Puerto Rico II

So, now I'm at Sizzler. Great wi-fi, a seat with an electrical outlet, and a cost effective "all you can eat" buffet. "All you can eat", huh? They obviously don't know who they are dealing with here. I can hyperextend my stomach like a boa constrictor's jaw. A sail bum oasis. hhmm... 500nm from South Caicos to San Juan... four days at sea. I'll do my best to summarize without leaving anything out.....

The weather window was perfect as predicted by Chris Parker. Thank you, Chris Parker. Four days is a BIG window to ask for and we got it. The only aspect even remotely resembling a flaw would be the squalls, but let's not get greedy, eh? One 200nm Stbd tack North East out to sea, and one 300nm Port tack SouthEast to San Juan:

No real gnarly conditions to speak of, except for one intense squall which hit on my solo night shift. It was an intense one, but Otto hung tough right through it, so I could stay pseudo-dry under the dodger. Thanks to the radar, the sails were reefed in preparation. I still can't believe John and Jordi both slept through it. It was a doozie. Speaking of sleep....

Major props to John and Jordi who came up with an AWESOME new 3 hours on / 3 hours off / "overlapping swingman" watch schedule which KICKED ASS. We were all fully rested all four days and nights, and I am still fully rested as I type this! Amazing. Thanks, guys. Good work. And I still don't understand how the schedule works.... I just know it DOES.

The menu: FRI - hot dogs, steak fries and canned green beans (John). SAT - beef stew, hash browns (Steve). SUN - beans & rice (Jordi). MON - fresh bread, spaghetti o's with fresh carrots (Jordi and John respectively).

Mechanical failure #1: We either got dirty fuel in South Caicos, or put too much cleaning agent in our tank which loosened up too much debris in the tank at once. We clogged our primary fuel filter twice en-route, enough to stop the engine. Twice. We were glad to be in a "blowboat" and not a "stinkpot". We had to conserve the third and last filter by sailing and only sailing for the entire last day and night. The winds co-operated, thank God. The race was on.... we had to sail-and-only-sail to Puerto Rico before our weather window closed and the wind and seas intensified.... we just made it.

Mechanical failure #2: Self-induced. Our rudder post stuffing box seeps water into the bilge. This annoys us. We attempted to tighten it up en-route, which made it worse. DOH! Live and learn.

Thermodynamics. We started the trip packed with ice and drinking cold drinks. Ice melts faster on board when the engine raises the mean cabin temperature. We were drinking lukewarm drinks by mid-trip. By the end, the drinks were actually warmer than the outside ambient temperature, due to the afforementioned engine heating effect. I stocked up on my life-giving elixir known as Diet Coke before we left. I should have noted the dust on the cans.... they were WAY OLD. Expired Diet Coke tastes like a seltzer water with some unpalatable sythetic chemical accidentally spilled into it. And I drank them in a warmed-up state. Gross. huh? Only for the first few.... kinda like Milwaukee's Best. You get used to it. They had the caffeine which my neurosynapses have come to require in my old age. And our milk spoiled. No more cereal.

This is a NOAA weatherfax we recieve on single sideband radio. These puppies and Chris Parker's Caribbean weather broadcasts determine when, where, and how S/V Audax makes her moves. Or..... stays put:

Feeling dirty? Tired? Unkept? Smelly? Liberal applications of this stuff in strategic spots on your body can change your whole outlook. A real morale booster. It's just like a shower! (yeah, right) Chris Bartlett has been raving about this stuff for years, and I have scoffed. I DON'T SCOFF ANYMORE. I'm now a big fan:

See the "schmutz" in the bottom of the sight glass? It stopped our engine twice:

Jordi navvin' up a storm. Not literally. (Bad choice of words):

This is a SQUALL. A delightful little concentrated dose of gale force wind and torrential downpour. Avoid these if possible. Luckily, these show up quite well on the radar at night:

Who's THAT? He was with us on this trip for sure. Wassup, HP?!:

Lots of "chill time" when you're on a 38ft boat for four days:

Look who's back! Always a welcomed greeting:

Thanks, Johnboy, but I think I'll just look at the GPS if you don't mind. I, too, used to have that "thirst for knowledge". He's also trying to learn Spanish in two days:

There He is again. G'night, HP!:

YES! YES! I love America! And the colonized territories thereof! YES!! Today I had McDonald's, Starbucks, Sizzler, and found these gems while ducking into a convenience store during a downpour earlier today.... coincidence? I think not. I bought four:

Cruise ship mania, Old San Juan:

I fly outta here for Florida this Friday, for the Daytona 500 and Van Halen. Very much looking forward to those.... let's see what kinda shenannigans I can get into here in San Juan before then.....

!! Puerto Rico !!

(Those first two exclamation points are supposed to be upside down. I removed the "1/!" key from my keyboard and flipped it over, but that didn't seem to work.)

We made it!! We dropped hook in San Juan, Puerto Rico this morning at 2:50am. One hour and ten minutes shy of exactly four days at sea.

This post is strictly informative. I am at McDonald's eating some of the best food I've ever eaten in my life. There are no electrical outlets around, and I'm about to run out of battery juice, so..... we made it. Entertaining / pictorial post forthcoming...... there will be lots of stuff to write about, so stay tuned.

For those who just can't wait to hear all about it, check out www.caribbeanendeavour.com - I bee-lined it for the shower, Johnboy bee-lined to post an update. Priorities. ;)

The Big Jump (I mean it this time)

So, here's the deal: We've been doing Big Jump prep stuff and chillin' out here in South Caicos Island. Our weather analysis - thanks to some personal attention from Chris Parker - has concluded that we are jumping off at 4am tomorrow (Fri) morning! Finally.... a conclusive decision that we all feel good about. We're ready. The boat is ready. I even changed the engine oil today. Since we have wi-fi on the boat, and I had some chill-out time today, here's some pics for y'all. Enjoy:

See Audax waaay out there in the bay?:

Fishing skiffs, South Caicos Island:

Even the dogs are on island time around here. Check out the nuts on this sucka, huh? (you know that's the first thing you noticed. Don't kid yourself.):

This is Steph T. Not to be confused with Steph G of Miami Christmas Tour fame. There are two Stephs now. This was taken during a snorkeling expedition, right before we got poured on. You can actually see the squall coming in the pic:

Nancy and Steph G at Turks & Caicos club. MAJOR PROPS to these two for their hospitality in Provo! Team Audax loves you!:

This one is for Steph G. What a fun day that was, huh? Thank you again!:

Me and Jordi performing surgery on "Otto":

Steph T did John's & my laundry hours before we split outta Provo. Thank you, Steph T!:

Johnboy changing a zinc:

Super Bowl at the Shark Bite, Provo. Dorothy, Bill, Johnboy, Nancy, me:

More Otto surgery:

South Caicos Island from the cockpit of Audax:

More Otto surgery:

Good times aboard Rumrunner. Bill, Johnboy, Jordi, Dorothy, me, Steph T:

OK so, this will be the last post for about four days. This time I really mean it. We're outta here at 4am, offshore for 500nm.... hopefully all the way to San Juan, Puerto Rico. That's the plan. We'll see how it shakes out for real. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers until then. Can't wait to tell you all about it from either Puerto Rico, or maybe Dominican Republic if need be. Godspeed, Team Audax!

BLOG FODDER: I just realized by looking at the above pics, that I've been wearing the same shirt for four days, sans shower. No showers available here in South Caicos, so we've been "Joying it". This entails bathing in the ocean with Joy dish soap. Did that today, and changed my shirt. I suspect I will take a sponge bath at some point during the next four days at sea.

South Caicos Island

Surprise! We pulled into South Caicos Island just to fuel up, ice up, provision, and study the weather window for "the big jump" to Puerto Rico. Of all places, this anchorage has a wi-fi signal right on the boat! Never would have guessed it here, but.... sweet. So, y'all get an interim update. So we fueled up, got ice, most of the provisions, and we're gonna get lots of sleep tonight, and analyze the crap out of the weather projections tomorrow. Then it might just be set sail on the big jump mid-day tomorrow. I'll do a quickie post like this one - since I can - when we leave.

Exciting times on Team Audax: had a rough anchorage last night in the middle of the Caicos Banks. This is not recommended, but we didn't make South Caicos before dark, and you need daylight to sail across the Caicos Banks due to all the coral heads. We also had to fix the autohelm today. Team Audax is functioning smoothly, focused on the task at hand: Get to Puerto Rico safely in the upcoming 3-4 day weather window we will hopefully be blessed with. C'mon Chris Parker..... we're counting on ya, buddy. (Chris Parker is the single sideband radio weather guy)
Sorry, no pics today, kids. I gotta hit the hay to put some extra sleep in the bank for the big jump.

BLOG FODDER: I almost lost a few fingers on my left hand last night during a rough anchor deploying in which I also held Jordi by the belt as he hung over the pulpit while the bow intermittently submerged itself. (ed: run-on sentence) That was a tense situation. We were overdue for one of those, right? We are also currently dealing with a flea infestation here aboard S/V Audax. All of our legs and ankles are all chewed up. Raid and Lysol tonight.... we'll see what happens. Maybe these are Puerto Rican fleas looking for a free ride home. Look at the bright side: Better than cockroaches, right?

The Big Jump

Today we took on fuel and water, and provisioned. Jordi flies back tonight. Early tomorrow morning, we set sail for Grand Turk to top off on fuel and look closely at the weather projections. Then, when/if the conditions are right, we make The Big Jump: Grand Turk to Puerto Rico... 300nm to the South East. We may have to ditch out due South and head for Dominican Republic, if the conditions are not treatin' us right. Time will tell. So as usual, you will not be seeing posts during this time offshore. It has been a pleasure blogging from Provo TCI. Fun place for sure. We definately logged a few campfire stories on this island. ;)

Where will the next post be from? DR or PR? Stay tuned to find out!! (gimme 3 or 4 days to get there first)

P.S. - That SuperBowl kicked ass. What a game!! Yes, that's right, I rooted for the Giants. Email complaints to whocares@notme.com

Provo IV: "Roughin' it"

Stephanie is in town. Remeber Stephanie from Miami? She has her own advertizing company: Gordon Media Group. http://www.gordonmediagroup.com/ Her specialty is upscale Caribbean travel ads. She's all hooked up down here. She's in town for business and a little "downtime" as well. I am fortunate enough to reap a few benefits by association. She is staying at the Turks & Caicos Club for a week as she pseudo-works. She twisted my arm, and I agreed to tag along as she roughs it in these accommodations.

Today, we went to the beach right in front of the condo. I saw a Hobie Cat. "dingdingdingding!!" rang my fun detector. I asked Stephanie "Do you think anyone can just get on the Hobie Cat and take it out as they please?" She replied "Sure, I don't see why not..." That was all I needed to hear. I promptly donned the PFD, and casted off. The breeze was honkin'. This was gonna be FUN. Seconds later, I was haulin' some serious ass, up on one pontoon, fully hiked out, spray in the face, I was laughing out loud... "yeeeehhhaaaa!!" The only qualm was the nagging thought: This is too good to be true.... this can't be legal. I stuffed the bow a few times, almost got blown over a few times.... still laughing. Still haulin' ass. Uh oh. Two dudes in uniforms are casting off the beach in the condo skiff. Yup, they're headed right for me. Here they come.... they get as close as they can; I was movin' about twice their speed, on a beam reach for the beach. They point to the beach as I speed by them, spray in my wake. I beached her, and waited for my punishment. They motored the skiff ashore alongside.... "Uh-oh.... did I break the rules?" I asked. "We don't let guests out alone when it's this windy - I have to go with you..." he replied. DOH! OOOPS! Slightly embarassing, but totally worth it. File under: "funny little blog fodder".

The Meridian Club, Pine Cay. Stephanie had to go conduct business there, and I got to tag along as her assistant. Shlepping her bag and taking pictures. The Meridian Club is a 12 room / one cottage resort on the private Pine Cay. Top notch service and accommodations, zero crowds, minimal civilization. "Detached from civilization, but not roughing it" was the description that occurred to me. How much does it cost? "If you have to ask, you can't afford it."

This picture is not downloaded from a website. I actually took it during the tour. It's the view from the bar balcony. Traditionally, the guests (max of 26 in number) meet here for happy hour daily. Very quiet, low key, mellow chill-out vibe. The kinda place Dr.Melfy (sp) should have prescribed for Tony Soprano....for a month. It's even nicer than the Bada Bing:

Aboard the Meridian Club shuttle. They have two. They haul ass, as you can tell by the wake. It's a Parker cuddy with twin 200hp Yamaha four strokes:

Here's our (oops, I mean her) condo at Turks & Caicos Club:

Johnboy cooking dinner last night! He's good. Steph also brought her friend Nancy with her, and the four of us enjoyed chicken & artichoke fettucini d'herrigel. His signature home made bread as well. Ben & Jerry's for dessert. That's what I'm talkin' about. What a HUGE treat after you've been living 38ft boat for 2.5 months. Nancy has eluded the camera eye thus far, but not for long. Her and John are out fishing with Rumrunner Bill as I type this.

Team Audax Family Fun Day. The day before Jordi flew home temporarily, and Steph became his pinch hitter, Team Audax rented bicycles, rode them all around Grace Bay to "The Hole" and went to a great sushi lunch. I splurged a bit at the sushi place, OK I admit it. But it was the perfect amount for my bicycling induced hunger, and it was fresh and delicious.

"The Hole". Yup, you guessed it. It's a hole. At the bottom is some green water and empty Heineken bottles. Maybe a shoe or two, and black burned out logs. The phrase "Oh my God... this is incredible..." did not enter my mind. That happened about 30 minutes later when I took my first bite of sushi.

On a deeper side note, I am BESIDE MYSELF WITH GRATITUDE these days. This is all just so incredible. It's surreal at times. What did I ever do to deserve this adventure? I don't know. But I ain't gonna mess with it. It's just too good. This journey has taken on a spiritual tone for me personally, and it is my belief that my good fortune comes as a result of seeking a new relationship with God that I never had before. HP's got my back. I can feel it. I could write volumes about "Ego vs Spirituality" and related sub-topics.... but I better save my server space at blogger.com for things like poopyjuice. By the way, just because I make a reference to "Ego vs Spirituality", does NOT mean that I claim to have eliminated Ego from my life. Not even close. I have, however, begun to get it under control, or so I think.... as my "fellows" all know, it's "progress, not perfection". Peace out for now.