Monday, May 1, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

I went in to Mayaguez Mall and bought some vegetables and stuff. You'd think there'd be an abundance of fruits and vegetables at low prices on this tropical island, but they seem to import nearly everything from the United States, and it's expensive, but at least there's no sales tax. It's sort of a shock to buy something and pay exactly what the price tag says. Around noon, I phoned Statpower. They had just received the inverter! The guy at IPS told me last Monday that they would deliver it the following day. Great service. Anyway, it's finally there. Noreen told me she's given it top priority. They'll check it out and test it right away. I'm to phone back Wednesday afternoon for the verdict. At suppertime, Roy and I decided to take tomorrow off and see if we can get to Salinas by publico. We're thinking of moving the boat to Salinas and want to know if we can get back here by publico to pick up the inverter and mail.

Sunday, April 30, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Roy spent most of the day mounting the new spreader. He still has a lot to do to it, but at least it's up there. I phoned my daughter Kathy. She told me her employer is going to pay her tuition to attend Golden Gate College to study accounting. The tuition there is $10,000 a year! Wow! When she completes her studies there, she's going to go to San Jose State for a Bachelor's in Accounting. When she gets her BA, she has practically been promised a job with an accounting firm that will provide her with the experience she needs to become a CPA. She wants to have her own business by the time she's in her fifties. That's really great. When I was thirty, it didn't occur to me I'd ever be fifty. I had an opportunity to become a CPA, but I turned it down. In fact, I had all kinds of opportunities that I passed up. I'm glad my children have more sense than I had. Kathy has never received the letter from the Dominican Republic. Guess the postal clerk pocketed the money for the stamp and threw the letter in the wastebasket.

Saturday, April 29, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

The big day! We got up at 5:30 and were all ready when Ray came by to pick us up. He also picked up Sherry and Art from the Shaggy Dog. Richard arrived at precisely eight o'clock. We were very glad there weren't two more people going; his "station wagon" was tiny, and we were crowded as it was. Richard was born in New York City of Puerto Rican parents. He lived most of his life in California, so he speaks fluent English. In fact, he probably speaks English better than he does Spanish. He came to Puerto Rico a few months ago to visit his parents, who have returned here, and they talked him into staying. He's a good driver, but he'd never been to the Cave Park before, so he wasn't sure how to get there, but eventually he found it. He took the coastal route going, so we had some lovely glimpses of the ocean. Coming back, he went through the mountains, and we saw some lovely vistas of valleys and distant hills. The cave wasn't nearly as interesting as others we've seen. It was a big cavern with openings at each end. The underground river turned out to be a trickle that we could barely see. The guide was amusing and knowledgeable, but the tour of the cave didn't last very long. We thought she said we were going to see two other caves, but it turned out we just got to view a sinkhole and the entrance to another cavern with some bats flying around, but we couldn't go in it. We drove to a nearby restaurant for lunch, but the food left a lot to be desired. By the time we got back to Boqueron, it was five o'clock. Janie returned the awnings with the tabs she had sewn on, so now the only thing keeping us here is the inverter.

Friday, April 28, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Put out another VHF announcement about the cave trip, and this time Shaggy Dog responded. They're very eager to go, so we discussed renting a car and driving ourselves up there. This lit a fire under Ray, who was listening. He contacted Richard, the driver, and Richard agreed to drive the four of us to the caves for $15 a person. We'll meet by the dinghy dock at eight tomorrow morning. Ray is even going to take us in in his dinghy, so we won't have to leave our Royaks on the beach all day. We'll even be able to wear our good clothes and shoes. Yay, tomorrow the caves! Roy went in to Mayaguez again and bought a few things. He must know the way by heart by now. He's still making changes to the alternator. He also rigged up a tiny light for an anchor light. It only draws 1/4 amp. I waited until late afternoon to phone Noreen. She hadn't found the inverter and hadn't phoned IPS to trace it. That was disappointing. She said again that she'd phone them, so I'll call her again on Monday, but if she hasn't done anything by then, I'll phone IPS myself. Britten told me on Monday that he had the package and would deliver it to Statpower the next day. It's probably there and Noreen doesn't know it.

Thursday, April 27, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Roy fetched another ten gallons of water. He went to the Post Office and mailed the postcards he wrote last night. Then he gave the spreader another coat of paint. Janie hasn't brought back the side curtain or picked up the rest of the work, and we haven't heard anything more from Ray about the trip. We tried to contact them on VHF, but no response. Then when I was paddling in to phone Noreen, Janie and Ray were just returning to their boat, so I stopped and talked with them. Janie apologized and said Ray had arthritis in his back and was flat on his back all day yesterday, and she had been taking care of him, but he's okay now, so she'll get the work done tomorrow. She said she'd probably come by the boat this evening to get the rest of the material. (She didn't.) They haven't found anyone else to go to the caves. I suggested she put out a general announcement on the VHF, and she said she would. (She didn't.) I phoned Noreen at Statpower in Canada. She said she'd look for the inverter and for me to call her back in an hour. Then I phoned the cave park to see if they knew of a bus that went there. They gave me two phone numbers to call. I had told her we were in Boqueron, but the numbers turned out to be in San Juan! Great. I stopped at the travel agency and found out we could rent a car at Mayaguez Mall for $41.95, including insurance, which isn't too bad, so if Ray doesn't come through, I'll go to Mayaguez Monday and make the arrangements. The park is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Went to the Post Office to mail an overweight letter and see if there was any mail for me. There was a letter from Marilyn, which was a pleasant surprise. The sky was full of dark clouds, and when I left the Post Office, it started sprinkling. By the time I got to the grocery store, it was raining. Bought chicken, milk, and cookies. Walked to the tiny park where the public phones are and phoned Noreen in a downpour. The inverter hadn't arrived. She's going to try to trace it. I'll call her again tomorrow. By the time I got back to the boat, I was a drowned rat, but the rain was warm, so it felt good. I had a free shampoo and shower and even got my clothes washed for free in nice soft rainwater. Roy had put the hose in the tank and collected over half a tank of water before the rain quit. There was a lot of excitement on the VHF today. First, some boats at La Parguera, on the south coast about twenty miles from here, saw what appeared to be a sloop that had gone aground on a reef four or five miles from where they were. The mast was tilted about twenty degrees. One of them called the Coast Guard in San Juan and told them about it. The Coast Guard checked into it, but the people on the boat said they weren't in distress. Strange. If they were waiting for the tide to come in and float them off the reef, they were out of luck; there's almost no tide at all around here. Later, we heard a guy on a 37-foot catamaran named "Psychic Flight" calling the Mayaguez Harbor Master. He'd hit some rocks in Mayaguez Harbor and was being pounded. He must not have been looking where he was going. There's a clearly marked channel going into Mayaguez, and it was daylight. Somehow, he got on the wrong side of a channel marker. The Harbor Master sent a boat out to pull him off the rocks, but for some reason it didn't tow him to shore, so an hour or two later, he radioed the Coast Guard, saying he had holes in both hulls and was sinking. He said he had 3 feet of water in one hull and 1 1/2 feet in the other. The Coast Guard put out an announcement, asking vessels in the area to assist if possible. A fishing boat towed him to the beach near the fishing dock. Later, a Coast Guard helicopter flew over and asked if he was all right. He said he was. I put out an announcement to the boats in Boqueron Bay about the cave trip, but no one responded. Around ten p.m., a police boat came by and told us to turn on our anchor light, so Roy did. They said we'd get a ticket if it weren't on tomorrow night. Few of the other boats here have anchor lights on, but most of them are huddled together in the anchorage, while we're out by ourselves on the fringe. Anyway, we'll turn it on at night from now on.

Wednesday, April 26, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Roy fetched ten gallons of water. Then he got the new radar, installed it, and tested it. To our joy, it worked perfectly. I took a load of dirty clothes to the laundromat and washed them. Bought a dozen eggs while I was in town. Roy painted the new spreader and then went to Mayaguez to get some stuff. He brought back a couple of big, delicious macaroons that we ate for dessert after supper. Boy, were they good! There are some terrific caves about sixty miles from here. They have the second largest underground river in the world. We want to visit them before we leave Puerto Rico. Janie's husband, Ray, has arranged for a guy named Ricardo to drive us and another couple there in his station wagon, but he needs at least two more people to make it worthwhile. If they don't find someone pretty soon, we'll just rent a car and drive ourselves.

Tuesday, April 25, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Roy spent the morning sanding and painting the replacement spreader, while I responded to some of the mail I received yesterday. In the afternoon, Roy went to Mayaguez to get a new pulley and belt for the alternator. I went to Boqueron and phoned Statpower about the inverter. They told me to phone Thursday and talk with Noreen. Then I went to the Post Office to mail some letters. Bought some grapefruit on the way back. Stopped at Schafer and Brown, but the radar hadn't come in yet. Later, I contacted them on VHF from the boat and found out it had come in. We'll pick it up in the morning.

Monday, April 24, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Janie and Ray came over and got the curtain and awnings for the port side of the boat. Later, they returned with the awnings sewn. Ray put the snaps on. They hadn't found a zipper that was long enough, so Roy told them to just sew a strip of velcro on the curtain instead of a zipper. In the afternoon, I went in to town and phoned the insurance company in response to a letter we received from them. Got that squared away. Went by Schafer and Brown to let them know the radar is on its way from West Marine. Went to the Post Office and got a big package of mail from Kathy. Bought some chicken and cookies. Phoned about the inverter and was relieved to learn it had been located and will be delivered to Statpower. Returned to the boat and read my mail. Received three checks, totaling $130!

Sunday, April 23, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Roy did some more work on the alternators. I helped as usual by staying our of his hair. Paddled all the way out to the point on the south side of the bay, about three miles each way. Stopped a couple of times to walk around and go for a little swim. It was a perfect day -- clear blue sky, fleecy white clouds, warm sun, refreshing breeze. Returned to the boat around three o'clock. We ate lunch, took a brief siesta, and then went for a pleasant stroll along the beach.

Saturday, April 22, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Roy stopped at the Post Office and got his mail. Then he took the alternator back to Western Auto and got another. He wanted them to test it, but they didn't have the right equipment, so when he got back to Cabo Rojo, he found an alternator repair place and had them test it. It worked correctly, but when he mounted it in the boat, it didn't work, so then he knew the problem wasn't in the alternator but in the wiring. He checked around and found a loose connection. After he fixed that, the alternator put out 75 amps! Hooray! Now we can run the refrigerator all night and turn on lights and the TV, and when we get the inverter back, we'll be able to use the microwave again.

Friday, April 21, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

One of the alternators isn't working right, so Roy dismounted it this morning and took it to Western Auto in Mayaguez to buy a replacement. I went with him. Now that we know how to get there, it's easy. We saved $3.70 on the fare, too. It was only 90 cents each from Boqueron to Cabo Rojo and $1 each from there to Mayaguez Mall. Roy bought a rebuilt alternator at Western Auto, and I bought a new tape player. Then we went to Walgreen's, and I bought a bunch of stuff, including some chocolate-covered mints. Went to Wal-Mart and bought a belt to hold up my blue shorts that the elastic has stretched out of. By then we were famished, so we went to Ponderosa for their all-you-can-eat buffet. It was disappointing. Selections were limited, especially of hot food. No meat, no chicken, no fish, and very few vegetables. Beverages and deserts weren't included, so we ended up spending nearly $20 for a not-so-good meal. Used the public phone at Sears to call about the inverter and radar. It's a good thing we did. Turned out we'd sent the inverter to the wrong place; they no longer repair them. They are very nice and are trying to locate it for us. The woman I talked with remembered it arriving yesterday, but they turned it down. I'm to phone IPS (International Parcel Service) Monday to find out if they've located it. At West Marine, there was a lot of confusion, but we finally talked with an assistant manager named Sam, who found the radar and said they were checking it out and to call back at 4:30. By then, it was 3:30, and we were worried about missing the last publico back to Boqueron, so we quickly bought a couple of collapsible water jugs (our old ones leak) and some groceries, including ten pounds of potatoes. Then we hurried to the publico stand and got in a van for Cabo Rojo. There were plenty of passengers, but the driver was nowhere to be seen. After half an hour or so, he finally showed up, and we took off. He made a lot of side trips to drop people off, so it was nearly five o'clock when we got to Cabo Rojo, and we had several blocks to walk to the terminal. What a relief when we saw a publico waiting to take people to Boqueron! Roy and I got in right away, but the driver was waiting for more passengers, so I phoned West Marine while we were waiting. Sam said they had checked the radar and were shipping us a new one. That's good news. We should have it Monday or Tuesday. When we got back to the boat, Roy installed the alternator, but it didn't work, so now he has to take it back again. Nuts.

Thursday, April 20, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

All of a sudden, I've snapped out of the blue funk I've been in for a long time. I don't know what happened, but I woke up this morning feeling like a human being for a change. I hope it lasts. Roy is certainly relieved. He was afraid I'd fly back to California and leave him stranded. Of course I wouldn't have done that unless I'd been a basket case, but I was hoping he'd find someone else to crew for him, so I could go home.
And my computer started working again this morning! It seems to sense when I'm going to take it to Radio Shack. Guess it doesn't want to go to the hospital any more than people do.
Roy paddled in and got ten gallons of water. I paddled to the dinghy dock and strolled around. Walked up the beach a mile or so. Really nice. Acres and acres of palm-shaded picnic grounds with tables and fireplaces. Found the public shower, but it's a dollar, not a quarter. Strolled back to town and wandered around. Took a look at Schafer and Brown, which turned out to be tiny. Walked out a walkway in a nature preserve. Followed a back street to the main street and went to the Post Office to see if there was any mail for me, but there wasn't.
Groceries are sure high here. I bought three potatoes and a quart of orange juice, and they charged $4.49! Ridiculoso!
After lunch, Roy went to Schafer and Brown to check on the radar and the inverter. They said they should be where they were sent by now, but it was up to Roy to check on them.
Roy brought back a newspaper with an article about the terrible bombing in Oklahoma City.
Later, Roy rigged up the shower curtain and water jug on the aft deck so I could take a shower and wash my hair. Sure felt good.

Wednesday, April 19, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Janie and Ray came by about 8:30, and Roy showed her what he wants done. She'll come back Monday to get the curtain and stuff. We thanked Ray and gave them two books.
Roy was going to go to the Cabo Rojo Lumber Yard to get a piece of wood for the spreader, but it turned out a guy on another boat had a spare spreader, which he gave to Roy. He wouldn't accept any money, but he needed a block. Roy had a block he'd never used, so he gave it to him. It was just what he needed, so everyone's happy.
Except me. My computer's quit again, so I'm back to square one. It won't boot up at all, not even with a system diskette.
The wind came up again this afternoon, but with two anchors out, we didn't drag.

Tuesday, April 18, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Just before leaving for Mayaguez, I gave my computer another try, and to my amazement and joy, it worked perfectly! So I didn't take it to Radio Shack.
We were lucky enough to catch a publico to Cabo Rojo right by the dinghy dock. We greatly enjoyed the ride. Puerto Rican roads are paved and well maintained -- quite a contrast to the lumpy, bumpy dirt roads of the Dominican Republic. We didn't see a single moped or burro, and the homes are attractive, well-built houses, not hovels. The vehicles are late-model cars, such as you'd see in the United States. The scenery is green and lovely.
In Cabo Rojo, we had to transfer to another publico. Unfortunately, there was only one other passenger, so the driver was waiting for two more, to make the trip worthwhile. When no one else showed up after 45 minutes or so, the driver offered to leave right away if the other passenger would pay $3 and we'd pay 5, which was only $1.50 more than we'd have had to pay anyway, so we agreed. It only took 10 or 15 minutes to reach Mayaguez Mall, which was everything we'd been led to expect -- a real U.S.-style mall, with Sears, Penney's, Walgreen's, etc. It was comfortably air-conditioned, too.
We went to a couple of banks to try to exchange our leftover D.R. pesos, but they wouldn't take them. We liberated some cash from an ATM, dropped off a couple of rolls of Roy's film for developing, and ate lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken. What a treat! There were also a Burger King and a Pizza Hut, and later we found a Ponderosa, which we'd have gone to if we'd known it was there. Other than the fact that most of the people speak Spanish, being in Puerto Rico is practically like being in the states.
After lunch, we went to Western Auto, and Roy bought a bunch of stuff. Then we picked up his pictures. One roll didn't come out at all, and the other was too dark, which was disappointing. I bought a top, and then we checked out Sears, which was like any other Sears. Next, we went to the Xtra Supermarket and bought some groceries. They even had our favorite instant oatmeal! And nice fresh broccoli.
By then, it was after three, so we caught a publico back to Cabo Rojo. (Publicos are sort of a cross between a bus and a taxi. They're cars or vans that carry five to thirteen passengers between two points. But they'll also take you right to your doorstep or wherever you want to go for a slight extra charge, maybe 25 cents.) Apparently, a bunch of people had been waiting for two more passengers, because as soon as we showed up, the publico took right off.
To our surprise, the publico didn't go to the terminal but dropped us off about six blocks away, so we got to see some of downtown Cabo Rojo walking over there. Cabo Rojo is much, much larger than Boqueron but smaller than Mayaguez.
What a shock we had when we got back to Boqueron! At the dinghy dock the woman from Pegasus told us that while we were gone, a thirty
knot wind had come up out of the northwest and blown Jofian practically onto the beach! She was about to hit a bunch of rocks and coral, but several boaters zoomed over there in their dinghies, towed her back where she belonged, and dropped the other anchor Roy had rigged up in the bow but never used. Luckily, it worked just fine.
We were amazed, because in the five days we'd been here we hadn't budged, and it was flat calm this morning when we left. It was certainly nice of those guys to go to all the work of rescuing the Jofian. Roy paddled around and thanked as many of them as he could locate, and I put out a thank you on the VHF. Roy offered to recompense them by working a couple of hours for them, but they declined. Boaters help other boaters as a matter of course. We're certainly lucky we were here and not in some isolated spot.
A U.S. woman named Janie has been living here for five years on the sloop Puffin with her husband Ray, who was instrumental in rescuing Jofian. She does canvas work for a living. We need a new zipper sewn on our port curtain and some changes made to the awning, so Roy arranged for her to do it. She'll come by in the morning.

Monday, April 17, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

The town is nice and peaceful again now that the weekend's over. I took a load of wash to the laundromat. Also mailed the postcards I wrote the other day, bought some cookies and an English-language newspaper, and found some small bottles of propane.
When I got back to the boat, I pulled one of the dumbest stunts I've ever pulled. I got the propane stove out to cook lunch. There were some crumbs in it, so I shook them out into the water, completely forgetting that the ring wasn't attached. I didn't think we'd ever see it again, but after diving for half an hour or so, Roy found it! He had to grope for it; the bottom is thick, gooshy mud with zero visibility. It's a thousand wonders he was able to find it. Later, he attached it to the stove with a cord.
Now that we have an inverter to run the computer, the hard drive is malfunctioning, so I'm back to writing the log by hand. Luckily, there's a Radio Shack in Mayaguez, so we'll take it in tomorrow.
Roy completely forgot that this is my birthday, but that's ok -- I'd just as soon forget this birthday myself. And the next one will be even worse. I can't believe I'm sixty-nine. I'm too young to be that old!

Sunday, April 16, 1995 Easter Sunday, Boqueron, Puerto Rico

We've been having a hard time keeping up with our electrical needs. The wind doesn't blow enough to keep the wind generator turning, and clouds keep obscuring the sun, so the solar panels don't produce enough electricity to even keep the refrigerator running. Roy has to run the engine an hour or so a day to charge the batteries, which is extra wear and tear on the engine, plus using valuable fuel. We could buy another gasoline- or diesel-powered generator, but a really good marine generator is very expensive, and if we buy another cheapo, it probably wouldn't last long, so we don't have a good solution.
Roy went to the top of the main mast today, and it's a very good thing he did. He found a big split in the starboard spreader and the headsail halyard was nearly worn through. It was barely hanging on by five strands. No wonder it had been so hard to furl. It's certainly fortunate we didn't unfurl it after leaving Samana; we'd have probably lost the sail and maybe part of the rigging as well. Roy took the headsail down, cut off the frazzled end, and reattached it. Now all he has to do is make a new spreader.
Got some good rain in the evening. Roy was just about to go to town with the water jug when the rain started. We were able to half fill our tank with good sky juice.

Saturday, April 15, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

The Police are really making their presence felt here this weekend, on land, water, and in the air. Both foot and mounted patrolmen are going up and down the beach and through the town. Police boats motor back and forth across the bay. A police helicopter hovers over the beach, so low you think it's going to land. There's also a big white blimp that's been hanging in one place for several days, presumably for surveillance. There was an article in the English-language newspaper about the police here and in neighboring areas. Last year, they had 18 violent deaths over the Easter weekend! We're very glad we're on a boat and not in town.
Now that my computer's operational again, I spent the morning entering the days I'd written by hand. Roy remodeled the sunshade. After lunch, we took a siesta. Then Roy went to town to phone his son Steve. Little Trevor answered the phone and immediately recognized Grandpa's voice. Steve is keeping plenty busy working. All is well. He'll forward Roy's mail here to Boqueron.
I paddled around the anchorage, looking at the boats, and then went over to the north side of the harbor, but came back in a hurry when it started to rain. I wanted to get the hose into the tank, so we could collect some rainwater, but by the time I reached the boat, the rain had stopped.
In the evening, Roy and I discussed our future plans. Roy wants to continue cruising; I want to return to California. I'm tired and need a break. Roy's been back to California twice, while I've been on the boat almost continuously for more than two years. We didn't come to any conclusions, but I feel some better just talking about it. Unfortunately, now Roy's happiness is spoiled. I had hoped I wouldn't have to bring the topic up until after we reached Aruba, but my lack of enthusiasm when he began talking about cruising the Caribbean next year gave me away.

Friday, April 14, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Roy took the letters in to Schafer & Brown. They're going to try to get the units off today. Roy returned with a nice surprise -- a brand new 250-watt inverter! It won't operate the microwave, but it will recharge my computer batteries and Roy's shaver. It will also operate the TV, but all the stations speak Spanish.
I spent the morning writing postcards while my computer recharged. After lunch, I began typing the log pages that I'd written by hand, but when Roy went for a paddle, I did too. There's a large lagoon on the other side of the beach. It's surrounded by mangroves with their weird root systems, so it's used as a hurricane hole during the summer. I paddled around the entire perimeter, but Roy just went to one end and then returned to the bay for a swim. I found a narrow passage that led to another big lagoon that few people ever see. Paddled around it, too. Luckily, I found the way out again.
There are a lot of people zooming around the bay on PWC's or jet skis or whatever you call them. I hate those things. They go so fast and make so much noise, like a bunch of angry mosquitoes. They're a menace to paddlers.

Thursday, April 13, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Roy took the malfunctioning inverter and radar to Schafer and Brown Electronics for repair. Then he returned to the boat and put up the sunshade.
I went in and strolled along the main street. This is a pleasant resort town. Was delighted to find a laundromat! Now I can wash our mountain of dirty clothes. I also found the Post Office and mailed some mail. Bought some postcards and groceries on the way back.
Chatted with the couple on Pegasus. They've been here since January 28th, so they really know the area. They provided me with a lot of valuable information.
After lunch, I took a load of dirty clothes to the laundromat and washed them. Roy came in just as I was finishing and carried them back to my Royak. Then he walked around town while I returned to the boat and put the clothes away.
Roy stopped by Schafer and Brown and found out they can't repair the inverter and radar or even test them, but they'll UPS them to the manufacturers for us, so we spent the evening writing letters to accompany the units. Since tomorrow everything shuts down at noon for the Easter weekend, the units won't go out until Monday. Oh well, we couldn't have picked a pleasanter place to be stuck in. However, 50,000 rambunctious students are expected to descend on the place for spring break.

Wednesday, April 12, 1995 - Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Enjoyed a perfect sail from Mayaguez to Boqueron. The wind was about twenty knots out of the northwest, which was just right for our course. Sailed the entire way, except for getting in and out of the anchorages.
Dropped anchor in Boqueron Bay about 4:30. This is a beautiful place. Long, clean, curving sandy beach, fringed by tall palm trees, with low green mountains in the background. There are more than fifty sailboats anchored here, plus some in the marina and a bunch of power boats. Plenty of room for hundreds more.
Paddled around for an hour or so. Went by the fuel dock. Now we know why fuel prices are so low. That 30 cents is for a liter , not a gallon. Roy went ashore and filled a five-gallon water jug for free.

Tuesday, April 11, 1995 - Mayaquez, Puerto Rico

Arrived in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, around noon. We're back in U.S. territory! It turned out to be a bigger hassle to check in here than in the Dominican Republic. Sailboats used to be able to go directly to Boqueron and check in by phone, but now we're required to check in at Mayaguez, which is a commercial port with no facilities for small boats. If they're going to require small boats to come here, they should at least provide a floating dock to tie to. Instead, we had to tie to a wretched wharf that freighters tie to. There were no cleats, and big rubber tires messed up our white hull. The wind kept blowing, and the boat kept bouncing around. One of our stainless steel blocks that cost $85 got broken.
I walked to the public phone and called Customs. They were out to lunch. Went back to the boat and got our papers. At one o'clock, I returned to the phone but was stopped by the security guard, who didn't speak English. Fortunately, she had a sheet of paper with instructions in English. They said I had to go to the Port Captain first, so I walked over there. Fortunately, the Port Captain spoke flawless English, without the slightest trace of an accent. She told me to clear in with Immigration, Agriculture, and Customs first and then return.
All the other officials spoke English also. Had no problem with Immigration. The USDA had me sign a form saying we wouldn't dispose of any garbage while in U.S. territory. That's pretty ridiculous. Then I phoned Customs. If I'd bought our sticker in Fort Lauderdale, we could have cleared in by phone, but I hadn't, so I had to walk over there, about a mile. Didn't have any problem finding the place. Filled out a couple of forms and paid $25 for the sticker. There was an ATM across the street that accessed U.S. banks, so I liberated some cash. Returned to the Port Captain's office and paid $10.28 for the privilege of tying to their miserable wharf.
When I got back to the boat, the wind had died down, so the Jofian was riding peacefully. Roy and I walked a couple of blocks to a Shell station to see if they had diesel. We couldn't believe the fuel prices. Both gasoline and diesel were about 30 cents a gallon! Haven't seen prices like that for more than twenty years. But we decided to wait until we reached Boqueron to buy fuel, since there's a fuel dock there.
Mayaguez is a great contrast to towns in the Dominican Republic. It's more like a Mexican city. The streets are paved, and there are lots of vehicles rushing around and no mopeds. They use U.S. money and postage stamps here, which makes it very convenient.
Roy and I walked to a well-stocked super market and bought a bunch of groceries. Took a publico (taxi) back for $3.
Left the wharf just before dark and went to an anchorage. A small sailboat with a British couple on it arrived soon after and anchored near us. We treated ourselves to a quart of delicious ice cream that Roy had bought at the store.

Monday, April 10, 1995 - On way Puerto Rico

Went to the Commandant's office and got our zarpe to Puerto Rico. Raised the anchor and took off.
The weather was every bit as nice as predicted. Sunny and clear with nearly flat seas. Motored all day and into the night.

Sunday, April 9, 1995 - Santa Barbara, Dominican Republic

Did a water run after breakfast. That is, we paddled to the town dock with our two five-gallon water jugs. Roy filled them while I watched the Royaks. Cost one peso a gallon. Took them to the boat and ate lunch.
After lunch, Roy napped and I paddled along the shore. Then he woke up, and we both paddled to the little island where the night club had been. Someone had certainly put a lot of money and effort into it. There were nice, level, cement walkways and steps going the entire length of the island. There were also cement terraces with cement benches and attractive cement buildings. The causeway must be a quarter-mile long. It's perfectly straight and still usable.
Returned to the boat and listened to Herb, the weather man, on Southbound II. He didn't hear my call, but he talked with a man in Puerto Rico who's heading north, so he gave the weather for the Mona Passage. Looks like tomorrow will be a good day to go. Light winds shifting to east northeast. Wednesday and Thursday, the wind will increase to thirty knots, so if we don't leave tomorrow, it will be at least Friday or Saturday before we can leave.

Saturday, April 8, 1995 - Santa Barbara, Dominican Republic

Barbara de Pree, the local SSCA rep, came to our boat about eight a.m. and gave us a lot of valuable information. She and her husband have lived on their boat here for nine years and have become residents of the Dominican Republic! I can't imagine anyone who could live in the United States choosing to live in a third world country. There's nothing here but scenery. Prices are high. I sure wouldn't want to stay. Her husband works at the hotel, but I doubt that he makes very much. The minimum wage here is about $70 a month U.S.
Thomas arrived at 8:30, took our jerry jugs ashore, and filled them with diesel. Then Roy had him bring another twenty gallons, so now we have plenty of fuel. It cost $1.50 a gallon, which wasn't bad considered it was delivered to the boat.
After breakfast, Roy and I paddled to town, and I exchanged $40 for pesos. Then we paddled around until we found a good place to leave our Royaks. Walked to the waterfront and ate a too expensive lunch at a restaurant with a lovely view. This place is certainly a lot prettier, cleaner, and more prosperous than Luperon and Puerto Plata. There is a remarkable arched cement causeway going out to a little island. It was built in the 1970's to access a night club on the island, but the night club has gone out of business.
The public transportation here is interesting. The vehicles are called motoconchos, and they consist of motorcycles pulling little trailers that hold six passengers. A ride costs three pesos (about 25 cents). We rode one to the open-air market. It was a lot of fun. Got a good breeze.
What a buy we got on grapefruit! One peso each! Big ones, too. We bought five. Bought a dozen eggs for fifteen pesos, but we got ripped off on the potatoes and onions. Roy and I both understood her to say three pesos a pound. We bought two pounds of potatoes and one pound of onions. She charged us 22 pesos! That doesn't add up in my books, but I stupidly paid it.
We walked to a nice-looking bakery. Bought a loaf of whole-wheat bread and a chunk of pineapple upside-down cake. They also had Canadian sardines for only seven pesos, so we bought two cans. Also bought a quart of orange juice. Then we rode a motoconcho to a market Barbara had recommended and bought some frozen chicken thighs. Stopped at a little cafe for strawberry ice cream. Then we returned to the boat, showered with fresh water, and relaxed.
A bunch of boats from Luperon came in today. Roy talked with the people on some of them and found out two boats had tried to follow us out Wednesday night but had turned back because it was too rough!

Friday, April 7, 1995 - Santa Barbara, Dominican Republic

Slept like logs and awoke to a lovely calm morning. Weighed anchor at the crack of dawn and headed east to Cape Cabron. We were able to motorsail nearly all the way to Bahia Samana. We cleared capes Cabron and Samana between eleven and two. Reached Santa Barbara, a small, attractive town on Bahia Samana, at five p.m. and dropped anchor.
Before we even had the anchor down, two men in a small motorboat pulled up next to us. One of them spoke something resembling English but was difficult to understand. We finally gathered that for $5 they would take Roy in to the dock so he could clear with the officials. I had to stay on the boat. In a remarkably short time, he was back. Thomas had taken him to the Commandant's office and served as interpreter. Roy had to pay the Commandant 150 pesos (about $12). He gave Thomas 50 pesos. He also arranged to have 60 gallons of diesel brought to the boat in the morning.

Thursday, April 6, 1995 - Punta Bonita, Dominican Republic

Slammed and blammed against the waves all night. Had a brief respite in the morning, but then the wind started up again and kept getting stronger, so we decided we'd better head towards land. The wind was blowing 25 knots or more and the seas must have been at least 15 feet, but after several hours we arrived in relatively calm water behind Punta Bonita.
There was no sign of a town or village -- it looked like wilderness -- yet we'd barely finished supper when here came a motorboat with four men in it, one of them in uniform and wearing a pistol. They were very pleasant. I told them in Spanish we were tired and needed to sleep. They checked our papers and let us stay.

Wednesday, April 5, 1995 - On way Punta Bonita, Dominican Republic

We've been listening to the off-shore weather forecasts. Sounded good for tonight and tomorrow, so we planned on leaving at 5 p.m. Roy went ashore to get clearance, while I washed the breakfast dishes, went for a little paddle, and enjoyed a refreshing swim. He came back disgusted, because he had to wait 2 1/2 hours, he couldn't communicate, and there seemed to be garbage all over the place. Nevertheless, he did get the clearance. It was supposed to be two dollars a person, but he didn't have four U.S. dollars, so he gave them 100 pesos, and they didn't give him any change, even though that was about $8.
In this area, the wind is supposed to die down at night. Har har de har har. As soon as we got outside the harbor, we were slammed by wind and wave. After an hour or two, we discussed turning back, but the brand new radar had quit working, and we didn't want to go into a harbor at night without radar, so we kept going.

Tuesday, April 4, 1995 - Luperon, Dominican Republic

Early this morning, a 90-year-old English-built sloop that drew 9 feet tried to come into the harbor but missed the channel and went aground. Half a dozen yachties went out in their dinghies to try to help her. They struggled for a couple of hours. Eventually, Lily Maid floated free, came on into the anchorage, and dropped anchor.
Heard on the VHF that last night the Wee-Lah, not far from our port bow, was broken into while the owners were ashore. The thieves broke the hatch lock and stole travelers' checks, costume jewelry, and ID's. But later in the day, the woman on Wee-Lah came on the VHF and announced that an honest fisherman had found the checks and ID's in the woods and returned them, so that made everyone feel better.
We had hoped to leave here this evening, but the wind has kicked up. It's blowing sixteen knots and more here in this protected harbor, so it must be 25-30 outside, and it's out of the northeast. It's supposed to calm down Thursday and switch to southeast, so we have a chance of leaving then.
Roy blew ashore after lunch and phoned the manufacturer of the inverter and got an authorization number for returning it, but he's afraid to ship it from here. He also mailed a letter for me at the Post Office and bought a couple of heads of cabbage from a farm truck. He got soaked paddling back against the wind, so he took a shower to rinse the salt off.
My computer battery is nearly dead, so I'll have to keep the log by hand until I can recharge it.

Monday, April 3, 1995 - Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

We went to the dock early in the morning and met the others at eight o'clock. While we were waiting for the van, we saw two men trundling wheelbarrows filled with raw meat down the dusty street! (Perhaps the dead horse?)
We rode to Puerto Plata in a rented van. Much of the road is unpaved and full of holes. We passed many shanties and a few nice little houses. Also passed acres and acres and acres of sugar cane. The Dominican Republic is very mountainous, and we could see range after range of mountains in the distance.
When we arrived at the outskirts of Puerto Plata, we rode the funicular to the top of Mount Isabella Torres, which is 2600 feet high. What a spectacular view! We could see all of Puerto Plata below us, and we could look way out over the beautiful blue ocean. There's an interesting botanical garden on the mountain top, with carefully paved trails winding through it. There is also a dome-shaped building, topped by a towering statue of Christ. A great deal of effort and expense went into creating that place. The funicular was built in 1975, but we don't know when the rest was built. We wandered through the garden for a while, and then ate reasonably-priced omelettes in the pleasant, clean restaurant. We were glad we had come up early, because clouds moved in and the view disappeared.
When we returned to sea level, we went into the town itself and ate lunch. Roy had the baked chicken, which looked delicious, but I kept thinking of the scrawny chickens we'd seen wandering around, pecking at the dirt, and the wheelbarrows of raw meat, so I ordered vegetable soup, which seemed like the safest thing on the menu. It turned out to be more noodles than vegetables, but that was okay.
After lunch, the group split up, agreeing to meet again at four. Roy and I walked over to the waterfront and enjoyed the cool breeze and beautiful view of the ocean and breakers. Unfortunately, the beach is littered with trash. If it were cleaned up, it would be lovely.
We stopped at a bank and exchanged $40. Then we went to an ice cream parlor. Roy had a strawberry malt, which wasn't very good. I had a cup of chocolate chip ice cream. The chocolate was in big chunks, instead of chips, but it was delicious. Since the inverter quit working, Roy hasn't been able to recharge the battery in his electric razor, so it was nearly dead. He had brought it with him, and while we were eating ice cream, he plugged it into an electrical outlet and recharged it. It looked sort of weird, but no one seemed to notice. At least, they didn't say anything.
We strolled around some more. Puerto Plata is the "Big City" of this part of the country, but it doesn't look prosperous. The city is conducting anti-litter and anti-noise campaigns, but neither appears to be successful.
We went by an old depot and then walked down to the waterfront again. Passed a sewer outfall with a big sign warning people of the contaminated water, but a bunch of kids were happily swimming nearby. They had miles of water they could have been playing in, but for some reason they all clustered near the sewer.
At four, we rejoined the group and rode the van to what was supposed to be a supermarket. It turned out to be a small grocery store with no fresh fruit or vegetables. Bought a quart of orange juice, a container of cocoa mix, and a couple of cans of Canadian sardines. Then we all returned to Luperon, very glad to get here. The round trip cost 77 pesos each, or about $6.
This dock is absolutely the worst place to get in and out of our Royaks I've ever seen. We can't pull up to the ladder, so we have to climb over mud-covered coral. The coral is sharp, and the mud is slippery. I barely touched a piece of the coral and cut my thumb. Even Roy cut his foot trying to launch his Royak. We hope we don't get infections from the filthy water.

Sunday, April 2, 1995 - Luperon, Dominican Republic

The VHF is a wonderful invention. It enables "yachties" to keep in contact with each other anywhere. We heard several discussing the weather this morning. Since we'd missed the National Weather Service forecast yesterday, this was valuable information. Apparently, a front is going to move through this area tomorrow on its way to Puerto Rico, and then a stronger front will come through on Thursday, so it sounds as if Tuesday is the time to go.
We also heard an announcement that a group of yachties are planning to rent a van and go to Puerto Plata tomorrow. That might be interesting, so we let them know we might like to go.
We enjoyed a relaxing day. Roy and I paddled towards the ocean and back. This is an exceptionally well-protected harbor. There is land on every side, and the shores are lined with mangroves.
After lunch, we took naps, and then Roy repaired the alternator, while I began plotting our course to Samana. We also found out our clocks are an hour behind local time. No wonder the sun rises so early!
Roy went into town by himself in the evening and saw a dead horse lying in the middle of the street!