Waiting once again for the genset, we decided to make the most of the delay and took a Sunday drive up into the hills toward Barranquitas hoping to explore and do some hiking in a nearby rain forest. The roads are very narrow and winding and despite our navigation tools (Google maps on our iPhones, a Garmin GPS, and a couple odd maps) we took some accidental detours and finally reached Barranquitas just as traffic was approaching grid lock. OK, we move to Plan B.
Turns out there was a regional "county fair" this weekend and everyone for a hundred miles seemed to show up. We looked at each other and thought, "This could be interesting let's have a look/see".
The fair turned out to be Festival del Apio, with food stalls everywhere and rows and rows of handicrafts for sale. We had a great time wandering around and found a few gifts for the grandkids. The people were very friendly and most spoke some English, which was helpful.
We purchased a handbag from a woman who was an English professor at the local college and she told us the festival is in honor of the local agricultural staple, a Yuca root called Apio. Many of the booths featured foods and arts and crafts centered around the Apio (a very ugly root I must say). We never would have figured out why everyone had these ugly roots decorating their stalls. I was tempted to buy a root and see what I could make but they didn't look too appetizing.
With too much traffic heading towards our next destination we opted to head back to Salinas, where naturally we ran into another big celebration. According to the proprietor of the ice cream shop where we sought refuge and air conditioning, the parade was in celebration of the local "Carnival." We found a couple seats out on the highway and watched the parade go by and waved to all the little kids and "queens" in various cars. It was reminiscent of any small US town community parade, except for the sexy Carnival outfits worn by many of the women. Puerto Rican's have a great love of life, love of music (louder is better), and great helpful attitudes.
Out in the harbor, every weekend you can hear a steady stream of boats passing by loaded to the gunnels with locals listening to their loud rhythmic music and having a great time. Puerto Ricans definitely know how to party and enjoy themselves. We are inching closer to the possibility of leaving so I decided it's time to be productive and get out my new Sailrite industrial sewing machine and get to work. I have a great spot in the guest berth to set it up, with a vanity table with a little swing out stool. It's also the coolest spot on the boat with a continuous fresh breeze from the two large overhead hatches.
My first project was a dingy anchor bag to keep the anchor & chain and line all together. Next, I made two cockpit seat covers out of a Navy terry fabric. The fabric isn't UV protected but it feels great on our skin and it's reversible and washable. We'll see how that works out before I make the third seat cover in the cockpit.
Soon I was ready to make a screen door holder for our two companionway teak screens. I copied the design from our other screen holder that came with the boat and made a couple modifications. For this project I used Navy Sunbrella fabric reinforced with Top Gun, a heavier more durable sail fabric. It required some nice straight topstitching and with each new project I continue to improve.
Finally, I extended our Hatch Hoody so it will cover all three of our forward deck hatches and allow us to keep them open when it is raining as well as funnel a nice fresh breeze into the front of the boat. We will also be able to devise a water catchment system to collect rainwater, which will be a great help, as we don't have a water maker onboard. I have to say, I love the Sailrite Sewing Machine, as it will sew through absolutely anything with great ease. I will be making more items going forward and I imagine I will have an opportunity to repair some sails before too long.
Twenty-four days later and much poorer we are so grateful to have a working genset again (thanks for all your help, Steve and Ellis) and to be heading out into the wild blue yonder once again.
Next stop, Vieques and Culebra in the Spanish Virgin Islands.
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| The central hall of the regional county fair at Barranquitas. |
The fair turned out to be Festival del Apio, with food stalls everywhere and rows and rows of handicrafts for sale. We had a great time wandering around and found a few gifts for the grandkids. The people were very friendly and most spoke some English, which was helpful.
 |
| Now we know what apio looks like. |
With too much traffic heading towards our next destination we opted to head back to Salinas, where naturally we ran into another big celebration. According to the proprietor of the ice cream shop where we sought refuge and air conditioning, the parade was in celebration of the local "Carnival." We found a couple seats out on the highway and watched the parade go by and waved to all the little kids and "queens" in various cars. It was reminiscent of any small US town community parade, except for the sexy Carnival outfits worn by many of the women. Puerto Rican's have a great love of life, love of music (louder is better), and great helpful attitudes.
Out in the harbor, every weekend you can hear a steady stream of boats passing by loaded to the gunnels with locals listening to their loud rhythmic music and having a great time. Puerto Ricans definitely know how to party and enjoy themselves. We are inching closer to the possibility of leaving so I decided it's time to be productive and get out my new Sailrite industrial sewing machine and get to work. I have a great spot in the guest berth to set it up, with a vanity table with a little swing out stool. It's also the coolest spot on the boat with a continuous fresh breeze from the two large overhead hatches.
 |
| Meryl sews a new cover bag for the varnished companionway screens. |
Soon I was ready to make a screen door holder for our two companionway teak screens. I copied the design from our other screen holder that came with the boat and made a couple modifications. For this project I used Navy Sunbrella fabric reinforced with Top Gun, a heavier more durable sail fabric. It required some nice straight topstitching and with each new project I continue to improve.
Finally, I extended our Hatch Hoody so it will cover all three of our forward deck hatches and allow us to keep them open when it is raining as well as funnel a nice fresh breeze into the front of the boat. We will also be able to devise a water catchment system to collect rainwater, which will be a great help, as we don't have a water maker onboard. I have to say, I love the Sailrite Sewing Machine, as it will sew through absolutely anything with great ease. I will be making more items going forward and I imagine I will have an opportunity to repair some sails before too long.
Twenty-four days later and much poorer we are so grateful to have a working genset again (thanks for all your help, Steve and Ellis) and to be heading out into the wild blue yonder once again.
Next stop, Vieques and Culebra in the Spanish Virgin Islands.
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