Current Location:  Culebra Harbor Anchorage, Culebra, Puerto Rico
Miles Traveled:  3
Weather:  
Highlights: We've had a very quiet, laid-back couple of days since our last update.  We stayed another day at the Culebrita anchorage, then moved around the point to Almodovar Bay on Culebra, and stayed there a few days.  Wind has been blowing hard all week (15-20 knots), and waves have been 5-6 outside, but we've enjoyed very calm seas at the anchorages.  Days have been filled with snorkeling, looking for lobster (no luck), reading, and relaxing, with delicious meals, good conversations, and competitive (and so far not bloody) games of dominoes and cards.  We had both anchorages pretty much to ourselves, so we've very much enjoyed the peace and quiet.  Finally decided to re-join civilization yesterday morning, and motored into Culebra harbor.  Amy, Steve, and Karen hiked (and thumbed) over to Flamenco Beach to see the "third best beach in the world" (according to TripAdvisor), while Terry stayed on board and caught up on some engine maintenance.  Went to dinner at the Dinghy Dock, then walked over to the local store for some ice cream before returning to the boat for a couple games of cards.  This is our last night in the Spanish Virgin Islands - winds and waves are settling down tomorrow, so we'll head over to St. Johns for the rest of Karen and Steve's vacation.

​Current Location:  North Culebrita Bay Anchorage, Culebrita Island, Puerto Rico
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  
Highlights: Were treated to an early morning shower and a full double rainbow this morning - vivid colors that you don't often see away from the ocean.  Ate breakfast while watching turtles swim around the boat, then decided to hike up to the lighthouse up on the hill overlooking our anchorage.  Trail was easy to follow, and we had goats, geckos, and hermit crabs to keep us company.  The lighthouse is pretty much in ruins, and the stairs leading to the top of the tower were all rusted away, but the walls to the many rooms (at least 12) were still standing, and it must have been a pretty impressive structure in its heyday.  Got back to the boat around noon for lunch, R&R, and swimming.  Got the SUPs out, but it was pretty rough, and nobody was very successful in staying dry for very long.  Grilled a pork tenderloin for dinner tonight, served with veggies and couscous, with coconut bars for dessert.  Played a couple of games of 3-13 and watched the fish under the boat before turning in for the night.

​Current Location:  North Culebrita Bay Anchorage, Culebrita Island, Puerto Rico
Miles Traveled:  14
Weather:  Mostly sunny, windy (15-20 knots), high-70s
Highlights: Started our day with a leisurely breakfast, then raised anchor around 10 and sailed about 14 miles over to the north bay anchorage on Culebrita.  Trip started slow, with fitful winds and calm seas, but after we cleared the west end of St. Thomas, both wind and waves picked up, and by the time we got to the bay, waves were in the 4-5 foot range, and our guests were getting a little green.  We happily dropped anchor in the calm bay shortly after noon, fixed some lunch, then relaxed and napped for awhile.  Had about 15 boats in the bay when we dropped anchor, but they all left before 5, and we had the bay to ourselves after that.  Hiked down the beach to the "Jacuzzi", but the waves were crashing pretty hard against the rocks, so we didn't venture into the baths.  Sat up on the rocks and enjoyed a drink before coming back to the boat.  Steve had caught a nice Spanish Mackerel on our way over from St. Thomas, so we filleted, grilled, and served it up for dinner with pasta and cole slaw.  Brownies and the last of the ice cream for dessert, then watched the stars come out before turning in early after a long, but fun-filled day.

​Current Location:  Brewer's Bay Anchorage, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled:  4
Weather:  Mostly sunny, occasional showers, breezy, low-80s
Highlights: Woke up this morning to a boat covered in soot and ash - not happy!  Apparently, there's a massive pile of hurricane debris about 2 blocks to the east (windward) of the marina, and they're loading it onto barges to ship off shore.  Stirring it up creates dust that's blown into the marina.  Terry was able to wash most of it off while Amy did a couple loads of laundry, but we were tracking it around the boat most of the day.  Went to the grocery store for a final provisioning run, then Karen and Steve arrived about 4:30, ending a long trip that started in Orlando at 2 AM.  We had orginally planned to spend a 2nd night at the marina, but didn't want to wake up to another messy boat, so we left the marina at 5:30 and motored back to Brewer's Bay.  Dinner of sausage and peppers with pasta, then brownies with ice cream for dessert.  Turned on the UW lights and had a school of tarpon for our evening entertainment before turning in early - long day for everyone, especially our guests!

​Current Location:  Crown Bay Marina, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled:  4
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy, low-80s
Highlights: Raised anchor around 9 this morning after calling the marina to see if they would allow early checkin for us (no problem).  Motored around, docked and secured by 10:30, and Sanchez (tech guy for the generator) arrived shortly after.  Shortly after digging in and testing the system, he proclaimed that the "back end" of the generator was only producing power from one (of two) legs, and needed to be replaced.  Looks like it will be a very expensive and time-consuming process, since they need to order a new "back end".  Fortunately, system is still under warranty, so should be covered by Northern Lights.  Took a nap after he left, then we walked down to the grocery store (Pueblo's) to pick up a few things before dinner.  Pulled pork barbeque with fixings for dinner tonight, then watched the last episodes of GoT before turning in.  Big day tomorrow - Karen and Steve arrive!

Current Location:  Brewer's Bay Anchorage, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Partly cloudy, showers, calm, mid-80s
Highlights: Slept in this morning, then Terry fixed the broken hatch on one of the front storage compartments (hydraulic lid brace had come loose), with some help from Amy.  The generator is still acting up (stalls out whenever any load is applied to it), so we arranged to have a technician come out to the boat tomorrow.  Also made reservations at Crown Bay Marina for next 2 nights - will be easier for the tech guy to meet us there, and also an easy taxi ride from the airport for Karen and Steve.  Steaks on the grill tonight for dinner, plus a couple more episodes of season 7 of GoT before bedtime tonight.

​Current Location:  Brewer's Bay Anchorage, St. Thomas, USVI
Miles Traveled:  14
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy, low-80s
Highlights: Raised anchor around 11am and motored due east to Brewer's Bay - yeah, we have officially arrived in the US Virgin Islands!  Brewer's Bay is a very calm and protected body of water, with a nice beach and tall hills overlooking the bay, and except for the noise from the nearby airport, is a very nice anchorage.  We settled in around 1PM, grabbed some lunch and R&R, then worked on a bit of cleaning and organization before dinner.  Started watching season 7 of GoT during dinner, then turned on the blue lights and watched a school of tarpon play under the boat before finally turning in for the night.

​Current Location:  North Culebrita Bay Anchorage, Culebrita Island, Puerto Rico
Miles Traveled:  7
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy, low-80s
Highlights: Lifted anchor around 10AM and headed over to Culebrita Island to check out a couple of anchorages.  Tried to anchor on the west shore, but couldn't find a decent patch of sand, and no mooring balls were available, so we headed up around the point to the bay on the north end.  Turned out to be a great choice - bay and beaches are really pretty, and we saw a few turtles and an eagle ray around the boat.  There's a lighthouse that you can hike up to, and baths are a short walk up the shore from the beach (we'll do these later with Karen and Steve).  We did go snorkelling - water is clear, but not many fish, and coral is all almost totally dead.  Light dinner tonight of encheladas and salad, and finished season 6 of GoT.

​Current Location:  Culebra Harbor Anchorage, Culebra, Puerto Rico
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy, high-70s
Highlights: Took the dinghy out to find a D's Garden (local produce market), where we picked up a mess of fresh veggies and fruits.  Back to the boat around noon, then read and relaxed until late afternoon.  Decided to scout out a couple of anchorages on the west side of the island, so took the dinghy through the small canal that bisects the town, then over to Cayo de Luis Pena. Lots of nice looking beaches and snorkelling spots - we'll explore more next week with Karen and Steve on board.  Back on the boat, turned on the GenSet to charge up the batteries, and still not running very smoothly - stalls whenever any load is put on the system.  Will need to work on it tomorrow - might be either a fuel blockage, dirty air filter, or maybe an air bubble in the gas lines.  Watched a couple more episodes of GoT before bed - almost done with Season 6.

​Current Location:  Culebra Harbor Anchorage, Culebra, Puerto Rico
Miles Traveled:  24
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy (12-16 knots), high-70s
Highlights: Raised anchor around 10:30, motor-sailed east along the coast of Viequez, then had a lovely 2-hour sail north to Culebra.  Dropped anchor in the main harbor around 3PM, then relaxed and napped before heading over to the Dinghy Dock restaurant to watch the Super Bowl over burgers and beers.  Don (our neighbor from Palmas del Mar) and his family already had a table at the crowded pub, so we squeezed in with them to avoid the long waiting line.  Not a great view of the single TV, but enjoyed the company and conversation.  Back to the boat around 9 to watch the 2nd half, and also watched the tarpon play in the blue lights under the boat.

​Current Location:  Mosquito (Bio) Bay Anchorage, Viequez, Puerto Rico
Miles Traveled:  9
Weather:  Mostly sunny, occasional showers, breezy, high-70s
Highlights: Went snorkelling after breakfast this morning - not a lot of coral or fish to see, but Terry caught one lobster that we cooked up for lunch (lobster salad sandwiches).  Was very tasty.  Lifted anchor after lunch and motored around the point and down the coast about 8 miles to Mosquito Bay, which is also known as Bio Bay, due to the intense bioluminescence present in the water.  Conditions were perfect for viewing (calm with no moon), so we took the dinghy into the bay just after sunset.  No motors allowed in the bay, so we rowed out to the middle, and as the light disappeared and the stars came out, we started seeing all kinds of glowing in the water every time our oars touched, and we were also seeing dozens of fish trails as all kinds of fish swam around the boat.  We had a couple of groups of kayaks out in the bay sharing the experience with us.  Back to the boat around 10, then watched a couple more episodes of GoT before turning in.

​Current Location:  Green Beach Anchorage, Viequez, Puerto Rico
Miles Traveled:  13
Weather:  Partly cloudy, occasional showers, breezy, high-70s
Highlights: Filled the water tanks and finished stowing everything away this morning with a planned departure of around 11am.  Terry also pumped up the SUPs, we moved the mounts over to the port side of the boat, and secured the SUPs.  Said our goodbyes to Max and Giullia, plus the marina staff, and had started untying dock lines when the port engine died.  Wouldn't restart, but sounded like an air bubble had found it's way into the gas line, especially since Terry had changed out the fuel filters after we arrived at the marina.  One of the marina staff helped us bleed the line, then she started right up - problem solved!  Finally cleared the marina around noon, and motor-sailed into 15-20 knot head winds over to Green Beach anchorage on Viequez.  Caught a small barracuda on the way, and Terry cleaned it after we arrived at the anchorage.  Had it for dinner with rice and green beans - just as good 2nd time around!  Back to no internet, so started watching GoT again (Season 6).