Puerto Rico to the BVI's

[jimmy alonso]

Heading to the ramp Making a BVI run.
Got a InReach so our position can be tracked using this

https://share.delorme.com/JAlonso

More to come...

[mastreb]

I'll be watching! The Admiral is looking at PR for our retirement, so I've been studying the sailing grounds. With Cuba opening up it should be pretty easy to get back and forth to Florida.

[Sumner]

... With Cuba opening up it should be pretty easy to get back and forth to Florida.

Not so sure about that with PR being 1000 miles from Fl .

I listen to the end of Chris Parker's weather report for the Caribbean most mornings since it is just before the Bahama weather report. Individual boats call him on SSB with where they want to go for his recommendations. Some wait literally weeks to move east through the Caribbean because of the prevailing trade winds out of the east. After listening to this for the past month and more I can see it would be fairly easy to get from PR to Florida but a long hard slow deal going back.

In Georgetown I talked to a couple that had been anchored near me a few days earlier that were headed from the Exumas to the Caribbean for a year or more and were faced with the dilemma of going east. He said that some people motor east about 600 miles from the Exumas and then loop south but he said he couldn't easily carry enough fuel to do that. One of their battery's also went south on them. He said a new one there was going to cost about $800 about twice what the same battery would cost in the states. It is really expensive here for about anything. I'm not complaining and it isn't just things tourists would buy but anything really, but feel for the people living here. I was going to buy a large square sponge until I saw the price at $18, back on the shelf it went. Any food item is 50-100% more than at home. What is the PR like cost wise for everyday food and stuff?

Sumner

============================
2015 To the Bahamas and back -- I hope

Our MacGregor 26-S

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[Ixneigh]

The long hard slog affects mostly coastal cruisers. The deep ocean boys just roll with it. They have boats that can sail in all but the worst conditions. A boat made for deep ocean passage making should be just as comfortable at sea as it is at anchor. So if it takes a week to get there BFD.
I'll never have a boat like that.
But I don't pine for the deep ocean either.

Ix (the slightly less salty)

[Sumner]

The long hard slog affects mostly coastal cruisers. The deep ocean boys just roll with it. They have boats that can sail in all but the worst conditions. A boat made for deep ocean passage making should be just as comfortable at sea as it is at anchor. So if it takes a week to get there BFD.
I'll never have a boat like that.
But I don't pine for the deep ocean either.

Ix (the slightly less salty)

True and a lot of the people down here have boats that could cross oceans but most probably aren't setup to do it without having their boat being refitted. A lot of these boats are getting pretty old and probably could use new rigging and other items and the people on the boat themselves probably aren't ready for those conditions either.

One thing I've noticed is there are very few 'new' boats down here that aren't Cats. They appear to be the boat of choice for new buyers, at least here. The night before last there was a newer Beneteau nearby but 3 newer Cats. I'm sure there have to be some other smaller boats down here but I haven't seen another one yet. I think I saw a 27' Catalina but that might be the only one under 34 feet that I've seen. A guy was pretty impressed the other day when he asked if the Mac was 28 feet and I said 26 and that I had trailered her from Utah,

Sumner

============================
2015 To the Bahamas and back -- I hope

Our MacGregor 26-S

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[jimmy alonso]

[/URL]

Moored here at La Parguera for the night all alone.
Getting a early start tomorrow, yes going east is tough! But the south coast provides lots of places to take shelter if needed.
I"ll be motoring all day stopping at Salinas for gas and staying the night there.

[mastreb]

I have an old Navy buddy who has retired to PR. According to him, everything is about 2X what it is stateside, and USVI/BVI are another 2X that. So yeah, there's cost of living to worry about.

I'm not worried about beating against the wind. The big boat points really well, and can make 4 knots VMG straight into a 10 knot headwind. If the wind is consistent, it's not bothersome at all; I rather prefer it to the downwind sailing cruisers seem to want to constantly do. The boat will carry enough solar on an aft arch to power everything and to spare, the dinghy is electric and charges from the boat. We're putting on two water-makers, one driven by the diesel and one electric. We will be increasing the diesel tankage to about 300 gallons, which is enough to motor 5 knots for two weeks around the clock.

We eat very cheaply, having both been raised in very frugal households. Beans & Rice is fine with me, ramen noodles, and other dry foods that carry and last well are already our staples onboard.

We'll be waiting for good weather and reasonable wind. I'm practicing here on the west coast, where the beating northward is extremely difficult. So far its not hard, it just take a bit of time, and I won't be cruising until I have time enough.

[jimmy alonso]

I have an old Navy buddy who has retired to PR. According to him, everything is about 2X what it is stateside, and USVI/BVI are another 2X that. So yeah, there's cost of living to worry about.

Serviced copiers at the Navy base here in Cieba back in the 90's. More expensive but not 2X coconuts are cheaper
Buy stuff from Amazon, eBay Defender same price.

Anyways picture is Caja De Muerto island near Ponce stopped for lunch and a swim.
Had a little trouble with Autopilot just recommissioned again and set the tiller so it turns to port and starboard the same (was way off) and give it another shot tomorrow.

[ris]

How do you get your dinghy in the water from the deck? What kind of dinghy is it? Do you always carry it on the deck? Can you open the v-berth hatch? Thanks for taking time to answer these questions. You and Sumner are an inspiration to my wife and myself. Thanks again.

[jimmy alonso]

Currently at St Thomas waiting for two lower shrouds to be made one broke while leaving STT motoring. lucky the mast didn't fall.
Should have replaced them long ago had already replaced the uppers and forstay a couple of years ago.
So if any of your rigging is like mine 10 years old replace it.
I'll be ordering them new when I get back and other stuff.

The dinghy is from Costal inflatables about 8 feet, it's bigger than the old one (7) but we just bring it along side and pull it up on the lifelines then put it on deck.

[Tomfoolery]

I'm envious. The only time I get to see water that looks like that is in the movies.





Edit: Of course, the bulk of Captain Ron was shot in Puerto Rico, so the water would look that good, I suppose. The St. Haag Yacht Club was actually the Puerto del Rey Marina, on the east end of the island.

[jimmy alonso]

Update : Been in St. John for the last three days relaxing after the broken shroud. We found a rigging shop in St. Thomas that made the shrouds and had quite a time to get the mast back up. After that the anchor was snagged on an old mooring chain had to pull about 30 feet of chain up tie it up with a line lower the anchor some and untangle it.


Mayo Bay St John USVI



On the move again to the BVI tomorrow...

[RGF]

You are living my dream,Jimmy!!! I wanted to retire on a boat in the V.I.'s. I am enjoying your travels. Thanks

[jimmy alonso]

Been in the BVI's for 8 days and its been hazy "Sahara dust" and windy 20+ mph winds since not much sailing but besides that having a great time.

Also while in St John a Cruiser came by the boat to see if it was the Macgregor of the couple he met while in the Bahamas. I'm thinking it might have been Chinook, but he left before I could get his name or boat name.



Spent 3 days with wife and daughter (they flew in) here in north sound Virgin Gorda The bitter End

Went by taxi to the Baths and Devil's bay

[Chinook]

Also while in St John a Cruiser came by the boat to see if it was the Macgregor of the couple he met while in the Bahamas. I'm thinking it might have been Chinook, but he left before I could get his name or boat name.

I'm intrigued by your post, and wondering who you might have met. I'd like to think it was Kevin, a delightful fellow we met while in the Bahamas in 2011. We cruised with him for several weeks, and had some fun times together. He was 49 at the time, a ski bum from Colorado who decided to take up sailing. He bought himself a 30 foot sailboat, late '70's vintage, for $7000, put another $7000 into it to get her seaworthy, and left Florida, bound for the Bahamas and points south, with no particular destination or schedule in mind. He owned a house in Colorado, which was rented out. The rent money served as his sailing kitty. As he put it, "No wife, no kids, no dog, I'm goin' sailing". Last time I saw him was in the southern Exumas, and he was headed for the Dominican Republic, where he planned on hanging out during hurricane season, since he'd heard that the Dominican rarely gets hit by hurricanes. After that, he didn't really know, and really didn't care. Guys like Kevin put a smile on ones face, and get you to dreaming. Kevin's boat was named Vagabundo. Maybe you'll hear him on the radio.