|
| |
| |
|
|
Arrival in
Puerto Rico |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 February 2010 Having crossed
the notorious Mona Passage in a 32 hour trip from Dominican Republic, we
arrived in Mayaguez on the west coast of Puerto Rico at 5am on 7th February.
We rested for a couple of hours at anchor in Mayaguez
Harbour, then headed into the port area to clear with Customs and
Immigration. It was Sunday. All closed.
Rather than wait in the commercial harbor at Mayaguez, we
decided to head a little further south to Boqueron, a much better anchorage
where we knew Second Lady and the other boats from Ocean World were heading,
and they intended to travel by bus to Mayaguez to clear in on Monday
morning. |
|
|
|
Boqueron |
|
Ponce (The Harbour) |
|
Isla Caja de Muertos |
|
Salinas |
|
Ponce (The City) |
|
Vieques |
|
Isla Culebrita |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Boqueron |
|
|
| |
Click on picture
to enlarge image. Click Back to return to text |
|
|
|
We had a short pleasant motorsail down to
Boqueron, which is another great anchorage with perfect protection from
prevailing easterlies.
This is where the locals party at the weekends. So, arriving there on a Sunday afternoon,
we found the little village absolutely humming with an assortment of small
bars and restaurants along the waterfront that were all packed.
There were also several stalls along
the narrow streets serving fresh oysters. Superb!
After some thought and as we needed to
move east, we decided not to wait and spend most of Monday travelling up to
Mayaguez by bus, but instead to make the journey around the south western
corner of PR and east to Ponce, (pronounced Pone-say) about 30 miles along
the coast and clear there. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Ponce (The harbour) |
|
|
| |
8 February 2010
Click on picture
to enlarge image. Click Back to return to text |
|
 |
|
We left Boqueron at 5am to make the trip to Ponce, where we
arrived at 5.30pm. However, the anchorage mentioned in the guide
books was no longer available. It was full of private, permanent moorings.
Ponce Yacht Club, (the only marina in the area) were very unhelpful. There
was no good dinghy dock and customs and immigration a long walk away. We
anchored overnight right by the port docks, but decided we really had no
incentive to stay in the harbor, even though we wanted to spend time in the
city.
Made contact with Customs and
Immigration first thing Tuesday morning while we were at the Ponce Yacht
Club fuel dock. Customs and Immigration then visited us at the dock to
finally clear us in. Then we needed a Cruising Permit for the boat which
required a visit to their office. Decided to take Dreaming On out of the
Yacht Club area, around the port into Ponce’s main bay, anchor off the
Customs building and find a way to get ashore.
We finally found an old broken
concrete wharf, no longer connected to shore except over a pile of rubble in
the waves. Iza dropped Geoff off and collected him an hour later with a one
year Cruising Permit in hand.
Started engines immediately to head
out to an island about 7 miles offshore called Caja de Muertos, where we
could hang out until early the following morning for a night time run to
Salinas, a highly recommended secure anchorage in a mangrove lined bay where
the boat would be safer and we could rent a car to visit Ponce.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Isla Caja de Muertos |
|
|
| |
9 February 2010 Click on picture
to enlarge image. Click Back to return to text |
|
 |
|
Had a very exciting sail at 8.5 knots
in a strong southeasterly, first tacking SSW, then NNE making a total
distance of 14 miles. Arrived at the island around 5pm, picked up a mooring
provided by the local environmental protection agency and had time for a
quick dinghy tour before sunset.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Salinas |
|
|
| |
10 February 2010 Click on picture
to enlarge image. Click Back to return to text |
|
 |
|
Left Caja de Muertos at 5am, making
our way around the island in the dark, then as the sun rose, made a SE tack
motorsail followed by a NE motorsail to the entrance to the mangrove lined
creek leading to the village of Salinas, arriving there at around 8.30am.
This is a very popular cruiser hang out in a very scenic well protected bay,
with many small bars and restaurants. Probably 50 boats at anchor plus
another 50 in the two small marinas.
Tried to walk to the highly
recommended marine hardware store in the village, only to find they had
moved some distance away. Started walking, became totally lost, then rescued
by Carlos a retired policeman from Rochester, New York who is building a
house here. He kindly drove us to the hardware store and back to the marina. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Ponce (The city) |
|
|
| |
11 February 2010
Click on picture
to enlarge image. Click Back to return to text |
|
 |
|
We hired a car and drove into Ponce
for a tour of the old buildings, a drive up the mountain to the Cruz del
Vigia and Castillo Serrallés, overlooking the city and a visit to the local
Walmart for food supplies and a plumbing supply store for a generator fuel
line repair.
Lovely city centre, with many very well restored buildings
and a beautiful plaza with cathedral. Great fun with the traffic system with
narrow streets and one way systems without names!
Ponce was a 40 minute drive from the boat mooring in Salinas
and well worth the drive. We drove there on the main road which skirts the
fairly arid southerly facing mountains, then drove back on the coastal plain
which was fertile and mostly agriculture.
Arrived back at the marina late in the
evening with a car full of stuff, wondering if it would all fit in one
dinghy journey. It did, BUT, the dinghy outboard refused to start for
unknown reasons and we ended up paddling the half mile to the boat in the
dark in the
very heavily loaded dinghy.
Waited in Salinas for another windy session for one day, then
left on the 13th February to a small group of islands a few miles away
called Cayo Caribes to stage there for a trip around the southeast corner of
"mainland" Puerto Rico and on to Vieques for our first taste of the Spanish
Virgin Islands. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Vieques, Spanish
Virgin Islands |
|
|
| |
14 - 17 February
2010 Click on picture
to enlarge image. Click Back to return to text |
|
Ensanada
Sun Bay entry
Ensanada
Sun Bay
Puerto Mosquito
Beach at entrance
to Puerto Mosquito
Lighthouse at entrance to Puerto Ferro
Puerto Ferro -
kayaking in the mangroves
Puerto Ferro |
|
We left Cayo Caribes at 4am on 14th left for the island of Viegues, which lies 7 miles to the east of Puerto Rico..
Viegues, together with Culebra are the largest two islands
in the "Spanish Virgin Islands", and are a part of Puerto Rico.
Esperanza
Vieques is a very picturesque island and we traveled the
south coast which appeared to have many more interesting anchorages. We
arrived at the town of Esperanza and anchored there for one night. As it was
Sunday, the restaurants and bars were all very busy along the very pleasant
waterfront.
On Monday morning we moved initially to a mooring in the
next bay, Ensanada Sun Bay right next door, where there is a mile of
crescent shaped beach. We made a dinghy recce to Puerto Mosquito, the next
bay along which has a narrow rocky winding entrance into a mangrove lined
bay. This bay is reputed to have the greatest nightly bio-luminescence show
in the Caribbean. Books reported the entrance to have a 5' shoal, so we
thought we'd take a daytime recce.
Mosquito Bay
Having made a recce, we decided to give it a go and
brought Dreaming On around to Mosquito Bay. Although the books showed
5' in the narrow channel, we stopped securely with the depth sounder showing 3'9". Our draft is just
under 5' so we were well into silt when we stopped.
So, gave up on that idea and anchored in the entrance to the
channel, classed as a daytime anchorage as it has no protection from south
or southeast. Around 8pm, we kayaked into the bay.
It was pitch dark and Absolutely SPECTACULAR! The blades
of our paddles were glowing. The wake of the kayaks was glowing. As we
paddled and disturbed fish, they darted off like illuminated torpedoes.
There was a breeze which created ripples on the water, the crest of every
ripple glowed. It was a truly amazing sight that we would not have missed.
Puerto Ferro
Early on Tuesday morning, the wind picked up so we moved right next door to
Puerto Ferro, a similar mangrove lined bay but with a deeper entrance. Spent
one night in this very good calm anchorage which we kayaked around in the
afternoon and hoped to find some similar bio-luminescence at night. But
it was minimal and not nearly as impressive as Mosquito Bay.
Leaving Vieques
On Wednesday 17th, we left Puerto Ferro for Bahia Salinas
del Sur, the last bay on the south coast heading east. We had a great sail
in 10 knots of wind in calmer seas than on previous days. Bahia Salinas del
Sur looked superb from the outside, with many beaches and interesting rocky
outcrops. BUT, sitting in the middle of this very scenic bay was a buoy
stating "No Anchoring. Unexploded Military Ordnance." Ahhh!
So, we carried on and moved around the east end of the
island to highly recommended Bahia Icacos on the north coast. SAME AGAIN! On this sad note, we left for Isla Culebrita, directly
north and sitting off the larger island of Culebra.
Military Vandalism
Vieques was used by the US Navy for many years for bombing and
target practice. This, in our view, has amounted to unacceptable military
vandalism of a beautiful island. Although the Navy moved out during the
last decade, vast areas are now off-limits due to unexploded ordnance.
It looks like the whole of the beautiful eastern end
of this wonderful island are totally off-limits because the military did not
clear up their mess. Wonder how long they can get away with ruining this
little piece of paradise? The US military should be held liable for the clean up of the
island and returning it to a fully useable and enjoyable state.
|
|
Salinas del Sur
Salinas del Sur - no anchoring!
DANGER!
No anchoring!
Roca Alcatraz - bombed to oblivion,
courtesy of US Navy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Isla Culebrita,
Spanish Virgin Islands |
|
|
| |
17 February 2010 Click on picture
to enlarge image. Click Back to return to text |
|
Exploring by kayak
A beautiful bay
 |
|
As we rounded the eastern tip of Vieques, we could see St.
Thomas and St. John of the US Virgin Islands some 20 miles to the east, Culebra of the
Spanish Virgins to the north and Puerto Rico to the west. We headed for Isla
Culebrita, off the east coast of the larger island, Culebra.
Having travelled so far to "The Virgin Islands" this was a
real "We've arrived" moment.
There is a spectacular little anchorage on the northwestern
side
of Isla Culebrita. White sand beaches overlooked by an old Spanish style
lighthouse, wonderful rock formations and the "jacuzzis", natural pools in
the rocks refreshed by every wave. This island is a nature reserve with deer
wandering along the beach early morning, reefs to explore and hillsides
covered with Turks head cacti.
Of course we are seeing a lot more boats and day traffic
here as we get closer to the US and British Virgin Islands. The
islands are relatively close together, just short day hops in between. From
every anchorage we could see other islands. So much to explore.
We have to come back to see more of Culebra, Isla
Culebrita and the surrounding islands. This is a good area to bring visitors
who fly into the international airport at St. Thomas in the US Virgins.
We stayed in Isla Culebrita for two nights, then it was
time to move and make our fist visit to the US Virgins.
|
|
T
The Jacuzzi
Turk's Head cacti
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
back to top |
|
|
|
US Virgin Islands |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
