CURRENT LOCATION: Housesitting on the island of Culebra

I awoke on the boat at about 7AM. I was still a bit groggy, understandable considering that I had been asleep for only about 3 hours. It had been a long night for both Sheryl and I.

The peak of the storm was upon Culebra at 2:00 AM. It had already been raining for several hours, and then the winds picked up. Sheryl battled a leaky roof at the house we are watching, while I sat in the cockpit in swimtrunks watching the boats around us for any signs of anchor dragging. Occasional checks of the computer satellite images kept showing the storm growing in size as it passed over us, and I wondered if it would ever end.



After several long hours of checking the anchor rode snubber for chafe and bailing out the dinghy, it finally began to settle. At the peak of the storm, Prudence was hobby-horsing pretty severely, making each trip to the bow more interesting than the last. Meanwhile, Sheryl was moving stuff away from the interior leaks in the house and making periodic checks of the items and pets outdoors. The cover from the owners' gas grill tried to make an escape, and a few potted palm trees tipped over, but no other exterior issues drew her attention.

This morning, in Ensenada Honda, the morning's light revealed that one sailboat had drug anchor. It was pushed up into the shallows and stuck in the mud. I went over to join the gathering of boaters offering assistance, but found that my presence was not needed. It may take waiting for a rising tide, but these folks should get the boat back to deep water before the end of the day.



Sheryl met me in town just before lunch, and we headed back to the house under ever brightening skies. As I write this, it is sunny and beautiful outside again. However, perhaps due to the lack of sleep, I just want to lie on the couch and watch movies. Maybe, as the day turns to evening I'll find the energy to make a martini.

Pretty lame, I know. But I feel I must conserve my strength. As we wave goodbye to Invest 92L, Invest 93L is waiting in the wings. I fear that the next month is going to be a busy one.