February 12, 2011- Culebra, Puerto Rico

Culebra Island, the northeast corner of Puerto Rican Territories is just one of a very few gems I have discovered on my round about the Caribbean. The sailor’s route is filled with one night stands with this anchorage or that anchorage, then he goes on to the next snorkeling or other vista, but then once in a while you meet that one anchorage that says to you and you say…..stay for a while!

One promising anchorage

Culebra is just 20 nautical miles from St Thomas, US Virgin, and is a world away. St Thomas old downtown is now a huge market for Gold, Diamonds, Precious Watches, heckled to the thousands of consumers the Cruise ships deliver to the town everyday, in contrast Culebra is for the Culebrians as they call themselves, and they are willing to share it with us the cruisers that do find them.

The other Gems ???….Grenada, Carriacou, Bequia ( St Vincent), Les Saintes and Deshaies ( Guadeloupe), that is about it.

Just another pretty anchorage-Jost Vandyke

Our sea hitchhiker, Richard, left us here in Culebra and caught the ferry to Puerto Rico on his way to the Dominican Republic where he is planing to spend a couple month learning Spanish. Being from Quebec we had a french speaking boat for a while.

The Sailing that brought us to this point has been just phenomenal. We sailed very tight to the wind all the way to Martinique and then the island chain angles more to the west giving us a better angle on the winter winds that are north easterlies and above all on the waves plus great speed.

Since St Martin our heading has been straight west or downwind . It is our least favored heading as the boat rolls uncomfortably from side to side. Only 90 more miles to endure before turning North.

Mupepe, my trusty sailboat is giving only the best, so far only one light bulb died on us, I can not say the same thing about my dinghy. For you non cruisers, the dinghy is the last but crucial piece of equipment that connect the passengers of a sail boat at anchor to the land where they find water, food, friendship and other miscellaneous they need to keep the voyage going. When Mupepe is at rest the dinghy is working hard ferrying us here and there ….well! The dinghy is falling apart but I have been able to patch and glue it to usefulness. …to be continued.

The dinghy transom is coming unglued

Cruising is not all play

Some " 5200" boater super glue and stainless screws , voila!