We were aware that going back East toward the Virgin Islands on route to St Martin would be difficult. The prevailing trade winds which come from the East make sailing challenging- right into it and having to tack if we want to sail. Additionally, high swells and waves build quickly, particularly along the passage from Puerto Rico to Culebra where we want to stop and anchor for at least 1 night. But things had been so calm here that we thought we would be sailing back East on the 27th. However, a high pressure system started building on the 26th and we are now "stuck" in Puerto del Rey, waiting for the winds (in the 20s), the waves & swells (8-10 feet high) and the potential interaction of these two factors with crossed-flowing currents to calm down. We have been getting up early in the mornings to listen and read the weather forecasts and decide whether or not to make the passage. Though we feel that we can make it (having been in significantly rougher seas in the past), we do not want to subject Kikuyu and us to a rough time. So we are waiting out for the high pressure system to let up until (most likely) tomorrow when the weather is expected to start improve. We hope to spend New Year's Eve at anchor in Culebra as we have had enough of marina life. Being at anchor is one of the greatest pleasures of sailing.

By the way, our marina is filled with cats, most of them wild, but many somewhat domesticated by the workers and clients. It turns out that cat control is a big issue in Puerto Rico. In San Juan a group of volunteers founded an organization that provides them food and medical assistance including neutering and spaying to control the population. We have befriended the cats here and have made close ties with the two kittens living by the marina office. When they see Daniel they run after him for petting.

To see a gallery of pictures for the blog entries in December, open browsers and copy and paste the following links.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sailingourway/December2007PicturesVirginGordaNorthSoundAndSpanishTownAnegadaStJohnStThomas?authkey=AA9rVLL0pcM

http://picasaweb.google.com/sailingourway/December2007PicturesIIPuertoRico?authkey=DL-T1bNqZtU