeding & fish sanctuaries and walking trails make for a peaceful and very expensive getaway (an island home is $400k-4m).

In the 1800’s the Danish colonised all 3 islands into sugar plantations, bringing slaves from Africa later burnt or destroyed by hurricanes.

Only wind mills & crushes remain - which we hiked to see.

Annaberg Sugar Mill

Friends Roni and James, of Harlequinn were luckily in the harbour when we arrived to clear customs and met us in town. We tagged with them to quiet bays, after hearing how gr8t their time ashore was we took the guided hike in Rain, rain, rain!

Reef Bay trail rock carvings- Taino people

          


Wise sailors haul out in Puerto Rico in May, they go home to Seattle. They gave us a wave passing by til next season, (we haul out June at the same marina).  

Harlequinn crew

May 2up cruising around ST Thomas

Ready for a slow down (from moving every 2-5 days for 6mths.)  We chose ST Thomas for a break, anchoring off town for a week to shop for food and a TV screen for watching movies. Saturday night we caught the local bus to the hills, to a small community theatre, wooed by  a black jazz singer performing Billie Holiday’s songs and life stories.

The windguru site warned us go Nth to escape the swell, so we did. In Magen’s Bay 1 mile deep harbour we dropped the anchor, content to “do what we do well”, (no dinghy dock).

We donned our masks and flippers to go ashore and dropped our kayak in to explore the surrounding cliffs. On the back deck we cracked champagne for Gina’s birthday, no other boats nearby- only stars, lovely!

Columbus in St Croix – Danish history & turquoise sea reefs

We had a fantastic sail for 4 hours for 35nm’s at a speed of 7knts to ST Croix.  Arriving at the harbour we saw no other cruisers, only the largest coral reef in the Caribbean, a 1200 ft. wall drop off. A little nerve-racking for Bruce on the helm!

Christiansted is the historic Danish sea port we moored in and a National Park. The whole town is full of 18c buildings, seafront fort, steeple tower, churches, governor’s house, auction yard for slaves and cobblestone streets line the waterfront.

How did Columbus navigate to come ashore across the reef in the 14c to look for water? Our guess is he ordered crew to row ashore to find the opening. Too bad if they washed up on the beach. 

Really it’s so like South Pacific islands without the palm trees. Except roosters & chicks roam the streets & parks freely.

The cane plantations run by the Danish for sugar and molasses ceased in 1848 after a long struggle for liberation.

On our visit to the old Whim Estate House plantation run from 1735, which had 103 slaves working 130 acres, we saw a collection of slavery photos and records.  Over 11 million people from West Africa were enslaved by Europeans & English, were brought by boat and auctioned in Caribbean market squares. 

Today cruise ships, resort guests and divers make up most visitors.

We sailed to the east coast to get out of the winds & swells & snorkel the Fredriksted cruise ship pier. Next we'll try ST Kilda pier on a hot day!

Our favorite backstreet transport & bar - local creations!

Last stop is Spanish Virgins, 40 miles away, then haul out time is June 20....in Puerto Rico.

We find dream cruising waters with friends- Nth to Virgin islands

Barbuda thong tree

Cruising with friends NE to the clear waters of Virgin Islands, via Barbuda, Antigua, ST Barts, ST Martin…arriving 14 hrs later in Virgin Gorda, BVIslands.     March 2013

Crew Peter Van Danzig

Antigua...  Our passage crossing to Antigua, became a race with the Peter Von Danzig 60ft ketch. Bruce filmed them passing, which won us a dinner invite on board at old English Harbor with 10 uni students from Kiel Sailing Club, Nth Germany.


The next night Jill and Rhys flew in and we all BBq’d at our “fav”, Shirley Heights Fort.  Antigua is going thru a downturn, but this doesn't stop the mega/ mega yachts visiting… for us some of the attraction is walking the Falmouth marina.

The Maltese Falcon 4 masted

We sailed a day hop to Jolly Harbour, then took a locals crowded mini- bus to ST John’s fresh market  to stroll the streets, lined with locals selling goods and buy DVD,s for movie nights on board.

Gina joined the Jolly Dive boat to go on fringe reef - drift dives - and was ecstatic seeing her first sleeping nurse shark and hogfish on the sand bottom............................................ close-up.

Barbuda Island Cay, a must visit, is a 100 miles of pink sand beach and rolling breaks, (we rolled a little too) and is mostly uninhabited, gave us a quiet few days rest.

Heading across lagoon to Codrington

All islands are different!  

Off to lunch in Codrington, only a water taxi ride away, walking 5 mins across this beach to a lagoon, is a dry, hot, flat, isolated small town of friendly people and concrete hurricane proof buildings - so we headed out to go for a hot Caribbean lunch.

The main harbour was crowded arriving in Gustavia, ST Barts Island. Wyuna in true CAT form with no wind, motored along all day, as we took turns on the auto helm and Rhys tried to catch fish, coming 40 miles nth at 5 knots with the heady up.

ST B’s IS the Caribbean French Ritz, a beautiful early Swedish territory- once mariners fishing village- is now the Vogue photographers dream destination- but we ate the not so ritz Jimmy Buffet Margarita and Burger bar!

Ranger classic J Boat

Gina is searching all harbours to eye off, the Herreshoff traditional American J Boats, built in the 1930,s for racing against Britian in the Isle of Whyte. Many J's race thru the regatta season in the Caribbean islands. How fantastic to see Ranger (1 of 3 originals refitted to original size) on the dock and crew next to her to quiz on the next regatta.
Here's the awesome sight of her leaving ST B's as we walked the port.

Stunning quiet bays are usually national marine parks. We all liked relaxing in clear blue water Colombier Bay on a mooring, just reading, swimming, walking and snorkeling for a few days.

Onwards we sail ..nth swells continued in Sint Maarten, ( rocks on a Cat too) to escape we motored into the lagoon thru The Bridge. All eyes on deck.  Jill & Rhys bused it around town and we met them at happy hours bars to people & plane watch.  On 23 March, after a lot of fun together we had to wave them goodbye.

At the Budget Marine sale- yachties DJ’s- we needed a $820 Rocna 33lb anchor - guaranteed not to drag- umm?  Gina nearly gave a neighbour on anchor a heart attack manoeuvring Wyuna in a tight spot in the lagoon while Bruce and Michael fitted the new anchor!

Michael a sailor and uni. student from Kiel, Germany who is living on Peter Van Danzig for 6mths, stayed with us for a week to take a break. We enjoyed his delicious cooking and fresh mango rum punch and shared many stories. We sailed a day hop and he hopped off at Anguilla  to backpack on land.

              

 

We ate dinner out with James and Roni, then arose at 4am and sailed downwind 85 miles, west to the BVIslands. Ahoy the passage was better than the weather forecast predicted, we were pleased to arrive 14 hrs later at our new destination Virgin Gorda, to anchor by sunset. Cruiser friends are in the Virgin islands so we are meeting up.

Life on board is easier this season, getting to know sailmates, the sea conditions, and how to replace parts, using new anchoring hand signals (avoids yelling), tasting all island rums, and when the going gets tough the tough jump in the water!!

Wyuna's going nth up the Caribbean Lesser Antillees

Stern anchored on old pier 

Going into (not with) NE winds to 3 islands, 
3 countries, in 3 weeks....

Hidy ho! We sailed WYUNA fast across the passage to make St Vincent’s in daylight. An island of pirate hideaways, historic battles, steep west coast, and fertile hills for growing fruits and gunga. Locals tied us stern ashore in Cumberland Bay so we were safe and could rest for the night.

Fine BLT dining in Soufriere

Sainte Lucia...we crossed the passage on 15 Jan,an hour later we anchored, excited to meet Byron in Soufriere in the Sth. Fishing boats, were too close so Captain Bob became our guide. 

Shut your mouth Bruce your not the captain

Up early on monday we motored 1 mile round the cliff face to lay in awe, under the Petite and Gros Pitons for 3 days- Caribbean's wonder of the world.

Looking from trail walk

In ancient times, a volcanic caldera, the ∆ shapes liken a 3 headed islander god. Too steep for us to climb but iguanas do!

Captain Byron

At Couchon our next mooring, Byron & Gina snorkelled. At 7am we ate breakfast, set the sails & chartplotter for 15 miles nth, did a breezy 8knts while Byron helmed. 

No tuna caught, only the fishing line wrapped around the prop-shiiiit 

Rodney Bay is famed for an English Fort, dive locations and eateries! 

Diving the Pitons

Byron & Gina(a tad nervous) decided to buddy for the Advanced Padi 3 day scuba course (deep water). A big attraction was returning to the Pitons to take the challenge; of the Superman II dive along the piton wall, scuba a 155ft freighter wreck, and descend the Gros piton wall to 100ft deep …where we bounced an egg yolk, can you believe it? 
A heap of fun & confidence booster.

Scuba Gina's bubbles

Going under for 6 dives opened up a whole world of exploring marine life, liking the quiet, we gazed at rays and crays, and constantly checked the psi gauge to be safe underwater.

Where are those pesky French?

True to form at midday we dinghy-ed and walked Pigeon island, Fort Rodney to see where Admiral Rodney blasted canons at pirates & planned the Battle of the Saintes, 300 ships fired on the french fleet to win the territory.

Spanish Tapas Bar Rodney Bay

Roni and James, Harlequinn friends and us went (in the rain) by dinghy to a waterside Spanish Tapas Bar, for delicious seafood on Australia Day eve. 

We waved goodbye to Byron on 26th to fly home after enjoying 2 weeks together.

Bonjour Martinique......St Anne was a little quiet this year (the week before Carnaval) so we cleared customs and sailed to Grand Anse. We snorkeled a sunken yacht and at sunset met yachty mates on the beach, for free Wi-Fi, and view WindGuru weather forecasts on the iPad.

Lamentin Band shakers

Some dislike it, but we feel at home in Fort de France the capital, maybe ..we long for urban culture, charms of creole french people, traditional Paris architecture and fluro street life! 

Under the lee of Fort de France

Plus it's calming to sit under the French Military Fort. 

Mt Pelee

Our last day, we spent at ST Pierre a quaint french town, framed by a volcano, which killed all but one survivor,a prisoner in 1902. Local belief is it was revenge for the europeans killing the Kalinago people.

So far ..we've also joined the 8am Mosquito Net (Aus&NZ yachts), still stupidly walk in midday heat, can't catch tuna, make a mean planteur punch, had 3 weeks with a blocked head(not human) and now play double 6 dominoes.

Gina also took her first fall, fully clothed into the water, stepping to the dinghy dock - in front of a lunch cafe crowd!

Our new haul out destination for WYUNA is Puerto Rico, which is terrifc, ...we don't return Sth,we cruise the Virgin Islands (US,Spanish & British) April-June.