It has been awhile from the time of our last post...but we are still here plugging along. Since we arrived in St. John we moved onto the Red Hook anchorage of St. Thomas. Once there we hit-up the coin laundry, which was a godsend! Ever since St. Martin (where we paid $50 for 4 loads to be washed) we had been hand washing ALL of our laundry to avoid the high costs of laundry services. We bought two buckets at the hardware store and would labor away once a week at the job. It was a lot of work but we saved some real cash by doing it. We also revisited an awesome Mexican restaurant for their unbeatable taco happy hour! A true treat!

Also in that anchorage we found some friends we first met in St. Martin. Lee & Sharon on Allegro convinced us to sail back over to St. John with them to Maho Bay. Since it was a place we had not visited the first time, we thought it was a great idea. Plus, we were able to catch up with them over dinner. Maho Bay is a stunning place. We picked up a National Park Service mooring for one night there. The morning after a great time with Allegro we hiked to the Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins nearby. All in all, it was a great time and we are glad that we went back to St. John.

From St. John once again we moved to St. Thomas. This time the move was farther west to Charlotte Amalie for a night and then onto Water Island as a closer exit for Puerto Rico. After finding out that you do not have to clear out of USVI customs to depart for Puerto Rico, but DO have to clear into PR, we were on our way. *

It was a quick downwind sail over to Culebra from Water Island. A bit rolly because there was a decent north swell, about 10-12 feet but well spaced. We caught our first Spanish Mackerel about ½ way across!

The approach into Culebra was very nicely marked which was something we hadn't seen in the other islands further south. The island has a natural harbor tucked way up so it is super protected and quite comfortable. Visually, this island is very different from the others we recently visited. It is not green at all. The vegetation is low and scrubby, evidence of little rain.

We spent a few nights in Culebra then planned our trek further west. We wanted to make it as far as we could because Puerto Rico is a huge island. Our first stopping point was in Puerto Patillas. We again had a fast, but long sail and were happy to be nestled in this quiet protected anchorage. We settled in 11' of water, another contrast to the recent places we have been.

The next day we were again on the move toward Salinas. Said to be some Cruiser's favorite place in all of the Caribbean. The sights of pulling into the anchorage were a welcome change. We made our way through a short labyrinth of mangroves in shallow water (8'-15') that gave way to a large open area full of boats at anchor.

And that is where we are now.** We arrived on Saturday and plan to stay here until a suitable weather window arrives for a passage to Mayaguana Bahamas.

The marina here is very friendly to cruisers. They offer a free dinghy dock, free water and a super cheap Laundromat. Which, aforementioned is very important!

We have already rented a car ($30, no questions asked) and drove to the enchanting town of Old San Juan on the north coast. It is truly a breathtaking city that is a must see if you ever visit Puerto Rico. And, quite possibly one of our favorite places visited so far. We also went to Wal-Mart in Santa Isabel to reprovision for the Bahamas. Prices here are equal to prices in the US and some times cheaper!

From here (PR), as said above we are planning a 3-4 day passage to the Bahamas and will make our way up the Exuma chain for the remainder of the season.

*Customs Note: The US has proven to be, by far, the most difficult country for clearing customs. By difficult, we mean you have to go out of your way to be a honest and law abiding individual to legally be in one of it's territories. No wonder there are people who slip through unnoticed...

**Internet is a "get-it-when-you-can" kinda thing. This was written a few days ago. We have moved on from Salinas and are now in La Parguera as our current Lat/Long shows.