by Judy Handley | Feb 17, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 120, Year 9: Last Full Day on Culebra
Date: Monday, February 17, 2014
Weather: Beautiful Day with Building Winds from the North
Location: Visiting with Justin and Jo in Culebra, Puerto Rico
More snorkeling in fantasy land . . . watching pelicans dive for fish and an iguana walk on the beach . . . more beach time at Flamenco . . . Heather and Jed got massages on the beach (Christmas present to H & J from J & J . . . perfect way to spend our last day here. Whether it was because it was a Monday or because it was a holiday, we spent lots of time waiting on taxis today. This is the first time this has happened to us and it wasn’t so much fun, but in the end we were able to do all of the things we wanted. On the positive side, the waiting gave the grandchildren more time to play together. The FAB FIVE have really enjoyed being together. And the snorkeling today was magical. As Mark and I floated over the forest of swaying sea fans, we felt like we were in a make-believe world. It has felt so good to be in the water again. We snorkeled first and then we watched Jonah and Ollie while Heather and Jed went out. They had a fantastic snorkel finding all sorts of sea creatures. A big octopus that was camouflaged in the sand was their highlight, but Jed captured lots of good photos that I will post once we are home. The late afternoon at Flamenco was also magical. It is truly a beach of breath taking beautiful. Ollie slept through most of the beach time, but the others built a sand castle fort and loved frolicking in the waves. Tomorrow we leave on the 1:30 ferry and head to Old San Juan with all of these beautiful, warm memories imprinted in our minds. We will be back!
by Judy Handley | Feb 16, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 119, Year 9: Family Time—Treasure Hunt and Water Battle
Date: Sunday, February 16, 2014
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Windy, High in the 80’s
Location: Visiting with Justin and Jo in Culebra, Puerto Rico
Justin and Jo organized a treasure hunt for the kids which started at their house and ended at the town beach. The kids all got into pirate gear for the hunt and there were authentic looking treasure maps and clues at each point along the way. The treasure hunt was certainly enjoyed by all and by ending at the town beach, we all got to go in the water and play together. While we were in the water, Granddad walked into town and bought fresh, warm doughnuts for the crew and that gave us the energy for the walk back home. We spent the rest of the day at home just having some family fun time. Justin and Jo also organized an afternoon water balloon battle. We decided to walk back into town and have dinner at the Dinghy Dock. This is a restaurant on the waterfront and it is also the dinghy dock for boats in the harbor. As always, it is a small world. We ran into Heather and Jed’s family dentist who is down here visiting with her husband’s parents. Sharon and Lee Demarest live aboard their 52-foot Tayana named Allegro. They sail the Caribbean for most of the year and then leave the boat in Trinidad while they fly home for the summer months. Mark and I really enjoyed talking with them. We had a long wait for dinner but the kids held up remarkably well. There are huge Tarpon fish that are fed and live right along the dock, so that helped entertain them. Tomorrow is our last full day here, so we’ll be cramming in the last snorkeling and beach trips. A strong north wind is supposed to blow in tomorrow and hang around for the rest of the week. This will make sailing difficult, but hopefully it won’t affect our return flight plans.
by Judy Handley | Feb 15, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 118, Year 9: Turtles at Tamarindo Beach
Date: Saturday, February 15, 2014
Weather: Partly Sunny, Windy, High in the 80’s
Location: Visiting with Justin and Jo in Culebra, Puerto Rico
We did it again. We had so much fun that I was just too tired last night to write a log. So this is being written on Sunday afternoon. Friday’s highlight was the snorkel at Melones with all of its beautiful sea fans. Saturday’s highlight was a family beach time at Tamarindo Beach and snorkeling with the turtles and rays there–really fantastic. Jed and Mark are using their GoPros to capture the underwater images. We are all learning how to use the little camera, but collectively we have gotten some great video, as well as stills. Most of the photos will have to uploaded once we get home as there is just not the time to sort through all of the hundreds of photos and videos to pick the best.
Heather and Jed got in an extra snorkel as they took off on Justin and Jo’s bikes early morning and went to Melones where Justin, Mark, and I snorkeled on Thursday. They loved the sea fans and saw turtles and a moray eel as well. We’d all like to do a repeat snorkel there if time allows. While they were snorkeling, Jo got all of the little ones engaged in a cousins’ painting project. They ended up with almost as much paint on them as on the canvas, but the final project is very special. We all hung out at home during the hottest part of the day and then got to Tamarindo mid-afternoon. Heather and Jed fixed tacos for dinner for everyone and the little ones amused us with Lego Duplo GoPro designs. Coco even picked up a ball and put it on her head to look like she had a GoPro as well. I guess there’s just been too much talk about these little cameras.
Tomorrow Justin and Jo have planned a treasure hunt for the little pirates and beyond that we have no plans. Monday will be our last full day here on Culebra. On Tuesday we all head to San Juan and on Wednesday we fly home. Can’t bear to think about cold weather.
by Judy Handley | Feb 14, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 117, Year 9: Happy Valentine’s Day
Date: Friday, February 14, 2014
Weather: Mostly Sunny, High in the 80’s
Location: Visiting with Justin and Jo in Culebra, Puerto Rico
Happy Valentine’s Day a day late. We had a great one—so great that it is noon on Saturday and I’m just now getting a chance to write last night’s log. We are having a wonderful time, enjoying our kids and their spouses and the five beautiful grandchildren. It is the latter that keeps us busy but it is such a joy to see them interacting with one another. We had what I call a free and easy day, staying at home in the morning and just letting the little ones play. Sam went to bed on Wednesday night with a fever and definitely needed a day of rest. He is better, but we are trying to avoid being out in the mid-day sun. So in the afternoon, after the sun was not quite so intense, Justin, Mark, and I went snorkeling at Melones while Heather, Jed, and Jo took all of the little ones back to Flamenco Beach. Then we all reconvened at home for a traditional Puerto Rican dinner of mofongo (deep fried plantain and chicken) prepared by Justin. We are definitely in vacation mode. We fed the little ones and then let them watch a video and eat ice cream while the adults sat at the table and had a most enjoying dinner.
The snorkeling at Melones was fantastic. There aren’t as many fish as some other places we have snorkeled, but the forest of sea fans is phenomenal. Heather and Jed are there snorkeling as I write this log, so I’ll have more to report in tonight’s log.
by Judy Handley | Feb 13, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 116, Year 9: A Day on Flamenco Beach
Date: Thursday, February 13, 2014
Weather: Sprinkles Overnight, Party Sunny and Warm—Just Beautiful
Location: Visiting with Justin and Jo in Culebra, Puerto Rico
Well, we planned to spend the whole day at Flamenco Beach, but it was almost noon by the time we got there. We got up and had a big breakfast and by the time we got everything together for a day at the beach and then waited on the taxi, it was later than we hoped when we arrived at the beach. The hope had been to arrive so the kids could have an hour or so of fun in the water before noon and then to get them in the shade for the noon to 2 pm period of time to avoid UV intensity. But we had a great day at the beach, soaked in the beauty, and all survived unscathed except for Sam. He was truly exhausted tonight, probably from having too much fun in the sun, so tomorrow we’ll take it easy. It will be a ‘free and easy’ day. It is Valentine’s Day and tomorrow night we will have a full moon, so I’m sure we’ll find a way of enjoying the day without getting too much sun.
Mark and I really enjoying having our whole family together. We haven’t spent nearly so much time with Ziggy and Coco as we have with Heather’s three, so we are especially enjoying getting to know them better. And what better place to do that than one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Our day at Flamenco was delightful. The Army tanks on the beach and surrounding area reminds you that this island was once a US Army firing range and bombing practice site from 1939 to 1975. The impact of that is still seen on the island, but for the most part Culebra is now a quiet little tourist destination. I’m going to let the photographs I took today tell the story as I am just too tired to write. I will add one footnote, however. While writing this log, Heather and Jed discovered that Sam has a fever that that is rising steadily. We don’t know if it is the result of too much sun and too little water or some sort of flu bug or allergic reaction. So I guess it is really a good thing that the decision was made to make tomorrow ‘free and easy’. Let’s just hope a good night’s rest will improve Sam’s situation.
by Judy Handley | Feb 12, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 115, Year 9: Fun in the Sun . . . on Beautiful Beaches
Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Weather: Deep Blue Sky with White Clouds on the Horizon . . . Beautiful
Location: Visiting with Justin and Jo in Culebra, Puerto Rico
It was a beautiful day in all ways. The weather was perfect, the beaches we visited were beautiful, and the fun we had together as a family was fantastic. Watching the grandchildren interact with one another is show in itself. We all walked into town this morning and swam on the town beach. We then walked back home to have lunch and rest up for our mid-afternoon visit to Flamenco Beach—rated as one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean. And it is. We arrived around 3:30 pm and when we walked up over a rise and the beach came into view, it was breathtaking. The deep blue sky with puffy white clouds around the horizon backed the turquoise waters off Flamenco Beach. The snorkeling was okay, not in the same league as the beauty of this beach, but there were beautiful fan corals and a few different varieties of fish. Tomorrow we are returning to Flamenco Beach for the whole day just to soak in the beauty. There are other beaches with better snorkeling, but we will save those for another day.
I must mention the crowing roosters of Culebra. As I sit here writing this log, the nighttime chorus has begun. And it will go on all night long. Years ago when we lived on a small farm in southern West Virginia, a good ‘city’ friend came to visit. We noticed nothing unusual during the night but the next morning we woke to find Paul out running around with a wooden crate trying to capture our prize rooster. Evidently the rooster had been crowing all night long and Paul decided he wanted to have chicken for dinner. We feel this way right now, but there are so many of these critters here that all we can hope is that we adjust to their nightly chorus.
