Back to the travelling…
Leaving Isla de Culebra we aimed our bow south west to Isla de Vieques. With fishing line in the water we anxiously awaited a meal from the sea to grace us with their presence. In no time at all the boys had caught a very large fish, once again unsure of the kind, we pulled out our fishing books to determine the make and model and weather it was edible or not. Bingo, a King Mackerel, delicious eating and definitely enough to feed our hungry crew. So aboard he comes and into the freezer he goes until our destination is reached. Once again this was very exciting, every time that fishing line makes its sound the adrenaline starts pumping on board.







In 1941 the US Navy arrived on Vieques and purchased two thirds of the land where they use it for aerial and naval bombardment practice. According to our cruising guides as of 2003 the actions were to cease, so off we go ready to drop anchor at a beautiful bay called Bahia Salina del Sur. As we are about to drop anchor into the beautiful white sand we see a shiny red chevy pickup drive down the beach. A man dressed in army fatigues gets out of the truck and watches us for a moment through his binoculars; he then gets his speaker and tells us…..”Approaching catamaran, you have entered restricted waters, operation under way please leave immediately.” He then pulled out his M16 and started firing at us……just kidding, he was very nice about it and we turned around and left quickly, our hearts beating a bit quicker but all else was ok and another adventure under our belts. (Phoebe and I later learned from a US Coast Guard that was doing laundry at the same time as us that the navy is no longer on the island but the Department of Natural Resources is in there cleaning up the mess that the navy left behind.)




We then headed farther west, where we were absolutely certain the navy no longer resided, to a bay called Mosquito Bay, now this bay is famous for two reasons, the first being that it is where the movie “Lord of The Flies” was filmed, the second being that it is a bioluminescent bay. What is this bioluminescent you ask??? Well unfortunately the tide was low and we were unable to enter into this bay, we had to turn around and anchor at the mouth of the bay and dinghy in to see what it looked like. Being the middle of the day there was not much to see other than a lot of Mangrove trees, so we dinghyed back to the boat for a very exciting part of our trip with the Schergers.

Before we had left Canada back in October, Mr. Scherger had told all of our kids to bring a couple of things with them that meant something special to them, nothing big, something that would fit into a sandwich bag. So sure enough all of the kids packed away their ‘treasurers’ and have had them on the boat for the past four months, not sure what they were needed for, but nonetheless did what they were told. Well, when the Schergers arrived they pulled out of one of their hockey bags an absolutely beautiful wooden treasure chest that Devin’s brother had hand made especially for all of us. The kids each had to carve their initials into the box and on the top of the treasure chest was written “ONE LIFE 2008”. The kids each had to put their treasures into the chest while being video-taped, along with a few treasures from each of the parents, we also put in some email addresses and phone numbers in case it gets dug up before we can all get back. We then went ashore, at an undisclosed location of course, and the kids dug a hole about four feet deep, with sweat pouring down their faces and buried the treasure chest. The kids were each given a co-ordinate from the GPS to remember as we hope that in 20 years from now, God Willing, we will all return to dig up the treasures. What an absolutely great idea, this not only gives us something to wonder about for the next 20 years but also another trip to plan for our families in the future, and we all know how quickly 20 years can pass. Our kids will have families of their own by then that will have heard the tail of the buried treasure chest, I think that the s/v One Life may need to grow during that time also. The legend of treasures being buried on these islands just came true for our two families. THANK YOU Devin and Phoebe for thinking up and making such a great idea come to life.








Once our treasures were safe in the ground we all took a quick swim and were on our way to the next bay over called Ferro Bay, this bay, like Mosquito Bay, is surrounded by Mangrove trees and is therefore a very shallow protected anchorage. The water was as calm as glass and there was no wind to speak of, which aids in a good night sleep and which the kids and Devin took full advantage of sleeping out on the trampolines.




It is also a beautiful place for the kids to kayak through as the Mangrove trees create pathways through the water for guiding your kayak through the peace and quiet, and listening to the birds this was a great thing. We had read that Ferro Bay also contained the bioluminescent water which we have been waiting for since we researched it back home in September. Bioluminescent water is millions of microorganisms that when agitated they glow in the dark, absolutely amazing.





Tyler – When we went to see the bioluminescent water we pulled the Kayaks behind the dinghy and it was really fun. Eric and I were in the last kayak and Cole kept making us submarine the front of the kayak. But the very best was the glowing water, when you put your hand in it felt like my hand was melting in the water because it was lit up and they would not swim as fast as my hand and they stayed behind my hand.

Cole - Awesome. Coolest thing ever. Weird. We left our boat at about 8 pm and headed into the mangroves to try to find the bioluminescent water. I was in the front kayak behind the dinghy and when you would splash the water would light up and when it landed it would light up the water around it. I splashed some into the cup holder of the kayak and swished my finger in it and it made it green in there too. When fish came under our kayak they would glow a little bit and then Kiana and I would rock the kayak and it would cause the fish to swim away faster and they would leave a trail of green behind them. I kept on pulling the line to Eric and Tyler’s kayak and the front of their kayak would go under the water, it was fun.

With time running out way to quickly, it is unreal how fast this month is moving along, we are now moving west to the very large island of Puerto Rico. Our 5 hour sail across unfortunately turned into a motor across as the little wind that there was, was directly behind us. We arrived in Puerto Rico on Friday the 14 with 3 full days ahead of us to tour the island and see the sights. First things first, we need to fill the water and gas tanks as the SVI did not have a marina for us to fill up before we left. Well the cruising guide that we have is unfortunately a few years old and when we pulled into get gas with plans to set anchor in the same bay, we were somewhat surprised to see a brand new beautiful marina being built. Fill up quick and back to the books to find another bay to anchor in.



With our anchor set firm in Salinas Bay and plans for the men to set off in the morning for a car rental place we say goodnight after another hard day’s work in paradise.
Saturday morning at 11 am Kevin and Devin anxiously head out to the car rental place to find us some wheels for the weekend. Phoebe and I stayed on the boat with the kids trying to entertain them, now this is becoming a bit of a chore as we have been on the boat for a few days now and everyone is feeling a bit cooped up. Anyways after a few games of sorry under our belts and 4 hours later, the dads show up with some bad news. Well it seems as though the island of Puerto Rico is a busy one this weekend and there are no cars to rent in the whole town of Salinas, well if this doesn’t put everyone into a great mood (moms stuck on the boat with kids and dads having just spent 4 hours walking back from the car rental place because this town seems to have no cabs, only in the Caribbean)…….. Ok, well the moms and kids need to get off of the boat for awhile so off into the marina we go with dirty laundry in tow. Even doing laundry is better that sitting on the boat any longer. Thankfully the marina here is somewhat ok, the kids found a small park to terrorize, Phoebe, Devin and I found a little Snack Bar close to the laundry mat to enjoy a few Pina Coladas, and Kevin found a little internet shop to try and get caught up on his emails. Life is good in the Caribbean.

While at this Marina we met another 2 families (one from Vancouver and the other from the states) that are on a similar adventure to us, the only differences being that they are off for 15 months maybe more and they started in States and are heading south. It was great fun to meet up with others that have been where we are going and hear all of their stories and suggestions and also to let them know what to expect on their travels down south. It was too bad that we were not staying in this spot longer as they had kids the same age as ours, more importantly a girl that was 13. Laundry done we are back to the boat for a good night’s rest and high hopes of heading west to the big town of Ponce to find a car rental place at their small airport.



Sunday morning, two full days left with the Schergers, Kevin and Devin once again head out in hopes of finding a car. Phoebe and the boys spend this time swimming as they know that their time is limited and want to make the best of it. With smiles on their faces the men return from Thrifty with two small cars in tow for us to tour with for the next 2 days. So off we go to try and navigate the streets of Ponce. The rest of Sunday found us following the Schergers (Kevin figured that it was their turn to be the adventurous leaders) through town and then up a mountain through one of Puerto Ricos beautiful rain forests, Devin turned out to be a great tour guide or was that Phoebe with the map and good directions???

Monday morning saw us up early and heading into the capital city of San Juan to tour the beautiful sights of Old San Juan and the forts that make this city famous. Old San Juan is a really neat place, first it took us a good 30 minutes to try and find a parking space as the streets are really narrow and one can only park on one side of the street. We then headed to the Fort to have a quick history lesson and then it was off to do some good shopping. The stores of Old San Juan are small little places but stacked back to back, there is definitely a souvenir for everyone here, and a trip to San Juan would not be complete without tasting a shaved ice drink. On pretty much every street corner there is a vendor with a large block of ice, a special ice scraper and 30 different bottles of sugar to create us the perfect snow cone, what could be more perfect on a hot day in paradise. With cigars smoking (Devin just had to sample a freshly made cigar) and shopping bags full it was time to hop back into the cars and start our long journey back to the boat (about 2 hours).





Tuesday morning, with bags packed and hugs all around, we are forced to say goodbye to a great family who has made our adventure even more of a success. Thank you to the Schergers for their patience and humor while on board the small and cramped quarters of ‘One Life’. When told that we had friends coming for a month many people questioned our motives and simply wished us luck, well it is absolutely amazing how quickly a month can pass when you are in such good company.

Tyler – The best thing I remember about Everett and Eric being here is when we truth and dare on the beach when Everett dared me to go in the water and take my shorts off and swing them in the air. Thanks for coming see you when we get back.

Luke – One thing I remember is playing truth and dare on the beach, thanks for coming and can’t wait to get back on the ice with all of you.

Kiana – Thanks for coming and spending some time with us, it was nice to have others on board to talk and laugh with. Mrs. S, I am expecting that t-shirt to be worn at least 3 days a week. Can’t wait to see you all at hockey practice…..hahahaha!!!!

Cole – Even though I had to give up my bedroom I would do it all again if you wanted to come back. I had lots of fun playing with Sharkbait (Eric) and Everett and playing Sorry will never be the same. Thank-You for coming and great idea about burying the treasure chest (my number is 5).




Thanks again Devin, Phoebe, Everett and Eric not only would we do this again in the blink of an eye, but our plane tickets are booked for March 13, 2028.
See you in Coleman in August………….

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