: Where are you on that island crossing venture?? I was wondering what time
: you're thinking for whole paddle. Currents in your favor?

Nov 14 we are going to Puerto Rico. I need to verify my charts, but it's in the neighborhood of 60 nm shore to shore, with nature in my favor on the way there, and against me on the way back. I'm looking at getting there in between 12 and 15 hours, and coming back in 18 hours. This is our test paddle for the crossing from Virgin Gorda to St. Maarten, which I have now decided will be more than the previous figure of 64 nm. and more like 74. I still have the option of going to Sombrero Island, a rock filled with bird crap that should make a nice smelly hard place to camp, but will cut the open water leg down to about 54 nm. However, if I go that way I end up 30+ nm from St. Maarten, as opposed to just doing the long crossing and being done with it.

We have a film crew that is going to follow us to PR. That will be cool, but I really didn't want a chase boat on this trip... almost like cheating. I guess as long as you don't use the boat it's not cheating. I wanted to mount the camera on the kayak. Charlie didn't want to do that.

We paddle to PR on the 14th, paddle around to Old San Juan on the 15th, race on the 16th, and paddle back to Fajardo on the 17th, then to St. Thomas on the 18th. Gee, do you think I'll be tired? I should look like Popeye when it's all over. I'm not planning on even placing in the race, just going there for fun. I figure I'll be too worn out, but who knows, with all that warmup maybe the 8 mile race will be cake.

Wish me luck!

Malcolm