Isla de Culebra

A juice stand: "Open Some Days - Closed Others"

Our next stop was Culebra, one of the Spanish Virgin Islands just 17 nautical miles east of Fajardo. We had been to Culebra twice already by ferry – once with my parents and once with Doug`s `boys`- so we had experienced the island as `day tourists` which by necessity or design follows a somewhat structured itinerary that goes something like this...

Get up at 6  AM and get a ride over to the ferry dock because someone in the group (that would be me) has to be in line before 7 AM in order to get tickets from the limited (about 300) number available...and it has to be before 7 AM because the package tour outfits buy tickets in blocks (and pay someone to be first in line) and you can`t pre-purchase tickets...you can only get tickets for that day`s ferry – so late arrivals miss out. Then whoever dropped you off goes back for the rest of the group and brings them and all of your snorkelling and beach gear, parks the car and hopefully brings you a coffee from the bar on the corner (who are doing a booming business for 7 AM) and maybe a fresh homemade donut from the guy selling them out of the back of his truck. 
 

The ticket office is supposed to open at 7:30, but that`s ``island time``...so don`t expect punctuality. While you wait in line you will be offered a map of the island and given the low down on a Jeep rental. There are a few ways to travel the island – jeep, golf cart, minivan/bus, taxi, bicycle or on foot. You choose based on your budget as the best beach and best snorkelling are – of course – at the opposite end of the island from the ferry dock and while the distance from ferry to beach is only about 3 km, but with your time on the island limited its better spent on the beach.

So the ticket window opens. The line moves quickly and even with the less than punctual opening you have tickets in hand just before 8 AM. Now you and your group get in line to board the ferry (which isn`t in yet). This is a very long line that starts inside the terminal (in the shade) and winds its way out and along the street (in the already blazing sun). If you are quick you might be lucky enough to end up in line inside the terminal, but you won`t get there without tickets (no groups holding a spot in line while they wait for the person with the tickets – another good reason to be in line early).

The ferry arrives and everyone boards. Most people seem to head for the upper deck, but this is a speed ferry which covers the 17 nm from dock to doc in 45 minutes as a speed that tops out around 25 knots. That`s windy...so we take a seat inside. The trip is a little `bumpy` even on the calmest of days and this keeps the crew busy cleaning up after those that succumb to sea sickness.

The ferry arrives at the dock on Culebra and the unsuspecting hoard disembarks only to find themselves trapped between a line of shops on one side and the ferry terminal on the other and face to face with a frenzied mob of hawkers all offering the `best` deal on whatever mode of transportation they represent blocking the only escape route. It’s nothing short of chaos.

Within minutes small groups of 4 to 8 corralled tourists are whisked away on golf carts and in minivans to fill out the necessary forms at the actual location of the rental outfit they chose, leaving friends and loved ones behind clutching bags and assorted beach gear as there is only room for the credit card holders in the transports to the rental places. Meanwhile those not renting something are herded onto buses heading for the beach. If you are quick you can dash into the bakery and pick up some pastries for later – while they last - and then rejoin the bands of bewildered friends and loved ones clutching beach gear and examining maps trying to sort out from where their credit card holder might emerge and the best place to stand in order to be able to jump in or on the vehicle and make a quick escape.

After about 20 minutes the first of the parade of colourful jeeps (ours was orange) and golf carts begins...drivers anxiously scanning the crowd for their group...groups straining to make out the identity of the drivers. Faces light up with recognition, voices are raised as people dart about loading themselves and their gear into vehicles while dodging oncoming vehicles with drivers more focused on scanning the crowd for their group than the road in front of them. A steady rhythm of anticipation, recognition, scurrying, loading and escaping plays out until the last group is whisked away and the street settles back into its normal sleepy pace.

The parade of vehicles streams north to Playa Flamenco, consistently voted one of the world`s best beaches. On arrival, groups vie for spots on the beach. The sand is bright white and as fine as baking flour. The water is turquoise and azure, clear and warm...perfect for swimming. Finding a spot with some shade is like winning the lottery. If you aren`t that lucky then you`d best slather on some more sun block.

If you get hungry there are snack kiosks with a wide variety of exorbitantly priced food.

When all this gets boring, hop in the vehicle and motor over to Playa Tamarindo and snorkel with the turtles grazing in the sea grass or head out to the spectacular coral reef and be entertained by its many colourful residents.

Around 4 PM the mornings rhythm starts again in reverse...although somewhat less frenzied, as groups load their stuff into their vehicles, drop the group and gear off near the ferry terminal, return the vehicle to the rental outfit and get driven back to the ferry dock to be reunited with their group and wait to board the ferry. The tourist hoard, now exhausted by sun and fun, sprawl wherever they can find shade, enjoying a beer, a fancy fruit drink or an ice cream.

The ferry loads and leaves by 5 PM. The crew is again kept busy by those prone to sea sickness. Exhausted revelers nap. The ferry arrives back in Fajardo at 5:45 and again the hoard disembarks and heads for the parking lot.

Again there is a process. One person gets in line to pay for parking...and this is where you are grateful that you were smart enough to put the parking ticket in your wallet (or wish to God you had) so you can get directly in line rather that jog back to the car to retrieve it off the dash and then jog back to the now lengthy line...while the rest of the group heads for the car and loads the gear. With encoded ticket in hand you drive for the exit, where inevitably one driver is holding up the line at the exit barrier because he hasn`t paid for parking and had the ticket encoded yet. When the shouting subsides and the issue is resolved, once again the line of vehicles, each in turn, inserts their ticket into the machine triggering the barrier to rise signalling the end to their day trip to Culebra.


We did this twice!

By boat, Culebra was a completely different experience.

The short trip to Culebra was tough – against the wind and strong currents it`s a long bumpy ride. We were glad we decided against sailing our guests over to Culebra. They would not have enjoyed the trip – at least not the one on the way there.

First we anchored off Melones Beach for a couple of days and snorkelled the reefs. Then we moved to anchor off Carlos Rosario Beach for a few more days and snorkelled the reefs. Next we moved around and anchored in Ensenada Honda – the harbour tucked up inside and surrounded by the island...and town. We stayed for a week and enjoyed the laid-back pace of town – especially before and after the daily onslaught of day-trippers. It`s as if the island itself lets out a big sigh of relief when the ferry leaves in the afternoon...or maybe is the collective sigh of the residents.
 

We filled our days with a bit of provisioning, filling the water tank, looking for a weather window, sorting out `clear out` procedures with customs, wandering the island and watching the `tourists`. As the week rolled to a close our weather window opened. We cleared out the day before departure and at first light headed out of the bay and turned our bow east – directly into the wind and current – for a slow slog to St Martin...uphill all the way.

Palominos Island

From Fajardo we headed over to Palominos Island, a privately owned island a mere 3.25 nautical miles from Fajardo. The island is used by the luxurious El Conquistador Resort in Fajardo to offer their guests a private tropical beach oasis...complete with a tender to ferry them back and forth.

  

 

With no reason to go ashore we spent the four days we stayed there enjoying the scenery, stowing and planning our next moves before heading onward.

Puerto Rico

The 'boys' lounging in the boat

Our stay in Puerto Rico stretched from our expectation of a week – or maybe two – into a month. This was due to two separate waves of company – first my (Cathi’s) parents and then Doug’s two adult sons - each pair for a week with a week in between. And while this meant some extreme reorganizing of the quarter berth to convert it from the ‘garage’ it had become back into the guest berth it was meant to be, it also meant we’d have the chance to get a really good ‘feel’ for Puerto Rico...which we did...and loved it!

flowering trees

We spent the first week completing some boat jobs, exploring Fajardo and re-provisioning. Dave and Leslie from s/v Vivace were anchored nearby so we shared a rental car with them for a couple of days and took advantage of the chance to delve into Puerto Rican cuisine at a local restaurant called Estacion (the station), an old service station converted into a restaurant. The food was excellent and gave us our first taste of mofongo (a national dish made from fried plantains mashed with garlic and olive oil so the plantains line the pestle they were mashed in leaving a hollow cylinder in the center to be filled with your choice of steak, chicken, pork or seafood) and tostones (green plantains fried, squashed and refried until crispy).

The back roads

Once my parents arrived, aside from seeing the sites, it was a culinary extravaganza. Among the most memorable: alcapurrias (mashed plantains stuffed with ground beef), bacalaitos (thin cod fritters) and meats flavoured with sofrito (a sauce made from cilantro, onions, garlic and peppers), varieties of rice and bean and – of course – pina colada. We also discovered a delightful new ‘sipping’ cocktail called cocotazo made from vodka, Frangelico and cream of coconut over ice with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top. Yummy!

The Old San Juan wall

El Morro

Puerto Rico has a diverse spectrum of tourist attractions and with two sets of company to ‘show’ around the island we got to enjoy most of them twice. Among the highlights were El Morro, the fortress rising 140 ft above the sea guarding the headland of San Juan Bay built to defend against attacks by sea and Castillo de San Cristobal, a stronghold with 150 ft walls made up of a labyrinth of tunnels, moats and dungeons, intended to defend against land-based attacks – both in Old San Juan, the original Spanish Colonial city of narrow steep cobbled streets made of iridescent bricks called adoquines (originally used as ballast in ships) and lined with buildings with bright pastel facades and wrought iron balconies surrounded by a 20 foot thick wall.

 

 

Cueva Clara

At the other end of the spectrum is El Yunque National Forest, a tropical rain forest covering the islands eastern mountain range and dotted with waterfalls and natural swimming pools and the Cavernas del Rio Camay, one of the world’s largest cave systems the highlight of which is Cueva Clara the largest cavern (170 ft high) containing enormous boulder-like stalagmites and views of the Tres Pueblos sinkhole (650 ft wide and 400 ft deep) and the raging Rio Camuy far below. And while both these natural wonders were spectacular, we thoroughly enjoyed exploring - and getting lost – on the back roads enroute.

Ponce

Representing technological wonders was the Observatorio de Arecibo, the largest radio telescope in the world – a 1000 ft wide dish built over a gaping sinkhole – most memorable for its role in the James Bond movie “Goldeneye” and its focus on SETI (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence).

We also ventured to historic Ponce on the southern coast were the mountains gave way to farmland.

And of course there was no way we were going to miss the beaches...

Hawksbill turtle

The desire to lounge on the palm lined Balneario (public beach) de Luquillo with calm water and white sand was in direct conflict with the need to find out which of the kioscos was selling whatever it was that smelled to heavenly...but nothing could eclipse the powder white sand beach and spectacular snorkelling on the island of Culebra.

El Yunque

 As our month drew to a close with the departure of Doug’s ‘boys’, although we were looking forward to new adventures we knew we were going to miss Puerto Rico...where plantains seemed to be part of every meal, lizards were the Puerto Rican version of squirrels and the sounds of salsa were rarely out of earshot.