It has been way too long since we have updated our blog, and I have a million excuses why that is, but the bottom line is Google took away my main blogging motivation by not allowing me to monetize my blog after my first post violated the Google rules. As it turns out I'm a terrible blogger if I'm not gonna get paid.
We have been in various parts of Puerto Rico throughout March, and while phone contact is as easy as it is back home, wi-fi has been brutal to locate. I just broke down and paid $50 for a wi fi amp so that we can be hooked up at our present anchorage in Culebrita, PR. I am also working on installing BackTrack 5.2 which will allow me to hack into peoples WEP and WPA secured routers....but downloading this 2.6GB file on island web, and learning the code it may be a while till I am a successful hacker.
So we just kinda plugged along the south coast of Puerto Rico, which features an odd combination of reefs and mangroves. Unfortunately the reefs aren't much more than a navigational hazard, but the mangroves around this island have some decent tarpon fishing.
Laura's parents spent a week with us here in Culebra, starting their trip with a nice upwind beat from Fajardo in 20kn of breeze with 5' seas. No biggie for us, but not the greatest weather for first time sailors. The first couple of days in Culebra also featured a minor gale with lots of rain to make things feel more welcoming.
So I just spent 3 hrs uploading 12 pics and don't feel like typing any more... so Ill try and add captions to tell the story.
Laura on Green Beach, Vieques, PR with a cool shell. We didn't keep the shell as it had a live animal, and we try not to kill things we dont want to eat.
This is the nicest shell we have come across this far, Im pretty sure its some sort of Conch, you can see the animal inside.
The fort guarding the Port of San Juan with its beautiful cemetery. Old San Juan is like NOLA's French Quarter with hills, no trash and everything perfectly restored. Unfortunately it replaces NOLA's good food and bars with clothing and jewelry stores which I guess tourists like more. (who the hell goes on vacation or travels thousands of miles to shop at a clothes store?)
View of the Mountains at El Yunce rain forest.
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| Laura with her parents on day one of their visit. |
Its been a long day of travel, and we are on the last leg, dinghy ride to the boat at Isleta, Fajardo, PR.
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How the Puerto Rican's do yellowtail snapper, its delicious, but theres a restaurant in Key West that does it better.
Mr. Beck caught a nice 60lb tarpon in the anchorage at Culebra on a ballyhoo. Unfortunately when I grabbed the line to get him to pose for pics the swivel I had rigged busted. (We have had some weird stuff break on us: oil cooler corroded, alternator bolt sheared off in block, generator exhaust broke off at flange, swivel parted while fishing).
A nice beach on Culebra with a view of Luis Pena Island. Off of this beach the locals had made some artificial reef, and the sea turtles were everywhere. The locals wanted us to believe that this was the best snorkeling in the Caribbean, well its not, but it was nice.
I bitch a lot about our boat, and both of us frequently want more room, or to have something laid out better. But then our friend put it in perspective for us as hes cruising on a beautiful Bristol Channel Cutter 26', which is tiny down below.
