December 9
        Subject: Log 12/9/99
        Date: 12 Dec 1999
        From: <rudys@pocketmail.com
        
        
        We left Salinas, PR, early on Monday. We didn't have a bad day but it was
        indicative of things to come. It was a nice day with the wind directly in our faces.
        In the light of the early morning the seas were relatively calm and the winds had
        yet to build. We were planning only a few hours of running to stay out of the
        afternoon winds and higher seas. By the time we were approaching our destination,
        Puerto Patillas, the seas had built to the point that our forward progress was almost
        zero at times when we encountered several large waves in a row. We were ready
        for our anchorage for the evening.
        
        We were the only boat in the anchorage. It proved to be a little rolly but we still
        had a good nights sleep. We again left early the next morning to gain the calming
        effect of the land mass of Puerto Rico. Tuesday didn't fare as well though. Again
        we only planned to travel for a few hours to minimize the abuse and stress of
        motoring directly to windward. We actually traveled almost 6 hours to make our
        turn around the Southeast corner of Puerto Rico. Our destination was Palmas Del
        Mar. We encountered many squalls and rain with winds gusting over 30kts. We
        were averaging probably around 3.5kts for the day. Again, at times it did feel as
        though we were going backwards with the effects of the wind, rain and current.
        Entering our anchorage for the evening was a little tricky as following swells were
        significant across the small entrance between the breakwaters. Once inside with flat
        seas, clouds and rain we rested after the ordeal of the day.
        
        Palmas Del Mar is by far the most picturesque harbor we have found to date. It
        actually looked as though we were in Europe, Italy or maybe even Greece. The
        homes on the hills surrounding the harbor were generally large, in various colors
        with extensive landscaping. As night drew near each villa displayed a more
        elaborate light scheme than the next. The hills were alight with shadows, lighted
        walkways, beautiful balconies, lighted private beaches and beautiful highlights to
        the  individual homes. It was a real treat! We were too tired to get into the town so
        we probably missed a treat.
        
        Because of the conditions we experienced we decided we would probably stay a
        day or so until we could make our next jump in decent conditions. I woke early on
        Wednesday morning to light wind conditions. The anchorage was again rolly
        caused by the surge entering between the breakwaters. At daybreak another sailing
        vessel came from the inner harbor and ventured past the breakwaters. It looked to
        me as 
        
        though she was making good progress in the light conditions. We had chosen about
        a 2 hour trip for our next jump to the Northwest end of the Spanish Virgin Island
        of Viequez to a place called Punta Arenas. There was another boat anchored there
        when we arrived. The water was clear, calm and inviting. Faith and I donned our
        snorkel gear and swam for the beach. It was really nice to have a decent place to
        swim and snorkel. The trip over did take a little more than 2 hours. I woke Faith
        up shortly after the other boat left and we made ready for a quick departure. I am
        glad we did. Only the last « hour had significant seas to slow our progress. It was
        a good day!
        
        Today is Thursday, Dec 9. We did another couple of hours this morning. I actually
        didn't think we would because we had squalls and high winds through most of the
        night. We were planning to leave by 6:00am but we had over 20kts of wind at that
        time. By 7:00am things had quieted down. The squalls looked as though they had
        stopped for a while so we made our move. Our destination today was Puerto Del
        Rey, the largest marina in the Caribbean. This is the first time we are tied to a dock
        since we left the US. We were looking forward to a nice shore side shower and a
        nice restaurant for dinner. 
        
        See the next Log!