Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has a diverse tropical landscape which boasts more than 300 miles of palm-fringed coastline and a lush interior of rainforests. The island is a progressive blend of old and new. Nowhere is this more evident than in the capital city of San Juan, with its centuries-old Spanish fortresses and glamorous resort hotels. The changes are less dramatic on the remainder of the island. One finds strip malls, chain stores and fast-food restaurants as well as drug stores (chemists), highways and efficient national park systems. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico comes under the United States’ territories acts. Puerto Ricans have US citizenship and it is the most affluent population in Latin America. Spanish is very much the spoken language. Approximately half the population also speak English.

24 hours of motor sailing brought us to the coastline of Puerto Rico. There were a few surprises during this part of our journey; we saw whales (our first sighting) and dolphins, falling stars and a comet or piece of space matter enter and cross the night sky lighting it as though someone had switched on a bright light in a dark room, and during the first couple of hours after leaving Samana, there were concerns of running into local fishing boats without navigational lights, that scattered the coastline. We also would have hit an unidentified large object during the night if Mal hadn’t been on the ball and steered the boat 10 degrees off course just missing whatever it was on the radar.  But then the object disappeared off the radar.  We were both stunned...what was it?  It really spooked us.  Later, on talking to some locals in a bar in Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands, we discovered that it would have been a US Submarine that surfaced very close by and then went down again.  Perhaps they thought we were drug runners!!

Our first night was anchored in a snug little mangrove anchorage at Cabo Rojo, the south-western point of Puerto Rico, under the Cabo Rojo lighthouse. The next day we motor sailed to Ponce to clear in and to restock our supplies which were very low. (Luperon and Samana offered little in the way of shops and supermarkets!)

Cabo Rojo

We anchored outside Ponce Yacht Club and Marina and very near to a waterfront pavilion and boardwalk which lined the water’s edge called ‘La Guancha”. There were dozens of cafes and, as it was Sunday, the area was filled with salsa music, and families enjoying the warm evening. Mal and I went ashore for a short while to investigate the spicy smells which were wafting offshore and to sit and enjoy a drink and watch the people parade passing by.

La Guancha

The next two days were spent exploring the city heart and historic centre of Ponce, the Plaza Las Delicias, a sun-dappled colonial-era square, and travelling to the outer suburbs to purchase supplies from the large American style supermarkets.

Ponce

On 5 February, we motor sailed to our next port of call, Salinas. We anchored outside the Marina de Salinas and the village of Playa Salinas. Walking the streets of the small village, we found local homes, restaurants, a sailmaker and marine store. Lunch was a nice treat at a small restaurant located on the waterfront.  

Marina de Salinas

We left the next day and motor sailed along the east coast of Puerto Rico not knowing whether we would turn and follow the southern coast or sail across to Vieques, one of the Spanish Virgin Islands. Our course was decided by the strong winds and the choppy seas that we faced when turning around the south-eastern point. We motored a short way north along the east coast until we came to a marina and Mediterranean style resort, Palmas Del Mar. There we took refuge from the wind and choppy seas for three days. Because Hasta La Vista was in a secure environment, we took the opportunity and hired a car for two days to travel to San Juan for a night’s stay in “Old” San Juan. How nice it was to be “landed”; to be able to view the countryside, towns and cities while travelling to San Juan, and to have the opportunity to enjoy the colonial city with its cobblestone streets, pastel-coloured town houses, Romanesque arches and wrought-iron balconies. The area is full of restaurants, clubs, bars, shops and museums. We stayed in a small boutique hotel and had a wonderful time exploring the forts, walking the cobbled
streets and window shopping, enjoying a leisurely lunch on the waterfront, and in the evening, drinks at different bars, a look at the Sheraton Casino and dinner at a small Italian restaurant, “Sophia’s”.

Mal at one of the old forts in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

On Sunday 8 February, we left Palmas Del Mar for Esperanza, one of the two towns on Vieques, the Spanish Virgin Islands, and anchored for the night. Taking advantage of the light winds, we arrived in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, early the next afternoon.