Stuck Outside of Provo

Proof again not to make plans on a sailboat came this week in Provo, Turks and Caicos. We brought Captain Jeff on board on Wednesday and were ready to go for our passage to Puerto Rico. Provisions were in, boat was clean, we were ready. It wasn’t to be: the engine conked out on our way to the fuel dock and we are stuck outside of Provo, Turks and Caicos.

Engine Problems

We hadn’t even left the island. An hour in, heading to a marina to fill up the water and the fuel for the journey, I smelled burning. I mentioned it and Jeff saw smoke. Brian turned off the engine and we went down below to check out the damage. Based on our history, we tried adding coolant. Then turned the engine on and looked. It looked like we needed a water pump.

After sourcing a pump from the U.S., we think it will be here on Tuesday. Maybe we will get out on Wednesday. But I know better than to make any plans!

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Our First Sail On Sava

Our insurance broker said we needed an assessment by a captain to get insurance. We took that as an opportunity to learn from one of the best. So that’s what we did. We hired a captain and went out for our first sail on Sava.

Captain on Board

Yesterday we were fortunate to have a wise and helpful captain  on board Sava for our first day sailing her as owners. Conrad hails from New Zealand and has lived and worked in Florida for decades and has lots of stories from his many years sailing. We soaked up as much information from him as we could.

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Swimming with Dolphins in Utila

I had two dolphin encounters this week! Two days ago, the open water dive class I assisted were taken into the bay near the dive shop to snorkel with dolphins. It was amazing listening to them communicate and experiencing them swimming and playing around us in the open water. Swimming with dolphins in Utila is one of my favorite experiences.

DOlphin encounter at sea in utila

Today, we had a dolphin encounter as we were heading to our dive site. This time, I had my phone so I took some photos and video from the boat! These dolphins were super friendly – they were surfing the waves and swimming around the snorkelers. They are so much fun! I can’t recommend swimming with trapped dolphins at a resort, but if you ever get a chance in the wild, do it.

Swimming with Dolphins in Utila
Dolphins surfacing
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