After several days of solitude we decided to try and locate some friends we met earlier. They had all moved on to Culebra in the Spanish VI. So, off we went, from Francis Bay St John to meet up with them 30 miles to the west. It was rainy, 20 kts winds and 15 ft seas, but safely inside Phantom we didn’t notice much. This boat can take a lot more than we can. We’d look out and see those poor people bouncing up and down on their sailboats with no way to get out of the wind and rain. I’m SO glad that we have this boat! We dropped our hook 4 hrs later in Ensenada Honda Bay. The bay is horseshoe shaped and protected at the entrance by a reef. It was very still and quiet.
The next day we explored Dewey, the only town on Culebra. It has a very laid back atmosphere. The town consisted of four restaurants of various cuisines, 2 small grocery stores and a wonderful little bakery. The islands inhabitants are a mix of Puerto Ricans and a few American ex-patriots who have made the island their home. We met up with our new friends in town for lunch, and one of the cruising ladies was celebrating her birthday. Later on we invited everyone over for cocktails and a tour of our boat.
After a few days we all moved over to Culebrita, an even smaller uninhabited island. In the afternoon we went to the “Jacuzzis”. It’s a shallow pool that’s partially open to the northern swells. When the water comes rushing in, swirling water creates a whirlpool of bubbles. Watching it under water with a mask and snorkel was thrilling. The tiny schools of fish would ebb and flow with the whirling water.
After spending a very rolly night at anchor we said good-bye and moved to a calm secluded anchorage back on Culebra. It was almost totally surrounded by the reef so we could sit on our boat and feel like we were in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. It was somewhat disconcerting, but the water was totally flat and calm. We stayed there several nights and slept well.
At 7:30 am on the SSB, sea conditions for cruisers are given by “Chris Parker”. They tell him where they are and where they plan to go and he’ll give the wind speed and wave height along with predicted weather forecast. At 8 a.m. the “Coconut Telegraph” comes on over the SSB radio. Boats from all over the Caribbean check in with their locations, from as far away as Grenada and Aruba. It’s a way for people to keep in touch with one other. At the beginning of every session the moderator asks, “new cruisers come now”. We have been debating whether we qualify since we’re not long term cruisers. We are certainly meeting some interesting people along our travels.
The last week of January we motored back to St Thomas to await the arrival of Dayle’s sister Cindy and her husband Ray. Phantom sat quietly in 15 ft of crystal clear water at Brewer Bay located at the southwestern end of the island. The Virgin Island University is there. We used their dinghy dock so we could catch the bus into town. The airport was just a ¼ mi away. Watching the planes take off and land was mesmerising. We sat with our drinks and watched perfect sunsets.
