Just because we are out here exploring paradise, doesn’t mean there are not chores to do. A typical morning on Harmonie starts with Bill getting up  first (Karen likes to sleep late) to run the generator and if we are someplace with clean clear water, we run the water maker at the same time and put some fresh water in the tanks. Typically, we drain our batteries down to about 65 to 75 percent of full over night.  Ninety minutes of generator time brings them back up to about 85%, and the solar panels take care of the rest over the course of a sunny day.  While the generator is running, Bill’s coffee and breakfast is made.

I try to get at least one “boat project” done every day.  Usually just simple maintenance, but sometimes a repair is in order.  We also have a few improvements and upgrades that occasionally bubble up to the top of the priority list.

Occasionally, there are administrative things to take care off.  Like today.  US Customs and Border Protection has a “Small Vessel Reporting System” that allows a boat to check back into the USA with just a phone call–if you have previously signed up and been interviewed.  We have done the web application and our interview is this afternoon here in Culebra.  Hopefully that will speed up our check-in the next time we return from foreign waters to the USA.

This afternoon we will do some food shopping, and we’ll be headed off toward the American Virgin Islands, landing in St Thomas where we have some boat supplies to source.  We will have a bit of recalibration to do as we move into the American and British Virgin Islands.  For a long time most of the anchorages we have been in have been quite empty.  We have been sharing our “space” with just few boats at a time.  Where we are headed next, it will not be like that. Every anchorage will be crowded.

One of the things I have been working on and learning is a bit of video editing.  The technical skills come pretty fast–it takes a bit longer to workout what works “artistically”.  Hopefully in a few days we’ll be posting our first little “show”.