CURRENT LOCATION: Housesitting on the island of Culebra

Although our guest was slightly disappointed, Jason would not be spending the final night of his visit with us aboard Prudence. Instead, the time has come for us to relocate to the house we will be watching for the next week or so. Tonight we would be sleeping in 'real' beds.

Many options existed for accomplishing the relocation, and the initial plan (Plan A) had been to move Prudence out of Ensenada Honda and around to Mosquito Bay. The house we are watching overlooks this bay outside the reefs, and it would make it easier to keep an eye on the boat and get stuff we might need if it were anchored just down the hill. Unfortunately, the tropical weather situation out on the Atlantic had other ideas for us.

When we woke on Monday morning, the first order of business was to check NOAA. Two areas of interest (Invest 92L and Invest 93L) are headed our way. Since chances are good that one or both will reach tropical cyclone status this week, we decided that we liked our current position (with anchor firmly set into Ensenada Honda's good-holding bottom). In comparison, we suspect that Mosquito Bay would offer a more sandy and rocky bottom for anchoring, and a few mooring balls which are of unknown condition. It was time to develop Plan B.

The owners of the house we are watching have also provided access to a truck for the week. That is right, actual wheels for Team Prudence. Unfortunately, only one of that aforementioned team can drive the truck. My driver's license expired last month, so I can no longer legally operate a land-based motor vehicle. With that in mind, Sheryl volunteered to take the dinghy to town to take care of a little business then walk to the house (about a 5 mile trek). Her hope was to find someone in or around town who was going that way and get a ride for at least a part of the trip. Once she made it to the house, she would get the truck and come back to the boat to move the few items (clothing and food) we have packed for our week ashore.

Meanwhile, Jason and I would have the much more enjoyable task of taking the kayaks around the corner. In fact, we decided to paddle all the way to Zoni Beach and have Sheryl meet us there with the truck. Then we would do a little afternoon snorkeling before heading up to the house for the evening.

Our kayak turned out to be a splendid trip. Jason and I got to know each other a little better, and the wind and waves were just right to make it an interesting trip without being too challenging. Fortunately, Jason is an experienced kayaker and often goes out on the waters of Narragansett Bay at his home in Providence, RI. He owns an ocean kayak which is 17 feet long and has all the bells and whistles. It was interesting to get his take on our inflatable kayaks. His review: "They are certainly slower, but much more comfortable for a long trip. They are also a little more stable, especially in bigger waves." The water here also got favorable comparative reviews, "I can actually see my paddle through the crystal clear water. It makes it a joy rather than a burden to take a little splash of water due to choppy seas."

We arrived at Zoni Beach only slightly ahead of Sheryl. She had not been successful at lucking into a ride and had to walk the entire way to the house from town. Needless to say, she was ready for a swim. We started with a brief snorkel around the reefs at the far southern end of Zoni Beach, where we found a southern stingray to close Jason's underwater viewing experience. Then we loaded up the kayaks and went back to the house to swim a little more in the beautiful fresh water outdoor pool which is ours for the week. Well, actually, we'll have to share it with two dogs:



The house we are staying at is truly amazing. It is actually more than one house. There is a main house and two satellite houses (each of which has two bedrooms with full baths and a shared kitchenette). After the sun set on pool time, we repaired to our separate rooms in one of the satellite houses for showers and dry clothing. Then we met in the large kitchen of the big house and chatted our way toward a very late dinner (at least for us). It was well after dark before the cooking was even started.

After dinner, we sat in the living room (on an actual couch) and turned on the Olympic Games on television. It was a wonderful way to unwind after a long and active day. In addition, it was our first glimpse at televised coverage of the games (I have been listening to some reporting from Beijing on the radio, but it is just not the same). Sleeping on a motionless bed was a novel experience, but fatigue and comfortable surroundings made for a peaceful night's sleep.