Now the "Queen of Florida and the Bahamas" having a birthday is no ordinary event .... After all, when we had the same event last year, all the details appeared in the October 2011 issue of 'Latitudes and Attitudes', a sailing magazine for genuine nautical escape artists ..... Well this year's event lived up to it's reputation ...... "ARITA" was suitably decorated with flags above the waterline, numerous dinghies on the waterline, and a clean bottom below the waterline ..... So nice to have so many fellow cruisers on board in the safe and calm anchorage at CULEBRA in the Spanish Virgin part of PUERTO RICO ..... And it lasted well into the night ....
Just look at the way her 'Highness' was surrounded by well-wishers ......
Don't remember doing the dishes ..... Then again, perhaps I didn't do the dishes ..... But isn't a little wine a most wonderful way of stimulating serious and totally debilitating conversation ....... Can't remember any of that either .....
'Downtown' CULEBRA ..... Let me re-phrase that ...... The middle of the little town on Culebra has a waterway through the middle of it, with a few waterside restaurants and quite a few iguanas that kind 'hang-out' over the edge of the bulkhead lining the channel ....... Fearsome looking, but totally harmless and so is the town ....
But the waters surrounding the island and the enclosed bays are beautifully clear and wonderful to swim in, even in the winter when the temperature here rarely dips below 80 degrees Fahrenheit ........
And anchored behind us was this beautiful 28 ft wooden cutter "OSPREY" that had been sailed all the way from MAINE near the Canadian border to PUERTO RICO ...... Tiny, but oh-so-quaint ........ A true classic Bristol Channel cutter with bronze winches .... The Captain called it a "wet boat", ..... Not hard to see why .....
And barely had the days passed when we hit "Christmas" and we invited our near neighbours over for breakfast, most of whom brought something for the table ...... The near neighbours became eleven, and while there was no 'egg-nog' there certainly was everything else, including the 'Spirit of togetherness' at a time when most of us have families very far removed from the anchorage in CULEBRA ..... A tranquil time, a thoughtful time and a celebration time ...... A tropical Christmas .......
Kind of hard to equate "Christmas time" in the Northern Hemisphere with the climate that we are in, where such beautiful flowers are in bloom ..... Still, we have managed to adjust without any problems ........ Suffering from sunburn instead of frostbite ...... Then again, someone has to do it ........
And four hundred miles to the West of us in CURACAO, our dear friend TIMO is hard at work building his new yacht, after losing his previous one to the rocks in Los Aves, VENEZUELA (refer: Older Postings) ...... Now his construction method is radical, although he says it is 'rational' ........... Each cedar piece is glued and screwed to the previous one, and eventually the hull is covered in cloth and epoxy resin before being turned over and having the keel added .......
Full marks for ingenuity and perseverance ........ For 'rationality' and 'radicalism' ....
Some of that radicalism obviously occurred in Culebra at some point, for these relics sit quietly on the beaches ..... Reminders of past follies or perhaps training exercises for future follies ...... Sadly they sit on one of the most beautiful beaches in Culebra, Flamenco Beach ..... A haven for visitors and campers from the mainland ....
Laurie and Linda went to explore this beach and came across the 'ultra-modern' shower tent with laid-on water and a drainage sump ...... Now that's "STYLIN' ......" .... And so is the town, for there is no shortage of vibrant colours ..... No shortage at all .... The "Queen" fits in just perfectly .....
Fearsome colours ...... Severe colours ..... Enough to knock you out cold ..... even if you are wearing them .......
And you would think that in your senior years there would be smoothness, calmness and serenity and pale pastel shades of Sahara sand and dapple gray ....... Hell no, not in CULEBRA ........ This is Jose, who carves little ships for the tourists and is heading for a glorious ninety and doing just fine ....... Then again aren't we all heading for a glorious ninety plus .......
The place is just plain colourful .... I mean, here's Laurie and Linda asking the bus driver how many 'Johnny Walker's' he's had already .... But he says he's fine .... "Si, puedo pasar un examen de corducir boracho.." .....And he does that Captain Morgan stand ...... Now you have to be quick to win an argument with a drinking bus driver, but pointless to even begin to do so in SPANISH ... What he said translated to "Yes, I have passed the drunk driving test" ..... Ah, well .... They made him drive real slowly ...... Yes, CULEBRA is definitely different ....... And New Year's Eve is just around the corner with a huge street party in the planning ...... We needed a break from boatwork and we are certainly getting it ........
But as soon as the New Year celebration is behind us we're back to VIRGIN GORDA and bringing "SOUTHERN COMFORT" back to tie her alongside "ARITA" and the serious renovation stuff can begin ..... Right here in CULEBRA .... After all, we have Mark and Willie on "LIAHONA" anchored right behind us ...... Now what could be better than that ..... Hard to beat the 'resource' of a couple who have owned a sistership for more than fourteen years and who know every inch of the design ..... In any case, CULEBRA is that 'Pot of Gold' right beneath the rainbow or maybe it is the yacht "KRILL" with friends Michael and Ursula, who we first met in the Dominican Republic several years ago ........ I'm telling you, this place is COLOURFUL ............P.S. ...... "ARITA" is still for sale .... Check out www.stthomasyachts.com and look under 'ALDEN CUSTOM' .....
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