Getting over the hurdles

Troubadour’s repairs are almost completed. It’s been over a week since Irene blasted through Pelican Roost Marina here in Puerto Rico. Right now, as I write this, Chris is playing guitar and singing, “City of New Orleans”. He is taking a much needed break.

Damage to the bookshelf

The “Irene” damaged cabinet, which had the screws ripped out of the wall when we slammed into the dock, required re-gluing of the plywood, as well as a little teak veneer to repair

splintering.





Setting up the salon as a "workshop"
 to make repairs to the bookshelf

In order to do this small repair, we had to remove the bookshelf, bead board and back board. All three were placed in the center of the boat creating a thigh high hurdle to step over each time we wanted to sit in the salon.

The salon with the bead board and shelving removed
to reveal the fiberglass hull so we could find leaks

After the fiberglass hull was exposed we discovered leaks coming from the toe rail and stanchion base from work done in the boat yard in 2008.

The salon before books are added to the shelves



As I said earlier, a week after Irene our small repairs are nearly finished. The salon is back to normal – no more climbing over the boards; we rebedded the toe rail with new screws, tested our repairs and found no more leaks, and the new chocks are on the way from Beneteau in France. While the bimini was secured and other canvas was removed for the storm, I took the time to do some canvas repairs.

It all could have been so much worse. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who are still putting their lives back together. 

Breathe in, breathe out. Move on.   

It happened one night



Scenes from the dock walk the morning after

 Tropical Storm Irene arrived on Puerto Rico about 20 miles southwest of us. As she crossed the island she was upgraded to a hurricane with sustained 70 – 75 knot winds. At the marina we saw 50 knot winds. Troubadour's injuries were the human equivalent of minor cuts and bruises.

In the darkness of night we couldn’t see the damages. But in the morning we found we had broken the castings on two chocks, and lost a roller from a third chock; the port aft cleat wriggled loose; the port hull was splotched with black smudges from hitting the dock (it looks worse than it is), and in the end, we had snapped three double braid Dacron ¾ inch lines.  Moments before the starboard amidships line snapped we jerked hard and Troubadour smashed into the dock. The fiberglass hull flexed in with enough force to knock the bookshelf above the settee inside the boat out of its support screws separating it from the bulkhead/wall.  

Troubadour sustained damage to three roller chocks
 and an inside bookshelf, as well as suffering through many scuff marks on the hull.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to our friends and family still in the path of this terrible storm. 

Puerto Rico Day Trips - Old San Juan

Our trip to Old San Juan began in a driving rain that forced us to shelter in restaurant doorways while trying to read our tourist map and make our way to the sights. We watched as the rain filled  storm drains to capacity and gushing rainwater bubbled out of manhole covers. We sheltered at Senior Frogs, then dashed across the street to avoid ankle deep puddles, and waited for the rain to stop again at the tourist information center. That's when we struck gold (as in rum) and saw Casa DonQ!

If we were going to get wet, why not quench our thirst, too, with the #1 rum in the land of Puerto Rico! Stepping over a low barricade across the entryway to keep the water out, while letting  tourists in, we dried off in the warm ambiance of the tiny storefront museum. We followed the history of the art and science behind making DonQ Rum described in posters along the walls, laughed at a collection of Don Quixote statues (hence the name "Don Q") and ended up at the tasting bar! Who knew? I know we were there at least an hour if not longer.  While chatting it up with a young couple from New York on their honeymoon, we all sipped generous shots of the rums distilled under the DonQ label. I savored DonQ Coco, an exceptional coconut rum, on the rocks, while Chris compared the Anejo to the Brugal we purchased in the Dominican Republic. He didn't think it was as smokey flavored (such a conossiuer he is becoming)!  For his grand finale, he tried the DonQ Passion...use your imagination! http://donq.com/

 
The rain let up long enough for us to search out El Arsenal (The Arsenal Museum). Built in 1800, it was a naval station and then home to the Spanish military following the Spanish-American War. We couldn't even get close because of the "lake" of rain water flowing through the gates. An about face pointed us in the direction of sculptures and verdant terracesof the centuries-old fortifications of old San Juan.

Meandering along in a light drizzle, we entered the city gates dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1508 Juan Ponce de Leon founded the original settlement. We found this tidbit of history serendipitous because we spent our first year refitting Troubadour in Ponce Inlet, FL (so named after the famed exploreer).

Once inside, the real charm of the old city comes to life with its Spanish style flat-roofed architcture and blue cobblestone streets. Small store fronts revealed modern stores like Ralph Lauren and Coach nestled among museums and art galleries, boutiques, bars and restaurants. 


The aroma of burgers on the grill grabbed at our tummies and followed our noses to a place called Booty's on a sloping hill where we split a yummy, sloppy burger with fries, and a side of onion rings, along with beers (of course).  The day trip turned out be a lot of fun and we are thinking of going again, because after all that waiting in the rain, we just weren't up to going through the museums and forts (to be completely honest about it).

http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/

The Vagabond Life

El Yunque Rain Forest

Welcome to the new blog of Troubadour, we are glad you're here. If you've been following us on Sailblogs, we are delighted that you'll be continuing the journey with us to destinations in the southern Caribbean. We hope you like the new face of Troubador. Since I like taking a lot of pictures I am hoping the features of Blogger will give me greater flexibility in posting pictures. Chris wants it to be easy to use for posting quick updates.

We are currently docked at Roosevelt Roads Naval Base/ Pelican Roost Marina which was the largest (in land mass) US Naval base. It has been closed for about six years, and is now in the process of being sold to the Puerto Rican government. Plans are underway to divide the land for commerical, retail and resort development. We're not sure how much longer we will stay. 

Troubadour in her slip at Pelican Roost Marina,
Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, Ceiba, Puerto Rico

The price is right for now and as long as the weather remains stable, we will continue working on projects before moving on. As for the weather, we feel very secure in our slip and will do what is necessary when needed.