CURRENT LOCATION: Anchored in Ensenada Honda, near town on Culebra
18 18.326' N, 065 17.979' W

The 'big dinghy' didn't work out so well for us. On the second outing, the water pump failed and it overheated. It is now tied securely to the dock back in its slip. With a renewed appreciation for our own tender, this weekend we decided to clean the bottom ... again.

It has been only three weeks since the last time we flipped and scraped, but the week spent tied at the dock (while we housesat) seemed to drastically accelerate the accumulation of growth on the bottom. Perhaps it is due to the warmer water in that shallow area of Ensenada Honda.

We finally decided to use the dinghy bottom paint (which we had been saving for a second coat on our inflatable, Patience) on the Porta-bote. It is really nice when the bottom is clean and with one person aboard we can get up on a plane. We travel so much faster over the water than through it. Let's hope this paint will keep us on plane a little longer before another cleaning is required.



In other news, I completed my first week of teaching here in Culebra. And, I think that it went very well. We made good progress through the material I had planned to cover for the week and even had time to play with a few brain-teaser puzzles after the quiz I gave them on Thursday. Quiz results showed that, currently, they are all keeping up and understanding what I am teaching.

Sheryl even got some exposure to the kids at Abbie's school when she accompanied them on their weekly outing to the beach on Friday. Yes, that is right, Fridays are set aside as beach days. Reward for a week of hard work at their studies. I wish I had gone to school in Culebra.

Other than involvement at the school, our weekly habits remain the same. We enjoyed cards with some friends on Saturday night and breakfast this morning with other friends. With our tanks nearly empty, Sheryl made several trips to town to gather fresh water. And, there are always the twice to thrice daily checks on the weather to keep us occupied.

Lately, there has been much to watch. This week we have been following two areas of interest. Fortunately, neither has yet developed into a tropical cyclone. Even more good fortune is that they will pass us to the southwest and northeast while we sit comfortably in the middle. Although the satellite image of Invest 94L suggests that we might be seeing some weather here, it has been dry and relatively sunny today.



So, as the curtains close on another week in Paradise, we report that all is well aboard the sailing vessel Prudence. Here's wishing the same for you and yours.