CURRENT LOCATION: Anchored in Ensenada Honda, off the town of Dewey, on the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico
18 18.245' N, 065 17.867' W
Prudence remains at anchor, two kayaks lashed to her foredeck.
Patience is secured at the Dewey town dock. The tide is low beneath her inflatable tubes, and it will cycle through to high tide and back to low again before we return. It is just before first light, and we are boarding a different form of water transport. We are on the passenger ferry headed to Fajardo.
The 20-nautical mile trip (one way) took less than 90 minutes in each direction, something none of the forms of conveyance we currently own could accomplish. Round trip cost: $4.50 per person. Not a bad deal, indeed. The ride is not for those uninitiated to the water, though. Even on this day, where the trades have calmed considerably compared to our own arrival experience, the waters present a hurdle for this big boat to transit. Running with the waves on the way out, the boat rolled considerably (exacerbated by the fact that we were sitting on the top deck). On the return trip, headed into the waves, the bow plowed through and coated the topside passengers with a spray of salt water.
Our goal was to pick up a few items which are a bit costly 'on island,' one major item being liquor. Having now grown accustomed to inexpensive rum, we have found none available in our price range here, 'on island.' By our calculations, two bottles of rum acquired at main island prices should more than pay for our ferry tickets. Not only did we do better than two bottles, a few other grocery store purchases (stuff we cannot find in Culebra) certainly made the trip worth the time and expense.
Of course, one must also consider the effort involved. With the possible exception of Boqueron, none of the harbors in Puerto Rico has provided waterfront access to things we needed (very much like the Atlantic coast of the good ol' USA). Fajardo was no exception. It was a 3.6-mile walk to the shopping complex where we made our purchases. Good backpacks and strong legs helped us to schlep those items back to the ferry dock. As cruisers, we take our exercise in any form we can get it. I suppose that the nice thing is that cruiserly workouts generally result in something more than just the movement of muscles (unlike, say, time on a treadmill). We obtain supplies, we explore, we save money, and we achieve a certain sense of accomplishment upon completion.
So, dear Reader, we are fully stocked and ready for our first set of guests to arrive on Friday. For those members of the Whortonsville Yacht and Tractor Club who are reading along, Robert and Tammy (from
s/v Motivation) will be joining us here in Culebra this weekend. They will be staying at the beautiful
Villa Boheme, only a short dinghy ride from the sailing vessel
Prudence.
In addition, Culebra is hosting an
International Regatta running from March 14 through March 16. Toss in the upcoming Good Friday/Easter Weekend and you have big happenings here on this little island. A local reader (and boater) from the big island of Puerto Rico writes to us that, "...lots of people will be heading that way." It should make for an exciting week, so stay tuned.