January 21, 2013

Dear Bloggers:

"WOW time flies and I walk."  A very good friend of ours once said this to a teacher in my high school in Whitewright, and  if I remember correctly he was marched to the office.  But how true this is in our lives.  We have to enjoy every second, because time is just gone and you cant find it again.  Don and I have been in Puerto Rico since April 13th and it has truly been a blessing, but boy, time has flown by. 

As we finish up our boat, we have been talking a lot about all that we have been fortunate to see here in Puerto Rico.  It is a great small country and the people seem to be proud that they live here.  They seem truly happy! And they have wanted to know how our experience has been in the PR.  We went to a festival yesterday and so many people stopped us and ask, "how do you like PR and what do you think of our festival". They really care.  It has been a real pleasure to have visited PR and I hope if you haven't been here, that you will make an effort to visit this lovely country.  No passport needed!!!!!!!! If you think I'm promoting the PR, well I am!  Free and clear! And when you visit here, remember you are on Island Time and you will do just fine.

A few weeks ago we drove down to a little town called Patillas.  We had heard they had a beautiful little lake and we wanted to see it.  It was so quaint and pretty, no boats allowed, no swimming allowed, because it is where the water comes from for the small town.  We drove into the mountains and on the way back down we picked up a young boy and girl that were walking to town.  About 7 miles.  They didn't speak any English, so I used my IPad to translate my English into Spanish and then she used it to translate back.  They were such sweet kids, around 15 years old.  I can't imagine having to walk back home, it would be straight up hill. 

  

Well, I'll close for now.

Until next time......

Don and Janis

s/v Plane to Sea

December 10,2012

Hi bloggers,  we made it to TEXAS!  So glad to be home with family. Have already seen:  brother, (Joe and Jan); my nephew and wife and one great nephew (Brandon, Wendy and Clint); our son and wife (Justin and Brandi); our son (Jeremy) and two grandsons (Collin and Hunter) and Justin's daughter(our granddaughter Makensey) Our daughter and son n law and 2 granddaughters will be here Sunday for a week. What fun!  We even had a snow dusting Sunday night, just to welcome us home. We will be going back to our boat in Salinas on December 31st. Stay posted for sailing adventures to come.

October 28, 2012

Hi bloggers:  welcome back to P2S Adventures. Since the last post we have been working, swimming and shopping! Mostly all FUN. Yes, we are still in Salinas, PR. Our dodger, Bimini, and 2nd Bimini are all finished. Now it's on to the sail cover and screens. I talked to Maryann ( our cushions ) and she said they would be ready this week. She finished two of the small for a sneak peak. Love them!  

October 1, 2012

Dear Bloggers,

Welcome back to “Plane to Sea” Adventures.

What a great couple of weeks.  We got our window covers made and installed.  Oh how we love them!  The dodger frame was completed and the dodger cover was made and installed.  The dodger window pattern was made and is now ready to install the isinglass.  Bimini will be next.

Also, Maryann the lady making our new outdoor cushions came to make the pattern for our seating.  We are using white vinyl and black sunbrella.  I made the design for the top of each cushion.  Can’t wait!

We are moving along very nicely on the remodel of our boat.  I painted our countertops and they look refreshed.  We also laid new flooring in the head. 

See our Manatee?  His name is Baby and he visits us every day at our boat, his favorite food is lettuce.

See ya next time,

Don and Janis s/v Plane to Sea

We are hoping for an early November departure, headed to Vieques and Culebra.  We need to be in St. Thomas no later than December 12^th to fly to Texas for Christmas.  But you know how plans are on a sailboat. “They don’t exist.”

September 12, 2012

Hi Bloggers:

I forgot to post pictures of setting the mast, so below take a look.

September 7, 2012

Dear Blog Readers:

Glad you are back.

Well, we got our mast set on Tuesday, September 4, exactly 4 weeks to the day that we anchored in Salinas.  We waited 3 ½ hours on the man, but other than that it all went perfect. (He did buy our lunch while we waited)  Everything fit just like Don wanted.  He was worried about all the cables being cut too short, which would have been his fault.  But after measuring and measuring, I knew he had it right and he did.  Success!  We put the boom on yesterday (Wednesday).  Today he is working with the welder on the traveler’s frame, which is built, but the hard work of getting it all lined up with the boom and the right angle. Everything just takes time and there is no need to be in a hurry, because that won’t help either.  Don is learning some very valuable patience.  This has all been a learning experience for both of us and it has been very helpful.

A couple of weeks ago we had another awful thing happen to us, that just almost thru us overboard again!!!!!  The man that we are on his dock and he is helping Don, (we bought the mast from him) and his name is Tommy, WELL, he was welding on his roof top and the droppings fell on our main sail.  Burned a hole all the way thru.  It was folded nicely in to about a 4 by 4 and when the dropping fell the fold caused it to burn many holes.  We have had 2 experts look at the sail and it could not be fixed.  The sail was only 1 year old.  The company that made it for us is making us a new one immediately. Tommy is paying for it.  We feel badly, but he felt worse.  We all cried, but I told him “Thank God it didn’t catch his house on fire”.  So again, we move forward and don’t look back.  We only have today!  Right? 

One of our buddy boats, Wayward Wind is visiting home in California this week.  Linda called and we visited for over an hour catching up.  We met them last summer in the Chesapeake Bay.  We sailed with them all thru the Bahamas this year.  They are in Grenada and they are making semi plans for the near future.

Until next time,

Don and Janis s/v Plane to Sea

August 29, 2012

You are back, I see.  I guess you love me after all!

Since our last blog, Don has worked on several things.  He finished the bow pulpit and put it on and we have put all the life lines on.  He built the arms that go off the back to hold our solar panels and dinghy.  He did a nice job and today they will finalize the welding on that.  Don had our anchor locker changed when we had the fiber glass done.  It did part in the middle and both sides opened up, but now it just opens up to the starboard side.  He had the locker divided, the back part is for the anchor chain and the front part is waterproof for our generator.  So he had to put metal around the sides and rubber and some of it had to be welded.  It looks very good.  He cut two holes – one at the back where the chain goes and on at the front where the generator will go.  He put a vent in the front part for the generator and another to match at the back for chain to come around the windlass and down thru this vent to the chain locker.  It is very clever and he did a really nice job. 

This morning he went to see the guy that will lift our mast (this has been the fourth time).  They set a date of next Tuesday the day after Labor Day.  I hope the weather holds out for us.  The mast has to be set before they can start on the bimini and dodger frame.  It won’t take too long to build it once all the angles are decided upon.  The part that takes the longest is polished the weld to make it look nice.

Our grandkids all started school this week.  I think they are all happy with the classes and teachers.  Levi and Macie started a new school this year.  They are going to Whitewright!  Good ole WHS.  Levi was so excited that he got a teacher that use to teach Holly and another that use to teach Justin.  Coming home for Justin!!!!! They will be moving in to Granddad and Ganny's house very soon.  Brandi found out this week that she did in fact pass her Med Aid State test.  Congratulations to a very deserving girl!  I know you worked hard and we are very proud of you.

Did I tell you about the lobster?  Caribbean Lobster…….. Also known as langouste or rock lobster,   the Caribbean lobster isn’t really a lobster at all, but rather a member of the crayfish family.  Although it resembles a true lobster, it has no claws and displays long, thick spiny antennae. 

Did I tell you about the Pelican?The Brown Pelican…….The Fisherman’s Friend with a wingspan up to six and half feet, the brown pelican (Pelicans occidentalis) is the largest bird in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Soaring 20 to 30 feet above the sea to spot its prey, the pelican plunges headlong in the water to catch fish in its massive pouch.  Local fishermen are particularly fond of the sight of the pelican, a telltale sign of plentiful fish!  Don and I would watch these birds for long periods of time when we were in Puerto Real.  The pesticide DDT came close to eradicating the brown pelican in the 1950’s and 1960’s.  It was banned in the U.S. in 1972 and the brown pelican was added to the Endangered Species List.  The majority of the small cays and islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands where they build their stick nests in trees are now protected ass wildlife refuges, and in 2009, the brown pelican was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species List.

What’s Next?   The Spanish Virgins….To the east of the main island of Puerto Rico is a small cluster of islands known as the Spanish Virgins, most notably the islands of Culebra and Vieques.  Vieques is pronounced vee-AYE-case.  Our next stop (after our boat is ready) will be Puerto Patillas pronounced as PWAIR-toh pah-TEE-yahs, which is a small town, once a small boat fishing village(still on the South Coast of PR) then on up and around the East End just a bit to Palmas del Mar and then on to Vieques, then Culebra.  We can easily stay at these places for many weeks, if we desire, before going on to U.S. Virgin Islands.  Since our fate was such that we stay in Puerto Rico thru hurricane season we have decided to take our time and really enjoy all of the islands on the way South.

Some friends of ours from Texas (Danny and MaryAnn Smith) who also like to sail, will be coming to the BVI in December to sail for 10 days.  We will try to make it to them before we come home for Christmas.  It will all depend on when we get to leave Salinas.  Hope it works out, but with sailing you just never no.

Hasta la vista, baby

Until next time,

Don and Janis s/v Plane to Sea