4/27 Monday

This is a sweet little boat in the harbour. A captain has been hired to take it to Martinique...he reports that anything over 2 feet brings the engine out of the water.












Sunday 4/26 we went over to Puerto Blanco Marina for the weekly swap meet and buffet that is attended by cruisers and a few local vendors. There is a lady who does sewing and canvas work, so we took her two of our enclosure windows for zipper replacement. We have learned that regular application of chapstick will prevent the zippers from deteriorating, but these two were on their way to zipper heaven before we left Florida and before we learned that trick. We also picked up a couple of courtesy flags for Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands; a courtesy flag of the host country is flown after checking in. Our friend Marcel was selling his riding sail so we relieved him of it. A riding sail serves to somewhat stabilize the boat at anchor and reduce swinging on the anchor. I learned that Paula from S/V Exuma Grouper does haircuts, and since my hair was getting very long and heavy, I had myself a cut for $10. There are no Aveda salons here. I guess there was a discrepancy over the meaning of two inches but not to worry. We also met Bruce Van Zant, who lives here in Luperon and is the author of Passages South, the cruising guide for this part of the world.
After the swap meet, we enjoyed a buffet lunch with our friends. For the afternoon activity, we hiked over to the beach on the other side of the island and at the entrance to this harbor. We enjoyed the crashing surf and beach activity, camping out for a bit on a resort patio that overlooked the ocean. We short-cutted through the property to get back to the main road and encountered a few feathered friends.

This is Craig, me with too short hair and Bruce.

Craig prepares for a high dive.

A cowboy rode his horse up to the beach...

On a side note, Skip and I experimented with cooking plantains which can be eaten at any stage of ripeness. When they are green, they are much like a potato. When they are ripe, they are much more like the bananas which they resemble. We quartered and pan-fried in a bit of olive oil and butter, with a sprinkle of brown sugar at the end…delicioso!!

Monday 4/27/09
An excellent rainbow…may be a sign from above that we can go soon. Skip photo-shopped two pictures of it together to simulate the view.