Puerto de Salinas and Caja de Muertos
21 April 2017 | Caja de Muertos
Ros Brice
Next morning the rain had cleared but it was overcast and the wind was up, even in the protected mangrove surrounded anchorage. We decided to take an exploratory tour in the tender but being Easter Monday, the sleepy village of Salinas was barely awake by mid morning. Puerto de Salinas has a marina and lots of shallow draft craft are at anchor or on buoys throughout the bay. It was quite scenic with the backdrop of the every present mountain spine of Puerto Rico in the distance.
The restaurants all seemed closed but as we pushed our way around the foreshore we had spotted a bank of bright orange umbrellas on a waterfront deck, that surely meant coffee on tap. We tied up to the dinghy jetty to realise that the restaurant was undergoing a refurbishment and was not open for business. We walked along a road that had a mixed collection of small cottages and came to La Barca restaurant that we ended up having a Puerto Rican style lunch in. We chose fish (mahi mahi and red snapper) or chicken, dressed in mojito sauce (pronounced mo-ho) that the township is famous for. Some years ago a lady from the town became well known as a seafood chef and refused a government offer to cook for tourists in San Juan, as she could not bare to leave her lovely beach. She has since passed away but her sauce recipe lives on, attracting tourists and locals to the many restaurants. The meals were very substantial and we all left food on our plates. No problem for the waitress as she tipped what was left into the water where huge tarpon fish eagerly awaited their lunch. We headed back to Trilogy as the sky once more looked threatening. We relaxed with our full tummies in recovery mode and only needed a toasted ham sandwich with a cuppa for supper.
The sky was brighter in the morning and the wind had eased. We knew that manatees were in this location and Peter was instructed to motor stealthily to a spot not far from Trilogy where we thought we'd seen these aquatic mammals come to the surface for air. Peter's stealth paid off! These mostly herbivorous creatures, otherwise known as sea cows, display similar attributes to land cows ie slow plant eaters and peaceful in nature, growing up to 4 metres in length. All water craft are restricted to a 5mph speed limit which seems to keep the manatees happy. We had many sightings, but these elusive creatures were definitely camera shy, and would not smile for a photograph!
We next motored to the marina jetty and found a delightful small cafe surrounded by mangroves at the marina. We were able to get pastelillos for a snack along with bad coffee and good fruit juices. Fortified, we wandered in the direction of the main township over a mile away, which being Easter Tuesday, would have only a few businesses open. We settled for checking out the local beach, which although at first seemed lacking in sand, turned out to be quite attractive with mangroves dividing the foreshore into swimming and picnic areas. We found a bakery and deli, but both were closed as was the church, so we headed through the narrow streets of Salinas, taking in the large amount of wrought iron security grilles on the houses.
Salinas is famous with Puerto Ricans for cockfighting, which is one of the few countries where it is a legal activity. We had no problem sighting caged roosters all stacked together in low fenced backyards, crowing as they paced in their small cages. Apparently the cockfights take place in gallera but we had no intention of tracking down the next fight. An internet website stated that it is the national sport, raising in excess of $100 million for the island's economy which is otherwise struggling. Wealthy professional men can own up to 700-800 cocks, with an estimated 200,000 fighting birds in any one year! Satisfied that we'd checked out the highlights of Salinas, we motored back to Trilogy.
We then sailed for Isla Caja de Muertos in 15 knots SE wind, a beautiful island about 6NM northeast of Ponce, the next main port. The quartering sea and large swell gave Trilogy a tough assignment for 16 NM, but once we'd rounded the headland, the sea settled and we were able to anchor in relatively protected waters off a golden sand beach. The island is often referred to as Coffin Island, perhaps due to its shape or perhaps because of a legend involving a tragic love affair. The island has two peaks either end with a narrow sandy strip in the middle. The tallest peak has a disused lighthouse on top and the other peak has a fisherman's shrine in one of the caves that has a Jesus statue with arms outstretched over looking the wild and treacherous northern coast. The intrepid swimmers swam ashore for a quick look before the daylight faded. Another dinner in the saloon followed, this time Coq Au Vin was on the menu, and although the chicken pieces were very large, we convinced ourselves that they were not rooster and not from the fighting stock!
A long swim along the shore next morning was used to confirm that there was nothing more interesting than a few big fish to be seen where we'd noticed several pelicans diving earlier. This was followed by exploration of this uninhabited island, which is protected as a natural reserve because of its native turtle traffic. The Museo was interesting to check out, even though all the information was in Spanish. We worked out that there is one snake native to the island, the nurse shark is in the waters and a myriad of birds and cacti varieties have taken up residence. There was a rather elaborate two level wharf building and a series of attractive picnic shelters, indicative of many more visitors at times. The northern coast was open to the full blast of the prevailing northerly winds and the ocean looked raw and wild and certainly not fit for swimming. The southern side was much more sheltered and swimming in the aquamarine water was a pleasure.
After lunch, Peter, Sue and Ros took the tender ashore to climb the lighthouse peak. The climate is dry and the island supports dry forest, with multiple cacti clumps soaring above the otherwise low level vegetation. The lighthouse, established in 1887 appeared to be in a derelict state, but it was automated in 1945 and is still functioning. The view from the 170 feet high peak was well worth the climb! The wind had increased in our absence and by the time we got back to Trilogy, the skipper was concerned that he gusts of 30 knots were taking their toll. Before we knew it we were lifting the anchor and moving to a designated anchorage in the lee of the peak we had just climbed. It did feel more protected and we settled for a good night's sleep after the usual pleasantries that occur as the sun is setting.