Splashed

We are thinking about the poor folks up north having to deal with Sandy.  We certainly hope that people come through it safely.  So sorry to hear that the HMS Bounty replica out of Nova Scotia had to be abandoned at sea.  Hope that the two missing will be found soon.

And a big earthquake at home near Vancouver Island!  What the heck???  Sounds like the Mayan calendar was right after all.

It is hot and muggy here but getting better every day.  This morning it is clear with very light winds.  These have been our past few days...

Thursday - splashing on Friday but the old propeller nut won't work.  We checked locally - nothing.  Drove to Puerto de Ray Marina in Fajardo - nothing.  Tried the Skipper Store, West Marine, local propeller store - nothing.  Then we met Bobby the propeller man.  He said, "Go the the local ferretaria (hardware store).  They have everything.  And they did!!!  For $3.32 we got the correct nut - in stainless steel and with a nyloc (won't come off) insert!  Propeller is on and good.

Another propeller nut dead end

Installing a wifi antenna on the backstay

Cleaning the stainless

Launching Murphy

Propeller nuts!

Friday - waiting for the travel lift we spotted a huge manatee in the harbour.  Good omen!  Getting ready to splash we found out the main bilge pump was toasted.  So we checked that the manual pump worked and into the water we went.  Yan Diesel fired up immediately and we coasted 100 meters to our new spot on the dock.  We noticed that the fixed prop doesn't CLUNK as we change gears from forward to reverse.  It also seems smoother!?  Fired up the fridge - goodness how we love our fridge.  Within an hour the freezer was at -10 C and the fridge at 6 C.  Yay for cold beer!

Ready to go!

And... in we go

At the dock

Saturday - spent the morning driving into San Juan - closest place to get a new bilge pump.  Glen spent the afternoon cursing and yelling into the bilge until the job was done.

Sunday - put on the main sail and Mack Pack (the thing that catches and covers the sail when it comes down), put on the dodger and bimini and reinstalled the solar panels.  Also, installed a new galley fan so chefs can be cool as they prepare their masterpieces.  Pam is concerned that it will muss up her hair.

Today - Costco run

Tuesday - install new water heater and put on the head sails.

Wednesday - hang around the pool.

Thursday - drive into SJ to pick up Don and Pat for their Spanish/US/British Virgin Island tour!

Wooopeeee!

Back to the boat!

Holy Crap it's hot.

We drove straight from the airport to the Blue Pearl - a little under an hour.

We are not allowed to work on the boat in the yard so we've hired a contractor to buff and polish and then to apply our new bottom paint.  His quotes were quite reasonable so we decided to let someone else endure the fumes in the heat.

Buffed and polished

Someone else doing the work

It looks fantastic!  We've never seen the hull so polished.

Yay - it fits

All of our summer purchases were waiting for us in the marina office.  Our stomaches flipped a bit when the new prop didn't fit on the shaft... but once we oriented it correctly it slid on perfectly.

We have a bunch of inside jobs but it is very hot with no cool breeze so we are concentrating on a few outside jobs that we can do.  Once we have moved from the work yard over to the marina we will be able to put up the canvas up to give us shade and get to our inside jobs.

We are staying in a B&B near the marina for a couple of days until the boat is in the water.  We huddle in our air-conditioned room or sit by the pool.  We are working to adjust to the heat and humidity but it is daunting.  Spending time in air-conditioned malls and grocery stores is appealing.

The weather is a result of the remnants of hurricane Sandy that is currently passing over Cuba on its way north.  Hopefully we will have clear skys in a couple of days.

Breakfast croissant - these things look delicious in the ads

A Summer of Superlatives

We had a tremendous summer at home.

Our youngest daughter, Carrie, got married; the spectacular wedding attended by wonderful family, our closest friends and the new “outlaws”.  Our eldest daughter, Jen had a beautiful baby girl in June, rounding out her “million dollar” son/daughter family.  Our son quit his job, went to Lollapalooza in Chicago, bought a motorcycle and “Easy Rode” across the country to meet us at Whistler – and followed up by moving to Calgary for a new job!

Here comes the Bride!

4 generations

Easy Rider

We spent wonderful days getting to know our new granddaughter, Lucy and playing with grandson, Jack.  “Play with me, Dan (Gran)?”

We did a million house chores; gardening, installing new doors, updating plumbing, rebuilding a fence, getting rid of last decade’s treasures.

We visited Anacortes, Whistler, the Okanagan, the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.  Our summers in this part of the world are breathtaking!

We dined with friends at their homes and reciprocated at ours.  We enjoyed the Second Annual Pig Roast in our backyard with more than 80 friends– roasting a 90-pound pig over hot coals, Cuban style.

Public Works

Luke and Glen tend to Porky Pig

Sid, Mac and Calum making ice cream 

Mount Baker

Hiking at Whistler

Looking out to Texada Island

We sewed courtesy flags for all of our upcoming island nations, built a mount for the battery monitor, ordered a new prop, running rigging, and a new AIS radio and read up on the Leeward and Windward Islands.

And now that the cold and rain is announcing the end of fall and the beginning of winter, we are back in the warm to resume our adventures in the Caribbean.

What a life!

Home for the Summer

Sending this from Toronto Pearson Airport...

Highlights from 2011/2012 cruise...
Sailed from Florida to the BVI
Had visits from family and friends
Met new cruising buddies
Good snorkeling, swimming and fishing
Loved improvements to the boat including wonderful new fridge, new plumbing, cockpit screens and washdown pump
Repairs to a minimum - boat running very well
Saw whales, dolphins and the ugliest iguanas and lizards
Did overnight crossings
Flew 6 different courtesy flags from different countries

Sadly we lost some dear family this year - makes you realize that life is short - you only live once, so live it well!

Out she comes...

Summer Home

Murphy the dinghy gets a ride, too.

Excellent security - police station next door!!!

See you in the fall!!!

Blue Pearl Shutdown Checklist

This is our Shutdown Checklist with responsibilities divided between Glen and Pam.  Pam disagreed with some of this and so we are having another look at the division of labour.

1. empty water tank - Pam
2. fill fuel tank - Pam
3. remove sails/sail covers - Pam
4. remove canvas - Pam
5. open bilge through-hull - Pam
6. flush holding tank - Pam
7. clean/hoist/tarp dinghy - Pam
8. secure/service outboard - Pam
9. remove bullet wifi radio - Pam
10. liquor cabinet maintenance - Glen
11. defrost/clean fridge - Pam
12. dispose of perishable food items - Pam
13. disconnect batteries - Pam
14. remove solar panels - Pam
15. remove chartplotter - Pam
16. protect instrument panels - Pam
17. porthole covers - Pam
18. clean interior teak with vinegar and water - Pam
19. clean toilets - Pam
20. laundry - Pam
21. change engine oil - Pam
22. service generator - Pam
23. UV wax cabin top - Pam
24. Pest proof (Formaldahyde) the cabin - Pam
25. Protect through-hulls from pests - Pam
26. Remove prop for maintenance - Pam
27. Hurricane straps - Pam

Sails off, canvas still on for shade.  It's 97F - little breeze.

Palmas del Mar

We put Brad on the plane in St. Thomas and spent the day in Lindbergh Bay, swimming, enjoying stolen internet and just being generally lazy.  With 2 weeks left in our Caribbean Cruise we had more than enough time to re-tour the USVI or head back over to the BVI – but you know what?… we realized that we are done.

It is time to think about our parallel universe where grandchildren come to stay at our house, kids get married, friends come over for dinner and other good stuff.  So with a new sense of purpose and adventure we headed back to Puerto Rico to put Blue Pearl to bed for the summer.

Pizza oven

Pam's kitchen window - looking out at Green Beach, Vieques

We raised anchor in time to beat a bit of bad weather and raced back to Culebra in the Spanish Virgin Islands.  We were there earlier with Jen and Jackson and with the Inmans so it was familiar ground.  Enjoyed walking around the town and doing boat chores – picked up a couple of bottles of communion wine since we were low.  Then to Green Beach on the west of Vieques and finally a 12 mile sail to the Marina at Palmas del Mar.

We stayed at Palmas in 1995 for a week and we are amazed that something this big and opulent has managed through these tough economic times.  We’ve seen so many of these “grand schemes” that have failed so someone must be doing something right here at Palmas.  It was stunning in 1995 and is every bit as stunning today.

We will be hauled in a week so we will enjoy the marina life – pool, tiki bar, chandlery, proximity to Costco wines.

Friends Mary Clare and Axel from Azaya arrived today and spent the day with us in a rental car, driving from West Marine to the outlet mall to Costco to Walmart getting all kinds of provisions and bits and pieces for the boats.  Azaya is hoping to capture one of the last spots in dry-storage here for the summer alongside Blue Pearl.

Stay Out!!! Turtles hatching.

Mary Clare and Axel on Palmas beach

AC making a difference

Yay for Costco wines!

We will start the process of taking down the sails, the canvas, changing oil, changing filters and all the other things on the “put to bed” check list. Looking forward to putting Blue Pearl to bed SLOWLY – with AC.  

Coolin' in the pool

Saint Croix

The islands of the USVI and the BVI are so close together that from one spectacular spot to the next is often only a 5 to 10 mile sail.  St. Croix is about 35 miles away so that puts it apart from the rest.  It is part of the USVI.  We hadn’t heard from anyone who had been there so we decided that we needed to visit.  The added bonus is that it is directly south of where we were so the easterly trades would give us a beam reach coming and going.  We are coming to the end of our 2011/2012 cruise and we have spent much time motoring and motor-sailing so the thought of a serious sail was inviting.

We left Peter Island in the BVI at 7 am and sailed due south averaging more than 6 knots for the trip.  The entrance into Christiansted, St. Croix, is well marked – there is a serious shoal right in the entrance to the harbour and there are many, many buoys.  So many, that Glen did several U-turns before we finally made our way in.  Customs and Immigration clearance was painless and we were soon in Murphy the Dinghy, heading for the Fort Christian Brew Pub.  From the mooring field, you dinghy past Fort Christian to the promenade along the front of the town harbour.  We tied Murphy off to the dock and took a short walk along the waterfront before Glen was overcome by the heat and we had to stop for rehydration at the brew pub.

We made arrangements with a local car rental place to get a car in the morning and then retreated to the boat for a delicious Pamacita Jambalaya. 

Old windmill on the waterfront

Waterfront walkway

Rehydrating at Ft. Christian Brew Pub

In the morning we set off to collect our rental car – only to be hit by the only negative on this trip.  Any drivers other than US are required to purchase ($20) an “international drivers license.”  Now, we’ve driven many places in the world, Europe, Mexico, and the good old USSA, but we have never been required to pay for an “international drivers licence.”  Anyway, the rental clerks were nice – not their rule – so we paid and off we went.

There are lots of great sights to see in St. Croix. 

We toured the grounds of the Buccaneer Hotel – fantastic views!  We went out to  Point Udall, passing an 82-foot dish antenna which is part of the Very Long Baseline Array – cool to see it moving and adjusting.  We followed the south coastline and passed the huge HOVENSA refinery on our way to the Cruzan Rum Distillery.  It’s not well marked on the road – you have to be careful or you will drive past it – like we did.

Part of the Very Large Array or a kickass satellite tv dish

Pt. Udall Monument to the Millenium

I prefer the Single Barrel

Cruzan Rum windmill remains

Did the obligatory rum tour, tasting and purchasing and then spent a lovely afternoon touring the island.  We did a quick drive through Fredericksted on the west coast and had a super lunch on the beach at Rhythm's Beach Bar.  A beautiful setting right on a beautiful beach. 

We drove the route of the St. Croix Triathalon and saw “The Beast,” a steep, steep hill.  We drove down the hill, the competitors drive up the hill.  It has got to be gut wrenching.

We ended up back in Christiansted, stocked up on a few groceries and retired for a peaceful evening back on sv Blue Pearl.

Brad chooses Grey Goose

Our sail back to St. John was as smooth as our trip down.  We caught no fish but enjoyed a lovely beam reach all the way at 6 plus knots.  We had heard that Coral Bay on the southeast corner of St. John was a nice anchorage but there must be two of them – one way nicer than where we ended up.  We left and headed south and west for another couple of miles and spent the night on a mooring ball at Salt Pond Bay.  Considered to be one of the best snorkeling locations on the island, it was busy with guests arriving by car and with 3 other boats on mooring balls.  We did lots of swimming and snorkeling in this beautiful spot. 

We recommend St Croix.  Now we can say we are Cruzan Cruisers!