We'd now made the decision that our route would be back down the east coast, rather than across the inhospitable northern coast. It would have seemed logical to circumnavigate Puerto Rico, but the prevailing northern swell is almost impossible to get shelter from on the north and upper third of the west coast. We'd have had to be prepared to do 140 NM in one go and there was not a lot to see on the north coast that we couldn't access from another coast.
The boys had a quick swim in the choppy water next morning and then it was time to release the lines and sail south along the east coast, leaving the beautiful La Cordillera islands and reefs behind us. There was 10 knots of N wind initially that reduced to 7 and the skipper called for the Code Zero sail to be launched. After the preparations were made, the gossamer light sail was hoisted and Trilogy immediately responded! There is a lightness, a floating sensation when Code Zero is flying high - Trilogy almost soars on the light breeze as several knots of speed were added. The skipper said at one point that we were going faster than if the motor was on. But....the sky once more started to threaten ahead and it was time to lower the sail back on deck. There is a knack to everything we do in life and reducing this giant sail to a neat folded bundle is no exception, but practice makes perfect and it was in the bag and stowed, along with the mainsail dropped before the rain arrived. We had decided to anchor for lunch at Puerto de Naguabo and Peter got the rain drenching task of dropping the anchor!
With the rain still drizzling after lunch, we went ashore where we had heard music blaring from as soon as we arrived. This was Easter Thursday afternoon and it seemed like the place was already partying. The traffic was bumper to bumper, roadside stalls were selling whole fresh fish and the local cafes and bars were doing a roaring trade. Trilogy looked magnificent out in the bay with the sun now sparkling on her shiny hull. We even saw the local police stop in the middle of the road while the policeman took a shot of Trilogy on his iPhone! We wandered along the street, feeling very much the odd ones in the scene, but later mingled with the crowd in the cafes, checking out all the hot fried food they were selling. No such thing as a low fat diet in Puerto Rico. It seemed to us it was Piña Colada time and we settled into a quieter bar for a delicious cocktail. The barmaid could not believe that we slept on board Trilogy! Cars drove by blaring music from heavy duty speakers and it seemed that this was heralding a pretty big Easter which was around the corner.
Back on board, we lifted the anchor and motored about a mile to anchor off Cayo Santiago, or Monkey Island, as it is more commonly known. There was a reasonable chop on the water's surface and there was again no sun as the clouds had gathered. We opted for a glass of wine with some upbeat music, as dinner was prepared and we settled for the evening. We spotted a few monkeys down at the shoreline on dusk and could hear them calling to each other as darkness fell.
Next morning we were keen to do an exploration of Monkey Island and also snorkel on reef that promised good coral. There are big yellow signs on display, clearly warning people not to set foot on the island because monkeys do bite. Our research informed us that the Rhesus Monkey sanctuary was set up in the 1930's, in order to gather valuable data on a captive but wild population of monkeys. The monkeys naturally carry the Hep B virus and getting peed on is definitely to be avoided. The mothers are very protective of their babies and will lash out if the baby is threatened and the large adult males will become aggressive if humans do not assert themselves and insist on who is boss. A twist on things is that the humans eat in cages and the monkeys are free. When the monkeys are fed, they are extremely keen to get their share, even climbing up the keepers legs and arms. These endearing creatures seemed very much at home far from their homeland of India. At least 9 generations of monkeys have survived since the colony commenced. From the water we could see them swinging through the trees, preening each other, mothers cuddling their young, alpha males strutting their stuff and the forever playful youngsters chasing and squabbling. We continued to circumnavigate the island and stopped near a rocky point where a diver's boat was anchored. We could see other snorkellers in the water nearby and sure enough, some of the best coral and fish we've seen on this trip was waiting for us. It was a great morning's excursion.