STRAIGHT THROUGH TO PUERTO RICO

0400 hours, December 14, 2014, Cockburn Harbour, Cacios Island, Turks and Caicos: With the Harbour entrance markers lighted it was easy to make our way out of the Harbour and on our course south going over the Bank just south west of Great Sand Cay and east of Endymion Reef. We continued on this course until we reached the south west corner of Mouchoir Bank. From this point we headed south east that put us on a course that just missed the south west corner of Silver Bank. Both Banks raise from the ocean floor of from 2,000 to 13,000 plus feet to 50 or so feet below the surface. This dramatic difference in depth can result  significantly rougher seas over the banks. This course put us on a direct heading for Isla Desechero, a small island about 10 nm off Puerto Rico at the north east  side of Mona Passage

As with the last to days we had caught up with the back end of the front we had waited until it passed anchored in George Town on December 10th. The trip started with the relatively mild weather we had experienced the last two days. As we approached late afternoon on December 14th we were off the south side of Silver Bank with the wind piping to 22 knots and the seas building to 6 feet. As with the last two days it had been overcast all day with some rain. Although we saw squalls in the distance we had not directly past through any. With concern it might get worse we called Chris Parker to check in. Chris reminded us, as he had previously told us, that we could experience winds to 25 knots in squalls. Chris stated we had caught up with the front and there had been a number of squalls in the area. He did not think it would get worst. Before midnight the wind had slowed to 15 knots, and by 0300 on the 15th, the seas were back to 2 to 4 feet. Winds dropped further to 10 knots in late morning as we approached Isla Desechero with the first sun we had seen in three days. 

As we approached  Puerto Rico with the sun shining a group of sea birds circled our boat as if they had flown out to greet us we were ending our longest passage. We soon realized the birds had not come to greet us but to feed on the flying fish that became airborne from our bow wake. Based on reviews from Active Captain we decided to fuel at Marina Pescaderia in Puerto Real, a small almost completely enclosed bay just north of Boqueron on the south east end of Puerto Rico. Upon calling them we got our second greeting to the tropics, diesel at $3.43 a gallon! On the way down we had considered topping off at Blue Haven Marina on Caicos island. Blue Haven's fuel was over $7.00 a gallon. 

Our original plan was to leave Florida in early November where historically there is a higher probably of good weather. Unfortunately we couldn't due to changed business commitments. Leaving late as we did we had expected we would be stuck in more than one port waiting perhaps weeks for good weather. With Chris Parker's continuing predictions of mild weather we just keep going and were glad we had now made it to Puerto Rico and across the infamous Mona Channel in good weather. Further with the ENE winds and hugging the Banks tightly we were able to reach Puerto Rico with the seas on our port forward quarter, far more comfortable than having to head directly into the sea which is normally what you are forced to do along the coast of the Dominican Republic.