Adventures of the Sailing Catamaran Kuhela: July 2010

Once again I cannot move or label most of the pictures.

Harry @ spring atPunta Cana

Water spout, DR

Sprinmgs at Punta Cana, DR

Stella Maris @ Ensenada

Guvate Pork House

Linda at Spring in Punta Cana

El Moro

El Moro from SW side of harbor

After leaving Punta Cana, DR, we made a night passage N of Isla Mona to miss the nightly thunderstorms that rumble W off Puerto Rico into the Mona Passage. We arrived just after dawn after a mostly motor sail at Boquerón, Puerto Rico. We checked in with US Customs by phone (we have the Local Boaters cards), but still had to go ashore later for a personal visit to answer more questions. Bureaucratic BS is alive and well! We rented a car with Stella Maris and drove to San Juan for the weekend where we “sight-see’d” and shopped (West Marine and COSTCO). On the way back we stopped at Guavate where they have pig on a spit. After 20+ hours of spinning, it’s almost as good as Hawaii’s luau pork. After a heavy shopping spree for food, we got back to find a gay festival in full swing: beer, urine, and trash everywhere blocking our way to the dock. We left our non-perishable food and “stuffs” locked in the car ‘till morning when we could get them dingyed aboard. Surprisingly, by afternoon the place was cleaned up by the core participants and locals.

El Moro fort,

San Juan

A day trip to Ensenada for the night and we next stopped at Salinas…no great shakes as another rundown, 3rd World town. The Marina was run by a bunch of fools who don’t have a clue re running a marine facility, and this from someone who anchored off and only used the facility as a “guest” of a Stella Maris. Our family (Vaughns and Riebolds except for Chris who had no vacation time) flew in for Father’s Day and a short stay to fish and sight see. On the way to the airport we stopped at El Junque (the rainforest) after driving around the SE coast - beautiful, mountainous country with very old, winding roads like the run to Hana, HI in the old days - past, you guessed it, Fajardo.

At Bacardi with fruit bat company symbol

Off again to Fajardo where we anchored off Isla Piñeros 45 minutes S as the Marina wanted/demanded $108 for the night before we pulled out: another incident/example of poor management/business. Puerto Del Rey Marina is the largest marina in the Caribbean: 1,000+ slips plus a huge dry storage facility and haul-out that can accommodate boats up to 30’ wide and up to 100 tons. It lies several miles south of the town on the E end of the island and faces the Spanish, British, and US Virgin Islands to the E and Vieques to the S. Vieques is the island along with Kahoolawe in Hawaii that drove the locals to demand the US Navy to leave alone and stop using as a training target. Here they were able to close Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, too. We were pulled/lifted out, had the rudder shafts straightened, the two fist-sized dings in the keels filled and re-glassed, the forestay replaced (too small/light when compared to the main stays), the sails re-stitched and repaired, and the sail bag’s 27’ zipper replaced. Sun (UV) damage is impossible to prevent completely. Back in the water and we find the haul out cracked the port hull so we are taking on water again just like we did in the Bahamas last August and the engines won’t start. Seems that there has been an electrical trickle that has caused excessive rusting which has destroyed all four alternators and contributed to the destruction of the starboard starter. Plus my rebuild of the raw water pump on the port engine, ‘though good for the leak, ended up not pumping water (probably due to the impeller being reinstalled backwards). So, we’ve called in the techs, bit the maintenance bullet, and will have everything fixed to include another expensive haul-out to reseal the hull. The biggest problem is the boredom waiting in the rain at dock side for parts and quotes. At least we can stay aboard with AC as it won’t work on “the hard” as there is no raw, cooling water there unless we rent a cooling tower for $400. Otherwise, we have to stay in a hotel, eat out, and rent a car: expensive.

While we are still Hawaii and beyond bound, we have decided to stay in the area ‘till December given the hurricane season predictions plus input from other cruisers. We missed the window for Grenada: all the hurricane holes are filled and the stormy weather makes sailing (rain, waves, and wind direction) miserable and swimming (muddy, churned up water) lousy. So, we’ll putz around the Islands here and head back to central Florida on October 20 through November 30 for Linda’s Mom’s 86th B-day and Thanksgiving with the kids, grand-chillens, and friends.