After considering many possible locations for leaving "Frisky" while we headed home for Christmas, we finally decided on Marina Puerto del Rey in Fajardo Puerto Rico. Yes, we knew that Puerto Rico was still recovering from the hurricanes in September (see photo of sailboat -
NOT Frisky!, pushed up over the road) , but the Marina itself was in good shape.
Electricity is still not available in all the neighborhoods of Puerto Rico but we saw more electric repair trucks that we imagined were in Puerto Rico, working day and night, 7 days a week, to repair downed power lines. It was amazing to see CEMENT electric poles snapped in half and laying beside the road. Some of the traffic signals were still out, and a few of them were staffed by police and/or civilians directing traffic.
We rented a car one day and did some errands which included going to Home Depot to buy a dehumidifier to use on "Frisky" while we are gone. (Yes, it is quite a delight to have such conveniences as Home Depot for shopping!). There must have been a new shipment that arrived that day because almost every shopper had a medium sized portable generator in their shopping cart. Some of these people have had no power since the September 15 hurricane. They are amazingly patient, I think! Other parts of the US without electricity for more than 2 months would riot in the streets.
While the Marina is in good shape with all the docks intact, there is no electricity to the docks themselves. Since not all neighborhoods have electricity, it would seem an unnecessary luxury to supply a yacht marina first. Yet, we bought a dehumidifier in the hope that during the next few months, electricity would indeed be available. We were fortunate to have a recommendation for Samuel, a professional "boat tender". He has his own portable Honda generator which he will bring to our boat to run our dehumidifier when he checks the batteries, bilges, dock lines, etc.
To help keep the boat cooler in the Puerto Rico heat, wonderful boating friends (from "Island Spirit") gave us their left-over boat cover, called "CoolaRoo" which is a sun clothe to protect again the heat. Linda also bought 8 car windshield sunshades, and cut them to fit the large windows in the main salon. We certainly noticed the reduced heat in the cabin after installing the sunshades and the CoolaRoo.
So "Frisky" is safely tucked in the marina, cleaned and protected. We headed back home to California to enjoy time with family and friends for the holidays.