Windward Passage Yacht Charters LLC s/v Mary Sunshine

10/04/2024

Last message from Duque today,
“USCBP does not require customs clearance from Puerto Rico to the mainland US. We made no stops so did not require clearance. US to Is though many miles in between”

10/04/2024

5 hours sleep and CBP (US Customs and Border Protection) refused us entry to the US last night. We all have to report to the nearest Customs office this morning.

10/04/2024

They made to the marina about 1 am with the help of two see tow boat . Thank you for all the prayers. I was very scared for Don and the crew . This is what he said, “ Wooden ships and iron men” is what they used to say. I missed all of you, my dear wife, my little Blanquita and look forward to returning to our little finca in the rainforest “

09/04/2024

Just got this message from :
Don Not us. We are just clearing Bimini and entering the Straits of Florida for a rough 10 hour passage to Fort Lauderdale. No main sail, no generator, no main engine, batteries are running down. But the jib works. Should be outside the entrance and plan to call SeaTow to tow us in. Tough duty here but crew is in good spirits.
Capt. Don

09/04/2024

Getting closer

04/09/2022

Brutal mensaje!!

09/05/2021

Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers out there who with their love and devotion guided us into and through our lives. I am blessed to live with one and have endeavored to make this day a special one for Marucha. We miss our children today but all called in to wish her warm regards. Marucha's mother, Dr. Fabery and her brother Jose joined us for a few quiet moments of reflection here in Palmas Del Mar, PR. Just sitting and enjoying the company and the environment makes it a special moment. Sometimes these quiet moments are the best.

19/04/2021

My friend, Marc, on the big catamaran (over 50 ft.), Mana, joined us aboard the Mary Sunshine while we were in Grenada, for a voyage planning session prior to sailing to Carriacou and near the underwater volcano, Kick'em Jenny. I hadn't realized he was making a video. Leszek, on the Silicon Valley cat from Palmas Del Mar, was also there. The first half covers an overview of the sail planning the night before casting off. Neither sailed with the Mary Sunshine, though.
The second half of the video is a nice overview of marina life and of sailing a big sailing cat with just Mark and with his wife, Nancy. A nice overview of the latest marine electronics onboard. Mark is a modest guy but he knows his sailing technical points and is building his seamanship and sailing skills well, a fine sailor. Good memories, thanks, Mark.
A safety note: Over a number of days I observed about half my fellow sailors out there in the Grenadan Grenadines not observing the volcano exclusion zone around Kick'em Jenny. Note that I said that this volcano had been quiet for 10 years, true at the time. Just a few nautical miles to the north is where the volcano on St. Vincent is erupting now. So you really never know.

When a cool fellow sailor prepares a passage and explains us the hazard on the way, like passing above an underwater volcano « Kick 'em Jenny »n the way from...

19/04/2021

A pretty video that highlights not only the musical traditions in Puerto Rico but its diversity and beautiful scenery. Reminds us why we call this island home. Nice also to see old guys still looking pretty good and having fun doing what they are passionate about.

Carlos Vives & Ricky Martin – Canción Bonita (Official Video)Music:Apple Music: https://SML.lnk.to/CancionBonita/Applemusic Spotify: https://SML.lnk.to/Canc...

12/04/2021

María and I finished our new cushion work for our nephew, Joshua, as he readies his new restaurant in Guaynabo for opening. We used marine grade materials and Marucha used her Sailrite professional sail sewing machine. A nice project that came out well.
We move on to our next upholstery project; cockpit and saloon cushions plus a navigator’s chair for a 44 ft. sloop. That will keep us busy through May.
Not too much new on the Mary Sunshine in Panama as she works through her bottom work there.
Our son, Adrian in Colorado, his fiancée, two small boys and 7 months old unborn child all reported with COVID-19 last week. They are in quarantine and all doing reasonably well in Fort Collins. Nobody has required hospitilazation so far. I worry about short term and long term effects for them but only time will tell. All looks promising right now. May the Great Eternal watch over this family in the weeks to come. Our prayers are with them.

23/03/2021

Ever wonder what an "External Lead Keel" looks like without gelcoat/moisture barrier covering it all up? 23,500 lbs. of external lead is easy to identify in this photo. It's shape on the bottom and leading edge of the keel also makes this what is called a "Shoaling Keel." Very nice for exploring those shallow anchorages off an island. That huge chunk of lead is about a third of the displacement of the 72,000 lbs. Mary Sunshine. This is an integral part of the sailing characteristics and sea motion for the Mary Sunshine. Her other secret is a 73 ft. mast which is not so tall for this class of sailing yacht. But her boom is quite long so this brings her total center of effort (TCE) for her combined sails down closer to the deck than most of her competitors. Her last secret is her cutter rig with a head stay and a moveable forestay. This allows a storm staysail to be hanked onto the forestay. This keeps this sail high enough to clear the big swells but close to the mast and relatively close to the deck. As the main is furled into its Hood in-mast furler, one has the ability to lower and center the TCE of the boat. This also minimizes the heel of the boat, important in heavy seas. When we were 9 days out of Bermuda heading to the Azores in JUN2016 a gale with 40-55 knots blew in for two and a half days. We had to sail. So managing our TCE and sail area relative to the wind was what we did with just the storm staysail and about 20-25% of the main. We kept decreasing main sail to keep her speed down to 7.5 knots, as fast as I wanted to go in those stormy seas. I did not want to drive her bow under as we accelerated down the back of those large swells to the trough between those swells. Do that deeply enough and you risk the boat's bow never coming back up, a sobering thought during your cold night watch in stormy seas on the North Atlantic. And this was in June. So Hinckley built and "Maine built" are two terms I am happy are a key part of the Mary Sunshine. The Hinckley supplied Lexan shields fitted over the large port lights in the coach roof were also a key part of our heavy weather strategy. Unprotected thin to medium plate glass on a forward or side facing weather deck port light really has no place in the North Atlantic.
The picture shows a key part of that Hinckley sailing strategy in a rare moment of exposure of that external but beautifully faired in lead keel. The plastic wrapping is to pull moisture out of the hull for 3-4 weeks with 8-10 dehumidifies. Then she gets her barrier coats and anti-fouling coats. About half way there now.

28/02/2021

We had planned a chinchorrero (restaurants along pretty roads, multiple stops). We stopped at El Riverside in Paraíso above Naguabo on the edge of the rainforest. So pretty and relaxing. Then on to El Flamboyan outside Fajardo via the country roads. I recall many years ago (near 40) stopping at these places with my good friend, Nelson, and enjoying our Viernes Social. Nelson and Irma, get your vacunas and then come stay with us so we can enjoy these spots together again. Maybe even find some new ones.