Buen Dia Family and Friends,

In our last journal we were enjoying Mona Island in Puerto Rico. We left there just before dawn and we had hoped to sail. The seas were big and the wind was light so we motorsailed a good bit of the way to Boqueron. Boqueron is on the west side of Puerto Rico. It is a tourist town for good reason. It has a lovely beach. Along the beach little summer cinderblock type houses are built. And they are very little. They looked to be rentable, almost like a cabana. They are jammed packed together to give the maximum amount of people access to the amenities there. There are many nice restaurants in town and lots of beach toy-type places. We got there on a Sunday and it was so busy with salsa music, jet skis, lots of people having fun. Things really quieted down on Monday, so much so that we almost didn't have a place to eat out on Chris' birthday. But one or two restaurants opened on Monday and we had a very nice birthday celebration.

Now we had the south coast of Puerto Rico to challenge us. You must travel east along the coast, and you can guess where the winds come from. The trick here is to leave in the predawn hours when you have the night lee breezes. Also you make very short hops, so you anchor just about the time for breakfast. So that's what we've been doing.

We rounded the SW cape of Puerto Rico and were sailing off the southern coast. We spotted our destination, La Parguera, and it looked like it was completely open to the winds and the Caribbean Sea. But as you get closer you see that this town is protected by a series of coral reefs and mangrove islands. It was very calm and comfortable in the anchorage and very easy to explore the town. We took two side trips here.

One was to a mangrove creek that ran between an island and the mainland. They had previously used this island as a primate research center. The monkey used was the rhesus. At some point the monkeys escaped and ran wild on the island. Since the mangrove creek provided a canopy for them, they quickly came over to the mainland. We've been told that they're all around in the hills and that they bite. We looked and looked in vain for any monkey sign, but never saw or heard a one. The mangroves were enchanting though.

Our other side trip was to the phosphorescent bay in the area. It is also a hurricane hole, so we wanted to check it out. It was very picturesque and would do very well in a hurricane. We weren't able to see the phosphorescence though because it was early in the afternoon. There is a local sightseeing boat that takes tourists there at night.

Our next sailing venture brought us to Gilligan's Island, also known as Cayo de Aurora. Many stories abound about how this island got it's name. One is about the slave Aurora, who escaped by swimming to the island and lived many, many years as a female Robinson Cruisoe. The other is that a captain on the shuttle ferry from the mainland looked like one of the characters from the tv show Gilligan's Island. The island is just filled with people swimming and picnicking on the weekends. The Puerto Ricans really party well. They have ample food cooking on the grills and salsa music playing. The whole family seems to come out for the festivities, and they have very large families. It was a great stop.

Onward we went to Ponce. Ponce is the second largest city in Puerto Rico. The harbor is small and the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club has a marina there for its members and visiting cruising boats. We signed up for a slip for one week and also rented a car. The yacht club had a snack bar, a pool, tennis courts, basketball court, golf range, volleyball court, small children's playing area, and a very active youth program. It was so much fun to watch the young kids learning to sail in their Optimist dinghies.

In Ponce we visited the downtown area to see their famous firehouse (see the pictures on the website), as well as the squares and mercado, where we could buy local fruit and vegetables. We went up to the cross structure at the top of the hill where you could look out on the city. Nearby was a very nice Japanese garden with several incredible bonzai trees. Also the Castillo Seralles, where the makers of Don Q rum used to live. Most people know the name Bacardi from Puerto Rico. But Don Q is pretty popular here as well. They make a super duper, aged 35 years, rum that's hard to find and expensive as well. It was interesting to follow the history of this rum-making family.

With a car at hand we were able to take day trips to old San Juan and El Yunque, the rainforest. Old San Juan is a very interesting visit. The old forts and the wall around the city are amazing. The Spanish people of the 14th century really knew how to build sturdy structures. They withstood lots of attempts to take over San Juan, only defeated finally by the arrival of the US Navy in 1898. The town itself had streets paved with blue bricks. We enjoyed walking down the narrow streets and, in the age old structures, walking into a Starbucks for a little refreshment. The old and the new blended together.

El Yunque was another side trip. It is the only tropical rainforest in the national park system. The park itself is free to all. The visitor's center charges a small fee but it helps to orient you to the various trails and highlights. We took a trail to one of the waterfalls. It was Father's Day and the families were numerous and so very festive. The wonderful bbq smells were everywhere, music was playing, just an enjoyable day. We swam under the waterfall to cool off. It was so refreshing. We also climbed a tower that gave you a great view of El Yunque. The plants in the rainforest were huge. It was so reminiscent of Jurassic Park. The canopy overhead was spectacular. We could hear birds and coqui (co-ki), the Puerto Rican frogs chirping away.

To complete our delightful day we stopped to have a late "lechon" lunch. Lechon is roast pig, complete with the hard skin. The restaurant was also a camping place by the river. Someone had hired a DJ and the place rocked with salsa music, dancing children, adults, grannies, and grandpas. If they got too hot they took a dip in the river. The everpresent domino tables surrounded us.

We completely reprovisioned ourselves in Ponce and were ready to move on. We sailed to Salinas next. Salinas has the best hurricane holes in all of Puerto Rico. We're presently checking them out. We've also caught up with some of our cruising buddies and are enjoying sharing our sailing stories. The water is clean although a little murky due to the surrounding mangroves. But we swim everyday and we're catching up on some small boat projects. We keep our eyes on the tropical weather systems for signs of hurricanes but are really enjoying our trip.

Till the next installment, fair winds. Pam and Chris aboard Wildcat