All Hands On Deck   Adventures on land and at sea

It’s hot. I’ve been hot before. Chesapeake bay was hotter than I this, mostly because it was unbearably still and windless. The south coast of Puerto Rico seems to be experiencing an atypical lack of trade winds just in time for our journey East. The resulting high temperatures are starting to get to me. I’m always sweaty and sticky. The deck burns my feet and the inside of the boat becomes unbearably hot and stuffy when we have to close the forward hatch to put the dinghy on deck.

Lee and I did finally procure fresh water in Boqueron. We just filled our 5 gallon collapsable jug, dromedaries, and sun shower at the local marina. A fresh water sun shower felt so, so good after so many days of sweat and saltwater. I was starting to feel like a pickle and even my inch-long hair was getting grungy. Three anchorages later, we just filled Pirat’s water tanks at the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club. Ponce is the big city on Puerto Rico’s south coast. We’re anchored here for the night but we probably won’t explore the city until we get to Salinas and rent a car.

Old machinery in Ensenada. It was already hot when we left at 9am.

It had already cooled off a bit by the time we moved from the fuel dock to anchor this afternoon. We experimented with a tarp canopy, then retreated down below to use our computers with the free wifi we somehow get here. The clouds that had been looming over the island all day slid out over the water and brought rain in gradually increasing amounts. When it was finally pouring, Lee and I went up on deck in our swimsuits to clean up and cool off. The gusty downpour blasted our greasy bodies with cold droplets. It took a while to get soaked but it was the best shower of my life.

We’re not really sure what to do next. The wind prognosis for the rest of the week isn’t great. We’d like to get to Salinas, which we’ve read is a good harbor in which to leave your boat while traveling the island.

I just want some ice cream and a massage.

At the fuel dock in Ponce.