Caja del Muertos

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May 2nd,2010

Michael and I pulled up anchor and followed the fishing boats out of the harbor and east 7 miles to Caja del Muertos, Coffin Island.    It is also a favored spot for families to take a ferry on the weekends and hang out in the water along the beaches.     We arrived at the same time as the ferry from the mainland and found a mooring near the ferry dock just off the beach in about 8 feet of water.    It was a coast guard post that is now a nature reserve.    There is a lighthouse on the top of the island that was built by the Spanish in 1887.   We watched a small local sailboat come into the anchorage and drop sail and anchor in one smooth movement,  stern to the beach,  opposite the wind.  Within minutes a BBQ off the back end of the boat was fired up and the men aboard were dropping fishing lines into the water and catching fish for the grill.  It wasn’t just confidence that they would catch fish….they had a system.  One man would swim around the boat with a mask and snorkel and then tell the guy with the pole where to drop the bait.  If that wasn’t impressive enough, we then watched as he came up with a fish in his bare hands.    Wow!   Since we are only staying one day we opted to leave Mighty Mouse on the davits and swam to shore to explore.   We hiked the trail up to the lighthouse encountering many drought resistant plants and organ pipe cactus that was prolific and up to 30ft tall.   Iguanas and Lizards scurried beneath the scrub and cacti.   We found a monument that was erected by the Masons who used the island in the 1800’s for their clandestine meetings when the Spanish had forbid them to meet openly.     The lighthouse was closed and locked so we explored around the grounds and took pictures from the observation platform back down at DD.    Frigates and Pelicans rode the thermals around the Island and after our hike we sat in the shade and watched their aerobatics.   We swam back to DD and at 3:30 the Ferry took their passengers back to the mainland and the other families on small boats who had come for the day also returned home.    By 5:00pm Dancing Dolphin had the Island to herself.

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Touring Old Town Ponce

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May 1, 2010

The fishing boats headed out to begin the competition around 8:00am.   Michael and I got out the Bicycles and spent the day riding around Ponce.   We rode a couple of miles to the Plaza del Caribe Mall and found ourselves strolling in air conditioned abundance.   This was a typical American mall scene with masses of people everywhere and lines of people spilling from the banks located in the mall and then later at the check-out counters of the many stores.   You wouldn’t know there was a recession if you visited this mall.   Of course it is the 1st of the month and a Saturday so maybe it was more crowded than usual.  It felt strange and a bit overwhelming to the senses being surrounded by so much and so many after traveling in towns and countries with so little.  After cooling down at the mall we continued our ride into the heart of old town Ponce riding among and photographing the beautiful old buildings.    I had put my basket on my bike and we had brought the backpack so we stopped at a couple of stores and picked up a few items from our provisioning list.   When we got back to the boat, David and Trudie invited us to Persephone for Mojitos.    The sun was setting and we watched as the large sport fishing boats returned to the club a few sporting Marlin flags to signal that they had a successful day.   The Yacht and Fishing Club music and festivities continued that evening and well into the night.    It was surprising to see some of the some of the crew of the fishing yachts up so early the next morning  after partying so late the night before but up they were and on their way by 8:00am again the next day.

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Ponce, PR

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April 30th, 2010

We left the anchorage at Guilligans Island in the dark and traveled to Ponce, the 2nd largest city in PR.  We passed S/V Sanctuary and S/V Just Imagine leaving the harbor as we were entering.   They have been a few days ahead of us since Luperon  in the DR and we have been gaining on them steadily.   Ponce is very much an industrial port.  We anchored off of the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club.   They discourage any use of their facilities by thrifty cruisers by charging $10.00 per person to tie up there or for any service including asking directions or answering questions.     There is a public boardwalk along one side of the bay with numerous food kiosks, little bars, and music.   It gets very busy in the evenings as it is a favored place for people to gather.   This particular weekend was even busier as the Yacht Club was hosting a Marlin Fishing tournament and had music and activities for the members and their families including climbing walls and inflatables for the children along with bumper cars and a mechanical bull pit.   Friday night music blared from both the boardwalk and the Yacht club both competing to be the loudest.    Many of the huge multi-million dollar fishing boats were decorated that evening with flags and lights and we found we had a front row seat for their boat parade.   The boats would circle our boat and then pull up in between us and the fuel dock in front of the judges and spin 360’s and then get as close to the dock without touching before circling our boat again and moving on.   This went on for about 2 hours…..Michael had retired before the start of the parade and so I was left to enjoy the festivities and music from the cockpit alone.     It was quite the party and continued well into the evening!

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Guilligans Island

bearcruzer

April 29th, 2010

We left La Parguera and traveled east to an anchorage next to what is called Guilligans Island by locals after the 1970’s TV show.  I guess there used to be a local fisherman that looked a lot like the main character Bob Denver and the Island has a shallow bay where people come to lounge in the water sipping cool drinks.  They really understand how to beat the heat…..just don’t get out of the water.   The island has been equipped by the local parks service with picnic tables and brick BBQ’s for the enjoyment of visitors that bring their coolers and take the ¼ mile ferry ride over to the little Island on the weekends.     Mike and I traveled over to the Ferry dock and did a walk down the beach on the mainland side.   At the dock we were met by a black cat that kept crossing our path so we tempted fate and visited with him a few minutes.   We came upon Copamarina All Inclusive Resort and toured their beautifully manicured grounds.   We walked along the shore to the public beach where families were enjoying the beautiful weather and cool water.    We took Mighty Mouse over to Guilligans Island humming the theme song from the TV show and walked the couple of trails we found through the mangroves.   Supposedly a slave woman had escaped at one time and had swum over to the island and lived there undiscovered for many years.   It was hard for us to imagine anyone living on this Island with its tangle of mangroves and lack of fresh water.

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La Parguera

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April 27th & 28th, 2010

We left the bustle that is Boqueron at Sunrise and made our way around Cabo Rojo to the Little Town of La Parguera.    S/V Persephone had left the day before and found the town to be virtually closed down.   It had once been a place where, like Boqueron, college students would congregate on the weekends.    The residents of the town did not like many of the problems that came with hosting throngs of out of town partiers every weekend and so the town began instituting and the local police began enforcing a number of ordinances.  The hefty fines imposed produced the intended results and drove the party goers back to Boqueron.   We arrived to find a handful of souvenir kiosks and a couple of restaurants with just a few local people in them.   There were other restaurants and Bars along the main coastal road but none looked to be in business.    We walked around and looked for what was listed in the guidebooks as the local Mall where there was supposed to be a large grocery store and a post office.   We found the Mall with everything, including the Post Office, closed down completely and permanently.  We also asked where we might be able to purchase fuel and were told we had to go to the next town as the gas station has also closed down.    Like I said they got rid of all the undesirable behaviors including the annoyance of having to make a living.    That said it is a quaint and quiet little town with a small local convenience store where we picked up a few supplies.  The harbor is protected by a number of reefs that we had to navigate before we anchored just off the main ferry dock.   As soon as we dropped anchor we had a guest come aboard.  He was a Caribbean Martin and he thought the cavity in our boom looked like it might be a place to check out for nesting.   He came by to check out the boat 3 or 4 times and was kind enough to pose briefly for a photo before deciding that maybe nesting in a moving boat wasn’t the best place.    We along with our friends David and Trudie,  took the dinks out to explore.  There are many cute bungalows built on stilts over the water and painted bright colors.   We rode over to what is known as the 2nd Brightest Phosphorescent Bay in the world and explored the mangroves that surrounded it.  The roots of the mangroves are covered with oysters and Pelicans and other birds were abundant.  That evening we returned to the bay to see the phosphorescence.    The bay is best experienced on a new moon and we had arrived at the Full Moon but were still able to see the pale blue glow stirred up by the prop on the dingy motor as we did doughnuts in the calm waters.   The sky was dotted with just a few clouds that we kept hoping would cross the moon so we could see the phosphorescence a little better.   The evening breeze was just slightly cooler than the warm water that surrounded us and the experience was one of peace and quiet beauty.    A lovely evening to say the least!    We spent the better part of the next day swimming, fishing and exploring some of the reefs before a brief squall that loomed on the horizon drove us back to our boats.   Mike hung the Sunshade I had made for the cockpit and we had David and Trudie over for Nachos and a couple of Pina Coladas while we watched the sunset.

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Blog Updated! Finally!

bearcruzer

Monday April 26th,  3:45 pm

Dave and Trudie on S/V Persephone left the harbor this morning and we have been reading about some other ports and anchorages along the southern coast of Puerto Rico.    We have been studying the Grib and Weather files and will follow them south tomorrow morning toward La Parguera where there is a phosphorescent bay about a mile from the anchorage.   We will not be there at the best time as the moon is coming on full and it is best seen on a new moon,  but it should still be interesting to explore.    In the meantime the Tradewinds have come up and we are sitting at anchor here in the harbor with a steady 20 knots of winds coming from the Southeast.    We along with Patty and John from S/V Ahinga and a couple of other captains and friend of Chuck here in the harbor had to come to the Rescue of Ronin again as it began dragging on the Delta anchor that Chuck had set.    We attempted to reset the Delta but without success.   We found a Danforth anchor aboard and swapped it out for the Delta and with the aid of Mighty Mouse moved Ronin closer to shore and set the anchor securely and dropped as much rode as we could to keep Ronin from going on unattended walkabout around the harbor again.     She is now anchored out about 500 yards from everyone else here in the harbor and we all will be keeping a close eye to make sure she stays put.    So here I am with seated in Galloway’s getting caught up and bringing you all up to date with the latest adventures.   Mike and I just finished lunch and will be headed back out to DD for a swim and maybe even a little nap….Consider yourselves Up To Date!!!

Updating the Blog at Galloway's

Boqueron April 25

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I spent this morning doing laundry in the Sputnik, our hand-crank washing machine, while Mike did a tune up on Mighty Mouse’s engine after his rescue yesterday.   We met up with Chuck, Lolin, and some other mutual friends, Patty and John from S/V Ahinga and Terry from Galloway’s Restaurant, at 5:00pm and drove up to Chucks home.  His house sits on a hillside lot surrounded by 300 acres of farmland.   The views are spectacular and we looked out over the verdant hills and farmland to Boqueron harbor and North to Puerto Real.    We watched the cattle grazing below his home and listened to the calls of numerous birds and watched a majestic peacock foraging under one of the many mango trees that abound here.    Lolin said that, occasionally they see monkeys.  There are 3 different species.   These are not indigenous to the island but escaped from a research facility, 15 -20 years ago and have established a colony.    Another couple of Chucks friends came by and so because Chuck has been away from home for the last 6 months, we were treated to an evening of conversation ripe with all the gossip of the local community.     We have been invited by Lolin to come see her farm outside of Mayaguez and participate in a Tango Lesson this week.    Our social calendar will definitely be full should we decide to stay in Boqueron for a few more days    However, the call of the sea as she whispers her promises of the beauty and mysteries  of other places is always there in our imaginations and encouraging us not to become too settled and entices us ever onward.

View from Chuck's Home
Up on the Roof!

Same Day Different Rescue!

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After such an busy morning, we had headed back to DD for Lunch.   Rain had begun to fall but even that did not deter the masses of people enjoying themselves on the beach.  The music continued to blare and in fact we noticed that there was a large gathering of scouts now massing on the shore.    It was then that we saw the coast guard boat filled with crew slowly cruising up and down the beach.  It appeared that they were keeping the jet skiers and other watercraft out of an area right between DD and the beach.    It was then we heard a helicopter approaching and a radio transmission that they were inbound.     We watched as a Red US Coast Guard Helicopter flew about 3 circles around DD.   (Later on of course we would hear from Persephone asking us what sort of trouble we had caused that required the dispatch of so many Coast Guard personnel) We could see someone in the water but it did not appear that anyone was in distress.    We realized this was an exercise for the benefit of the Scouting Jamboree.   The Helicopter hovered directly in front of us approximately 25 ft over the swimmer.  The wind and spray that was generated from the helicopters rotors was intense.    It was then that a Coast Guard Frogman jumped from the helicopter into the water along with the swimmer.    A rescue basket was lowered and the swimmer was loaded and pulled to up to safety.    A rescue sling was then lowered and the frogman was pulled out of the water and rejoined the rest of his crew aboard the Helicopter.   It was impressive to watch especially having a front row seat as we did.   The helicopter did one last circle around DD and a slow cruise up the beach.   The cheering of the scouts could be heard over the drone of its engine and we applauded as well.    As a fitting end to a day filled with rescues, we were treated that evening to a fireworks display and live music coming from the Park.    The rain had abated and we sat in our hammock on the deck under starry skies and enjoyed a wonderful end to a very eventful day.

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A Good Turn Daily!

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In keeping with the scouting tradition, Michael did his good deed of the day and came to the aid of a fellow boater, with Mighty Mouse once again pressed into service as a rescue boat.    A Single Hander by the name of Chuck had traveled from Samana in the DR headed home to Boqueron, Puerto Rico aboard his boat Ronin.  He had engine trouble and then his Autopilot went out.   The weather window for the Mona  Passage had been predicted as fairly calm but Chuck spent at least 5 hours in 30 -35 knot winds and big waves .  He finally made it just outside of Boqueron Harbor and droppned anchor at about 8:00pm the night before.    He was exhausted and so did not risk sailing alone through the reef and into the harbor.  He had called his girlfriend, Lolin in the morning to tell her he was back and to see if she could find someone to help tow him the last 3 miles to safety.    Lolin had come into the Restaurant where Michael and I were attempting to access the internet.   It was the only restaurant where she knew anyone.   Terry, a friend of Chucks, was working there and when she explained his situation he came over to our table and asked if we were on a boat and if we had a big enough engine to assist him.     Michael hopped into Mighty Mouse and stopped by DD to fuel up and gather some gear and a radio before heading out the 3.5 miles to where Ronin was anchored.   Lolin contacted Chuck via cell phone and told him help was on the way.   Mike made his way out to Ronin and tied Mighty Mouse along side.   The waves were about 3 ft and a Mike had to stay in the Dingy for much of the tow to keep Mighty Mouse under control.   He was finally able to tie off the engine once inside the harbor buoy and climb aboard Ronin.   Chuck was extremely grateful for the help.   I stayed with Lolin as we watched them come into the harbor and anchor.   A very wet Michael brought a weary but thankful Chuck and his large gray tabby cat,Thomas ashore to the welcoming arms of Lolin.   We said our goodbyes and made plans to meet up with Chuck and Lolin for dinner at Chucks home the next evening.

Ronin at Anchor in Boqueron Harbor...At Last!

Beautiful, Busy, Boqueron

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We had settled into relaxation mode, taking daily swims to cool off and walks around the town and even hanging our hammock up on Deck.  Boqueron is a lively place at night and on the weekends as it fills up with college kids and families that come to enjoy the atmosphere and the beach scene.   Music pours from doorways and windows of homes, bars and restaurants.  Colorful roadside vendors sell a variety of food including fresh oysters and clams on the halfshell, jewelry, t-shirts, and of course winning lottery numbers, while local artists display their wares and talents.   The 1/2 mile long beach and the park behind it fill with locals and even more music.  There are rows and rows of bungalows in the park and along the beach provided by the park service, it is somewhat like upscale camping.   Families bring their coolers filled with food and drink and stay for the entire weekend.     We were walking through the other day and watched as dozens and dozens of porta-toilets were strategically placed throughout the park and the grounds were marked off in a grid pattern.    We discovered that the beach and park would be even busier this weekend as there is a Regional Boy Scout Jamboree taking place here.    We watched and the Scouts began to arrive and set up their tents.   It brought back a lot of great memories of time spent with Corey and Sage at various scouting events.  That is until 4:45 this morning when they began to play reveille through loud speakers mounted on a truck that drove around the park grounds blaring what I can only describe as a Puerto Rican version of a marching band tune played continuously for 45 minutes and interspersed with sirens and other loud sounds to drive the scouts, and a few sailors, from their beds.    From the boat we can see the different troops in a rainbow of matching color t-Shirts participating in a variety of events and activities along the beach.

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