Thursday April 5, 2007
One element of traveling by sailboat that we've had to accept is the adage of "hurry up and wait". We have found ourselves hurrying to wait for a variety of things along the way and most recently it was to due to a broken boat part. The irony in this is that in St. Thomas Rod held in his hands the very part we now needed, but because of the price tag we decided it could wait. Hindsight is so crystal clear.
As planned, we traveled quickly westward along the south coast of Puerto Rico. On April 1st we set speed records on Lucky Peek in the 25-30 knot ENE winds (force 6 on the Beaufort scale) as we sailed from the west coast of Vieques to the Boca de Infierno anchorage just outside Salinas, Puerto Rico. We were expecting 18-20 knots of wind that day so we prepared accordingly by setting the main sail with a double reef thereby reducing the sail area by approximately one-third. As the winds built and seas grew to 10+ feet that afternoon we were happy with our reefing decision and were very pleased with Lucky Peek's performance in those conditions. We gave our Monitor windvane (auto steering device that magically works with only the wind powering it) its first official work-out that day and "Monty" steered the boat like a pro. We were having great fun averaging 7+ knots to our destination with the instrument panel occasionally reporting speeds of 10.2 knots as we surfed down the waves! Woo-hooooo!!!
The Boca de Infierno anchorage is such an amazing place. It's comprised of a series of small mangrove islands and an extended reef that makes it a very protected and comfortable spot to stop even when the winds and seas are big. It was our own private paradise and we spent an extra day there to let the winds and seas calm down a bit before continuing on. We used our lay-over day preparing Lucky Peek for more speed-sailing, including lashing the dinghy down on the foredeck instead of towing it behind us. From Boca de Infierno we planned to sail on to Boqueron, 60some miles away, so we left at first light to try to make the distance before nightfall. What we didn't plan on was our engine overheating as we left the anchorage that morning. We had the option to sail into nearby Salinas to address the problem but we agreed to continue on to Boqueron, still feeling confident that we would make it there in the daylight since the winds were forecast to blow 11-17 knots that day. Hindsight is so crystal clear.
At 7pm, just off the southwest corner of Puerto Rico, we watched a beautiful sunset as we ghosted along at a whopping 1.7 knots. The winds were a no-show that day therefore we did not make the distance we had anticipated. However, we stayed our course as we were comfortable sailing into Bahia Boqueron in the dark because its entrance is wide and well marked. Shortly after nightfall we were encouraged by a doubling in wind speed – from 3 knots to 6 – and our boat speed increased to almost 3 knots in response. We excitedly set our sails in preparation for rounding the corner and heading northward to Boqueron. The full moon occasionally checked on us through the clouds and the nearby Cabo Rojo (El Faro) lighthouse provided a constant reminder of where the rocky shore breaks the water. Our optimism on the increase in wind was soon dashed by the change in wind direction – it was now blowing directly on our nose. From testing our engine earlier in the day we knew that it could run for 45 minute intervals before the temperature climbed to overheating. We were about 7 miles south of Boqueron which was farther than we could travel in 45 minutes under engine power alone so we had to either tack our way closer to Boqueron or alter our destination. We made two attempts at tacking upwind (well, if you can really call tacking 180 degrees going "upwind") before accepting that the latter option was the right answer. So at 9:30pm we drifted into the Cabo Rojo anchorage, under the beautiful Spanish "El Faro" Lighthouse, and called it a night.
The next morning we could fully appreciate the beauty of our location. Lucky Peek was the lone boat sitting on perfectly still, clear water beneath one of Puerto Rico's most picturesque settings – the Cabo Rojo lighthouse. It was a scene of tranquility except for our slight anxiety over what was causing Forrest to overheat. Rod suspected the heat exchanger was failing and through some highly technical troubleshooting (tasting the cooling water to see if it was salty) he determined that to be the case. Well, at least we knew where there was a new heat exchanger for a Perkins 4-108; in the shop in St. Thomas where Rod held it in his hands contemplating the purchase less than one month ago. (As a note in his defense, two mechanics had individually given the same advice that they did not think the early symptoms indicated a failing heat exchanger.) Rod's focus on a second round of self-flagellation was broken by a sudden sound… the wind generator had started turning. Wind! Time to move to Boqueron!
It wasn't a lot of wind but it was enough to move us through the water. We flew our festive orange and white striped asymmetrical spinnaker for a glorious down-wind sail to Boqueron in the light 5 knots of breeze. We were riding an emotional high and as a result Rod wasn't thinking clearly. He proposed that he put the camera in a Ziplock baggie and swim alongside Lucky Peek to take a picture of her flying her colorful kite. We spent some time discussing the logistics and debating just how fast a person could swim with fins on, etc. My position on the subject never wavered so my veto held.
Now finally anchored in Bahia Boqueron we are expecting the shipment of the new heat exchanger from St. Thomas. Once it is installed we'll be watching for the next weather window to leave Puerto Rico and cross the Mona Passage to the Turks and Caicos.
Hurry up and wait.
