Pos: N18deg18.32min/ W065deg17.90min. We departed Brewers Bay, St Thomas for the 22 nm run to Culebra at 0730 hours. Weather forecast was for E-ESE wind 13-16 knots, and that's exactly what we got. Our speed was 5.5-6.5 knots, and we found ourselves at our GPS waypoint south of Grampus Banks in good time. As we entered the channel, I commented that there were a lot more boats at anchor than I had envisioned. Upon entry at Culebra, Customs must be notified, as St Thomas is a duty free port, and Culebra isn't. My call to Puerto Rico Customs was timely and efficient, and I received another call from Culebra Customs shortly thereafter. To ease entry requirements, as well as forego an in-person interview (still an option of the Customs Officials, though), a US Customs Decal is necessary, as is participation in the SVRS (Small Vessel Reporting System) Program. Have your Passport number handy, answer a few questions, and voila, you're entered into the system. The afternoon winds have increased to the high teens, making launching the dinghy a bit more of an adventure, so we may wait until the very early morning hours for a bit of calm before doing so and going exploring. Btw, for those following our position reports, without reliable internet we've been unable to post our positions, so have caught up a bit from here, but dates and locations have been "massaged" as Telnet only allows a three day window for reporting current positions; uh, we may have missed that by about a month...
Pic: Culebra and Vieques were used by the military for war maneuvers in the past. Flamenco Beach has a few rusty tanks the locals have painted.
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