Guests Take Their Leave

Deniz and Zeynep had to catch their plane at San Juan, departing 7:30 am on the 3rd, so decided to take the ferry a day before and stay the night at the Airport hotel. They had bought their ferry ticket in Fajardo, which cost them a mere $2 a piece, after checking the two airlines which provide regular service to and from Culebra. All he planes were sold out, considering the popularity of Culebra for the holidays.

Their ticket was for the 1:00 o’clock ferry, so they got ready around 11:00 am, and we took the dinghy to shore, and walked through the town to the ferry docks, which turned out to be quite a distance, when carrying luggage (since they are experienced sailors, they brought collapsible bags without rollers).
We sat at a dirty table overlooking the ferry docks, sipping our beer and munching on the pizza slices Al found at the nearby small bakery, and began watching the people who started a line-up to get on the ferry. As well, there was a line-up of almost fifty cars, which we first presumed to be waiting to take the ferry customers having arrived at Culebra, which did not make much sense, because there was nobody disembarking at that time. When asked, we learned that the cars were waiting to get fuel, from the only gas station with one pump. Poor guys, they were waiting patiently in the glaring sun! Then Zeynep pointed to a pedestrian couple waiting in line between two cars, their jug at hand, who turned out to be our friend Tony, and his wife Suzanne from Canada! Al went to talk to them, and learned that they were getting ready to sail to St Thomas, USVI in the next few days and needed fuel. That was a sight to see. Only us Canadians would do such a thing and stand in a line of vehicles. I spotted earlier a guy with three jerry-jugs in hand, sneaking in to the pump station to jump the que.
While we were watching the crowd lining up for the ferry, I started to get restless, and Al suggested joining them, and taking turns in waiting beside the luggage. Deniz categorically refused to wait in line for an hour or more, and we kept on sitting at the table. I did not understand how he could be so cool, when the line had started to form a snake coiling around itself, with people carrying/pushing multiple baggage, baby strollers, coolers, what have you; kind of orderly but quite noisy. I could not imagine how all that people was going to fit onto the boat, which was not that big, but had three levels of covered seating. The dock master started to allow passengers inside, but very slowly. Since there was no assigned seating, small groups of people were let in, to give them time to settle. Half an hour before departure time, Deniz finally decided to get up and join the crowd. We waited until they settled at the third level, and waved them good-by. Al took some pictures while the ferry got underway, and we returned to the boat, which seemed deserted.

We had arranged our cab driver Pichy at Fajardo to wait at the ferry station to drive them to San Juan. Al urged Pichy to show Deniz’ name on a piece of paper, to attract his attention, and he agreed. But it is hard to gauge if the Puerto Ricans understand everything we say, especially on the telephone. Al unconsciously changes his speaking style, and assumes a deep accent, which is quite funny to listen. We hoped that Pichy would be there, and would not charge more than his promise.

We were anxious to hear about their arrival, and heard from them as soon as they settled in their hotel. Deniz asked if we had been watching the departure of the ferry, and if we had seen its return to the harbour. Well we had watched a little, but we had not seen the detour. You know, Deniz and Zeynep had so many problems at every step of their trip, and the same detour had happened in their first plane ride, that they must have said, “Here we go again, the ferry had mechanical problem like the plane, and we are stuck in Culebra”. However, the thing was captain’s important documents were left at the harbour, so they continued immediately afterwards. The fast ferry ride was not too bad, a bit bumpy maybe, but nothing like coming in, and much shorter, a mere hour and a half. But Deniz had a lot to complain about Pichy. He said Pichy’s van was full of people, with a little space left for the two of them. He let them go somewhere on the way, and when Deniz raised the issue of payment, which he thought should be reduced, Pichy showed surprise, and declared that they were his family, catching a ride, and what was his problem, didn’t he took them where they wanted? No argument there I suppose.

Our relationship with Pichy started when we needed to move around in Fajardo for shopping. He is a young tall guy with a constant smile, sporting a heavy gold chain coming down to his belly, with a huge cross attached. The first time we engaged him, we needed to go to several places, so he took us to all of them, and came back to pick us up after several hours, to allow us to shop etc., for $20.00 dollars. That time he made us wait about an hour to return to Isleta, and excused himself that he had been stuck in traffic, but he had a young woman sitting at the front seat, with whom I taught he argued all the way in Spanish. We thought she was his girlfriend, but we did not say anything. After that, whenever we had to go somewhere, whether it was one trip or more, the price was always the same. The only time he charged more was when we had to go to Ceiba, to change our propane tanks. We explained to him what we needed, which could only be done by Suarez Gaz, somewhere near Ceiba according to the reports from fellow mariners at Isleta, and he said “Yes, yes”. So we started on a country road, passed Ceiba and more, and I asked Pichy if he knew where we were going. “Yes, yes”. Then he stopped when he saw a pickup truck with Suarez written all over, to ask for directions. The guy genially showed that it was around the corner. That was our Pichy, but he was very friendly whenever we saw him standing by his van, waiting for customers, he would come by and shake Al’s hand. With all his faults, I think he served his purpose, but Deniz might differ.

The next afternoon after their scheduled arrival in Ottawa, we tried several times to contact their home to check if they had arrived safely. No luck until quite late that night. We spoke with their son Mehmet, and learned that they missed their connection, and were booked for a later flight, and that they were on their way home. We were uneasy until we heard from them, and we did; bless their hearts. Oof, that part of the story had a happy ending.

New Year’s Eve

We dressed up and had our dinner and champagne on board, and took the dinghy to the town to participate in the famous celebrations. There was a band playing at the town square around the ferry docks, and hoards of people were standing around, sitting at corners or lugging coolers (full of booze I presumed) here and there. Zeynep thought that the coolers must be government issued, since all of them were identical. It was interesting that there were no peddlers for food or drinks, except the few small restaurants lining the area, which were packed. Rest of the people brought their own it seemed.

We walked about a bit, but I got tired and found a place to sit. From my vantage point I could see the stage and the people congregating to dance in front of it. The master of ceremonies/singer was taking turns of constantly talking or singing. So it was quite lively, all kinds of people; Puerto Ricans, European and American tourists, sailors, singing along and dancing Salsa. We watched people having fun, and especially the two middle-aged women competing to dance with an old man all night. Those two got awards at the end of the night.
(Videos courtesy of Deniz)
http://vimeo.com/34666507
http://vimeo.com/34666543

I must have had too much to drink, I did not feel like dancing, so we went back to the boat around 11:00 pm, and waited for midnight, watching the constant fireworks coming from three directions. It was a memorable night, very different from anything I had seen before.

Second Culebra Experience

As soon as we got out of the marina, the wind and high seas started to beat us. I suggested turning back, since there was no pressing reason for taking this trip for Deniz and Zeynep, besides sight-seeing. They were to return to San Juan by ferry, to catch their plane on the 3rd of January. I was afraid that they might get stuck in Culebra, if storms should continue. But of course, the guys thought nothing of the waves, and Zeynep put up brave front, so we pressed on. It was a good thing that our ginger tea was already in the thermos!

For four and a half hours we fought with high waves, northerly swells that were coming from a different angle, and wind blowing head on. I had a hard time watching the bow constantly diving into the water, and coming out with a high angle. The sight was too scary, so I sat facing the back, and did not move much, since keeping one’s balance was almost impossible. Zeynep and I did a lot of talking, doing small physical exercises with our arms, and drinking our tea, to keep ourselves busy. I think I was the only one scared of the situation, but everybody felt the discomfort. We made fun of Al by asking “When is the tide going to help us?”, “Is tide really coming, or has it stood you up?”, “How come four feet waves look so high?”

After four odd hours, we got encouraged by the seeing the entrance to Ensenada Honda; but the waves and the wind doubled while turning in. The last bit was not easy to take. Poor Zeynep could not help commenting on the length of the trip. If you ask me, I can live without ever hearing the name of Culebra in my life! It had been such an ordeal both ways, and I am thankful that we did the passage with friends, rather than tackling it alone; however I felt responsible for their safe deliverance.

The worst was over, as soon as we entered the deep bay, it was quite calm, so anchoring was a breeze. It is customary for Deniz to dive, to see the position of the anchor, so he immediately jumped into the water. I felt so sorry for him, because I would not dip my hand into that awful water. The last time we were there, I saw several dead fish floating on the surface. When I told him that, he said he could not see the anchor anyway (at 15 feet of depth). What a sacrifice!
Our stay in Culebra was not too bad, the town Dewey is very small, but he beaches around the island are great. We got a map of the town and vicinity, and decided to walk about to explore it. We had learned from our friends earlier that on Fridays a pickup truck would bring fresh vegetables to the town, so we made the mistake of asking the grocery store about it. The owner told us that the vegetables would be sold in his store on Saturday, not on Friday. One should not believe everything one hears. Half an hour later, while looking for the bakery, we stumbled upon the mini market place that was being established around the said truck. I even held one corner of the that tent they were trying to set up over the vegetables. So we were right on time, to get our pick before everybody else. I don’t think much would be left to be sold at the grocery store the next day. It was a make shift place, but equipped with Interac and credit card payments. That was a lucky find, thanks to our willingness to walk around.

The next day we found a nice beach at the north end of the island called Plaja Flamenco, with miles of a sandy beach where high waves constantly hammered. The beach was lined with a park, picnic tables under coconut trees, open showers, not very clean bathrooms, food kiosks, etc. It turned out that Deniz enjoyed the surfing waves as much as we did, however Zeynep had a mishap in a similar sea, so did not swim much. The two of us walked on the beach, which curved around to create a calm area, and swam at the protected side, and later joined the guys sitting at a table in the shade sipping their beer. We had lunch there, and later took our showers, thanks to the custom of Zeynep always carrying soap in her purse. During the shower, when I commented that in Turkey, it was not allowed to use soap at the beach showers, Zeynep saw the sign to the same effect, but it was too late. You know, finding that facility was a great help for preserving our water supply.

Marina Del Ray

Al and Deniz contacted the marina and got directions to the slip we were to dock. It was quite a big marina, mostly full, with different kinds of boats tied for the winter. They gave us an inner slip to my dismay, although there were some readily accessible ones. Anyway, Al maneuvered the cat perfectly while I watched with apprehension, and Deniz gave the lines to the guy waiting at the dock. Great success in docking, and quiet at last, after the constant hum of the wind on the way.

This marina was the best we had seen so far, including the Yacht Haven Grande of St Thomas, USVI, considering the facilities provided. Everything was clean and modern, despite the fact that it has been in operation for twenty years. It was so big that the marina staff was running around on the docks in golf carts. One could call the marina office on VHF and ask one of these carts to transport you from your slip to the restaurant, or to showers and laundry etc. The drivers were master racers, spinning the wheels of the carts on narrow docks skilfully.

As soon as we docked, I made some ginger tea, by boiling fresh ginger slices and adding some lemon juice, which I found to be effective for nausea. Although neither Zeynep nor I get sea-sick, we both felt uneasy because of the exhaust fumes and the violent rolls.

We got our precious water, did our laundry, took long hot showers; heaven on earth! To top it off, the guys thought I should get a break from cooking, so we tried the elegant restaurant of the marina. Everything was great, but unfortunately it only lasted one night. Early next morning, we had planned to start for Culebra, SVI, to spend several days, including the New Year’s Eve; because we heard that Culebra was the happening place for the celebrations.

Al had been checking the weather sites, and found out that the forecast for the winds and wave heights would be most favorable on the 29th, which was the reason he rushed us back from Vieques, to start our major passage to Culebra. We had done that passage coming west in about three hours, and we were expecting some delay in going east towards the wind. Al also read something about the tide, being in a favorable direction against the waves sometime in the morning, so he decided to start around 9:00 am. We checked our charts, and got ready to “retrace our steps” on the GPS.

On to Vieques

Al constantly checked the weather forecast in three different sites, and decried that the winds were going to abate somewhat on Sunday, December 25, which would give us a break to reach the west shore of Vieques, SVI. Al spent the whole evening plotting our numerous way points on his two GPS devices while sweating and swearing, and I wrote the route in my notebook, trying to calm him down. Deniz checked the general plan, and gave his consent.

Early in the morning of the 25th, Deniz and Al released the lines, and we went underway towards Punta Arenas, the north-west tip of the island. The trip was about two hours, but the winds were nowhere near calm as promised. We got hit all the way down from our port side, until we came to the lee of the big island, and anchored a little south of the point. It is interesting that while traveling, it never fails to rain, but as soon as we reach a shore, the sun shows itself. We spent the day swimming in the pristine and calm waters, and went to bed early. First time in nearly two weeks, we came to a place that was closed to the constant easterly blowing wind. What a change it makes to have real shelter.

Next day, to Esperanza, situated at the south of Vieques. It was not a long trip, but we faced the easterly winds, since we had to keep our distance from the shore, full of dangerous reefs and jutting points. Esperanza is a very small town, marked in the chart as having an anchorage. So we decided to go in to check it out. When we cautiously entered through a narrow channel between two small islands, one of them connected to the land; we saw many boats anchored at the outer edge of a reef, not accessible from where we were, which was about only 6 feet deep. Al turned around, and hightailed to the anchorage at the bay to the right of the town. The bay was spacious, pristine and offering free buoys for the taking. It was a piece of cake to catch one!

Deniz and Al took the dinghy to explore the way to town. It seemed from our vantage point that one could pass through a narrow opening at the end of the beach and get to the town; however they saw that it was impassable. While they were contemplating about leaving the dinghy at the shore and walking to town, Al saw a bum like man fishing in front of his make shift tent in the bush. As his custom, Al stroked a conversation with the man. He later told me that the first thing the man asked was the value of our dinghy. That discouraged Al about leaving the dinghy unattended, and they came back to the boat. Later, Zeynep and I swam to the shore and walked along the beach; she collected some shells and brought them to the boat in her bathing suit while swimming back. The whole expedition took us two hours, and we got exhausted.

The days are generally so short that all of us were ready for bed around 9:00 pm every night, although we were having afternoon naps all around. This is to say that we did not do much during their visit, but I hope they had a relaxing time. Since most of the time Christmas winds created havoc in the sea, we could not do any sailing. Vieques Island created shelter but could not provide fresh water for us, so staying longer than a week was not possible. We rationed our water supply and supplemented our dishwashing with sea water etc., but would not be able to survive long.

We wished to do some provisioning in Esperanza, so released the cat from the mooring at the bay, and set anchor among the other many sail boats at the reef area which was closer to the town. First we thought we could start the journey back to Punta Arenas that day, in order to stage for the return to the marina in Fajardo, but decided to stay the second night in Esperanza instead, and dine at a restaurant (Trade Winds) mentioned in the guide books. I think Deniz was tired of my cooking which lacked most of the fresh ingredients I usually require to make it good. Ah well, I improvise with primitive conditions, and try to add some variety, but I am no magician. The only thing I can boast is that, what I cook is always wholesome and light. My friends always make fun of my insistence on using calorie wise ingredients with no fat and very little olive oil, so taste can be problematic. But hey, everybody who eats with me gets used to it. Even Deniz stopped complaining about my pastries being dry!

We decided to return to Fajardo the next morning, but not to Sunbay Marina, which was close to the northern tip of the east coast of Puerto Rico. Instead we stopped at Marina Del Ray situated at Ceiba, a few miles south of Fajardo; and not a moment too soon. All the way to the marina, we got hammered by easterly winds at our starboard. Even setting the sails did not stabilize the boat, which rocked violently. Deniz was not impressed with sailing the cat, although he admits that living conditions are superior to the mono hulls. That time was our only attempt in sailing, which proved to be too hard with high seas and unpredictable rain conditions.

Guests Arrive

While waiting for our guests, we got ready to meet them. One of the main issues was transportation from San Juan Airport, where they were landing, to Fajardo. So we decided to rent a car, and meet them at the airport. We started to shop around, first stop being Avis and Enterprise, but it was Christmas time, and they were reluctant to give a car for regular prices. The last resort was World Car Rentals, which was not very reputable (we heard from several people that their cars were old, and insurance had a considerable amount for deductible; but Al felt desperate on Saturday, and booked a Mitsubishi for Wednesday (the 21st) at 11:00 am, so we would have time to do some shopping and drive an hour to San Juan Airport, to meet them at 4:30 pm.

On the morning of Wednesday, we moved to Sunbay Marina, and tied up in quite harsh conditions. When Al was getting ready to deal with the car around 9:00 am, he received a text message from Deniz, advising that their flight was delayed until 2:00 am in the morning, and they were in New York, USA at that moment. No matter, it gave us time to do shopping with our car, since carrying the groceries to the boat at Isleta was a major problem, but not in the new marina, since the car can be parked very close to the docks.

Al called for the car. The reception he got was “What? Who? When? No, there is no message about any car being reserved in your name”. Al was adamant, but since he is very polite, he pleaded with the lady, instead of getting angry, since we were kind of expecting it (at least I was). At last, he got a promise for a Ford Taurus, and we walked over to their office to get it. The lady gave us the keys, and told us to check the dents on the body before taking it. We saw that the outside was covered some small dents at every corner, but inside was another story; the side panel at the door was missing, the seats were burned by multiple cigarette tips etc. We went in, and I could not help pointing out to the lady that she gave us the worst car in the lot. I asked if they were reserving the other cars for “better customers”, and she said they ha VIP s. I laughed at her face, and reminded her about their bad reputation. I bluntly told her that we would not have come to them any other time of the year! I started walking about the lot, waiting for Al to come back. After some time, I peeked into the office, and he winked that we were getting one of the new Nissans. I have to thank my good friend Nural, who always encourages me for standing up for my rights. Al never argues with anyone, and I usually do not interfere; however, as it is said in Turkish, if the baby does not cry, no one would feed it. Sometimes, it is enough to show your displeasure to change things. Not always maybe, but it would not hurt to try.

Anyway, we got the car, did our shopping, with lots of time to spare, and got restless on the boat. I suggested we should start driving to San Juan in daylight (ends around 6:00 pm), since we did not know the way, and Al reluctantly obliged. We reached San Juan in about two hours, since we visited “The Outlet” mall on the way, just to see how Puerto Ricons were getting ready for Christmas. They were not any different than Americans or Canadians – franticly shopping and eating. The only difference was the absence of the Carol tunes constantly being broadcast on the loud speakers. What attracted my attention were the toques, woolen jackets and boots on sale – who would buy or wear them in a climate where the temperature never dips below 25 C. Correction, I saw some young girls sporting boots while wearing strapless tops. Oh well, they have to look good.

Anyway, we reached the Airport, took a turn inside around the arrival side and exited to continue on to San Juan and did some sightseeing in the “Old” part, without seeing much because it was raining hard and quite dark. I thought there would be restaurants etc. to cater to the tourists, but we could not see any on the way. So we stopped at San Juan marina (we cannot stay away from marinas any more) and had an extended dinner (about two hours). Then what? While we were thinking of taking a stroll, it started to rain again cats and dogs. Al does not like walking anyway. Back to the Airport.

Our new Norwegian friend Marten had given us a tip; the Buffalo Bar at the airport was validating parking tickets up to six hours. We parked in the parkade about five hours before the arrival time and spent some more time at the bar. Then I felt tired, so we went to the car and slept for an hour or so. It is hard to keep Al in one place, so we had to go around and check the arrival plaza, and look at people meeting their loved ones. I really like watching people at arrivals embracing each other; it is usually a happy place. I tell you, Puerto Ricons are very expressive of their happiness, much different than the smiling-hand shaking-nodding Canadians. It was quite entertaining to watch the commotion. The plaza is another story. People wait outside of the carousel area, and look in through the glass. It is interesting to watch the travellers coming down and congregating around some carousels. We walked along the windows, trying to guess which carousel Deniz would be coming, and decided to wait at the exit gate. After sometime, we spotted Deniz and Zeynep coming towards us. They were dead tired, but we talked all the way to Fajardo. By the time we got them settled in their cabin, it was almost 4:00 am. There was a storm raging in the sea, which yanked our dock lines and squished our fenders with a deafening noise on their side. I felt awful, but we could not do anything until the morning. Sure enough, around 6:30 am, I saw Deniz at the deck, conversing with Al about changing the structure of the dock lines. They were able to minimize the noise, and the poor guy went back to sleep.

We knew that the storm was going to last for a few days, so we planned to keep the car for three days, and do some sight-seeing in Puerto Rico. First we visited the famous rainforest called El Yunque (pronounced something like jungle, go figure Spanish), which was quite interesting. The enormous size of the trees with lush green foliage and peeking bright flowers were a wonder, but Zeynep and I were drawn mostly to the clusters of bamboo shoots going in all directions, some of them being uprooted, resting on the others. We also visited the interpretation centre, a very modern building marking the entrance to the wilderness on top of a mountain, with occasional breathtaking glimpses of the sea to the north.

We spent the next day in old San Juan, Puerto Rico, which is known as the oldest city in North America, founded by the Spanish colonizers. It is a very well preserved and neatly maintained European town, with a citadel and high stone buildings, painted with pastel colors.

Isleta Marina, Fajardo

We have been languishing at the marina for ten odd days. Although Al and I have been busy every day, with shopping, laundry and general maintenance of the boat, I started to get bored. We are counting the days while waiting for Deniz and Zeynep to come on the 21 st of December.

Actually this place is quite entertaining; stating at 6:30 in the morning, every fifteen minutes the small ferry to mainland passes by us, and we exchange hellos with the captain, who is almost level with our heads sitting at the cock-pit. In the afternoon, the other ferry takes over, and follows a different route, so it is not so annoying.

Last week one day, when we returned from shopping, we saw at the ferry dock on the mainland that multiple police cars and ambulances were waiting for the boat to arrive. When it came, a group of paramedics, rescue operators, HAZMAT people etc., came to the Isleta with us. Their equipment filled all the space in the ferry. We asked the dock master at the marina, and learned that a man in his fifties, who was living on his boat at the marina, and doing some odd jobs for the marina administration had died in the afternoon, while working on the engine of one of the ferries. Apparently he was suffocated in the unventilated engine room, because of a gas leakage. We felt awful when we saw the poor man being taken away on the stretcher. Although it is the fault of the marina administration, they do not seem to have any responsibilities for a contractor. Hard to believe! Today we learned from the man’s friend, who wanted to buy his boat that, he did not have a wife or children, except a mother and some siblings. What a waste of life, which could have been avoided!

Anyway, sad story aside, this marina is in the worst possible location for the “Christmas Winds” that constantly blow from north and northeast. First of all it is at the east end of Puerto Rico, on a very small island with absolutely no protection. The wind howls all day and more so, at night. The way we are tied at the dock is also wrong for the wind; it is constantly blowing on the stern. As a result, we are stuck inside the boat every evening and early in the morning. If the gusts come from north, they push the boat towards the dock, and gets Al concerned for the fenders. We blew one of them the other day, and were forced to buy a ball shaped one instead, which was recommended by our friend Ricardo. Al really liked the ball, and intends to buy another one.

Well, if the wind is easterly, the boat is pushed away from the dock, but then the lines get tightened at intervals, and jerk the boat. If one is not careful, it is easy to fall down in the boat. Of course Al is concerned about the lines giving way, so he checks each one of the four every now and again. There is no winning in this game! Of course, there is no shortage of noises coming from all sides as well. The constant knocking of the waves from underneath, whining of the halyard etc, clicking of other boats in the neighborhood; it is a miracle that anyone can sleep in a boat tied at the marina, but one eventually gets used to it I guess.

Al decided to move into Sunbay Marina, after our guests arrive, which is across the small channel from Isleta, a dingy ride away, but much more protected, and a little bit more expensive. Did I mention that we are paying $100.00 dollars for a week? I think it hardly pays for the water and electricity that we are using every day, so we had a very good deal.