Have We Really Been Here This Long!

Time sure flies when you’re having fun….so a few days has turned into the better part of a week or more. When we last posted we had arrived in Ensenada Honda on Vieques. The harbor was a beautiful and tranquil lagoon, surrounded by mangroves.

There was also little wind, so within minutes of dropping anchor the inflatable kayaks were ready to go. Cameron and Kathleen took the kayaks and headed out to explore. After 20 minutes or so, Austin, Alison, Anouk (in our dinghy) and Lulu and their family friend Finley (in a kayak) arrived at our destination and we all explored together. It was amazing and we saw lots of upside down jellies and heard and saw a number of birds. After our exploration, the kids all ended up at Taika (a catamaran that has plenty of room for everyone) jumping in the water and climbing ropes and just having a grand ole time for themselves. Kathleen and Austin joined with cocktails and snacks and soon were joined by our friends from Bear. It was a really fun afternoon and the kids had a blast with other kids….really the first time we were with another cruising family for an extended period of time. We enjoyed the anchorage so much that we decided to stay one more night. Bear and Taika did the same and we had another really fun day kayaking, snorkeling and just having good ole fun on Taika again. There is a long US military history with Vieques, as the US used the eastern end of the island for live fire drills and also as a bombing target. The military bombing only stopped in 1999 and there are still undetonated ordnance in and around the east end of the island.

While we knew there were ongoing cleanup activities, we were all very startled by the explosion on our second morning in the anchorage (can you see the “cloud” that looks different!). We had been planning to move further west that day, so that we could experience the bio bay near the main town of Esperanza, and an explosion was just the thing to get us moving. It was not a far trip and as we dropped anchor, Anouk, Lulu and Finley were in the water snorkeling. Cameron and Alison joined them for a bit and then the four of us walked into Esperanza looking for a recommended pizza restaurant. It was a long, hot walk and we never did find pizza but ended up meeting up with Jay and Heather and having a lovely lunch.

Alison was thrilled on our walk back to the boat to see some of the “wild” horses that live on Vieques. Late that night our entire gang (13 of us) went on a tour of the bio bay (actually called Mosquito Bay). Mosquito Bay has the highest concentration of dinoflagellates (bioluminescent organisms) in the world and you could see everything that moved through the water: your hand, the paddles, fish, etc…it was just amazing and great to share it with friends. The downside of our night was that there was a swamp just east of the anchorage and at night, when the winds were gone, the stench was overpowering. Everyone left the next morning much earlier than anticipated…Pegasus and Taika to Palmas Del Mar (a marina in Humacoa, Puerto Rico) and Bear to San Juan (we miss them and have plans to catch up somewhere down the line so we can finish our Mexican Train game!!).

Aside from lots of kid time at Palmas Del Mar (Austin and Kathleen didn’t see much of them during the days), we had an amazing trip to a natural water slide that the Taika folks had been to before.

The kids had a blast sliding down the rock slide. We enjoyed lots of lunches and dinners with our new friends and our plans to leave on Monday the 18th, changed to Tuesday and then finally on Wednesday the 20th we pulled ourselves away and started our trip down the south shore of Puerto Rico. The day trips were uneventful but there was a constant and rather large southeasterly swell that made them uncomfortable. It was nice to be welcomed into the mangroves of Jobos Bay by a small pod of dolphins. We spent a number of days at the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club…a few longer than planned when Austin found a problem with our inner forestay during a rig inspection.

Our change in plans just meant that we were able to drive to Humacoa to have one more afternoon with Jay, Heather, Anouk and Lulu (and Captain) for a proper “We will see you sometime in the future!” We are currently at anchor in Puerto Real on the west side of Puerto Rico and have prepared the boat to leave tomorrow. While relaxing in the cockpit after a long day we were entertained by a pod of dolphins and pelicans feasting so close to the boat that we were almost hit by their entry splashes. We are headed to either the Dominican Republic or Turks and Caicos. Stay tuned…………..

(Cameron) Chihuahua (Palmas Del Mar – Puerto Rico): Tacos here were defiantly not their strong suit. The fish was underdone and they were extremely overstuffed. (Although the soft taco shell was perfectly toasted.) 4/10

C bar (Palmas Del Mar – Puerto Rico). The tacos here were not necessarily bad but unique to the point of oddity. The fish was good but a tad rubbery. There was also a salad on top. On its own it would have been a good salad but with fried fish it seemed misplaced. 5/10.

(Alison) Hi, I’m alive! I didn’t stay in Vieques with the wild horses…sadly! :)