Culebra...by land!

Karen and I made it to Culebra, one of the Spanish Virgin Islands. We celebrated our 1st "long cross-country" with a dinghy ride to the dock for a meal and libations at Mamacita's. What a fun trip we had. 19 miles of sailing downwind...5.5kts average with 3' seas. Almost all of it on a starboard tack. The anchor went down in Ensenada Honda harbor and off we went to shore.

We were so pleased to see how clean and friendly the island was. Most of the homes and businesses in the town of Dewey are old, but well-maintained. It's clear the residents take pride in their homes. It reminded me of the scene from Shrek, where he and Donkey went to the land Far Away, so clean!

This is a small art gallery with really nice, contemporary local art.

Pandeli's Bakery is where we "surfed" and did our blog. It has the only reliable (and fast) internet wifi.

Another scene of the downtown area. Not much traffic and only one gas station on the island. We have heard they run out of gas a lot, so planning is essential.

This is one of the churches of the island, in the center of town.

Hotel Kokomo is on the South side of Dewey, across the street from the ferry dock.

This is the pavilion where the numerous ferry passengers wait the passing of time, "limin style". The fare, one way to Fajardo (Puerto Rico), is $2...what a deal.

Culebra is one of our favorite islands so far. It really makes us want to improve our Spanish speaking skills...almost everything is written in Spanish...the road signs, newspapers, restaurant menus, etc. Fortunately, almost all of the residents are bilingual.

A visit to Water Island

Now, I ask you...who would you rather have cook for you? Karen makes really good food, such as these tacos on the left.

Here's one of mine..........canned sardines in a tomato base over a bed of rice, plus freshly made cornbread and a side salad. Karen thought she was going to gag, and said "This is DISGUSTING"! I told her it was just in her mind. She's so weak!

So, when some of you come to visit us, let us know what I can make for you...I have many specialties in my repertoire!

We left BVI for St. Thomas, USVI last week. We picked up a passenger while in Tortola...Mike McManus. He had been visiting and tent camping on Jost Van Dyke. He had been in Tortola, last year, getting sailing instruction from Toddy. Anyway, we had a great sail, working our way through the chain of islands. Mike did most of the helm work while I handled the lines and setting the sails. Karen enjoyed her time off and watched the waves go by. We ended up sailing between Hassle and Water Islands Northward into Charlotte Amalie harbor, anchoring on the NW corner of Water Island. Mike stayed overnight on the boat and then met up with his friend on shore the next day. We made plans to stay in touch.

The next day, this cool-looking yacht passed entered the channel by our boat and went into the Crown Bay Marina, just north of us.

This boat was anchored just south of us...not sure of the circumstances, but it was quite unusual. The boat appeared to have been through a wreck: the boom and roller furler were laying askewed on the deck, all of the stanchions and lifelines were off and there were tarps to cover the cockpit area. Yes, there were people living on it. Like Michael Beans says in his show..."it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, black or white, tall or short...God still loves you just the way you aaarrrgh"

This cruise ship came in the next day...Wow!! It is the Royal Caribbean "Oasis of the Seas".

Karen wants to go on it someday. Most of the pics we took as it left that night didn't turn out, but this one, we thought, was the best. There was a large open stage area on the stern of the ship and loud orchestra music was playing as they were leaving.

 The next day, a Holland America ship came in. We didn't catch the name. Karen was saying that we are on our own cruise and it would be hard to add to it by being on a cruise ship.

Speaking of our own cruise ship...we headed out the next day for our 1st solo long-distance sail...to Culebra. We'll tell you about that in the next blog. Karen says bye.

Scrub Island Treat

A new Picture of the Week is up....one of Karen's favorites. While we stayed at the house "on top of the world", we had such fun with all of the dogs we helped watch with Toddy and Sue. Obi Wan Kenobi had a unique way of begging for food whenever we ate at the dinner table.

Now, off to Scrub Island! Karen and I were staying on a mooring at Marina Cay, and were invited to go with Joe and Karen D. to the island resort "next door" and use the pool and amenities. On our way over to the island in our boat, we passed this yacht. Joe was excited about it, as the yacht's name was "Lady Allison". This is the boat owned by Leonard and Allison Stern (think: Hartz Mtn pet products). They're wealthy (Fortune 500 type), with properties and businesses in the New Jersey area.We were walking up the steps of the resort and guess who was walking down...Yep! Joe isn't bashful, jumped right in there to introduce himself as well as the rest of us peons. We all shaked The Sterns' Hands...and visited for about 10 minutes. Wow.

Later, we enjoyed the pools, water slide and the outdoor restaurant. Here, Joe is waiting for his turn after me.

He will be waiting a week for service at the swim-up bar...the resort is still being finished.

Karen took more really nice pics of the resort that are to the right and below. This one is of the lower pool lounging area.

This was taken of the area above the resort, on the road being built to access the villas still under construction. You may have noticed our boat in the slip of their marina. Free dockage, of course!

This is the lower pavilion area (right above the marina and next to the lower pool). Can you imagine yourself here, waiting for the staff to come out and bring you a fluffy drink?

Another view of the resort, looking back up towards the pool/restaurant area. The large, darker building is where the 5-star indoor restaurant is being planned. The 20' countertop for the bar is made from a slab of agatized petrified wood and cost over $80,000. It is absolutely beautiful. And it isn't even finished yet.

We spent the night in the marina slip. Luckily, the neighbors (a different yacht than the one mentioned above) weren't making too much noise and didn't start hanging out their laundry. When they showed up that evening, we could only think "there goes the neighborhood"!!! It turned out ok. Come to think of it, though, they didn't have any Grey Poupon. You can see Marina Cay in the distance, right above the bow of the yacht. Karen and I were invited to dinner that evening with Jack Halkowich, the sales manager for Scrub Island. What a fabulous meal. The next day, Karen went back to Marina Cay to spend the day with Karen D. Joe and I took Jack out for a day of sailing. A really good time was had by all. If you wish to see the resort's website, go here:  http://mainsailbvi.com/