CURRENT LOCATION: Anchored in Ensenada Honda, off the town of Dewey, on the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico

18 18.245' N, 065 17.867' W

We have been having internet issues, as of late. We believe that we have ruled out any technical difficulties on our end, especially since we have two computers (on different operating systems, XP and Vista, no less) and both demonstrate the same problems. Unfortunately, diagnosis has taken a huge amount of our time this week. Since we still have no internet access, it seems like wasted time. David, the operator of Culebra Wireless, is currently working on the problem. We are hopeful that he will get the problem fixed soon and you, dear Reader, can actually view this posting.

In order to distract ourselves from our computer woes, we have tried to keep busy with our standard cruiserly activities. D & Don had us aboard their 41-Dickerson, Southern Cross the other night for a wonderful dinner. It is always nice to share time with such experienced cruisers.

The other day we took a hike up to another beach, Carlos Rosario, in an effort to do some snorkeling.



Unfortunately, a large northwest swell made snorkeling there impossible. Even around the corner at Tamarindo Grande Beach, it was a struggle. The stirred-up sand decreased visibility to the point where I finally gave up and sat on the beach. Sheryl, trooper that she is, managed to stay in long enough to grab a few photos.

On another day, we undertook a good, long kayak ride. The main island of Culebra is really two islands, connected by a bridge, and we set out to circumnavigate the smaller of the two. Near as I can determine, this smaller island is called Fulladoza (but I may be wrong about that). It was a tough paddle to windward against the chop heading out of Ensenada Honda, but it got much easier when we got to Dakity Harbor, behind the protection of the reef. We tied to a mooring ball and enjoyed lunch before moving on.



Once we escaped the protection of the reef, heading around Punta del Soladado, we were exposed to the full swell of the Caribbean Sea (which was easterly on this day). It was an exciting ride around the point, but soon settled down to a smooth ride with the winds at our backs all the way to the canal. Six nautical miles from the start of our circuit, we returned to the big boat.

Friday night found us having pizza with Mark & Terri, the owners of Palmetto Guesthouse here on the island. We discovered this couple online, when we stumbled across the blogsite: http://culebrablog.com/. We really wanted to meet this interesting couple, because they have lived down island for a while (Tortola, BVI prior to Culebra), and spent time in the Peace Corps, stationed in Papua New Guinea. They have only had their guesthouse open for a few months, but business is going well (we would recommend considering a stay at their place for your next visit to Culebra, dear Reader). Chatting with them provided some great ideas for what we might do next, after this cruising lifestyle grows old. We hope to spend more time getting to know Mark & Terri during our time here in Culebra.