Vieques was especially clear this evening
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:34 pm
Good Day all. We got down a week ago, and while we have had a touch of Sahara dust here and there, the overall weather and distance views have been really great. This evening, we had a wonderful combo of exceptional atmospheric clarity and just the right sunset light and clouds to make Vieques, 45 miles away, really pop. Here's a photo of Vieques from the porch of Plumeria:
To the right of Vieques, you can also make out some distant hills in Puerto Rico. I am rushing a bit, and haven't taken the time to perfectly level the horizon.
We then headed over to Coconuts to check the view there, and captured a nice photo of the sunset:
In the following zoom, the southern slope of El Toro is visible, just above the island of Culebra. Its summit is shrouded in clouds, and the foreground island is St. Thomas. El Toro is in Puerto Rico's El Yunque tropical rainforest, and is 65 miles away from Gifft Hill. On the horizon to the left, Sail Rock pokes up above the water.
The next photo was taken during early twilight, with the lights of St. Thomas twinkling across Pillsbury Sound. Venus is visible above the clouds left of center, and is really bright in the evening sky after sunset. Look for it where you are; Venus is visible throughout the US, and will only get brighter as we head into the winter months. I didn't have time to fish through storage for my tripod, so this is a slightly shaky hand-held shot; witness Arcturus in the upper right. Got to lay off the sauce...
Finally, we have been here during the sunny hours. Here's a photo of the customs house on Whistling Cay, having gone ashore mid-way through an overly ambitious paddle board trip from Maho Bay beach. I have sailed there often enough to know that the trades really get focused in that low spot between Mary and Maho Points, but I did eventually make it back into the calm lee of Maho Point.
Enjoy!
All the best,
Kevin
To the right of Vieques, you can also make out some distant hills in Puerto Rico. I am rushing a bit, and haven't taken the time to perfectly level the horizon.
We then headed over to Coconuts to check the view there, and captured a nice photo of the sunset:
In the following zoom, the southern slope of El Toro is visible, just above the island of Culebra. Its summit is shrouded in clouds, and the foreground island is St. Thomas. El Toro is in Puerto Rico's El Yunque tropical rainforest, and is 65 miles away from Gifft Hill. On the horizon to the left, Sail Rock pokes up above the water.
The next photo was taken during early twilight, with the lights of St. Thomas twinkling across Pillsbury Sound. Venus is visible above the clouds left of center, and is really bright in the evening sky after sunset. Look for it where you are; Venus is visible throughout the US, and will only get brighter as we head into the winter months. I didn't have time to fish through storage for my tripod, so this is a slightly shaky hand-held shot; witness Arcturus in the upper right. Got to lay off the sauce...
Finally, we have been here during the sunny hours. Here's a photo of the customs house on Whistling Cay, having gone ashore mid-way through an overly ambitious paddle board trip from Maho Bay beach. I have sailed there often enough to know that the trades really get focused in that low spot between Mary and Maho Points, but I did eventually make it back into the calm lee of Maho Point.
Enjoy!
All the best,
Kevin