Culebra

Flamenco Beach

Situated east of Puerto Rico, Culebra and the surrounding small islands encompass over 7,000 acres.   From 1936 to 1975 the U.S. Navy used about 2000 acres for bombing practice.  Culebra was lucky unlike its sister island Vieques where the bombing continued until 2003.   Culebra has had time to develop some character.

Ensenada Honda

The 2,000 permanent residents of Culebra are regularly visited by vacationing Puerto Ricans from the main island.  

Consequently, Culebra has some really good eateries that are reasonably priced.  Heather’s has great New York style pizza, while Zoco’s Tacos has interesting Mexican style food.

Most of the cruisers initially head for the Dinghy Dock Restaurant for obvious reasons.  The Dinghy Dock is under new management and recently underwent an upgrade.

Mamacita’s is another option, and is accessible via bicycle, golf cart, or…

…by water off the canal.

Mamacita’s has probably banned us.

Because Pollie could not follow the rules.

For light provisioning, Culebra has two stores.

For some reason, of the two, this store seemed more popular.  It must be the ambiance. 

At first glance, Culebra appears to be the island that zoning and code enforcement forgot.

Even the U.S. Post Office seemed rampant with code violations.

The Culebra Library is an example of form following function.  The breezeway between the two single-wides was well used.

The local gas station was another case where form follows function.   On a small island, one must be able to service both vehicles and dinghies.

But, on closer examination, Culebra exudes a certain charm.

Architectural details are everywhere; one must just look past many of the less fortunate structures.

For some reason, Pollie was enamored by this “urban” home across the street from the ferry dock.

The Hotel Kokomo is a couple of doors down from the Pollie’s find.

On the back side of the “Pollie’s house” elaborate stairs have been constructed making one wonder if the owner had planned some commercial use for the structure.  Again, zoning does not seem to be an issue.

Culebra Eco School

Some of the newer public works on the island were very interesting.  This school with hurricane construction utilized the trade winds for cooling and a large solar array for energy.

While other locales have “the bridge to nowhere,” Culebra boasts the lift bridge that does not lift.  When constructed, at what had to be considerable cost, the bridge was to service two fishing boats.  The boats have left Culebra and now large water service pipes span the opening making the bridge unusable. 

We have visited Culebra twice.  Once on our own and then we took our friends Chris and Michele over when they visited us in Puerto Rico. 

 Culebra Museum, closed on Wednesday

After two visits, Pollie stated that Culebra is a 3 to 4 day island.  After 3 to 4 days you probably have done all there is to do.  

Lively Barracuda with Large Teeth

But, getting to these small islands is half the fun.  Above Chris and I are removing a lure from a barracuda before releasing. 

Arthur DeFever

Following is the obituary for Arthur DeFever - thought everyone might appreciate seeing it.
Charma Owens

Arthur DeFever
6/6/18 – 4/10/13
Icon of the San Diego Waterfront

Arthur DeFever passed away peacefully on April 10 at the age of 94 with members of his family by his side. He was born and raised in San Pedro, California and is survived by his wife Ruth, daughter Carolyn (Doug), sons Arthur Jr. and Donald (Nancy), 3 grandchildren: Joseph, Samuel and Daniel DeFever, sister Teresa and half-sister Martha of Oostende, Belgium. He was preceded in death by his oldest son Alan, and first wife Dulcie.

Arthur started his career in the early `40's with design and construction of custom furniture for the Los Angeles and Hollywood elite. During World War II he worked with San Pedro Boat Works involved in military watercraft design and construction. After the war he became involved in the growing tuna fishing business in Southern California with designs for conversions of small naval vessels to tuna fishing bait boats. In 1954 he moved his naval architecture practice to San Diego, establishing a presence to service the burgeoning tuna fishing industry and providing designs for tuna seiners built by San Diego Marine Construction (later to become Campbell Industries), Mauricio, Martinac & Southwest Marine among his many clients. In his time and influence, the modern tuna clipper design developed with the bulbous bow, aft engine room, high-powered net and chase boats, helicopter spotting and many other innovations to his credit. 

The custom furniture and marine design naturally melded into a career designing yachts, which Arthur pursued from the late fifties until his passing. The design of pleasure oriented offshore cruising motor yachts, inspired by his early work in the rugged tuna clippers, established his signature name, put him at the forefront of power-cruising yacht development and made him an icon in the yacht world and on the San Diego waterfront. His first yachts were for the Ocean Cruising Club in the late 50's, and in the following decades he developed many custom and production yacht designs built in the USA, Mexico, Japan, Holland, Taiwan, China, Spain and Italy. His yachts now grace the wide world's waters, are enjoyed by the very exclusive set and ordinary yachtsmen alike and form his enduring legacy. The DeFever Rendezvous, an annual gathering of DeFever yacht devotees, is a testament to what he gave to the yachting world and to the craftsmanship and love he put into his many yacht designs.

Arthur lived life to the fullest and enjoyed outdoor adventure. Beside cruising in his designs all over the world, he was an avid sailboat racer at world and national championship levels, enjoyed hunting, fishing, spending time at Catalina Island and entertaining friends and family. He was involved in many local organizations such as the Catalina Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, San Diego Maritime Museum and the San Diego Zoological society. He was commodore of the San Diego Yacht Club in 1974 and was involved in the San Diego Association of Yacht Clubs, the Southern California Yachting Association and numerous other yachting organizations.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Catalina Conservancy, the San Diego Zoological Society or a charity of choice. Private services are to be scheduled.

Click on link below:

Trawler Fest - Lifetime Achievement - Arthur DeFever