Puerto Rico to Newport

On June 14, 2021, Andrew and his crew of four left the dock at Fajardo, PR and pointed Billy Ruff’n north while I jumped on a plane to be home for my mother’s 91st birthday. The stellar crew consisted of Jon Sauer and Bill Read from CYC and Doug Firth and his daughter Casey, from Maryland.

The first day out,  winds ranged from 15 to 20 knots creating glorious sailing conditions moving 7.5 knots on average under full main and jib. The next day the crew learned from Jon, the reef master from our trip south, how to reef  the giant main on our 70 foot mast. Over the next few days, they sighted a some cargo ships and caught two mahi-mahi, which were prepared for that evening’s dinner. 

A few days in, the high water alarm went off and after much ado, Andrew figured out it was coming from our new water maker draining into the bilge. Adjustments were made and Billy Ruff’n continued her journey, only now she was pointed directly for Bermuda with a plan to let the developing storm (Claudette) pass by while taking shelter in port. Another delightful day of sailing with the chute up found them 20 miles off of Bermuda when they heard an exchange over the radio. Sailing vessel Slip Away was out of fuel and had called BDA Radio for assistance. Billy Ruff’n was 5 miles away from the ship calling for help and offered to assist. They motored to the scene and used throw bags to exchange a transfer pump and Jerry can so that Slip Away could fill from our tanks. Unfortunately, no one had a hose long enough to reach the fuel in our deep draft tanks so the crew had to abort the mission, rig the Fortress anchor and carry on to St. George’s Harbor. 

Billy Ruff’n arrived in Bermuda at 22:30 on June 20th and headed straight to the Customs dock to clear in. Although everyone was fully vaccinated, they were instructed to stay on board and come back the next day for COVID tests. The next day, they waited for 4 hours in the Customs office for someone to come and do the tests but when no one came (and no one seemed to care) they left and went out to Whitehorse Tavern for lunch & rum punch! The next day was Casey’s birthday so after finally getting their tests, they celebrated with dinner and more rum punch at The Wharf. 

On June 23rd, Billy Ruff’n left Bermuda in a dead calm. After motoring at least 24 hours, Andrew noticed some blacker than usual smoke coming from the exhaust. He added oil and it seemed to get a little better. Fortunately, the wind also picked up so they could sail a bit. Going through the Gulf Stream, they were struggling to go 3 knots against the current and the transmission began playing games with them but eventually on June 28th, they sailed onto a mooring in Jamestown, RI.

Bill wanted to commemorate the occasion with Bloody Mary’s so they tore apart Doug’s cabin/bar to find the aging bloody mix (that had come from the house we sold in 2019) and combined it with the cheap vodka used to kill fish along with whatever was left in the fridge for a celebratory breakfast!

Preparing for the voyage back to the U.S.

After our friend Christine left Puerto Rico, Andrew and I had two weeks to prepare for the 8-10 day trip back to Newport, R.I. The first week we explored a few new anchorages, one not far from the Puerto Del Ray Marina and a popular weekend spot for the locals. We left the marina late on a Saturday afternoon hoping the day trippers would be leaving the anchorage. When we arrived, there were less than a dozen boats and by nightfall only three. The next day however, was the Sunday before Memorial Day and everyone and their uncle was out! Our quiet anchorage had over 30 boats in party mode by noon, but at sundown, less than a handful again. 

We spent the days resting, reading, and planning for the voyage back to the U.S. I usually like to swim everyday but in this one particular anchorage the current was so strong, I had to tie myself to a line, swim along one side of the boat and without going anywhere, pull myself back on board when I got tired.

Bt June 6th, we were back at the marina in the anchorage, when our first crew, Jon Sauer arrived with his girlfriend Marlene & her son, Aidan. They stayed one half hour away in a nice condominium community called Palmas Del Mar, with a private pool and views of the ocean.

Fortunately for us, they also had a well stocked kitchen which we used to prepare a number of meals for the trip home. The rest of the week would entail finalizing meal plans, cleaning out bunks to make room for crew, making grocery lists, cooking, looking for locals to help cook (which we never found), shopping for dry stuff, then shopping for fresh, defrosting the fridge & freezer, storing 10 days worth of food in the boat in the order of planned usage, etc. etc. And that was just my stuff! Andrew tested all the communications equipment, downloaded the appropriate charts, cleaned the topsides, hired Jorge to install the new wind instrument & check the mast, etc. etc.

On June 10th, the rest of the crew (Doug Firth & his daughter, Casey and Bill Read) arrived, along with Bill’s significant other, Barbara. Over the next few days, they all chipped in on the aforementioned chores and we celebrated with an outstanding dinner (with Arturo & Katie, as well) at La Estacion, a fabulous barbecue joint in Fajardo.

On June 14th, I flew home to be with my mom on her 91st birthday and Andrew took off with the crew and Bermuda in their sites. Since there was a storm brewing in the Atlantic, their weather advisor suggested that they plan a stop and 6 days later, that’s where they are, enjoying rum drinks and the Bermuda hospitality, I’m sure!

I’ll be writing more about their trip when they arrive in Newport and I can can interview the crew, but in the meantime, you can follow Billy Ruff’n at https://share.Garmin.com/CharwynPartnersLLC.

Note: If there are any inaccuracies in this publication, it’s because my editor is offshore and unable to comment.

Adventures with Christine - Last days!

On Wednesday, May 27th, Christine and I decided to spend her last day of ‘vacation with the Armstrongs’ doing some touristy stuff. Andrew suggested that Chris take a hotel near the airport since she had an early flight and she took him up on the idea for 3 nights. I guess she anticipated needing some R&R after playing with us on the boat for five days! Anyway, the day before moving into her ocean view room at the Courtyard Marriott in San Juan, Chris and I set out for a self guided tour of Old San Juan, a bustling town steeped in centuries of Spanish culture & history. 

At the suggestion of the Marriott concierge, we started at the top of the hill to see El Morro, a fort ordered to be built by the King of Spain in 1539 and finally completed in 1783. It crests the expansive San Juan National Historic Site, a popular meeting place for children on school outings, families on vacation and people of all sorts strolling, sunning or flying kites. 

From the fort, we walked downhill through the narrow cobblestone streets, popping into art galleries and shops of interest, while perusing menus to figure out what we wanted to have for lunch. When we got to the end of a street and weren’t sure which way to go, I used my tried and true technique of asking a local. We were directed to a spot I had in my notes of “places to try”, so we set off toward a restaurant called Raices. Upon discovering a 40 minute wait, we opted for tropical drinks in a breezy walkway at an outdoor cafe called Puerto Criollo. The people watching was so good that we decided to stay for the frutos del mar salad and skip the fancy restaurant.

After lunch, we walked the Paseo de la Princsesa, a promenade built behind a protective wall along the sea where Spanish gentry used to enjoy the balmy evenings. From there we found our way to Raines Fountain,  the large bronze statute of Amerindians, Spaniards and Africans with dolphins cavorting at their feet, symbolizing the roots of Puerto Rican culture. 

The day was capped at the Marriott beachside bar with a pina colada (or two), putting a close to the delightful adventures with our good friend, Christine. 

Adventures with Christine - Day 3 thru 5

On Monday, May 24th we woke up in a calm harbor off Culebra that called for a banana pancake breakfast. Afterwards, Andrew & I demonstrated the dinghy launch routine for Christine, which is no small feat that includes flipping the dinghy over on deck, pumping it up, hoisting it over the life lines to drop it in the water and lower on the 114 lb. motor... worthy of a big breakfast! 

We rode to shore, did a walk about town, took some silly tourist photos, scoped out a restaurant for dinner and planned some critical re-provisioning of rum & ice. The town was nearly deserted and most restaurants closed but we found Mamacita’s on the canal open for business. 

The lone open grocery was on high alert for COVID with a line outside the tiny shop and a strict shop keeper taking in one person at a time. There was a hand washing station outside and 6 foot markers inside throughout the entire store where the proprietor was policing your mask wearing and distance from other shoppers, as well as running the register and letting each new person in after he checked one out. Apparently, Culebra has a good record of low cases and this business man is probably personally responsible for it!

At Mamacita’s that evening, Christine experienced her first Mofongo (a plantain and yuca mash in the shape of a bowl stuffed with garlic shrimp or chicken & steak) while Andrew and I enjoyed the fresh grouper. For entertainment, a group of ladies in thong bikinis paddled by on their stand up paddle (SUP) boards with blue under lighting.

On Tuesday, we motored out of the bay to a reef in hopes of some snorkeling and getting out our SUP. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to see and it wasn’t as protected as we had hoped so we had lunch and went back to the original anchorage. After some naps and a swim, that evening, under a cloudy sky with the full moon, we showed Chris how to make Chicken Coconut Curry with tumeric. More to come on that...

On Wednesday, woke up with yellow nails! She was helping me chop the tumeric and there was yellow all over everything she touched including the grater and the dish towel she used to clean up. Since our plan for the day was to sail back to Fajardo, we hoisted the main and with the wind directly behind us, put the preventer on for a long, hot and slow motor sail. We noticed that Chris’ nails were clearing up in the sun so in an attempt to entertain ourselves, we experimented with the other yellow items. By the end of the day, we had a new discovery: Tumeric can be removed from fingernails, the plastic part of a grater (but not so much the metal part) and dish towels by setting them out in the sun!

Before treatment:

After treatment:

P.S. The bruise on Christine’s leg is complements of Billy Ruffn’s steering wheel mount. Look out for that if you ever come sailing with us!

Adventures with Christine - Day 1 & 2

On Saturday, May 22, 2021, Christine arrived at Puerto del Rey Marina around 3pm after a 4 hour flight out of Philadelphia and a 1 1/2 hour taxi ride from San Juan. By 3:15, we were off the dock and headed for  Isla Palominos, intended to be a short motor sail into a pleasant anchorage for the evening. We arrived to a relatively crowded bay with loud Puerto Rican style disco music blaring for the floating noodle parties. Oh well, if you can’t stop them, join them. Our friend, Arturo assured us that most of the crowd would leave just before sundown and sure enough most did, except for the loudest one that was closest to us! As we had anchored and mooring balls were freeing up, we decided to weigh anchor and check out another location. Unfortunately, the ball we picked up had a frayed line and was so protected from the wind that the boats in the area were pointed in every which direction. We decided to slip the mooring and re-anchor in the breeze. There was a bit of a storm coming but the boats were spaced out nicely and pointing into it. We went below to prepare a shrimp curry for dinner and have a pleasant sleep.

I’m usually up a couple times at night, especially when at anchor, checking the lines and making sure we are holding ground. Although it was blowing 15-20 most of the night, we were still lined up with the same lights on shore and boats in the bay... until we weren’t! Around 6am (when I’m usually in my deepest sleep), I heard a loud metal crunching sound that’s never good on a boat!! I woke Andrew as I climbed over him to check it out. He rolled over and said “Probably the anchor line”. After a second metal crunching, the next sound I heard was a frantic women’s voice with a Spanish accent saying “Alo? ALO?” At this point, Andrew was up and bolting out the companionway in his underwear and I was headed the other direction to get a top on. By the time I made it topside, Andrew had the motor started and the wheel on. (We take the wheel off when at anchor to make a larger cockpit.) The wind was howling, the waves were probably 2-3 foot in the harbor and it was piercing rain that made our eyes bloodshot. All I could see was the bowsprit of a power boat and it’s anchor chomping on our stern. While Andrew tried to move us forward, our visitor, her shipmate and I were trying to unhook the anchor and push the boats apart. After a few panicky minutes, we finally separated and got to the task of pulling up our anchor, which apparently did not hold. Oh, and good morning, Christine! How do you like sailing with us so far!! 

Andrew has taken great pride in doing a lot of research in finding the “best anchor in the world” and up to this point, the Sarca Exel had been doing splendidly but the wind had veered 180 degrees and a squall hit with gusts up to 30 knots. Wonder how the 2nd best anchor or the tattered mooring would have done? When we dragged down on the moored power boat, it’s pulpit knocked our dinghy motor askew, bent the propeller, bent the stainless tubing that supports our wind generator and scratched a few chunks out of our toe rail paint but in all, we were fortunate. No one was hurt and it didn’t look like we did any damage to the other boat. On the way out of the harbor, we motored by to check it out and give them our contact info.

With the wind out of the north, the plan for Day 2 was to sail to Culebra but it shifted to the ENE and it was a bit of a slog. We motor-sailed for four hours before finally arriving at Ensanada Honda Bay, a well protected harbor with a view of the town dock, a closed restaurant, a draw bridge that never draws and people-less buildings with driveways that went straight up into the hills. 

Upon finding what looked like good holding for our anchor, we saw a note on the chart that said “Note B - Mariners are cautioned against anchoring, dredging or trawling in this area due to the possible existence of unexplored ordinance.” With all the boats anchored around us, we figured there was no way ordinance could be a problem. Not sure what Christine was thinking at this point but we once again we settled in for a good meal and a calm night’s sleep.

A week in Fajardo, PR

Billy Ruff’n has been at the Puerto del Rey marina in Fajardo, Puerto Rico for a week now and Andrew and I have a short list of what we’ve accomplished and a longer one of what still needs to be done! It’s pretty hot (88+) and we’ve had only enough motivation to get to some of the mundane projects like provisioning, cleaning winches, scrubbing dock lines and washing dirty rags. 

Through our friend Arturo, we met a brilliant rigger named Jorge. A wiry, energetic guy who ostensibly came by to look at our broken winch, but within 5 minutes of being on the boat, found another slightly more ominous problem. A piece of our boom that has a patch on it caught his attention. We weren’t even sure of the story behind the patch but upon further inspection, Jorge found a small crack. Fortunately, it’s forward of the vang connection where the pressure is less (than if it were aft of the vang) and Andrew addressed it temporarily with punch holes. In the meantime, we won’t be strapping down the boom.

After initially suggesting we have the broken plastic part of our winch fabricated on a 3D printer, Jorge confirmed that the part was unobtainable (and probably not reproducible) but he could help us find and install a new one. The next day, Jorge had an almost new Harken winch that he could secure for us for $100 plus shipping. Of course, the next question was, where is it coming from and at what cost? The answer was Florida for probably $75. We couldn’t get our money out fast enough. Hopefully, he doesn’t make up for that deal on the installation!

Other adventures since arriving in PR include driving a lime green Element to the grocery store, where I saw my first elevated guard station in the parking lot; discovering a new favorite rum (Don Q) and beer (Medalla) and enjoying some great food, starting with the octopus salad & fish tacos from the marina restaurant, La Cueva Del Mar; Cuban sandwiches from the local breakfast/lunch shack, Botero’s Galley, and giant mangos, from Arturo’s house.

The boat is clean, stocked up and ready for our friend to arrive for some sailing, snorkeling and visits to the local islands around Puerto Rico for the next few days.

Puerto Rico - our new home for the month

After 9 months on the hard and another month in the water, Billy Ruff’n left St. Lucia on May 13, 2021. Sailing with just the two of us, Andrew and I set her on a course of 328 degrees magnetic, headed directly for Vieques, Puerto Rico. The main was up and jib out before we got out of the bay. We started with a single reef, 12 - 17 knots of wind out of the East and 3-5 foot seas. Easing along at an average of 7.5 knots under mostly sunny skies... pretty much ideal conditions. Shortly after passing two ships outside the harbor, it occurred to us that we hadn’t seen them on the Automatic Identification System (AIS). We’d checked all our instruments before leaving, but it appeared the one that helps us see other boat traffic wasn’t working. I wonder, when setting out on any voyage, what is going to happen this time... it’s always something!

Our first day out, we sped along seeing 10.7 knots at one point surfing down one of the bigger waves (that got to about 7 ft). We popped on the radar at night so we could steer around storms and boat traffic. Andrew and I swapped watches every two hours, pretty much uneventfully throughout the star lit evening into the next day.

The second day, while I was on watch (with my eyes closed, as our former boat partners will attest), I felt a sudden dip and slowing of the boat. My first thought was that we’d run into a fish trap. Andrew dismissed it as a wave and went back to bed. Later in the day, when he was up and assessing things, Andrew noticed that our wind indicator had crapped out. Other than the wind vane at the top of the mast, we couldn’t tell true wind direction or speed. It felt like the boat was really slow. We started to think we might have picked up something on the rudder, keel, (or worse) the prop. We pulled in the jib and tacked to see if we would shake something lose. We luffed up and tried to drift backward. We tried every maneuver we could think of before turning the motor on, to figure out why we were now averaging only 5.5 knots with what felt like similar winds to the prior day. 

Eventually, the wind completely dropped out, and after Andrew hand turned the propeller assuring that it wasn’t obstructed, we cranked up the engine. We motor-sailed all that evening and through the next day until we arrived at Puerto del Rey Marina in Fajardo, Puerto Rico at 16:15 on Saturday, May 15th. We dropped the main into our new sail bag with ease and pulled into slip #1268 at 16:30. Our friend, Arturo, who lives here and runs charters, was on the dock to help with our lines. We chatted with him from the boat while we completed our online customs arrivals requirements and as soon as we got the okay, he was on board to enjoy some celebratory beers. In talking to another sailor on the dock, we surmised that the slowing of the boat was likely due to currents that we had no idea would be so strong in the middle of the Caribbean.

Sunday, after a good long sleep, Andrew tried to remember how to switch the boats electricity from 220 to 110 while I explored the marina and surroundings to figure the lay of our new habitat. The marina is apparently larger than any on the U.S. East Coast and has over 1000 slips. They actually have golf carts to take you to and from your boat and a huge restaurant at the end of the peer. To walk from our slip to the restaurant is two sides of a good city block!

This week, we’ll be re-provisioning, cleaning up the boat and getting our new neighbor (who turns out to be an electronics wiz) to look at our instruments while we anticipate a visit from our good friend, Christine, who will be joining us for some cruising fun soon!!