CURRENT LOCATION: Anchored near the ranger station on Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island), Puerto Rico

17 53.169' N, 066 31.730' W

An early morning departure from Ponce (5:30AM), found us anchoring in 8 feet of water off the beach on Caja de Muertos, otherwise known as Coffin Island, by 7:15AM. The name comes from the shape of the island, which in the early morning light did give the appearance of a sarcophagus. (Check out the new pics posted in the Puerto Rico section of our RECENT PHOTOS to see for yourself)

Our newly adopted strategy of moving short distances resulted in a lovely morning ride covering the 8 nautical miles from Ponce to Caja de Muertos. In fact, we could have even shut the engine off and sailed for a while, but with less than a 2 hour run total time to motor all the way, we thought it best for the engine not to subject it to a start/stop and then another start/stop without adequate opportunity to reach full operating temperature. So, again, it was a motorsailing experience.

Joining us on our early departure were Donna & Dave, aboard s/v Magic. After anchoring, the four of us hiked the trail to the top of the hill upon which is perched a lighthouse. The view from the lighthouse provided the lead photo of tiny little Prudence at anchor and one of our new friends, below.



After a nice walk, we rowed back to the big boat (we were anchored close enough that putting the Evinrude on Patience didn't seem worth the effort). Although the water was not 'Bahamas' clear, it provided sufficient visibility to tackle a long overdue chore: scraping the bottom.

Our bottom is painted with ablative paint. Said paint is supposed to slough off any growth when one is underway. Unfortunately, this process is not working according to that theory. With our two-week stay in Luperon as the likely culprit for this biological growth, we have given ample time and boat movement for things to dislodge. It was time to take matters into our own hands.

Fitted with snorkel and fins, I spent two hours mostly under the boat with a plastic scraper in hand. I was able to do a fairly good job of knocking off most of the growth, but I wonder if any residual left behind will provide a substrate for future growth. Only time will tell. Meanwhile, Sheryl took the opportunity to do a bit of swimming herself. It has been a while (Turks & Caicos) since we took a dip in the water.

The early evening was spent enjoying conversation and sundowners on Magic. The onset of darkness signaled our time to return home. It is to be an even earlier departure tomorrow.

As we boarded Patience and prepared to row upwind, it dawned on me just how precarious it might be to be out here in this dinghy at night (no radio, no lifejackets, nothing but an empty bottle of rum). Although the distance was not grand, rowing an inflatable dinghy upwind against a 15-20 knot blow is not an easy task. If we had any issues, we would have drifted all the way back to mainland Puerto Rico (or even further). Fortunately, Dave kept an eye and a flashlight on us all the way back and could have performed a rescue-at-sea in his go-fast dinghy if necessary. Regardless, it is important for us to realize that drifting out to sea in a dinghy is a very real possibility, and we should consider equipping Patience accordingly in the future.