This morning we departed at a civilized hour of 10:00 a.m. for the relatively short 16-mile trip heading east towards Boquerón. We motor sailed close to shore to avoid the stronger wind and waves and after about an hour we were heading right into the predictable 15-20 knot Easterlies. The night before we had tried to determine the best spot to get fuel but it isn’t always that easy to get the “right” information. So we bypassed Puerto Real and decided Boquerón would work better. When we rounded the point for the anchorage we ran into winds blowing 30 knots right on the nose and somehow managed to get anchored and settled in. Van Sant, our guide guru, had painted Boquerón as a bohemian weekend haunt for university students with bars and restaurants everywhere. Some how reality didn’t quite match and we found Boquerón to be kind of a do-it-yourself type anchorage with limited access and amenities.

We managed to find a rickety dingy dock that was somewhat life threatening (especially if you had been drinking) and took a walk around town to get our bearings. We found a small little grocery that carried the basics, including ice cream Dove bars. Down the street was Doggies, a gas station that carried diesel, but you had to pump it into jerry cans and carry it across the street to the marina where your dinghy is illegally parked. Walter ended up filling 2 cans (12 gals.) and got a little work out carrying them to the dinghy and explaining to the marina owner why he was illegally parked at the dock. Guess we should have stopped at Puerto Real to get totally topped off.

We later met up with Field Trip and some other cruisers at an impromptu happy hour down by the dingy dock. Beer was provided by a nearby store at $1 a Medallia (the local beer) and many conversations ensued. Cruisers are always your best reference for information and we heard what areas to visit inland, where the good anchorages are, and where to get whatever you may be looking for. It is always fun to hear where people are from, where they are going, and how long they have been out living the cruising life. It is customary to share a boat card or two and share & tell many a sailing story.

We eventually headed to the nearby waterfront restaurant, Galloway’s with Field Trip for a nice dinner and toasted to our accomplishment of completing the hardest part of The Thorny Path. Now we are starting to slow down just a little…but we still have quite a distance to travel before we reach the Caribbean.