July 31, 2012

Dear Bloggers:

I see you are back for more….what a gluten for punishment.  Seriously!

Good news! Bad news! 

Splash day was Saturday at 12:00 noon.  Don took her back over to the Marina. Our plan was to leave Tuesday (today) and start heading down the south coast and on to Salinas, BUT woke to really bad weather, so we are still in Puerto Real.  Our boat P2S looks beautiful on the outside, but was and is a mess on the inside.  When they fiber glassed it simply got the dust everywhere.  We are still wiping down the entire boat.  The only part of the boat that was semi clean was our bedroom, which was nice.  I will keep you posted about trip as it happens…………..

One day when Don and I were a little bored we went back to Rincon and found out that we could ride horses.  He wasn’t as crazy about the idea as I was, but he agreed to go back with me the next day.  My brother, Dan always asks me, what do you do all day when you aren’t working on the boat?  Well, here is one thing we did.

When I was 10-17 years old I had a horse named Sally.  She was a great horse, black with a white star and four white stockings.  So I love horses and loved to ride.  But I haven’t ridden a horse in several years.  Now Don doesn’t share the love that I hold for horses, but he is a good sport.  A while back we went down to Rincon, also on the west coast where the surfers go and it has a beautiful lighthouse.  I told you about this in an earlier blog.  While we visited we found a place to ride horses on the beach, so Don took me back. It was a 2 hour trail ride.  The horses were teamed up well with the riders and the guide was amazing.  She took the time for basic training to review the dos and don’ts. We walked and trotted along the Faro lighthouse (I had the lighthouse in the other blog) and rode on the spectacular beach as well as some trails in the forest.  The scenery was amazing.

Since we had visited Rincon earlier on our own (where the surfers go), it was nice to see it in a different perspective.  Don didn’t have near as much fun as I did, but didn’t complain.

Until next time…..Hasta la vista

Don and Janis s/v Plane to Sea

July 27, 2012

Dear Bloggers,

You’re back!!! Glad you are. More punishment available!!

Today I am in Salinas.  Don and his new friend have gone back to San Juan.  1.  To get dinghy, 2. To see about windows.  The man in Mayaguez could not bend them.  So we are back to square one.  He has 3 places he can try.  The dinghy place assures us that the dinghy is fixed this time around. 

We were delayed on the boat splash because of rain and also a holiday.  So we are moved to Saturday.  If not then, it will be Monday the 30^th.  The boat has been on the hard for a month now.  But really I’m not discouraged at all.  They have done a great job and we have seen how hard they have worked.  Things take time, especially the painting.  I also found a place in the boat that they had forgotten to fiber glass, so they did that yesterday and they painted our platform yesterday also.  The window frames go into today. Yea, then on to Salinas next week for metal work.

The last time we went down to Boquerón to the beach we ate at this place that had 3lb lobsters. We ordered one and it cost us $60.00. It was big, but still a ripe off and you know Don about spending money, but it was his idea, thank goodness.  See picture below:

Holly has been posting my posts for me, since I am toooo stupid to figure it out.  This week we have had some trouble on my end with the emails sending.  Not sure what is wrong, But I write on……….

All Blog Readers, Holly will be 30 on October 15^th. Mark it on your calendars, BIG 3-0!!!!  Is she older than dirt, or am I older than dirt.  Boy, my baby is turning 30.  WOW that is making me feel really old.  See below picture of Holly and the girls.  Maddy 4, Hannah 17 months.  Aren’t they adorable??

The weather has been questionable with a lot of Tropical waves.  At least every 6 days we have high seas and wind with some squalls.  So we will only be able to travel in the early mornings for about 4 hours or so, when the seas are calmer.  It will take two days to get to Salinas doing it that way.  But since we don’t have a Bimini, we would be out of the sun in the afternoons and in the air conditioning.  The sun can be brutal down here.  We don’t have too good of a tan, because we really try to stay out of the sun.  We know that when we swim and snorkel we will be in the sun then, and that is plenty.

I have some friends that have blogs that have been traveling and have a lot of pictures and really good stories.  I’m going to ask them if I can pass along their blog address, because I feel you would enjoy reading them.  Very entertaining and beautiful pictures.

Hasta la vista, baby,

We send our love-Don and Janis s/v Plane to Sea

July 26, 2012

Dear Blog Readers,

Well, I see you are back for some more punishment.

Today, I’m going to talk about my latest ocean wonder.  “The Manatee”.  These animals are amazing to me.  Like other mammals, manatees breathe air.  Their very large lungs are also used for buoyancy control. (I guess I have very large lungs, I am very buoyant. He he) 

Really this goes back to Georgetown when we met Rod and Evelyne from St. Petersburg, Florida.  They are really a neat couple and they sail on a 36 ‘Goddard sailboat named Manatee.  They were telling us the story about how they came across their boat and the story when they first met a Manatee.  They both love to swim and they had gone swimming in Florida close by their home.  People in the water were shouting that there were manatee’s in the water.  Rod and Evelyne started looking around and sure enough there were some Manatee’s. The two of them watched them swim by and all of a sudden one of the manatee’s turned and came right up to Rod.  It raised its head out of the water and looked Rod right in the eye.  Rod said, “Hello” and then the manatee swam away.  Don started teasing Rod about it and said that was what he said when he met his wife in France, “Hell-----oooo”. 

So, I had my first encounter with a manatee just a few weeks ago.  Don and I were in Salinas and he was working on the mast.  I walked down to the dock where Don is working on the mast.   I sat down on the dock and suddenly there were two manatee swimming and dancing everywhere.  They put on a show for me.  I jumped up and shouted for Don to come.  He barely got there in time to see them.  So neat!  Since then I have seen them several times.  They are a family and they love to show off.  The little one is always close to her mom.  I mean the calf is always close to the cow.  Pardon me!

The manatees live in warmer water and are abundant in Florida and the Caribbean.  But today the greatest threat to manatees comes from human beings.  Being herbivores, manatees must stay in shallow coastal waters or rivers where vegetation is abundant.  Of course, this is where we boaters like to hang out too.  That is why in so many places the speed limit is 5mph to watch out for the manatees.  (In shallow water)  So the next time you come into a cove, around shallow water, please go slow, and watch out for manatees.  If you take the time to get to know about manatees, you’ll come to realize that they aren’t sea monsters at all (as some people claim), but warm, social, lovable animals.  See picture below of a manatee.

Monday, Don went to San Juan.  I stayed in Puerto Real at the Hotel.  I got to sleep in until the maid woke me up.  She felt so bad.  I got up and went to the pool.  I was alone and it was so peaceful.  I loved it!  I read for 1 ½ hours and it was pure bliss.  I got to watch my soap opera today for the first time in months.  Of course, that is all you need to watch soap, you can catch up so fast.

Don went to SJ to pick up the pipe he had bent, get the extra sunbrella, buy lifelines and more lines AND hopefully our dinghy.  The extra sunbrella is for our genoa.  The trim around the sail was destroyed by the ship, so it is being replaced with new.

It hasn’t rained during the day this week.  So they have been working on our boat.  Thursday and Friday they will put our windows in and hopefully we go in the water on Saturday.  Each day it changes and yes it is just about to drive me crazy.  It has been 3 weeks in a hotel and I’m (we) are so ready to get back on the boat.

Hasta la vista, gente (see ya later, people)

Don and Janis s/v Plane to Sea

July 25, 2012

Hello blog readers,

If you are reading this you are probably bored to tears or love me.  Only you know the answer to that remark.  Regardless, I’m glad you are reading.  Read on, it might just be fun!

Breathtaking views at the Cobo Rojo Lighthouse:

Don and I visited the Faro Los Morrillos, known to the locals as El Faro.  The Lighthouse is located in the South West tip of Puerto Rico.  It is about a 25 minute drive from where we are in Puerto Real.  Breathtaking is the only way to describe the beauty.   A 200 foot red limestone cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea is a picture perfect scene. The National Park is about 587 acres.  The Lighthouse was built in 1881 by the Spanish government.  It is much more than just the Lighthouse. Blue Flag Beach and Cove of Playa Sucia was loaded with people.  Playa in Spanish means Beach.  I learned that first, does that surprise you? 

It has been raining each day.  It doesn’t rain all day, but it stops the work and progress on the boat and the guys go home.  Especially today, it is Friday, who wouldn’t go home early on Friday.  Don is back down here trying to put the windlass back on, but is having some problems.  Somehow the screws won’t go back in and he said there wasn’t enough room.  So back to hardware store we go to get a different size.  They have finished painting the boat.  They put the rough, grainy, non-slippery paint on the top this past Wednesday.  Since then, not much progress made.  They need 1 ½ days to polish and buff it out, put windows in and hatches back on tightly.  Then they are going to help Don and I put the rub rail on with 5200.  So, we are probably looking at another 3 days without rain, but that doesn’t look good around here until next Wednesday.  We are OK with that, because they don’t have our dinghy ready anyway.  We took it back for the second time and it’s not fixed as of today.  The mast is pretty much ready.  Don has drilled the holes and put the mounts on for the radar and tabernacle.  I washed and polished the mast last week and it looks real nice and pretty.  Don has mounted new lights on the top and middle of the mast.  He has also mounted our antenna for VHF and Wi-Fi at the top of the mast. He had to make a few adjustments to the spreaders, but they are level and back on the mast.  He cut the cables and put the safety turnbuckle on all 6 cables.  Still has the back stay to do, but won’t take very long to do this. We have gotten a couple of bids on setting the mast, but we are still uncertain as to where this will be done.  We will use either Ponce or Salinas for the mast.  All other metal work and canvas work will be done in Salinas.  We have to go to San Juan on Monday to pick up a pipe that Don had bent for our Bimini.  We also have to pick up 6 extra yards of Black Sunbrella, more lines and our lifeline cable.   Enough about the boat, but I will keep you informed.

 I was reading the other day in a magazine about a guy named Charlie.  I thought this to be so true and I know that our boat buddies will love this.  It is called “Sailing with Charlie”.  High tech systems and user friendly equipment on yachts have improved dramatically over the years.  Furling systems for sails, from slab to in-mast and in-boom are an example.  Electric winches and windlasses are another as well as a plethora of electronic navigation aids.  But what happens when they don’t work?

Charlie once saw an in-mast furling sail on a boat that was tied to the dock with just the ragged edge of the sail protruding from the mast.  Someone had cut away the whole sail, from head to tack, presumably in an emergency after it jammed.

Throttle cables are also prone to failure and potential catastrophic accidents.  One day Charlie was on a large catamaran and was approaching a mooring ball in the crowed anchorage.  The boat was equipped with single lever (throttle and shift) engine controls for each engine.  He put the starboard (right) engine in reverse to line up the boat perfectly and stop.  The boat immediately shot forward.  People on nearby boats started shouting, screaming and waving their arms.  Charlie put the port (left) engine in reverse to avoid a nasty collision and the boat immediately swung in a tight circle…backwards.  They mayhem on board was intense.  Charlie tried reverse again on starboard – same thing, the boat shot forward.  Whilst the boat was merrily pirouetting in circles, by a miracle one of the other boats managed to snag the mooring line and hook it over a cleat.  Immediately Charlie put both engines in neutral and breathed a sigh of relief.  It didn’t take long to discover that the transmission cable had snapped while the engine was in forward – the throttle was still working fine.

Several hours later, after a call to the base, the charter company’s mechanic pulled up alongside in the ‘chase boat’.  It didn’t take long to change the broken transmission cable but Charlie suggested that the throttle cable be changed too; after all, they were probably the same age.  The mechanic, though, had a different solution, “Noo mon, we doesn’t do it like dat.  You see, it’s like dis.  Say, in about five years you die---but de wife could last anudder ten years. Y’unnerstand’?”  With a smile and high five he was gone.  It obviously came under the heading of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.

Sometime later Charlie was checking over another large catamaran just prior to leaving the dock on a week-long trip.  In the engine room he noticed the oil fill cap had not been replaced after the mechanic’s fluid level check.  The potential for massive oil spray in the engine compartment was irrefutable.  He mentioned it to the head mechanic-but he was un-phased.  “you see, it’s like dis.  You go to de doctor and have a complete checkup:  heart, blood, urine sample and so on…clean bill of health.  Then de nex’ week you drop dead of a stroke.  Y’unnerstan’?”  Charlie walked away shaking his head trying to figure out the logic.  It obviously came under the heading of ‘shit happens’.

Charlie’s tip:  Keep throttle and transmission cables well-greased at all times.  If the engine control levers at the helmsman’s station become stiff there’s probably corrosion.  Change the cables immediately.  Finally, always keep your sense of humor!

Somehow these stories relate to me, can you figure that out?  I bet you can….the bad news is Don Furness is along; the good news is Don Furness is along.  We send our love to all.

Hasta la vista baby,

Don and Janis s/v Plane to Sea

July 17, 2012

Buenos Diaz blog readers,

We are still in beautiful Puerto Real, P.R.  Our boat is almost ready to be moved to Salinas, P.R. They will be painting the top tomorrow and we will put the windows in on Thursday or Friday.  Hopefully leave here on Monday or Tuesday of next week.  But you know sail boaters can’t have too many plans, they never work out and your plans change, so you just go with the flow and we will leave when all things are completed.  My two brothers tell me, “You changed your plans again.” I just laugh and say yes we did.

Don and I were driving down the road and came up behind two bicycles, one bike with one person and the other bike with two people.  Both people on the bikes were holding on to a horse’s tail while the horse trotted down the street.  Of course, the horse had a person on his back, but the horse was pulling two bikes by his tail.  It was so funny, we laughed our butts off.

Everybody needs to come to either the D.R. or P.R. at least once in their lives.  It has been a real good experience for both of us.  Not to mention it has made us laugh so much.  We have laughed with the waitress, gas attendant, marina workers, hotel staff; you name it we have all laughed.  Everyone has been so friendly to us and we really can’t say one thing bad about P.R.  The people here get a big kick out of helping us with our Spanish.  We have been making flash cards to help us.  We already know over 1000 words.  We are having trouble putting the words into sentences.  We like trying to learn.  It has been fun.

Earlier we were sitting at the marina watching the pelicans fly around and then dive into the water for the fish.  I was laughing and asking Don why don’t they break their wings when they hit the water and he said Janis, I think they have it figured out.  We are enjoying life, I can tell you that and we are enjoying being with each other.  This retirement is wonderful!

The last time we were in San Juan I took these pictures of these parrots or cock-a-too or something.  Don begged to get in the picture, but I held him back.  You know what I mean when I say I hold him back.

Don’s hair is still bald, oh shoot, I mean blonde.  He will kill me if he finds out I posted this picture.  This is what he looks like sleeping.  Lovely hair.

Today is Tuesday and we are going to Salinas again to work on the mast.  We have to pass right thru Ponce.  The drive isn’t bad at all and I do get to see the ocean as we travel.  Ponce has everything you can possibly need----  Wal-Mart, Sam’s, Office Depot, Office Max, K-Mart, everything.  They also have a great mall.  Really what we have seen of Puerto Rico, you can get anything that the states have.  Even the first town we were in had everything we needed-----ATT, K-Mart, Radio Shack, Wal-Mart and lots of good eating places.  This was Mayaguez and they too have a great mall.  Ponce, is called the Pearl of the South and the region’s largest city and is about an hour to San Juan.  Leaving Ponce to travel to San Juan is a beautiful drive; the scenery is spectacular with beautiful mountain views.  Of course San Juan has West Marine!!!!!!!

We got to Ponce just in time for lunch.  We had chicken on a stick and yucca.  Yucca is so good.   Inside it has pork and I had to get two.  Delicious!   I know my sanitarian friends back home would have a fit about the things we have been trying here.  Trucks on the side of the road are the very best of all.  Sorry Jeff and Marshall.  Maybe they won’t be reading this at all.

When we got to Salinas, Don dropped me off at the lodge and I started sorting clothes.  Wash day is here already?  I hate wash day.

If anyone wants to visit, there is pretty nice lodge here at Salinas where we stay, with a pool.  You can stay with us, but it gets a little crowded.  If you don’t mind up close and personal come on, we would love to have you.  Wow there is so much to do in Puerto Rico.  You could come and stay 2 weeks and not see everything you would like to.  It isn’t that big, just a lot to do and see.  You wouldn’t believe the parks they have here for all the kids.  Amazing!!

I have mentioned that the oysters here are very small, no more the size of a clam.  The lobsters are huge 3lbs and the little lobsters are called crawfish.  They are small, but not as small as a crawfish or crawdead as I used to call them growing up.

Hasta la proxima (Until next time)

 We send our love,

Don and Janis (P2S)

July 10 - 13, 2012

Hello to everyone,

I wish the ones of you that follow our blog would sign in so I know who you are.  I know that more than 12 are following this site.  Please sign in.

Last week was great!  Our boat has been fiber glassed and painted.  (white again)  Black stripe was added on Friday and looks wonderful.  Today they took our windows out and he will be painting the frames in and out black once again.  They are sanding the top today and taping off ready to paint the top probably tomorrow.  We are hoping to be out of here by next Monday.  The boat looks great (like brand new)

Today, (Friday, July 13, 2012) we found out that they would not be painting the top until Monday or Tuesday.    They primed the top today and then they have to buff the boat.  It is really looking good.

Don was able to find the rubber seals that fit our windows, so he was happy about that.  We have received our new radar and I believe all the big stuff has just about been delivered.  Just one purchase and that is a new diesel generator.  Don and Picky are building a new waterproof compartment with a drain and vent to house the generator.  The mast is almost ready to install and it looks great.  Don took his big pole to San Juan to be bent that will take care of our traveler, for it will have a new home on top of the bimini, which will give us more room in our cockpit.

Everything is going really good for us and we are looking so forward to getting to travel around the Spanish Virgin Islands when our boat is finished.

Last Saturday afternoon we went down to Boqueron to the beach.  Very nice and long beach.  We met some people that live around here and he is a Policeman of 19 years.  We also met another couple from Atlanta and they were here visiting his mom.

At the marina where our boat has been, well we still hang out there.  People know us and we enjoy visiting.  We have met two new couples and one of them had us for dinner tonight.  We had fresh red snapper.  They just bought  a new 42 foot power cat.  So nice and big, but very experience to operate.  We could never afford a boat like that, but boy it was beautiful.  They are from California.  The other couple is from Rhode Island and they are on a 42 foot sailboat.  Nice people also.

We went to Salinas on Tuesday and came back on Thursday.  We really got a lot done on the mast.  Ran wire, drilled holes, washed and polished mast.  We also met a young girl that has been living in PR for the summer break and she is from Minnesota and grew up about 100 miles from where Don is from.  We have met several people in Salinas now and the marina people already know us by name.  We have opened up a checking account here, so I guess we are residents for the next 4 more months.  Trying to keep Don away from the DR, if you know what I mean. 

The people from California are going to leave their boat in PR for a few weeks and go home and check on things.  They will  be back in August and we are going to go to Culebra (Spanish Virgin Islands) owned by PR, with them to site see.

Until next time…..We send our love

Don and Janis s/v Plane to Sea (P2S)

July 3, 2012

Happy 4^th of July to everyone.  It is very hard to believe that it is July.  Our family keeps asking us “when are you coming home”?  Our answer is still the same, “we don’t know!”  We surely miss everyone, but when we do come home it will be only for a short visit.  Even with what has happened to us, we still love what we are doing.  Don and I both love being retired and living on the boat.  The people working on our boat said that she was really a tough and well-built vessel.  I miss my home (house) sometimes, but I have grown accustomed to being on our boat and now it is home.  This probably is very hard for some people to understand, unless you are a sailor. It definitely is our new found love.

I tell my kids when they question me about what we are doing that just to remember:  It is not the number of breaths you take in life, but the moments that take our breath away, that really matter.  This is one thing that I know our kids will never forget about Don and me.  We live life to the very fullest and if we die tomorrow we will have lived a happy and fulfilled life.

Justin and Holly just lost Granddad (Orville Woodson), which is the last grandparent that was still living.  Granddad will be missed by all, but I know that Justin and Holly thought the world of him and he and Ganny will be with them forever in their hearts.  God Bless you, Granddad and we are so blessed to know that you are with Ganny once again. I know that Memaw and Papa met you too.  What a wonderful reunion by these friends.

Our sympathy is sent to David and John and their families.

Until next time…We send our love,

Don and Janis; s/v Plane to Sea