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

Being in an unincorporated territory of the United States has its perks. One of which is the fact that there are no restrictions on us engaging in employment opportunities. In other countries, this is not likely to be true. Especially in island nations, priority for employment is often reserved for the local population.

In addition to my 5 hours of paid class time each week, Sheryl has been putting in 2.5 hours each Friday at the school (chaperoning weekly field trips). Simply put, Sheryl found a way to get paid to go to the beach. Go Sheryl!

Recently, I took on an additional responsibility. I am officially 'pool guy' for the house we watched last month. Once a week, I will clean the pool and check the chemical composition of the water. With my love of water and my undergraduate degree in chemistry, Pool Guy seems like an ideal job title (and the view from the office is simply spectacular). I estimate that this will require another 3-4 hours of 'work' time per week.

Sheryl is currently looking into taking an opportunity to work one day per week getting a rental property into shape for the upcoming vacation season. The three-bedroom place where she will be working has a great view and can be rented for a mere two grand per week.

So, combining both our efforts, we average just under a 20-hour 'work' week (from an income perspective). Not enough to live on, but it does help to stem the flow of cash bleeding from our cruising kitty. However, it is not all about money. I was recently offered an opportunity to tutor a student from the public school who is struggling with algebra. The student's reputation for a lack of attention and the fact that a previous hired tutor failed to get him over his personal algebra hurdle made me shy away from this chance to earn just a little more scratch.

Of course, 20-hours does not totally encompass the time devoted to our current land-based obligations. There is Sheryl's unpaid time at the library and my lecture prep and grading time for my algebra class.

Then there is the commuting time. Team Prudence has no car, so the round-trip walk to and from school adds up to 1.5 miles each day. The house with the pool is a nearly 6 mile round trip if I were to walk a land-based path along the roads. It is more likely that I will kayak a more direct 5-mile round trip over water each week to arrive at this destination. It is a more enjoyable way to commute to 'work', that I can assure you.