Good friends, good food, and a Sailor Cat!

March 26-28, 2010 sailing Salinas-Coffin Island-Salinas.

We sold our house on Wednesday and have been living on Orion since Tuesday...a total change of life style...we are enjoying it tremendously, together with our 18 year old cat Whiskers. Our good friends Jim and Pat from Ponce joined us from Friday to Sunday for a weekend of sailing and relaxation. We had a great time at Drake's on Friday evening, where we munched German Bratwurst with Sauerkraut on a bun. Saturday we left the dock for Coffin Island. The wind...what wind? Hmmm...we had to motor-sail all the way to Coffin Island...so much for the weather forecast which had promised 14 knot winds. Of course we enjoyed the trip...the sea posed for us with a mirror-like surface and "flying fish" were jumping all over the place. Whiskers found a nice place below deck, curled herself up, and went to sleep. She is a real sailor cat now, who does not fear the sea at all! She liked Jim and Pat immediately and felt totally relaxed.

The captain even caught a fish...a King Mackerel...but I must admit to our shame that it got away at the last minute. Ah well, it was better that the fish lived, because we had too much food with us anyways. No need to be greedy! After setting anchor at Coffin Island we had lunch and then went for a swim. Our friends Richard and Mercedes arrived on their boat Andariego. Of course we all enjoyed each others company and the company of Richard and Mercedes dog Copper. He is still a puppy, albeit a big one, being a golden retriever, and his energy seems endless. Such fun!

Later on we had snacks, featuring bio tomatoes from our friends Marianne and Frank from Salinas. They grow their own tomatoes...and let me tell you...they are out of this world!
We enjoyed the setting of the sun with sundowners and a delicious dinner prepared by the BBQ Chef himself. Grilled chicken breast with pineapple slices and grilled zucchini...yummy, yummy, yummy.

We had a wonderful calm night at anchor. The next morning the sea was churning and the wind was blowing. So much for the weather forecast which predicted winds of 10-12 knots. We had a great time in and out of the water. Our friends Richard and Mercedes on Andariego had left the evening before but returned in the morning with a bunch of their friends. By about 1430 it was time for us to leave. The wind was blowing pretty hard. We stowed everything below deck, so that things would not fly around, which can happen when you have to sail upwind. We set both sails and went on our way. It felt like we were flying through the water...the wind blew a steady 20 knots with gusts of 25-28 knots...pretty exciting stuff. Half way between Coffin Island and Salinas we switched on the Diesel and rolled in the foresail, because the wind and the current were right on our nose. The Captain navigated inside of some of the small islands rather than facing the open sea in order to protect us from the onslaught of waves and current, when it happened...POP...some kind of a popping noise above my head. Couldn't figure it out until I stretched my neck and looked beyond the bimini...there it was...a big tear in the main sail! Our main sail is pretty old and we already knew that we need to replace it before we go full time cruising next year...but here and now? Ah well, better this way than any other way. Could have been much worse, like somewhere unknown in the middle of nowhere! Okay...we kept our calm and guided Orion further behind the lee of the islands where we are protected from wind and current. I took over the helm and the Captain went on deck to let down the main sail. We managed it just fine. Jim and Pat are real troopers, because they never got nervous or anything...Pat continued to read her book and Jim sat next to her. God bless them! We had a somewhat bumpy ride back to Salinas and our dock. Needless to say we were relieved when Orion was tied up to the dock and resting. Our main sail will get repaired. Luckily we have good sail-makers in Salinas...yap...our friends Marianne and Frank who grow tomatoes. All is well that ends well. Since Orion is our home now we did not even have to drive back to Ponce again! Instead we enjoyed another nice meal...delicious Hamburgers...at Drake's with Jim and Pat and thereafter cheese cake and coffee in the marina restaurant. What a wonderful finish to a wonderful weekend. Thanks guys.

The dream is coming true...sold the house and moved onto Orion!

You haven't heard from us in a while...but with good reason...we were in the process of selling our house...listed it with Evi Antommattei of Ponce Properties Real Estate only six weeks ago and CLOSED ON THE HOUSE TODAY, March 24, 2010!!!!! Here you see us at the PPR office together with the attorney, Evi, and the new owners. It was a match made in heaven, really and truly! Evi is the President of Ponce Properties Real Estate and she and her company are the best brokers in the whole of Ponce. We are convinced of that. Thank you to all involved!

Our old house has found great new owners, and we are freeeeeeee. This is the start of our new life on-board Orion, our beautiful Morgan 41 Out Island sail boat. Our 18 year old cat Whiskers also loves her new home :o) Stay tuned to the adventures of the now live-aboard "Co-Captains" Rick and Sue.

Yes, I say "Co-Captains", because the former "only captain" has promoted the former "first mate" to that position. How kewl is that :o)

Sailing, Sailing, Sailing

March 13-14, 2010 Sailing Salinas-Coffin Island-Salinas

Saturday morning we left around 0930 to our usual destination Coffin Island. It was a nice morning and there even was a breeze going! We set sail soon after leaving the marina. The Captain switched off the Diesel and off we went under full sail. The First Mate was dozing in the cockpit, trying to fight off a bad cold, but nevertheless enjoying the nice breeze that carried us all the way to Coffin Island...Woohoo what a wonderful sail :o) It took us only about two and a half hours to arrive at our destination. In the distance we could see another sail boat under full sail, sailing from Ponce to Coffin Island.

How fun when we realized it was "Andariego" with our friends Richard and Mercedes! They arrived at exactly the same time as we did...how about that for perfect timing? They anchored close by and we all met at the beach for some fun and conversations. Richard and Mercedes will bring their new puppy "Copper", a setter, next time to get him used to being on their sail boat, so that he can become a boat dog and accompany them on trips. It will be interesting to see how he will fare on the high seas :o)
Below are some pictures of Richard and Mercedes, who have become such good friends of ours.

Before we joined them at the beach we had lunch on Orion. An easy fix, consisting of ham and cheese sandwiches (whole wheat bread) and potato chips...just the right thing to kill the hunger until dinner time. After spending some time at the beach we each retreated to our boat and soon thereafter Andariego left to go back to Ponce. We waved them bye-bye until next weekend.

Soon it was dinner time. The Captain turned into the BBQ Chef. He grilled chicken breasts with onion and pineapple and Swiss cheese whilst I prepared green beans.

We sat down for another gourmet dinner on Orion...grilled chicken breast, seasoned with Tuscan sea salt, black pepper, and Rosemary, topped with a slice of pineapple and Swiss cheese, accompanied by grilled onion and green beans seasoned with Worcestershire Sauce. Ahhh...the joys of the sailing life :o)

We had a good night's sleep. The next day we saw a sail boat approaching our anchorage. It was our friend Captain Ricky with a boat load of crew on "Zorimar". It is so fun to see the somewhat younger generation enjoy time on a sail boat. Way to go Ricky and crew :o)

Then it was time to leave for us. We pulled anchor and went on our way. Again the winds were in our favor and we enjoyed sailing back all the way to Salinas under full sails. We did not see any dolphins, whales, or manatees this time...but it sure was a tremendous feeling to just hear the water splashing against Orion's hull, the wind whistling ever so softly, and to watch the endless turquoise ocean. Thank you God. We are so blessed!

Good friends, Spanish Mackerel, and a cold front passing through!

March 5-7, 2010 Sailing Salinas-Coffin Island-Salinas
The weekend was fabulous despite a cold front going through. Friday night is BBQ night at Marina Salinas. It is a great place to mingle under the mangroves and enjoy ribs, chicken, and sausages straight from the grill. Below are pics of the BBQ Chef at the marina, our friendly waitresses, and the guitarist. Yes, there is even life music! Our friends Jim and Pat drove up from Ponce to join us for the evening. Drinks on Orion, BBQ at the marina, Night Cap at Drake's...Great friends...great times! Check out the pictures below.Thank you guys :o)

Nancy and Luis, the owners of Drake's, are our friends also. Luis makes the best Hamburgers in Salinas and real German sausages from Casa Bavaria with Sauerkraut. We love Drake's. It's a rustic down to earth place. When you are special, you even get to sign the wall :o)

Saturday we woke up to some not so nice weather. A cold front was moving through and left the sky grey, the temperature chilly, and the air moist. Ugh. We nevertheless went on our merry way to Coffin Island, leaving the marina around midday. Since the jinx is now broken forever, the captain caught his first fish somewhere off Coffin Island. But...the fish got eaten by a bigger fish before he could reel it in! Perseverance, however, pays and soon thereafter a nice Spanish Mackerel was on the line :o) That was all we needed for the day, so the fishing rod got put to rest, the fish got cleaned and cut into fillets. I am so lucky to be married to this captain :o)

We anchored at Coffin Island and celebrated life with a glass of wine and some snacks...even a rainy, cold, and miserable day is fun when we are together on Orion :o) We left Coffin Island early Sunday morning under still cloudy skies, even sailed under full sails for quite a while...passed Rivera's beautiful sail boat at the entrance to Salinas harbor...docked Orion at the marina...prepared a gourmet meal at our house...Mackerel fillets in a crust of a touch of breading, sea salt, black pepper, and rosemary, pork chops, baked Italian fries and baked cauliflower topped with cheese. Ready now for next weekend :o)