Wednesday 10 Apr, Puerto Rico day 6: Commission the new outboard, explore the beaches between Fahardo and San Juan, and top-up refrigerant.
After breakfast we use the marina golf cart to bring the new outboard to Cloudy Bay. It’s nice to have an outboard that I can physically carry myself onboard to the pushpit outboard bracket.
First job is to put oil in and test it. The little yellow oil filler cap and dipstick is a pretty low budget affair. It’s extremely hard to see where the new oil is against the bright yellow plastic. After a couple of iterations the inevitable happens, the oily little thing escapes my equally oily hand and …. yes, drops in the water.
As I see it gently dropping in the murky marina water, my immediate action it to throw off my swimming shorts (why???) and jump in after it. But for a vital second I realize I’m now naked in the marina and pull the shorts back on! By which time the little yellow piece of plastic has disappeared from sight. Needless to say I am again furious with myself. Just how many important things can I drop in the water in one season?!
With snorkel and mask I dive down but it’s pointless, the water is so murky and quite deep. So plan B, call Suzuki to see if they have a spare. But things are against me this morning and Skype doesn’t want to work :(.
On to plan-C, break out the dive gear. I feel it’s pretty pointless but still, in I go with a torch (good suggestion by Oana). As usual in these situations I quickly get completely disorientated in the murky water. I should have dropped a weight on a line where I dropped it so I could feel my way to the right area. But then my feet bump into the rudder and I manage to get my bearings and all of a sudden, with my body vertical, head down and nose just inches from the mud, the torch catches a blurred yellow dot and I am reacquainted with the oil filler cap. Phew. Luck has turned, with the price of having to wash all the dive gear.
With filled plug where it should be, screwed into the engine, we lower the dinghy and give the engine a test. All works OK. The single piston is noisy compared to the twin cylinder 20HP but it does the job and can even get on the plane… just. Outboard tested, on dinghy, on davits – job done.
It’s past midday by now. While I really don’t feel like going anywhere now, especially with the freezer also calling for attention, Oana has prepared our packed lunch, so off we go to make the most of what is left of today.
We decide to drive the NE coastline from Los Kioskos at Luquillo to San Juan.
We head to the coast from the highway around Rio Grande and almost immediately come to the St.Regis Bahia Beach Resort. Usually we can blag our way into such places, but this is Puerto Rico with high security everywhere. So we are turned away.
As we continue along the small coast road we are rewarded with some of the most beautiful beaches we have seen yet. And the road runs right next to the beach from Punta Vacia Talega to Punta Maldonado. Golden sand and backed by a long line of palm trees – that picture perfect scene of a tropical beach.
Clearly these are heavily used during the weekend, being so close to San Juan. And the price is a lot of litter everywhere. We observe 2 local ladies sitting in the water eating something and just throwing the wrappers next to them in the sea. We wonder how can anyone in this modern world think that is acceptable. Such a shame. And the zones around the numerous beach-shack restaurants are even worse. If only they could tidy up, this whole long beach area could be magnificent.
As we approach San Juan the development changes. This area near to San Juan, Condado, was the first beach development back in the 1950s and 60s. Huge skyscrapers are all along the back of the beach. Some hotels but mostly residences. Carolina Beach is particularly nice. Very wide, very clean and clearly used by more affluent people that live around here. It reminds me of the famous beaches in Rio de Janeiro and Gold Coast in Australia.
After a short stop at the Club Nautico Marina, to look where we might put Cloudy Bay should we take the northern passage, the sun is nearly down. So we take a walk through the Condado beach area. Or more precisely the lively restaurants and bars area behind the beach. All very nice, tidy and civilized. Very much a USA holiday makers area. Though we do note all the roads with houses on are protected by security gates guarding the whole street.
Tomorrow we plan to head further west and get an AirBnB, so we head back to Cloudy Bay to prepare. Still, it’s passed 9pm when we get on board and we have jobs to do.
The freezer is now only -1DegC and one side of the cold plate is not freezing. So looks like a leak 🙁 Will our fridges & freezer dramas EVER end?
So it’s out with the gauges and refrigerant and I top it up. I’m getting quite good at this now and thankful we were wise to have bought a large bottle of R-134 gas and a set of gauges. Good for top ups but the core issue will have to be fixed once and for all one day.
Floorboards back down again, it’s passed midnight before we go to bed. Exhausted as usual.