Christmas Day turned out much better than expected as the owner of the Cruisers Bar opened up & suggested we bought our lunch to his bar. They call it a 'pot luck' gathering. About two dozen salty boat people appeared out of the woodwork & we all had a lovely afternoon. The thunderstorms have now quietened & a quieter weather window has opened up so we have sailed west to Boqueron on the West coast of Puerto Rico. From here we'll tackle the infamous Mona Passage between Puerto Rico & the Dominican Republic. The East coast of the 'DR' is a very hostile lee shore, so we'll have to sail 150 nm to Samana one of only 2 safe refuges on the exposed North coast. In the North West of the passage is the Hourglass Shoal, where the depth comes comes up from 25,000 ft to 200 in little over a mile creating huge seas in anything more than placid conditions. To add to the excitement thunderstorms also develop over the mountainous interior of Puerto Rico in the afternoons & roll westward across the Mona Passage all night so it's not a place to be at the wrong time!
Much love & a happy New Year from Peter & Christene
