Puerto Rico...day 1

Well, it's been some time since we've had the internet and the opportunity to spend time catching up on the blogs. This means that I'm writing about Puerto Rico almost 2 weeks late. Hopefully, it's still there (Puerto Rico) so I won't be wasting everyone's time reading about it.

In Vieques Sound and approaching Fajardo, Puerto Rico

We sailed from Culebra, leaving at daybreak. The seas were calm leaving the bay, but became larger in Vieques Sound. In a previous life, we would have been intimidated with the minor Atlantic swells of 4 to 6'. Vieques Sound is bordered on the North and South by Culebra and Vieques, with Puerto Rico to the West. The swells of the North Atlantic are somewhat unobstructed here. Adding more fun, the Gulf Stream rises from the deep waters and crosses the shelf area around the islands, picking up speed and turbulence as it moves Westward. We were able to sail on a broad reach, with the following seas, making our longest trip yet (22 nautical miles) in record time.

The fountain in the marina's courtyard area

We decided to spend the next two nights in Puerto Del Rey Marina. This is the largest marina in the Caribbean, with over a 1,000 slips for boats. We were hoping they would have space in their storage area for our boat this summer. We put our name on the list and will have to wait and see. It is our hope to have the boat hauled out of the water and stored, on stands, during the hurricane season.

The outside dining area was nice

We had such a pleasant stay. The marina has a number of businesses that cater to the fishing and boating industry. Although some of the slips had sailboats and large motoryachts, 80% were fishing boats of different sizes. The slip we used provided us with electric power and water. Our boat's 110v electric supply cable is located on the stern (back) of the boat. This requires us to back into slips rather than steering in bow first, since our cord is too short to span the length of our boat. Karen backed us in perfectly; this is no easy task because sailboats are notorious for poor manuevering in reverse.

Quatro Huevos Magnifico

We rented a car from Thrifty and spent the afternoon heading towards the shopping mall. Yes, Karen misses shopping. 3 hours of looking at dresses in various stores. I had forgotten that most malls cater towards clothes, and usually women's clothes. I must admit, though, that she sure looks good.

So, you are wondering: "What does this have to do with a pan full of eggs?" Well, we stopped at a grocery store to reprovision the boat for the week. I made us fried eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast the next morning. The double-yokers were a nice surprise. It made me think of Puerto Rican chickens on steroids...kinda like my wife, looking for dresses in a mall after being deprived for 8 months!

South of Fajardo, looking Northwest towards Yunque rainforest area

Anyway, we saw some really nice countryside around the area of Fajardo. Karen thinks some of the areas remind her of Montana, with the hills and trees...

Unripe "BigMacs"?

and cattle. This is the 1st herd of cattle we've seen since leaving the states. They look like some sort of Brahma variety.

But, just like the trees and cattle, the road signs are similar in shape but there's something lost in the translation.

The toll roads were a new one for us...we haven't seen toll roads since our visit to Florida. There are no toll booths in Montana, but then, there's a lot of chuckholes and gravel. And frostheaves, snowdrifts, tumbleweed and Road Construction.

The SWEETEST thing about our rental car and 1st tour of Puerto Rico?

The fact that my MT driver's license was expired, so Karen had to do ALL of the driving, whilst I enjoyed the scenery, with my feet on the dash, grinning from ear to ear. Ahhh...Priceless!!!