Puerto Rico 18.04.6N 65.47.5W
Lotus
Mon 22 Mar 2010 20:18
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Our 35nm passage from the USVI's to Puerto Rico was
plagued by rough seas and miserable weather, but we made good time and even saw
a humpback whale breaching (or whatever it is they do when they lift their tail
fins out of the water and slam them back down into the
sea). The first port of call was Isla de Culebra, where
we stayed for a couple of days whist the rain came down and masked the
spectacular beaches and quaint town of Dewey. Apparently, there are
'unexploited diving opportunities abound in the rocks, islets and keys centred
in Culebra', but the big swell put paid to us doing any diving even when
the sun put his hat back on.
After a few days we set sail for mainland Puerto
Rico and decided to spend a few nights in a marina in Puerto Del Rey so
that we could leave the boat safely whilst we hired a car and explored San Juan
and El Yunque National Park rainforest. Typically, we picked the most
expensive marina in the area, but it did have a free golf cart taxi
service to get you around the marina!
San Juan was very pleasant, with friendly people
and a lovely Spanish feel to the place, with old buildings and a wealth of
history including old forts which were a welcome change to the old shacks and
concrete structures which tend to be the norm in the Caribbean.
  El Yunque rainforest was not very rainy considering
that the area usually has 1600 showers a year. On the day we visited
there was not a one, so we completed our sweaty, uphill treks without the
benefit of cooling rain. However, we did visit a waterfall where John
couldn't resist doffing off and jumping in. I stood by with my camera, the
water was ice cold! The rainforest is described as such because of
its precipitation and not for its resemblance of the Amazon rainforest, there
were few very large trees but we did see a few birds and lizards and had a
pleasant day out with spectacular views of the tree clad mountains. It was
good to get away from the boat for a day and have some much needed
exercise.
 We set sail down the east coast of Puerto Rico
stopping at a couple of anchorages along the way, one bay which whilst
described as an anchorage in the guidebook was in fact a huge
marina. With a further 20nm to go before the next anchorage and us
having just spent a small fortune on marina fees in Puerto Del Ray, we decided
to anchor besides some small fishing boats in a scrap of water just outside
the marina. Having set two front anchors and the back anchor (there was no
room to swing), we went ashore for a beer. Later that evening blue
flashing lights were seen and the local police boat was soon by our
side telling us to move. John very politely told them that there was
no chance of us moving in the dark but that we would leave at 7 the
next morning. They seemed happy enough with this compromise and left us to
it.
Our second brush with the law came when we anchored
behind a small cay where we were enjoying a snorkel in the afternoon sun.
We were 200m from the boat, in the waves at the edge of the reef when we spotted
a small boat whose occupants were about to board ours. We shouted
to attract their attention and John nearly keeled over whilst
racing over to them. When they finally spotted us and came over, John
was that out of breath that he couldn't speak. It was a police boat
who thought our presence was suspicious, but once they saw us they let us be and
went on their way.
(As I write this, John has just gone outside in a
tropical downpour exposing his white buttocks and gonads to the people in the
hotel opposite- he has no shame!).
Onwards to Ponce with flat sea, blue sky, but no
wind. We saw a massive loggerhead (we think) turtle in the water, it's
body must have been about 5 feet long. John keeps telling people that it
had a head the size of mine, but that isn't to say that I've got a turtles
head! Get me and my new super duper camera!
 Ponce clearly attracts some odd people, one of
which was Tony an Irish pisshead who'd spent the last 22 years living on his
boat in the bay and living off the 1 dollar beer in the dingy dock bar. He
collected a few glasses in another bar which gave him subsidised food. He
spoke of daring dos of yesteryear, but his boat is unlikely to ever move
again.
After checking out at Immigration we made our way
along the Mona passage to Mona Island where we spent a very rolly night at
anchor. The island is a protected national park so we were quite
surprised to see a camp full of army/ex army who were preparing to cull pigs and
goats living wild on the island. Today we have crossed to the
Dominican Republic where we are now ensconced in a marina amidst torrential
downpours awaiting a visit from the Gestapo in the morning.
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