Puerto Rico Southern Coast

On January 5, 2016 at 3:00 am we departed Boqueron with our boat buddies, China Rose, Ever After and Tulum III and headed to the southern coast of Puerto Rico with the first stop at Gilligan’s Island.  Much like the Dominican Republic coast, it is easier to travel at night when the winds and waves are more manageable than during the day due to the winds off the mountains.  The anchorage there was empty and the sunset was beautiful.  The next night we left for Ponce and stayed at the Ponce Yacht Club although there is an anchorage but very deep.  At the marina, we had fresh water, electricity, fuel, diesel, laundry and a boardwalk with restaurants so we made good use of these amenities, however, there is always pool time! 

Our next stop was Salinas, a very popular and crowded anchorage.  Our new friend, Colin, on s/v Pickaroon painted a watercolor of Silent Dream in the Salinas Harbor.  Colin and his wife, Jackie, are wonderful people and talented.  We stayed here almost a month, but made two other trips during this time.  We flew to St. Maarten for our annual timeshare week and it was great not to work and have all amenities at your fingertips.  The second trip, Linda flew to Cedar Falls, Iowa to see our new grandson, Flynn, born in December to Bill and Salina, what an awesome time to spend with family!  We saw a horse parade where the streets are closed and over 1,000 prancing Spanish horses parade through the streets.  Our cruising buddies were also there and several times we shared a rental car to get groceries and supplies at Home Depot, Walmart, and West Marine.  Yes, all these stores are here and more, just like home.  While we were here we had a new bow rail made for our boat and a new dinghy cover.  The boat list of repairs and maintenance never ends!