PUERTO RICO

So it was on to a new country after leaving the British Virgin Islands, or should we say a new territory. Puerto Rico has been a territory of the US since they defeated Spain in the Spanish-American War of 1898. There is still a Spanish feel here and they have maintained their language in all aspects of life.

Coming from the Virgins, the first point of land in Puerto Rico was Isla Culebra. There it was immediately evident that we had left the charter fleets behind and the boaters were generally of the real cruising kind. We dropped anchor in the large bay and went ashore to complete our official check in which required a nice 1.5 km (1 mi) walk to the Customs office at the little airport.

Multi-coloured sights of Culebra town

The lone Custom officer's demeanor suddenly changed when we noted we had a cat on board. She went from being officiously pleasant to an outright exuberance, as though we were long lost relatives by virtue of feline commonality. I'm sorry, she said, but MY babies are the most beautiful cats in the world (she has 2). So out came the smart phones and we shared kitty pics. Not your typical US first line of empirical defense. Secret to bad guys: Enter this port with a kitty!

We wanted to visit Flamenco Beach, about 4.5 km (3 mi) out of town, which boasts being a top beach of the world. We tried to rent a golf cart, a popular means of getting around, but all were booked; it was a holiday weekend. So in the heat of the day, we started to walk and before long hitched a ride. It was definitely a beautiful beach, obviously an opinion that was shared by many - it was packed.

Flamenco Beach

Back at our anchorage, The Dinghy Dock Bar & Grill was THE place for boaters (and huge tarpon fish!) to hang out. At water's edge, it had recently received a new facelift after being beat up by Hurricane Maria of 2017.

A good metre in length

From there, we travelled a few hours west to a small island right offshore from the main big island of Puerto Rico. There we left Sea Turtle for the day at a badly damaged marina while we rented a car to view some sights on the main island that we accessed via the marina's free water taxi.

We first drove northwards to San Juan and through its modern sprawl to Old San Juan, its quaint old town section where the architecture of the buildings and the fort were most impressive, as well as the sinking blue ceramic cobblestone streets.

One of many

Pretty in pink

Pretty in blue

Old San Juan was the strategic base for centuries where events of the European occupation played out. There we toured the well preserved El Morro Fort that sits prominently on the point and where it protected the harbour.

Lounging lizard at fort

Guarding harbour entrance

For a complete change of pace and scenery, we spent the latter part of the day in the mountains as we drove a serpentine narrow road up into the rainforest of El Yunque park.  The waterfall was minimal due to lack of rain but we enjoyed distant views from a geographical high point and had a delightful picnic in nature's splendor before returning to Sea Turtle.

Park picnic

Anchorages;
N18°18.414' W065°17.837' Mar 22 Culebra (Ensenada Honda)
N18°20.218' W065°37.303' Mar 24 Isleta Marina (island)
N18°20.331' W065°37.270' Mar 25 Isleta Marina (marina)
N18°20.234' W065°37.301' Mar 26 Isleta Marina (island)