San Juan, Puerto Rico

February 12 - 18, 2014

Making it to San Juan, Puerto Rico felt like a huge accomplishment.  In our minds we were finally in the Caribbean!  The Spanish Virgin Islands are on the east coast and after that it is one beautiful island after another.  

San Juan Bay Marina (the only public marina in San Juan) received very bad reviews on Active Captain.  We thought being in the middle of town would be convenient.  The reviews were right.  The marina is expensive, in poor condition, no amenities (not even wifi or dock carts), and the staff was nonexistent.  

We rented a car for the week  and spent each day exploring and picking up supplies.   We have been looking forward to Puerto Rico's Costco, since we saw the Bahamian grocery stores.  There were three Costcos with the same products as the States!  It was heaven…..  One small disappointment --  Soda Stream, the beverage maker that we depend on, is not sold here.  They can't import the tanks that carbonate the beverage.  Bummer!  I may have to start drinking water!  What a radical thought.

A busy Old San Juan street on Sunday afternoon

We drove through Old San Juan several times to see what was there.  On Sunday we  did a walking tour.  This part of town is always mobbed by cruise ship passengers.  Sunday was especially busy as the locals were also there.  It is located on narrow streets with steep hills and an abundance of restaurants, bars and souvenir  shops.  On Sundays the main street is closed off for performances of all types:  singers, unicyclists, jugglers, bands, puppets.  And each performer had a huge crowd surrounding them.  The forts were getting even more

Lunch with the locals.

visitors than normal.  It was Presidents' Day week-end and there was no admission fee.  The surrounding parks were filled with families having picnics and flying kites.                          

Castillo San Felipe del Morro 
Construction started in 1539.  

Built to protect San Juan's deep water bay.  It was
the first good harbor for sailing ships traveling to
the New World from Europe.  Usually a 1 - 2 month
trip.

  

A second fort, Castillo San Cristobal, is connected
to El Morro by a wall.

A day trip to Ponce takes us through the mountains
to the south side of Puerto Rico.
On the north side the mountains are lush and green.
The southern side is barren with cactus.

Ponce's architecture has been described as a
whimsical mix of colonial, neoclassical, creole, and
art deco styles.

Parque de Bombas built in 1882 was used as the
city's firehouse.  It's now a museum.

Downtown Ponce

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

We stopped at a McDonalds.  At one end was a
normal counter, but at the other end was a barista
with a case of delicate pastries.   

On the 19th we left San Juan.  We moved Gotta Smile to Fajardo and the Sunbay Marina.  It was another six hours of rough water.  We got an email from a Krogen owner that has been in the Caribbean for six years.  They said this has been the worst winter for travel -- high winds and rough water.  I can't help but feel that our conditions are influenced by the same voodoo that is messing up the States.  No complaints from here. 

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

Crossing The Mona

February 10 - 12, 2014

The grocery store sent a driver to the marina to
take us into town.  He gave us a quick tour
of Puerto Plata.  A narrow side street and small
businesses.

We were in the Dominican Republic for less that 24 hours.  After waiting 18 days, for a weather window that would allow us to travel from the Turks and Caicos to the Dominican Republic we learned a valuable lesson.  When the water and weather are good at the same time --- MOVE!  Or, be prepared to enjoy where you are for an indefinite time.  Everything looked good on the 10th.  It was time to travel from Puerto Plata, Dominican

 One of several city parks.

Republic to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  That included crossing the dreaded Mona Passage an unpredictable body of water that can be treacherous.  The Mona has currents running through it from different sources.  The currents and wind can make the crossing a challenge.  And, to make it even more interesting we would be doing it in the dark.

  

The driver was very kind to stop at the Amber
Museum so we could take a quick look.
Amber is fossilized tree resin from a tree variety
that no longer exists.  Because the resin was
soft and sticky it often has plant and animal
inclusions. This piece has small lizard in it.
Leaving the museum, Brian was handed a
large piece of raw amber.  Setting it back on
the table he dropped it and it shattered!  The
guide kept telling him don't worry.  Still,we
made a quick exit!

Ocean World Marina is part of a large resort with
a casino and Sea World type show.    

Good-bye to the Dominican Republic.

Catabatic winds come from the Dominican Republic's land mass in the evening as it cools.  The winds knock down the waves through the night.  For that reason most guide books recommend traveling the Dominican coast at night.  The guide books were right!  We left Puerto Plata at 3:00 PM and were immediately in uncomfortable conditions.  As the night progressed, the water flattened. The second day was delightful.  We were able to relax and read as we

Entering the fortified San Juan Bay.

chugged along.  Night two and day three were comfortable, but bouncy.  Brian and I took turns sleeping one to two hours through the nights. This confirmed that we could do longer trips, when necessary.  It was much easier than I had anticipated thanks to modern technology: radar, chart plotter, depth sounder and auto pilot.  47.5 hours after we left Puerto Plata we were at the San Juan Bay Marina.  Another major milestone in this trip was complete!

                                                                 Gotta smile -- we're loving the ride!

Provo To The Dominican Republic

February 4 - 9, 2014

15 - Turtle Cove Marina, Provo 16 - Sapodilla Bay, Provo 17 - South Caicos Cay 18 - Salt Cay, Turks
19 - Grand Turks  20 - Big Sand Cay, Turks

After a great deal of study Brian decided that the conditions were favorable to leave Turtle Cove and begin our trip through the Turks and Caicos.  We had been in north central  Provo.  Our next location was on the south central side.  To drive a car from the marina to the Sapodilla Bay anchorage would be a quick five miles.  On the water it was forty.  South Caicos Island was destination number two.  The seas were rough both days with swells ranging from eight to ten foot.  Thankfully they were about ten seconds apart.  Both nights left the boat rolling and us awake almost every hour as we tossed and turned.  Day three we took off for Big Sand Cay.  Once again we were in the same conditions.  Brian had read that the water would be almost flat next Sunday (two days away).  Arriving at tiny Salt Cay, we floated for a while, found that it was protected from the driving winds and we could get wifi!  The anchor was dropped.  Here we could hang out for a few days before staging at Big Sand on Saturday.  Well, hanging out was our intention.  Friday morning we called customs to see if we could go onto Salt Cay for a couple of hours.  (We had already checked out of the T& C's in Provo.)  They said "Absolutely not and you need to come to Grand Turk and check out of the islands again!"  It was only six miles back to Grand Turk, one of the cruise ship's favorite stops.  We checked in with customs, anchored the boat, dropped the dingy (for the first time ever -- it began swinging wildly -- very scary), and went to shore.  It was a little after four and all 3500 passengers were returning to the ship.  Since everything on shore closes when the ship leaves, we had to make a quick decision about dinner….Jimmy Buffet's largest Margaritaville.  When we returned to the dingy, it was totally on dry land.  After a lot of heaving and hoeing, we got her to float and were on our way back to Gotta Smile.  The best thing about our visit to Grand Turk was -- there was only one cruise ship there.  On Saturday there were three!  That means about 10,000 people getting sunburned and drinking as much alcohol as they can swallow.   Saturday morning we pulled the anchor and left for Big Sand Cay, again.  The weather reports still said Sunday was the day to cross over to the Dominican Republic.  We left Sand Cay at 4 AM on Sunday. That was two hours before the sun came up!  The water wasn't as flat as predicted.  Waves were breaking over our upper deck!  We did make it to Porta Plata before dark.  Monday morning the customs officials came on board and we were officially in the Dominican Republic.      

Leaving the protection of Turtle Cove Marina

          

One of our best purchases before we left Florida was our Rouge Wave wifi receiver and amplifier.  It pulls in wifi signals up to five miles away.  Most of them are locked, but frequently we find one that we can 'borrow' for a day or two.  Once the Rouge is connected all of our computers, phones and iPads work off of it.  Staying in touch with friends and  FaceTime with our family has been a huge benefit. 

Expensive homes line Sapodilla Bay.

We thought this huge rock would give us a quiet anchorage
at South Caicos.  We were so wrong!

Meet Sassy Sam the local sea serpent that was
turned to stone.  He guards the S Caicos entrance.

Forty islands and cays spread over 193 square miles make up the Turks and Caicos.  Of that forty islands, only eight are inhabited:  six in Caicos and two in Turks.  The water surrounding the islands plunges to depths of 15,000 feet.  On either side of the Turks Islands is a breeding ground for the Atlantic humpback whale.  We are hoping to see some as they migrate to New England for the summer.  

From 500 to 800 AD the islands were populated by the Taino and Lucayan Indians.  When the Spaniards arrived they depleted the population by selling them as slaves in Hispaniola.  Loyalists with their cotton plantations were the first settlers.  Prior to the Loyalists, African slaves were brought to the islands to produce salt and pirates used the islands as a hangout.  In 1841 192 African slaves made it to shore and were freed when the illegal slave ship, Trouvedore, sunk.  By that time, the Turks and Caicos had been annexed by Great Britain and slavery was illegal.  90% of today's native (belongers) population are descendants of those slaves. 

Uninhabited Big Sand Cay -- jump off point for the Dominican Republic.

View from the cockpit.  The waves looked like they
would break over the wall, but we floated over.
Most of the time---- 

Our trip through the Turks and Caicos over to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!

More Provo

January 29 - February 3, 2014

When we arrived in Turks and Caicos, we had to declare if we would be here for a week or longer.  We told the Customs Agent that we hoped to be on our way in less than a week.  OK, the fee is $50.  Stay longer than a week and a cruising permit is required -- an additional $300.  If you read my last post, you know that we are here indefinitely!  The customs agent came back after a week and we were resigned to pay the $300.  As we chatted, I said we are waiting for a weather window.  "Oh, Mam, don't worry about the cruising permit.  If the weather keeps you here, we won't charge you."  I thanked them profusely.  "No need to thank us -- it is the fair thing to do."  WOW!  How nice is that?  'The fair thing to do.'  I haven't heard that phrase in a long time.  Sometimes out of no where -- a random act of kindness gives you a big hug!  Luckily for him -- he was on the dock and I was in the cockpit or he would have gotten a big squeezy hug!

One might think from my reports of delays and harrowing moments that we might decide to shorten our trip.  WRONG!!!  We have decided to go all of the way to Trinidad.  We will have the boat pulled in Trinidad and leave it there for hurricane season.  This will give us several months to visit family and friends back in the states and perhaps do a little land travel to New York and/or Maine.  In September we can fly back to Trinidad and wait for the end of hurricane season as we explore the immediate area.  Once it is safe to travel again we will begin our voyage north taking time to visit all of the islands that have been recommended.  Arriving back in Stuart in June of 2015.  Sounds like such a logical plan.  Now stay tuned to see what really happens!           

Abraham and Wilma are a Dutch couple that docked next to us.  We  spent several evenings chatting about travels and life.  They are on their way north to the US.  We were able to give them some suggestions about their upcoming stops and they were a wealth of information about our travels south.  Spending time with them  has made us even more excited about what lies ahead.  It sounds like the islands just get better and better!  Most of the boats down here have a crew on board and are on their way to pick up owners.  They are all business and working a fast schedule.  It was a nice change of pace to share time with an interesting couple.         

We found this deserted little beach, pulled
 the dingy up and had a picnic lunch.

Since the rental car was returned we are  spending more time in the dingy and on our bikes.  Brian loves to be in a car, but I am happier with these options.  

My new knees are enjoying the bike riding.  6 - 7 miles
 each morning with stops at a variety of shops including
the grocery & French bakery.

A remnant from the past. The Loyalists had 
Sea Island Cotton plantations here in the
late 1700's and early 1800's. 

The main shopping district in the resort section.

We haven't caught any fish, but I have
found some nice shells.  The two starfish
are from George Town and the sand
dollars from here.  So beautiful, delicate
and perfect.    

           Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!