Sunday, April 26, 2009

The Buoys of Culebra

We decided to move Astarte around the island and anchor away from downtown and closer to some snorkeling sites. We raised anchor on Saturday morning and by 1030 we were on the first mooring bouyof the trip. We caught it on the first try!!! It is a Department of Natural Resources mooring ball and looks brand new. Michael dove it to make sure all was good. It was.

Brand New Mooring Bouy

Mooring Tied to Astarte - A Nice Bridle!

We tied up near Playa Melona and unbelievably, we were the only boat out there – though there are plenty of mooring bouys in the area. Our guess is that the weather isn’t that great so Puerto Ricans who come to the island for weekends – probably didn’t make the trip this week.

After getting tied up – Michael started to make water (another reason to move – didn’t want to make water in the town harbor). Then we jumped in and did a little bottom cleaning. Michael finished while Barbara went snorkeling around. We were each adopted by a tiny orange fish that stayed with us throughout our time in the water. Barbara’s followed her on the entire swim to the beach and back to the boat. They were fearless little guys – about two inches long…and would swim in front of your mask and stay very close to you.

After getting out of the water – the rain started. It gave us a bit of a rinse – but soon got too cold. The rain continued all afternoon – some light showers followed by heavy downpours. This was the first real day of rain we’ve had since we left. We’ve experienced a few showers but nothing this consistent and this long. So it was time to collect some rainwater, do a little laundry, rinse off wet suits and dive gear and wash down the boat.
Waiting for the Rinse Cycle (aka: A Downpour)
Michael put up the rain gutters he made prior to leaving. They are sunbrella and zip to the bimini (sunshade) top. It has a nozzle at one end to which he attaches a hose. A bucket under the hose and voila – a rain collector. The bucket got filled numerous times this way – enough to do a small load of wash, rinse out shoes, cook pasta, wash dishes and we still have lots left. Cool.
Rain Gutter in Action
Bucket Collecting Lots 'o Fresh Rainwater
We spent the night here. No internet here – so no skyping, phone calls or web surfing. It was a night of reading after a nice shrimp pasta dinner.

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