The bashing east continues but so does the fun on the island of Vieques

The locals told us if you want to get along the south coast of Puerto Rico at this time of year then best do it in little hops leaving at sunrise when all is calm before the trade winds kick up the sea. So we did. Boquerón to La Parguera to Ponce to Salinas then onto the island of Vieques just off the east coast of Puerto Rico. Still motoring but only for 4 hours a day. Before we left Boquerón we were chatting to some locals who asked if we were going to music festival on Vieques. Why not we thought. So when we got to Vieques, anchored in Esperanza bay, the town next to the festival site bay. We took the dinghy around to the next bay, it was a little hairy, but when we got there it was worth it.

The music was great and the people so friendly. We befriended Omah, his wife and sister in law who came across from Puerto Rico on their jet skis with the zillion other jet skis and speed boats. Only 7 miles but the seas where really rough. Nutters!!

A truly wonderful day, great people and great music. The other thing about the island of Vieques are the wild horses. They are everywhere. 

I 💖Puerto Rico. Then it was time to continue our bashing east to St Croix, one of the US Virgin islands. Another rubbish journey but on arrival we were greeted by some pilot whales. In fact we nearly ran them over. St Croix is one of the quieter of the USVIs and has a lot of reefs approaching Christiansted. You don't approach at night. There were a lot of sunken sailboat which is quite worrying when entering a new port. We only came here to fuel up so dropped the anchor for the night and went to the marina the next day. What a friendly place St Croix marina is. Three chaps came out to help us tie up and when we were done they said. "Take your time, don't rush off we'll give you plenty of notice if we need you to move." Unlike all the other fuel docks we've ever visited. We will defo be going back there. (With the wind behind us, of course) We didn't take any photos, strangely. Time to continue, hopefully for the last time, bashing east to Guadeloupe. We stopped at Jacques Cousteau island as there is a Carrefour by the dinghy dock and Mandy needed cheese and wine. We been here loads before and got a great space near the dinghy dock and stocked up on cheese and wine. There was lots of sargassum one evening and everyone had to row their dinghies as it was so thick you couldn't use your outboard. Good job we were close in. Very entertaining watching everyone battling through the sargassum.

So, we thought, that is the end of bashing into the weather. It's all southerly champagne sailing to Bequai from here. Yeh right!!! Lumpy seas and wind varying between 8 and 30 knots. Anyway we finally arrived in Bequai, 1 year to the day since the last time here. Just in time for Mandy's birthday again. We met up with our old friends Joe and Vicci on Dolce and the fun began.

We went to a dinghy disco

Then time to move on south. We followed Joe and Vicci. 10 miles a day through the Grenadines. Firstly Canouan where we went ashore to the world famous Pizza train (Well it was on below decks apparently) It is actually a railway carriage brought over from the UK years ago to help with hurricane recovery. All these islands have been recently battered by hurricane Beryl and are still in the process of being rebuilt. We had a wee rain shower while ashore, great to clean all the salt off the boat.

Then onto Union island to check out of St Vincent and the Grenadines. The easiest check out ever. A chap comes to your boat and takes all your documents and returns a few hours later. He also took our rubbish. He was a very happy chap, smoking his weed and standing in his dinghy, dancing his way around the bay. Next stop Carriacou to check into Grenada. Champagne sailing all the way. We cruised along on a flat sea at 7 knots all the way. Dolce, towing their dinghy, got 10.5 knots. Great clip of us sailing as they passed us.

So this is our journey since leaving The Cayman islands beginning of March. Cayman, Florida keys, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St Croix, Guadaloupe, Bequai, Canouan, Union island and Carriacou. 2,226 nautical miles all into the wind and waves. With, we have just found out, unseasonably higher wave heights and wind speeds. It was hell, never again, well hard to say because the places we have been were amazing it was just the travelling in between burning loads of diesel. We are now going to slow down.

Next stop Grenada for 5 months which will fly as we have many essential boat jobs. Also lots of fun with Joe and Vicci and all our other cruiser friends. And we are getting visits from our friends Chris, Karen, Tim and Ali. I'm very exciting and not just because we are not bashing into it anymore.