Feb 26, 2007

It's hard to imagine that it's been over a month since I updated the web site. The internet connection here is dialup and is slow when it is working well. I have a lot of pictures to upload so I will probably have to go find a high speed connection somewhere once I get it ready to go.

I installed the new fuel injection pump and the engine started and ran smoother than it ever has. It still puts out some smoke although not like it was before. The service manual says that the smoke can result from the timing being off. I set the new pump to the same mark as the old one and when I advanced the timing a bit, it was better. I will advance it some more but that requires removing the fuel injector lines to bend them slightly so the pump can rotate a little further. That's a longer procedure and I still haven't gotten around to doing it. My fuel consumption is back down and it runs well.

I'm still doing about the same things at VIERS. There is a group coming here from the Netherlands to use the lab in a couple of weeks so it had to be ready by then. There is not a lot that still needs to be done, some hurricane shutters still need to be built and mounted, some more painting and setting up two more water tanks. Pete, who's coordinating all the work at the lab, is leaving this week so we're trying to get it all done before he leaves.

I had company on the boat for a couple of weeks. Steve Applegate and Sally Shafer both came for a week. Steve and I left Lindbergh Bay beside the airport for Culebrita the day after he got here. Culebrita is a nature preserve in the Spanish Virgin Islands, actually part of Puerto Rico now, and there are no buildings on the island except for the ruins of an old Spanish lighthouse. That's Bella Vita on a mooring in the harbor. There was one other boat that came in later in the afternoon but it still wasn't too crowded. The moorings are maintained by the Dept of Natural Resources and are free. The little patch of blue on the right side of the picture is the ocean side of the island which is fully exposed to the prevailing easterlies. The harbor on Culebrita is protected from all but northerlies and the frequent northerly swells from storms in the North Atlantic make it uncomfortable and at times unsafe. We did some snorkeling, went to see the Jacuzzis, hiked up to the light house and then up the lighthouse, on the day we spent there. The lighthouse picture leads to the Hikes page where you can find a link to a page of lighthouse pictures.

The next day we went to Dewey, a small town on the island of Culebra, again in the Spanish Virgin Islands. Dewey is at the end of a long harbor with reefs at both sides of the entrance. Once inside you have a wonderfully protected anchorage. It didn't take too long to see the town, 15 min?, so we stopped for Happy Hour at the Dinghy Dock. Back to the boat for a rest and then back to the Dinghy Dock for some blackened Mahi-Mahi. Not a bad way to spend a lazy tropical day.

The next day we decided to go to Luis Pena for some snorkeling, that's an island just off of the south side of Culebra, but when we got there we discovered a northerly swell that made the harbor untenable for an anchorage so we decided to go to Vieques for the night. Vieques is about 12 miles south of Culebra but since the Navy is still cleaning up unexploded ordinance from years of use as a bombing range, we had to go around the east end and about 6 miles west to find an anchorage. We stopped at Ensenada Honda which is an exceptional anchorage once you get past a shallow area at the entrance. It is a Mangrove lined harbor that gives really good protection from the seas. It was pretty late by the time we got there so we just loafed for the evening.

The next day we went to Isla Chiva, about a 2 mile sail, and anchored there to do some snorkeling. The snorkeling was nice with a lot of nice healthy coral and a variety of fish. That was a Friday which is the day the Navy detonates all the bombs they find during the week. We heard a few explosions while we were above the water. I don't think that was the cause but the hard drive on my laptop quite while we were at Ilsa Chiva. Steve had his charting GPS with him so we still had sufficient navigation electronics to get us back without paper charts. That's good because I didn't have good paper charts for the Virgins Islands but I do now.

Another lazy day in St Thomas and then it was time for Steve to leave and Sally to arrive, both on the same plane. What planning!

We spent the first night at anchor in Lindbergh Bay with a nice dinner at Crown Bay Marina. In the morning we headed off for Culebrita again and had a great downwind sail of about 17 miles. We snorkeled on the reef and then took a trip to the Jacuzzis for some snorkeling there. The Jacuzzis is an area where the waves enter through a narrow gap in the rocks and then break of some low rocks before flowing into a nicely protected pool. The pool is full of misc tropical fish and corals. It is a great place to snorkel. When the waves break on the low rocks, you are flooded with tiny bubbles. Some of the water will then flow back out when the waves retreat and you can watch it from underwater as it flows over the rocks. It's like being underwater at the top of a water fall and I found it completely captivating along with the tiny whirlpools at the surface. It's a really unique place.

The next day we hiked up to the lighthouse ruins and climbed to the top for pictures. After a walk on the ocean side beach, we headed off for Culebra or Vieques. It was such a beautiful day that we ended up going to Vieques and decided to stay at Bahia Icacos on the north-east of Vieques. That is in the restricted area and I tried several times to reach the Range Control on Vieques to see if it was restricted tonight. My cruising guide said that they may be difficult to reach and if you can't reach them to go ahead and enter. If it is restricted, they'll be sure to let you know. So we decided to go there and just as we were entering, they came on the radio and said that we were in restricted waters and to leave immediately. At that point we had to motorsail to the east end of the island and then go back 6 or 7 miles to Isla Chiva. We got there in time to do some snorkeling and as we were heading back to the boat, a guy on the other boat there hailed us and asked if we would like some fresh fish. He had just caught a large Spanish Mackerel and there was much more than they could eat so they gave us some nice fillets. It was really good! After dinner we sat on deck and watched the stars, they really do have a lot more stars down here than in Lexington. The next morning, we walked around on shore a while and came across an interesting sculpture on the beach. Someone had stacked up pieces of coral on a rock and made a rather pretty piece of art.

But soon it was time to head back to St Thomas so Sally could catch her flight. We spent a night in Brewers Bay and in the morning we ran into my friend Pete who was out looking for fish. Pete is in his mid 70's and spends most of his time on the beach at Brewers Bay in his hammock. Pete is in his mid 70's and spend most of his time on the beach at Brewers Bay in his hammock. We then sailed over to Botany Bay for some more snorkeling. Botany Bay is on the north side of the west end of St Thomas. It has been owned by Corning Glass for many years and the only structure there is an executive retreat that Corning built. The location at the west end and with a lack of access by road has kept it nearly pristine. There was a great variety of coral and fish. Corning had recently sold the land and it is being developed with 136 condos to be built there. I was glad we stopped since it will never be the same.

After lunch and a nice snorkel, we headed back to Lindbergh Bay for dinner ashore on Sally's last night. It's always a bit of a shock to come back to St Thomas after being in either St John or the Spanish Virgins. It is so developed and crowded and noisy that I look forward to being out of there again. In the morning, Sally was getting her stuff together and packing when on a trip on deck, she stepped on something wrong and came back in with a toe that was pointing a different direction than the others. We taped it to the next one and she was off to catch her plane. It turns out that she broke a bone in her foot and will be somewhat laid up for six weeks. NOT a pleasant way to end a vacation!

With no more company, it was back to VIERS for me. There had been some turnover in the volunteer staff and all the guests had left but the rest was the same. This is really a beautiful place. This picture is a typical sunrise. The problems with the boat have prevented me from enjoying it as much as I would like but I plan to start doing more good things. The four hours a day of work is a minor inconvenience and there is still lots of time to play. I got the hard drive in and most of my software loaded so I can get the site updated sometime.