Returning from poolside this afternoon I snapped this shot of the Puerto Rican mountains to the north. We have had mucho rain over the past weeks and the lush green mountains reflect that saturation. When I first arrived in Salinas......a long time ago now, it was the dry season and those same mountains we brown. But this morning the sun shined on the mountains and reflected the green on the underside of the white cumulus clouds. To check my facts just check out the picture of Christa to your right and you'll see those brown mountains. That photo was taken in March. So one of the advantages of stopping for awhile is the ability to watch these small transformations of mother nature. It really is beautiful. And, if your an astute observer you'll also notice that those boats at anchor are swing to......gasp......a west wind! It does blow west in the easterly trade wind belt. How badly I'd like to take advantage of that westerly. A beautiful broad reach to the Virgin Islands instead of the Caribbean two step bucking the trades. But those dreadful hurricanes lurk.

Anyway, I really don't have that much longer in Salinas. I plan to look very closely at the tropical picture for an eye toward movement to the Spanish Virgins in mid October. If the Atlantic looks anything like it does this day I won't be rolling, but if things are relatively calm I'll look to relocate to Culebra and spend Oct/November in those waters. The Spanish Virgins are a days sail down wind back to Salinas if the need arises. I'm hoping the hurricane season does not linger to long. I understand that up north it has been a fairly cool summer. This may help winter conditions rear up earlier. So I have been doing some prepping. In fact I put the car up for sale. Yes the 1994 Mirage needs to go. So all is well in my world. Gustav and Hannah are no threat to us here in Puerto Rico but I do hope for the best for those in the path. A beast of a tropical wave has just left the African coast and is showing signs of formation at it still is at the Cape Verdes. Track prediction has it going north and east of the Caribbean islands. It really is very early and that certainly could change with all the other activity in the Atlantic.

Capt Chris