Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico at last! First U.S. stop since we left San Diego in November 2008. The waters are calming down and we are noticing the beautiful blue water in the Caribbean that is so different from the Pacific side.

We had to check back into the country in Ponce. That gave us an opportunity to see its historic section. The Ponce Historical Museum was a doctor's house in the 1800's. It is next to the performing arts center. A guide at the Museum said that Ponce was a place for cultivated, educated and refined people and that is why it is so lovely. He said San Juan was just for people. We just said, "is that so?" We all have our perspective!

A refined Ponce Street.

A family name in Salinas. This is a little fishing village we stayed in while preparing for the much smaller crossing to St. Croix.

By the way, we did make it St. Croix and have been visiting Ralph's family since our arrival. We have been seeing the sights, doing some relaxing, and taking care of some things on the boat. You can probably tell by my shorter and shorter entries that I have had enough blogging for today! So, Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

Santo Domingo

Our journey east from Haiti to the Dominican Republic continued to be an endurance test. At times, we could only make 3 knots when under motor because of the current. The first night out, we were again strapped in the cockpit at times before arriving at Isla Beata. We spent a rolly night at anchor and then another one at sea before arriving at Boca Chica near Santo Domingo. The next day, we went first on the back of a motor concho (motor cycle) to the bus station and then by air conditioned bus (felt like heaven) into Santo Domingo which is the home to the oldest buildings in the western hemisphere, some dating from 1505. Christopher Columbus was buried at a lighthouse not far from this square.

This is the music room in the home which belonged to Christopher Columbus' son, Diego.

Santo Domingo is a cosmopolitan city which has some lovely and well maintained residential areas. We saw restaurants that served Greek, French, Italian, Indian, Chinese, etc., etc., food.

The first church built in the new world.

Haiti

We left Jamaica on 2/17 on what we knew would be a tough passage to Hispanola. The easiest way to sail to the Caribbean from Panama is to go to around the world the other way! Since that was not a part of our plans, we braced ourselves for the notorious trade winds and currents to keep us alert during our 190 mile passage. Suffice to say, it was hell. We felt as if we were a toy boat in a washing machine on steroids. It did not help that the wind forecast was not accurate and we were in a near gale and encountered regular squalls. We decided that only one person should be in the cockpit at any time and the other below deck. So, the person on watch would be strapped into the cockpit just trying to stay upright and the other one was down in a cabin trying to stay in the berth. We then arrived at the beautiful Ile A Vache, a small island off the mainland, after 30 hours of enduring our worst passage. Upon arrival we saw small boats with food and relief items for refugees from the earthquake on their mainland which gave us a whole other perspective on what suffering really is.

We met Peter and Marina Passano from Maine and enjoyed a lovely swim in this beautiful bay. The heat and humidity had not diminished that much from Panama although it is now cool enough to sleep at night. It feels great to jump in the water whenever there is an opportunity to do so.

Ralph had emailed the hotel at Ile A Vache before we left Jamaica to ask if we could bring anything that would help the people who lived there. We knew before we left Jamaica that this area had not suffered physical damage from the earthquake, but we were informed that many refugees had arrived in the islands and that staples such as rice and powered milk would be helpful. So we bought some large bags of each in Jamaica. When we arrived in Ile A Vache, the hotel staff told us our supplies should go to the orphanage run by Sister Fleur from Quebec, Canada. The hotel arranged for us to go to the other side of the island by boat and since Peter and Marina had also brought supplies, we all went together. Also accompanying us were French Canadians who sailed in two large catamarans with wheelchairs, sleeping pads and medical supplies and equipment.

At the orphanage/school, the children wanted your attention. Ralph made friends with a little blind boy who would not let him go. A 4 year old named Nelson made friends with everyone. The little girl right next to me came up and took my hand and showed me around the orphanage. Our interpreter told me her name was Sirena. She is from Port au Prince where her home was destroyed. Her parents are alive but she was sent here to stay with an aunt until it was possible to return to her neighborhood. The little girl next to Sirena just wanted to be in the picture. Once it was taken, they looked at their picture and giggled!

We met other people who had relatives die in the earthquake and over and over people asked for tents as residents of Port au Prince and many of the dislocated at Ile A Vache had to sleep outside. Even a tent with rain and winds seemed a dismal proposition. Relief boats arrived daily and it all looked very chaotic, but one young man we hired to take us through the village said everyone there had food. Every boat that we saw during our stay had items reportedly supplied by the good people of the USA. We walked through the little village and out to several properties that had been operating luxury resorts before the earthquake. They were temporarily closed. I was struck by the incredible natural beauty of this area. Maybe all of nature looks so much better amidst that grinding poverty. I was so impressed by the well built homes in the village, the gardens, the general cleanliness, and the spirit of the people. They have no vehicles, no electricity nor running water and are very poor by our standards, but, they are proud, hard-working people with great spirit. At night, we could hear singing while we watched the glow of fires on land.

Jamaica

I met up with Ralph and Tim on 2/10. We stayed on the boat at this fine establishment and were able to walk into Port Royale for a wonderful fish lunch. We are now in the land of scotch bonnets and the flavor is wonderful. They seem to pickle the chile first and then add it to dishes. It is less powerful that way, but still hot. We also enjoyed various jerk dishes done only as Jamaicans can. They serve meals with "bammy" which is a ground cassava paste that can be fried or baked. It is pretty tasteless, but helps absorb some of that heat. They also serve patty's which are like pasties.

I guess this Port Royal attraction was partly built because of Henry Morgan. We have been reminded of him since we were on the Pacific side of Panama. He liked to plunder and then burn!

Tourists go to the Montego Bay area which is on the north shore of Jamaica. Montego Bay is the home to many fine resorts and they feature bayside water activities. Jamaica also features its beautiful Blue Mountain areas. Kingston, on the other hand, has fewer tourist attractions. It has a couple of museums, including the Bob Marley house. Marley's presence is everpresent and there is music and the scent of ganga in the air. We decided to go on a bus ride to one of the city markets where the locals shop. We waited an hour and a half for the bus that runs every half hour - just one of those things. At one of the stops, a local man looked at Ralph and said "you on da wrong bus, mon". But at the end of the route, adjacent to the bus terminal was Redemption Market. Who can't use a little redemption?

Pictures do not adequately relay the vibrancy of the place. It reminded us of the market area of San Salvador only it was more disordered and crowded! This was right before Valentine's Day and there were lots of pink and red products - they celebrate it big here - it seemed like it was a three day weekend with party boat coming and going, people dressed up and going out to dinner, etc. The people are very friendly here and there were several spots where school children would come up and talk us or someone would wonder where we were from. Their creole accent made conversation a bit of a challenge, but we all tried.

Panama to Jamaica

Ralph left for Panama in January in order to get the boat ready for our cruise into the Caribbean. In addition to painting the bottom in the sweltering heat and humidity, he spent sometime de-mildewing below decks after 8 months in the jungle. He washed EVERYTHING and it looks great now. Meanwhile, I was at home watching the snow in Albuquerque!

For the passage from Panama to Jamaica, Ralph was joined by our friend, Tim, who sailed down the Baja with us last year. They reported wind/currents on the nose for the first 36 hours. It was slow going with not much sailing at first. After that, they were glad to report favorable winds for the next three days and until they arrived in Jamaica. Ralph got the boat up to a speed of 11.9 knots which is smokin' for a sailboat. Total trip was 5 days, 4 nights, 600 nautical miles.

In addition to being a congenial crewmember, Tim is a great fisherman (as long as the fish jump onto the boat and are not too big). I have to thank Tim for taking this segment of the trip, as I was not really very interested in the passage.

First stop in Jamaica, Port Royal. This is on the Kingston Harbor and when the guys awoke the day after their long journey, they found themselves in what was once called "the richest and wickedest city in the world" until it was partially buried in the sea by an earthquake-timing is everything.