Isla Culebra & Vieques, Puerto Rico

We are currently anchored in Fuladosa Bay in Ensenada Honda on Isla Culebra, conveniently located between the town of Dewey and Dakity Harbour. Many boats choose to anchor deeper in the bay, closer to town and amenities, but we have chosen to be slightly further from town, where the water is clearer, while Alan is away on a business trip to the US.

On Sunday we rented a Jeep and went exploring. The day commenced with a delicious breakfast at the colorful Mamacita's Restaurant.

Following breakfast, our first stop was  Flamenco Beach, named one of the top beaches in the world.
The water was stunning, crystal clear with a multitude of different shades of blue. The silky white sand is just what one expects to find on any Caribbean beach.

Our next stop, Punta Soldado, found us creeping down a steep, dirt track, filled with pot holes and wash outs. Once committed, we wondered where this might end. It was a voyage of discovery, and thankfully we had a four wheel drive vehicle. It seems others had a similar idea, as we returned from a walk along the waters edge, we discovered that several other vehicles had also navigated this remote track. The return, uphill climb seemed less challenging than the descent.

Next stop was Zoni Beach, on the north shore of this small island. This was one of my favorite spots, looking across to Culebrita, Cayo Norte and St. Thomas in the distance.

Following lunch, we sleuthed out the only gas station on the island, so we could fill up the Jeep and beat the end of day line-up.

 Besides being the only fuel pump on the island, it is the most inaccessible that I've encountered. One drives up to the pump and backs out, weaving around other vehicles in the lineup, and those awaiting the arrival of the ferry. We were told that a busy day can see vehicles lined up for fuel for more than a half mile.

This day closed with happy hour aboard Kaos with boat buddies Tim and Jan and Tony and Suzanne McDonald. Alan worked with Tony many years ago in Canada, and we last saw Tony in Trenton, Ontario in 1994, where he was preparing for retirement and a trip down to the islands.

It's a small world. While we were on our way to town by dinghy,  we came across Tony's boat s/v Gabra at anchor here in Dewey. Culebra has been Gabra's home port for the last ten years, and after years of cruising this area, Tony and Suzanne were happy to share their local knowledge, and some of their favorite stops. It was great to catch up and reminisce.

Bahia Marina Resort sits on the hill top, overlooking our anchorage. No marina exists. It is actually a condo style resort with restaurant, swim up pool bar and snack bar, as shown in the photo to the right. We took a walk up the hills and arrived at the pool bar for some liquid refreshment. We learned that visitors to the bar can utilize the pool, and arrangement can be made with massage therapist, Susan for a massage under the gazebo, overlooking the ocean. Hmmm, that sounds mighty inviting.

Bahia Icacos, Isla  Vieques

Our first Canadian style beach BBQ was enjoyed here on the beach.

As we sat on the beach, we witnessed interesting activity in these clear, azur blue waters. A ray jumped about three feet out of the water, a cow fish swam along the shore line, numerous turtles swam and constantly popped their heads above the water, and while cooling off in the water, we were surrounded by triple tail fish. 

This anchorage is well protected by the surrounding reefs.
The US navy used the island for amphibious assault exercises a few years ago, but the beach area is now clear. However, clean up is still ongoing inland and signs are posted, requesting that visitors not venture away from the beach, nor pick up any man made objects, since there is still a possibility of unexploded ordinances further inland.

Although not forecast, the winds continued to abate throughout the day and by late afternoon conditions had improved sufficiently for us to comfortably make the 12 mile run over to the island of Culebra. It was unanimously decided that an immediate departure would allow us to arrive prior to dark, and was a preferable plan to a 4am departure. Anchors aweigh, we're off to Culebra.

Salinas to Esperanza, Vieques Island

Wow, what a gorgeous, lush island. Paradise at last, we made it!
We are arrived at Vieques Island, the largest island in the Spanish Virgins, in fact I believe it is the largest island in all of the Virgins. Esperanza is a delightful, charming beach town, complete with waterfront boardwalk and magnificent views.

We are currently anchored in Sun Bay, just East of Esperanza. The beach stretches for at least a mile, with the mountains forming a picturesque back drop. 

In addition to enjoying a refreshing swim in the clear waters of the bay, we took a dinghy ride into Esperanza to explore. 

We had a delicious, fresh lunch at Duffy's open air restaurant on the boardwalk, overlooking the water. After lunch we stopped at the local history museum, nextdoor to Duffy's, and then on to visit some of the quaint, unique waterfont storeson the boardwalk.

We enjoyed our visit to Esperanza, found both the locals and visitors welcoming and willing to share local knowledge. 

In addition to restaurants and boutique shops, there are two small but reasonably stocked grocery stores in town (Lydia's and The Green Store), providing basic groceries, fresh bread, limited produce and alcoholic beverages.

We departed Puerto Patillas at 4am  so as to capitalize on the calm winds. Swell was 4-6 feet with a six to eight second period, which made for a choppy, but doable four hour crossing to Vieques.
Just as the sun peaked out above the horizon, the mountains of Vieques  were sighted in the distance.

Puerto Patillas
Following a lumpy ride from the Bahia de Infierno anchorage, we decided to reward ourselves with breakfast upon arrival. We dinghied ashore and inquired of a local woman, where we might find desayuno (breakfast). She did not speak English, but motioned for us to follow her. She took us to a neighbor's house who did speak English. We were told that there was nothing open within walking distance, but without hesitation, said she would run us to Burger King. We learned her name was Lilly, and she was born and raised in New York, and returned to Puerto Rico four years ago to raise her daughter. We have found the Puerto Ricans to be warm, generous and helpful people, willin gto lend a hand to strangers, expecting nothing in return. Our friend Lilly was no exception, and should you find yourself in Puerto Patillas someday, she will drop everything to be of assistance. Thanks for your help and friendship Lilly.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing aboard and watching two large manatees swim throughout the bay, regularly lifting their large paddle shaped tails right out of the water, and occassionally raising their hairy nose above water. They seemed very content to swim amongst the three boats at anchor and provide our afternoon entertainment.

Boca del Infierno
A quiet couple of weather days were spent tucked in here in this well protected anchorage amongst the mangroves. Anchored inside the reef, we had a great view of the sea conditions outside.
Susann celebrated her 60th birthday here with steak and cake aboard Lamb Chop, with friends Tim and Jan. Other than over indulging in some good bottles of wine, it was a quiet day. Our daily boat wine is the budget variety and certainly does not have the kick of the higher end, higher octane selections. Note to self, watch out for that high octane stuff.

Salinas
With a first light departure from Ponce our planned destination was Isla Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island). Although just a six mile journey, the wind was howling from the North East with strong sea swell from the East, once again,  not suitable for a comfortable overnight anchorage. Plans were changed, with Salinas as our destination.Given the sea conditions, we hugged the coast line for the most comfortable ride.

Salinas is famous amongst Puerto Ricans for it's cock fights, which are legal here in Puerto Rico. Since this was not an item on our bucket list, we simply observed the cocks in their cages in many of the yards as we walked throughout town. These cocks are prized, and not to be confused with those that wander the streets, along with the stray dogs and cats.
The village is an array of narrow streets dotted with colorful homes and many small restaurants and local watering holes.
Directly outside of the marina gate are several small restaurants,including Drake's offering everything from seafood, empanadillas, burgers. Drakes also offers cruisers wi-fi. Next door is a small canvas and sail shop. The bakery, just up the street has fresh baked bread daily along with pastries and essential groceries. They serve coffee, breakfast and deli sandwiches. The bay and waterfront are dotted with many restaurants which all seemed busy on weekends.

The anchorage in Salinas is well sheltered, in fact it is one of the most protected in all of Puerto Rico. The bay is large with many boats at anchor.

The marina and village are a short dinghy ride, and the town of Salinas is about 1.5 miles away.
The marina offers a free dinghy dock and has a neat bar/snack bar and restaurant on site. We rented a car from Sidney, who runs the local body shop. He will deliver the car to the marina and at $30 per day, it is a good deal. If you pay cash, there is no paperwork at all. Check with the marina office for Sidney's contact information.
Salinas was a re-provisioning stop for us, and the car was greatly appreciated when we went freezer shopping to replace Lamb Chop’s deep freeze. With a five cubic foot unit hanging out of the trunk and spider webbed to the car, we were told that we looked like locals. Thankfully, we were able to get it in the trunk and did not have to travel down the highway with it tied to the roof.

Wal-Mart, in the neighboring town of Santa Isabel is not worth the effort. After visiting the local Selectos Supermercado in Salinas, we found the meats better quality and price at Selectos, and would recommend it over a trip to Wal-Mart.

The following day, we went sightseeing into the Cordillera Mountains, which run through the center of the island. Although we had a map and GPS, we managed to get lost on several occasions. We later discovered that part of our problem was that there are more than one road with the same number, travelling to totally different destinations. After our first hour of travel, we took a wrong turn in Cayey and ended up back in Salinas, where we started. Once we found our way up into the mountains, the scenery was spectacular. Travel is somewhat hairy on these narrow windy roads with locals and countless motorcycles speeding around every bend.
We passed through several neat towns, all with a plaza in the center of town.

One such town was Aibonito. We stopped to stretch our legs and check things out. It was Sunday, about 11am. In the midst of the plaza was the catholic church, with standing room only. There were people standing outside the door. We could here the service from the square, and could see and hear the Methodist church conducting a simultaneous service.

We walked around the town, but most everything was closed. We did find an interesting 99cents store, jammed with everything imaginable.

Back into the car.We had read about Casa Bavaria, a German restaurant up in the mountains, on hwy 155, somewhere between Orocovis and Morovis. The thought of schnitzle and spaetzle was beckoning. Mission accomplished just outside of Morovis. The parking lot was packed at 2;30pm with cars, buses, jeeps and motorcycles. The restaurant/bar is a two storey building with many seating areas for the couple of hundred patrons. The upstairs seating area overlooked the valley, way in the distance.

 The setting and views were very reminiscent of our travels in the Black Forest in Germany.

The food was worth the trip, and if it wasn't so warm and a two hour trip back, we would have purchased some dessert to go from the pastry shop. They also sell their home made bratwurst to go, 3lbs for $12.

Travelling back on hwy 149, we passed several waterfalls cascading down from the mountain tops.

At one of these waterfalls, at least 70 motorcycles had stopped, and along with parked cars, the road was almost impassable. Some of the folks were on the road admiring the falls, some were swimming in the cold pool beneath the falls, while others were heading to the roadside bar. All seemed oblivious to passing traffic. We would like to have stopped for a photo op, but there was already lots of kaos and confusion so we decided not to add to it.

We arrived back in Salinas, sweary, especially Alan who had been driving all the winding road, still full from our great German repas.

The following two days were spent in the Salinas anchorage, awaiting favorable travel conditions.

La Paraguera to Ponce

Cabo Rojo to La Parguera. December 30 - January 5, 2011

A short travel day again today, less than two hours, which is always music to my ears. We followed the coast and once again enjoyed magnificent views of the cloud formations cresting the mountain tops. As we approached La Parguera, nestled at the base of the mountains, we started to see the bright colors of the waterfront homes come into view.

One of the cruising guides states “a few years ao he town closed its borders to the bottle throwing students and the dykes on bikes crowd. These moved to Boqueron, and the adults came back”. Another author states that “Ask anybody who has ever spent any time in La Parguera and you’ll notice a smile spread across their face as they recall fond memories, such is the magic of this place. We certainly concur.

The anchorage is well protected by the outer reefs, yet the ocean breeze can still be enjoyed.

Once again we found that the economy and time of year saw many bvusinesses closed, but the super markets, some restaurants, hotel and post office were all open, as were the dive shops and boat rental facilities.

New Years Eve in La Parguera

It was time to get cleaned up and ready to party. Alan shaved his own hair, while Jan gave Tim a haircut on the bow of Lamb Chop.

New years eve was fairly quiet, with dinner ashore at Yolanda's, one of the only restaurant bars open that evening. The square awas deserted nd all the small vendors were closed. Yolanda's is owned and operated by a father son team, formerly from New Jersey.

Earlier in the week we had inquired about lobster for sale and they said they would get us lobster for New Year's Eve.We arrived for dinner about 7pm, which is early for Puerto Ricans, though I doubt there would be many diners after us, but the bar was getting busy.

Alan and Tim felt obligated to order the lobster, and an enormous Caribbean spiney lobster was served.

 They had to be about five pounds each, and these were the smaller ones. Jan had the camerones (shrip) and Susann had the snapper, the entire fish, complete with head, tail and eyeballs. It was a good meal and we did not leave hungry.

As a token of appreciation, a goofy ball cap was given to two goofy guys.

Upon our return to the boats at anchor, we danced and toasted the New Year with champagne and Ferrra Roche chocolates, even though it was not yet midnight.

Lights out is much earlier for the cruising world.

1-1-2011 Happy New Year

Just west of La Parguera is Isla Cueva, home to 400 monkeys. We did not see or hear any monkeys on our dinghy exploration, but we did cruise through the beautiful and tranquil mangrove channel that runs between the island and mainland. As we entered the channel, we were enveloped by an overhead canopy of mangroves. The water was crystal clear inside.

La Parguera is best known for its bioluminescent lagoons and this evening we took a boat tour to view the microscopic luminescent plankton that glow when the water is stirred up. This is best viewed on a moonless night and at $6 per person, we felt it was worth the trip. A swimmer entered the lagoon in total darkness and as he swam back and forth alongside the boat, the water lit up like a glow stick. It was pretty neat..

Gilligan’s Island and Ensenada

Another early morning departure bound for Gilligan’s Island. A small state park amidst the mangroves, where locals and tourists come by ferry to picnic and swim in the shallow clear waters. The picnic area was full when we walked through and the smell of bbq was certainly whetting our appetites.

The weather was partially overcast and a cool wind was blowing so we opted for a dinghy exploration to nearby Ensenada rather than a swim. The ride was somewhat lumpy, especially on the return trip. After searching for a place to dock in this small industrial area, we asked a local which way to town. What we saw of Ensenada indicated that it was not an area frequented by cruisers or visitors. After a 15 minute walk along a muddy, leaf strewn sidewalk, we arrived at what looked like a town square (Kioskos Touristicos) where the young locals gathered on the side street listening to the music booming from one of the two open kiosks. This was our introduction to empanadillas (meat or seafood filled turnovers) and Medalla, ice cold local beer. At $8 for four beers and three empanadillas, we knew that this was not an area frequented by gringos. By the way, the empanadillas were excellent and looked far less greasy than those we saw in Boqueron and the beer was partially frozen, but very refreshing.

Caja de Muertos/Ponce

This morning we were up at 6am to check weather conditions and up anchor for Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island) named because from a distance, it looks like a corpse with arms laid across the chest. This is another state park and reported to be one of the nicest beach areas around. The wind was much fresher than forecast and the swell much shorter period with some wind driven chop on top. All in all, conditions that rocked the boat and gave us all a good shaking, with spray coming up over the fly bridge. Upon arrival at Coffin Island, we found conditions in the anchorage very active and not comfortable, so we elected to head back six miles to Ponce.

Once safely anchored in the calm of Bahia Ponce, we took a dinghy ride and learned that the only place to tie up was next to the boardwalk, where we were told that we should lock the dinghy and notify the police (which we did). We called the Ponce Yacht Club after reading that we could leave the dinghy on their dock for $5 per person, per day, only to be told that this is a private yacht club and the cost to just tie the dinghy was $10 per person, per day. Needless to say we chose the first option. At this point we were thinking that Ponce is not boat friendly.

Ponce - second largest city in Puerto Rico
Weather conditions are still unfavorable for travel to Coffin Island or Salinas. After some phone calls, we located a taxi company that spoke English and for $8 would pick all four of us up at the boardwalk and take us into the historic area of Ponce.

The taxi dropped us off at the Parque de Bombas (fire station and museum) in Plaza de Las Delicias in the heart of historic downtown.
The red and black Parque de Bombas was built as a pavilion for the Agricultural Exposition Fair in 1882, and later became the headquarters of the municipal fire fighters. Today, it is a museum and Tourist Center.

Red and black are the colors of Ponce, and on the fire station, red represents fire and black represents the ashes.

We took a guided trolley tour of Ponce for $2 per person. The tour operator spoke both Spanish and English, although he was hard to follow at times because he spoke very fast and with a heavy accent. Still, it was great value and an enlightening tour of the lovely historic district.


It was 1:30 when the tour ended and we were all raveneous. The Thomas Restaurant and Café was recommended, and due to the holidays, one of just a few open for business. We enjoyed a great lunch, followed by a most informative guided tour of the Ponce History Museum, which surprised us with there being no charge to view this majestic old home or the guided tour, and no-one was looking for a tip!

Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe)
The cathedral is one of Ponce's treasures, located in Plaza de Las Delicias, directly behind the fire station. Unfortunately we were not able to view inside since it is only open from 9am - 1pm.

The two statues on the top of the cathedral were originally desined to fit in the two cupolas above the doors. Unfortunately someone somewhere goofed, and the statues were to large to fit into the designated spot, so the cupolas sit empty and the statues are mounted on the roof.
The sight seeing trolleys depart across the street from the cathedral.
Another must see in Ponce (as we have been told by many visitors) is the Art Museum, said to be outstanding. Unfortunately due to Puerto Rican Christmas (January 6th) most of these must sees were closed. Perhaps we can catch them on our return trip.




We walked among the many street vendors and stores, all promoting gifts for children for “Kings Day” a family celebration where the three kings bring gifts of candy and toys to the children on January 6th. Before going to bed, the children place balls of grass or hay in a shoe box and place it beneath their bed, offering nourishment for the king’s camels, similar to our tradition of milk and cookies for Santa.
Some of the store and street displays were unfamiliar to us, such as the row of mannequin bottoms displaying a myriad of jeans, which sparked Captain Koas’ interest, as demonstrated by the photo.

We completed our day with a treat of Chinese home made ice cream, and it was delicious! Our choices included vanilla, chocolate and Susann’s combination of passion fruit and coconut, which was heavenly and could easily become addictive. Our tour guide explained that it is called Chinese ice cream because the business is owned by a Chinese business man. It is worth a special trip to Ponce just to have that divine ice cream!

Another $8 taxi ride delivered some weary souls back to the dinghy.
An early night for us all: in preparation for tomorrow’s departure for Coffin Island or Salinas, destination dependent upon weather, wind and waves.

Cabo Rojo

12-29-2010 Boqueron Hole to Cabo Rojo


8:45am departure from Boqueron Hole for the six mile run to Cabo Rojo. We encountered some swell and light chop enroute, compliments of “Mona” but nothing uncomfortable.

 

Cabo Rojo lies at the south western tip of Puerto Rico, and translates to red cape (headland), which gets it’s name from the red cliffs, adorned with a historic lighthouse from the 1800’s.

 The lighthouse has recently been restored and opened to public tours three years ago. The vistas from the cape are stunning, as is the beach.

 

Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Rested after a good nights sleep, we awoke hungry, and dinghied the short distance to town to find an American style bacon & egg breakfast. At 9:30am on a Monday, most of the town was closed up tight.

Luckily when we inquired where we might find a restaurant, one of the local owners was there and led us down the street to his small café. He was originally from New Jeresy and retired in PR. He spoke English and cooked and served our meal. Plates and utensils were all disposable, with no knives. When asked for a knife, he apologises and puts a large kitchen knife on the table for us to share. It was a tasty breakfast with great toasted flat bread.

After eating we walked town in the rain showers, but being Monday, most businesses were closed. We stopped for a beer at Mathilda’s, at the bridge next to the private Boqueron Marina.

Kaos was in need of a large drink of diesel fuel (700 gallons) so we checked with Club Nautico Marina (as listed in the cruise guide) and were abruptly told that they only sell to members, but we could take jerry cans to the gas station across the street…….I don’t think so!

We were given the phone number of a new marina, just six miles north in Puerto Real. A quick call to Jose Mendez, the owner confirmed they had diesel fuel and at $3.05 gallon, it was best price we’ve seen since leaving the US. We upped anchor and headed to Marina Pescaderia in Puerto Real to refuel. The owner, Jose spoke fluent English and was most helpful with local knowledge and sights to visit, as well as sharing some of his favorite places and beaches in the Virgin Islands. This brand new marina is one of the very few marinas accepting transient boaters on the Western Coast of Puerto Rico. It looked like a quaint little town, with a superb restaurant (so we were told) next door to the marina. This is a great spot to stage for crossing the Mona Passage, and we certainly will stage and refuel there on our return.

The wind was now strong from the North East, and that combined with the ocean swells made our anchorage lumpy, causing a restless night for all. Next morning Kaos upped anchor and ventured over to check out the Boqueron Hole, a lagoon amidst the mangroves that locals use during storms and hurricanes. The entrance and channel are well marked and the local polizia and DNR dock their boats inside the lagoon. It was flat calm inside and Jan was very anxious to join us and get some respite from her nausea,. Needless to say, we all enjoyed a great sleep that night.

Chipper and feeling much better after a good nights sleep, we elected to return to town and see if Tuesday brought a bit more action. Most of the restaurants were still closed, but we found Calloways on the water and had a great fish sandwich and a cold beer. Food was good and prices reasonable. Our waitress informed us that most businesses are closed until Thursday. The current economy combined with the slow season meant that many business’ only opened for the weekend visitors.


In spite of the many closures, we were still able to enjoy and absorb the Bohemian culture of this interesting, quaint town.