For the four months Cay de Cay was in hurricane storage at Puerto del Rey Marina in Puerto Rico we travelled to the four corners of the USA visiting friends and relatives and seeing so many of the wondrous sights of this great country. Starting with a flight from PR to Ft Lauderdale we drove to Cape Cod, back to Florida, then to San Diego, to Montana, back to Florida and ended in New Jersey. Over 10,000 miles on our trusty Infiniti. Stopping to visit with as many friends and relatives as we could along the way. We revisited some of our favorite National Parks and made a point to visit new Parks, Monuments, and Memorials. We seemed to have a theme of Civil War locales and President’s homes. But when we got snow flurries at the Jersey Shore we knew it was time to head south to the Caribbean!

During Cay de Cay’s layup there were only two tropical storms that threatened PR. While the second storm passed over bringing only a little wind before going out to sea, the first was more infamous. Dorian passed just east of PR as a tropical storm (winds of 34-63 knots) causing no damage to the marina. However, she would head north to the Bahamas with a direct hit on Man O War Cay, and the Abacos as a Category 5 monster storm and sit over Grand Bahama Island for two days before moving on out into the Atlantic parallel to the eastern coast of the US. The destruction of the Abaco was almost total and totally heartbreaking for us as these are the islands we had spend cruising during our first four winters. Just last season we cruised thru the Abaco on our way to the Caribbean. We had made so many friends there, especially on Man O War. Dorian destroyed their homes and businesses.

Our summer vacation had turned into autumn and was starting to feel like winter. Our last few weeks were spent on the Jersey shore with some final time with the grandkids in NYC. The leaves had turned yellow, orange and red and were beginning to fall. The temperature was falling as well and we had not packed our carry-on suitcases with warm clothing (actually we don’t own much if any warm clothing anymore). One morning we looked out the window and snow flurries were coming down! the following Saturday, November 16 we flew from Philadelphia to San Juan, or from 30°F to 85°F!

We had an Airbnb condo a short distance from the marina for five days while we commissioned the boat for “splash” on November 21st. There was so much work to be done to get the boat ready. We underestimated our task. It basically had to be “re-assembled”. We had removed everything and stored it away inside the boat. It all had to be put back in place. In addition, I had do perform annual maintenance on the engines, replace propeller shaft seals on the Saildrives, replace the dinghy engine water impeller, etc. Our genoa (fore sail) was at the sail loft for repair and had to be retrieved and hoisted.

Genoa hoisted provided shade from the intense sun!

Our dinghy was at the Inflatable Boat Repair shop and had to be returned, fitted with its engine, and lifted on its davits. Karrie washed everything on the boat; all of our clothes, bed linens, towels, pillows, rugs, everything. Some days she thought she spent the whole day at the laundromat. We had to inventory our stores prior to provisioning the boat and then provision it, which entailed a trip to San Juan for Costco, Williams-Sonoma, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc. We hit a record (for us) at Costco with a $1200 bill! The to-do list seemed endless!

We arrived at the boatyard early each morning and left late. Much work had been done by our caretaker to clean the interior of the boat (no mold or bugs) and to buff and polish the exterior.
Another company had the bottom painted and had repaired a crack in one of the dinghy davits.

Cay de Cay on the hard all buffed & polished and with fresh bottom paint

Every day it was sunny and hot, 85°F seemed like 100°F. We applied sunscreen, drank lots of water, and would take a break for lunch at the First Mate Cafeteria at the marina which served delicious local food; chicken and rice, empanadillas, or grilled (pressed) sandwiches. After a hard day of working on the boat we would get our showers either at the marina or back at the condo and have dinner at the marina restaurant and bar La Cueva del Mar. We would order four fish tacos and beers. The fish tacos were fried to perfection, incredibly delicious, especially with the local sauces. A fitting end to our day!

Fish Tacos at La Cueva del Mar

As our splash day approached the question in my mind was: is everything going to work when we are in the water? The first issue was a dead engine starter battery. Not a big deal, but this would be a trip to West Marine for a new battery, until I mention it to our caretaker who said he had a fairly new starter battery if I wanted it! Issue solved! Once installed, I tested it by starting the engines very briefly (since we were not in the water to provide cooling to the engine) and both engines started! One major concern alleviated!

The evening prior to our splash day the boatyard moved the travel lift into position on the boat. Our splash time was 8:30am, so we cleared out of the airbnb condo and were at the boat early. There was final paperwork to complete for the marina and payment for the company doing the bottom paint as they were painting the final patches where the blocking had been. And at 8:30, Cay de Cay was being moved to the launch area. Of all our haul outs, this was the first time we had ever launched on schedule, which speaks to the professionalism of the marina staff. The travel lift is maneuvered by remote control by an operator who walks along side (so it is a slow progression).

Cay de Cay in Travel Lift arriving at the launch dock

Finally they arrive at the launch area slip and lower her carefully in. Karrie and I climb aboard, start the engines, cast off lines, and gingerly back out and off the slings of the travel lift. We are floating and back on the water!

Lowering Cay de Cay into the water

After a short stop at the fuel dock, we head to a wet slip for the remainder of the day. This allows us to finish some items we could not do in dry dock, like start up the water maker. That evening we have a final celebratory dinner of fish tacos and cervezas at La Cueva del Mar.

In the morning we did some last minute shopping, gas up the rental car and return it. And we cast off (after a brief delay waiting for a storm cloud to pass by) just after noon for Isla Palomino. At anchor off Isla Palomino we continued to sort out the boat as it was still in total disarray. We finally started to get things arranged and in order one cabin at a time. All the food and refreshments were stored away except for what we needed for the next few weeks. Finally we started to see daylight thru the disarray.

Proceeding to the Virgin Islands we motor sailed (yea we sailed going east!) to Culebra where we spent the night.

Sailing to Culebra!

Then stopped in Christmas Cove at Great St James Island, USVI where we spend a few days making final preparations. One whole day was required to replace the main sail bag, lazy jacks, and to loft & rig the main sail. The final task was to change the diesel engine oil and filters. And then commissioning was complete. We were ready for Season 6 to officially begin and for our first visitors to arrive!