We found out there was no need to go into customs and immigration since we have come directly from a U.S. port, i.e. North Carolina, so Doug and Rae spent the morning ferrying fuel from the gas station to the boat with the dinghy. This a difficult process, since there were no fuel docks to take the big boat into, so they used the dinghy to refill the two 5-gallon jerry cans and made 3 trips which gave us 30 gallons, plenty for the time being. We then moved the boat into Ensenada Honda, the main little town on Culebra, explored the town, and organized having our laundry done. We planned dinner out at one of the three restaurants, but had to cancel due to a tropical monsoon which passed over around 5pm. We would have been drenched, so decided to have an easy dinner on the boat. Laundry was interesting . . . we dropped off about 20 pounds of laundry to a laid-back island guy whose wife did laundry for boaters. He took our bag, threw it into an old VW van and drove away, s aying it'll be ready sometime tomorrow, didn't know when, but as they dryed it using solar power (hung it on a clothesline he said) it would be dependent on the weather. We hadn't heard anything by mid-afternoon, but eventually had a call from him saying it was done and was ready for us to pick up at the dock. We took the dinghy over to meet him and received our freshly washed, dried, and folded laundry. Definitely worth the $28. Patty was quite concerned that we'd never see our laundry again!

We called to make a reservation for dinner tonight, since we missed out last night and were told that it was a special celebration for Christmas (!?!) tonight and it would be a pig roast and buffet. Puerto Ricans "take Christmas very seriously" apparently immediately after Thanksgiving they're in full swing. We went to the dinghy dock, were met by a fellow in a golf cart, who brought us up a steep hill to the restaurant where we sat out on the patio and enjoyed a meal along with a fun couple from Chicago, sailors as well, so lots of good conversation. He was a lawyer, she was a pilot for United.

This morning, we powered over to Culebrita, a small island nearby, found a mooring buoy, and spent the afternoon exploring in the dinghy, swimming and snorkelling in the 80 degree water. It is so clear, we can see bottom and we're sitting in 30 feet of water. Joanne went up the mast to take some video and photos, one of which is attached, she was at our mercy as we had control of the halyard, but decided to bring her down eventually. We are one of only two boats in the bay tonight, so will stay here and carry on to our next stop tomorrow. Right now, we're sitting in the cockpit after a great meal, a 3/4 moon, sipping on Puerto Rico Rum! These islands are beautiful, unspoiled, and uncrowded, much like the BVI and US Virgins were many years ago.