Good Times In Puerto Rico

Enjoying good times at Cabo Rojo - Puerto Rico

We love Puerto Rico. It is an island so rich in nature and wildlife, it’s hard not to like. Couple that with catching up with new cruising friends and hanging out with old cruising friends we have not seen in 11, yes that’s 11 years – since our days in Venezuela, and it’s been good times.

Having a beer and good times catching up with Jan and Terrry

Jan (him) and Terry (her) were on the same dock as us in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela for the hurricane season of 2005. And we have not seen them since. 

Vixen ii - on the dock at La Parguera, PR

They have swapped their sailboat for a motor boat and are living off the dock in a teeny weeny, little (party) town called La Parguera on the southwest corner of Puerto Rico. We had not been there before but could see that it has recently undergone lots of modernisation and looking very smart with a viewing platform in the square to see out across the bay with little bars and restaurants. 

La Parguera, Puerto Rico

The area is fringed with shallow reefs and mangrove islands. We weaved our way in as close as we could to our friends and had a blast catching up out with them. We partied on their dock along with a couple of other new cruiser buddies we had met earlier in the Bahamas. 

Not only did we get to hang out in their great (and often hilarious) company, they took us for a little sightseeing the following day to the SW corner of Puerto Rico past all the gorgeous countryside, past the pink salt flats to the Cabo Rojo lighthouse. Known as ‘El Faro’, it’s the second lighthouse ever built by the Spanish in Puerto Rico and is over 100 years old. It is still working to this day.

'El Faro' - The lighthouse at Cabo Rojo - Puertoo Rico.

This area is gorgoues with all its contrasting colours.

In the same part is one of the most photographed spots in Puerto Rico, El Punte Natural - The stone bridge. The area is spectacular with reddish brown cliffs giving a dramatic view of the blue Caribbean Sea. Totally stunning – we loved it there.Only I was brave (or stupid) enough to cross the narrow and thin bridge for a photo.

El Punte Natural - The natural bridge 

Dramatic clifftops at Cabo Rojo

We were having unusually calm weather so felt we should be continuing on our journey along the south coast – so much easier when the winds were down. We said goodbye to our friends and pressed on. Next stop Gilligan’s Island – this is not the first time we have stopped here but it is the first time with our kayaks. We had lots of fun kayaking around the mangrove islands and through the narrow mangrove channels. At the weekend it’s a bit of a party spot and all the locals are bought across by a ferry to BBQ and frolic in the shaded lagoons. 

Its party time at the weekend in Gilligans Island.

We moved on to Coffin Island, a little island about six miles off shore with another lighthouse. It is a state park with paths and trails to the lighthouse through scrubby bush. We didn’t climb the lighthouse this time. Instead hung out for a lovely afternoon in the water with the cruising peeps we had met in the Bahamas; Lauren and Brian from Nightingales Tune and Alison and Bo from Saleh. Lauren is a bit of a chef and whipped up some delicious conch fritters from a catch earlier in the day. A yum and a fun day.

Fun at Coffin Island

With the good weather we continued on to Salinas – where we are now.  A familiar spot to us and a well protected bay to hangout for awhile. There is not much going on here – a marina, some manatees – a long walk to the supermarket and a couple of bars within spitting distance. We have pottered on with a few things and are now thinking of moving on. In the mean time the whole ‘Southbound’ group that we travelled along the Dominican Republic with have pulled in so we are in good company.

Our anchorage in Salinas

Dolpins on the way to La Parguera.

Manatees in Salinas.

Iguanas in La Parguera

Sights of Salinas...including a long walk to the supermarket.

A good night at Sal Pa Dentro Bar - just outside the marina gates.

Our Puerto Rican West Side Story

Wind turbines seen from Salinas

Fully provisioned and laden down with stores, fuel and water we left the comfy confines of Salinas on the south coast of Puerto Rico and inched our way on slow downwind sails towards the west end and our staging point for the jump to the Bahamas.  First stop was at Isla Caja De Muertos, otherwise known as Coffin Island named after its shape.  Lying 8 miles off shore from mainland Puerto Rico, Coffin Island is home to several endangered plants and lizards.  While Sim spent a good day fitting the new coupling to the shaft to solve an engine alignment issue, I took a short hike up to the lighthouse at the top of the hill with John and Shirley from Khaya Moya.  Tall Cacti kindly offered shade but cruelly pieced the soles of my shoes with their long spiky thorns.   The lighthouse at the top of the island was built by the Spanish in the 1800’s but is looking a little neglected now.  The view however was stunning; worth all the huffing and puffing on the way up in the midday sun..   Back on the water below Sim finished his job improving the engine.  Hurray!

Isla Caja de Muertos - Coffin Island

With no time to loiter.....we are trying to get to the Bahamas after all, we pressed on to Gilligan’s Islands, named as you might imagine after the popular TV show of the 1970’s -  (apparently the island looks similar to that in the show and a local fisherman resembled one of the lead actors!).  We caught our first fish in a very long time and even Sim had a meal out of it.  The rest was scoffed by me and the cat. Gilligan’s Island is another pretty mangrove anchorage; here you can swim in the crystal clear waters between each island in the mangrove roots or frolic in the shallow waters by the beach & BBQ areas where local Puerto Ricans are cooking up a storm.

Swimming in the channels between the islands

But time stands still for no man and move on we must; A night was spent at Cabo Rojo beneath yet another lighthouse. The next morning we cracked on to Boquerón and our last stop before our passage to the Bahamas.  Boquerón is a small sunny seaside town in a very large bay.  Tall palm trees line a deep golden beach. Manatees swim around the boat in the early morning sun.  The town is full of brightly coloured tourist shops selling beach toys and many small, vibrant, bars selling cheap booze. At the weekends stalls with brightly coloured umbrellas sell fresh clams and oysters.  Of course this would not be Puerto Rico if there were not some deep fried foods on sale somewhere.  We gorged on $1 beers, cheap oysters, BBQ kebabs and deep fried meat and plantain or potato er.... lets just call them things. And that was just for snacks, all in the good company of ‘Khaya Moya’, a Dutch boat called ‘UnWind’ and another South African Boat ‘Sylvester’.

The colourful town of Bouqeron

Tomorrow (Monday) we head out across the notorious Mona Passage – the stretch of water between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic where storms brew off the Puerto Rican coast and roll out to sea.  We have a four day passage until we make landfall in Mayaguana, the eastern most island in the Bahamas – the longest sail we have done in years......

Khaya Moya

 

Walking through the cacti trail

 

The lighthouse at Coffin Island

 

Bleeding the fish! a gruesome job

 

View from the top of Coffin Island

 

Swimming at Gilligans Island

 

The oyster stall

 

The Oyster man

 

Sim & the crew of Khaya Moya, Unwind & Sylvester

 

Moi with the other halves, Shirley, Margaret & Christine

 

Manatees swimming around the boat in Bouqeron