Boqueron and Boca Prieta
27 April 2017 | Boqueron
Ros Brice
The plan for the day evolved slowly. A swim, walk, swim was definitely in order but how far was the bigger question! Decked out in our finest snorkelling gear we headed ashore. Colin and skipper butted heads midway and Colin's snorkel disappeared beyond retrieval. Apart from that, the morning passed pleasantly wandering along the sweeping beach past a large number holiday bungalows that eventually got taller and looked like 70s time-share apartments. We could imagine the crowds of holiday makers that must descend on this beach in peak season. However today we almost had it to ourselves, except for a uni student who excitedly told us she had just seen angel fish and we all went in search, but in vain. Later a man got quite concerned that we were heading in the wrong direction if we wanted to snorkel and see coral. He said we needed to take a car ride over the headland to Boja, which was a good clue for later activities. We came to a creek that fed into the bay that looked a bit suss for swimming, so from there we turned around and some of us decided to swim the couple of kilometres back to Trilogy, while others walked and then swam. Fortunately the wind was favourably blowing us towards Trilogy and all got back on board feeling invigorated.
After lunch, the tender fuel tank was emptied into containers for disposal as water had got into the fuel during the last passage. We were all pleased when the motor started first time and that the problem had been solved. The boys thought it would be good to top up the spare fuel tank and all headed ashore to the small marina jetty. The boys were delivered to the pier and the plan was to take the girls to the main town dock to check out Boqueron for a while and meet up with the boys later. However, the boys beckoned us back as they had encountered an impassable security gate. It was siesta time and not a person was in sight at the marina to help. We hatched a plan to collect the boys on the other side of the marina that was accessible but having got them past one barrier, the next security gate was also impenetrable. Whoops! The only solution was to go to the main town dinghy dock and walk through the quiet streets to the service station. The girls peeled off but soon the boys became aware that the local servo did not have outboard fuel and that the next place was 8kms away. In the heat of the afternoon, there seemed little point in pursuing the fuel.
Galloways Restaurant, established 65 years ago, seemed the right venue for the next few hours. Having settled for a table by the water and out of the sun, we got stuck into the local Medulla beer and Mojitos of the unsweetened variety, along with some hot snacks. The bohemian waitress looked the part with all manner of piercings and tats and did her best to keep up with our requests. We watched the sun set and settled into ordering our meals that were to our liking, especially Sue's whole red snapper! We have found Puerto Rican food to be often fried and the vegetables frozen. There is a mix of rice and beans which seems to accompany most main dishes, which we try to avoid.
The sun was shining next morning and swallows came early to sing in the rigging. The skipper decided we should go in search of the snorkelling reef at Boja, but do it by taking Trilogy around the headland rather than car. After breakfast, the mud ladened anchor was lifted and 'tea-bagged' multiple times, before Trilogy set off. The bay before Boja, called Boca Prieta, looked promising and so an impromptu stop was made. It was a lovely protected bay, lined by colourful shacks at one end and natural foliage behind a sandy beach at the other. There were jet skis and paddle boards for hire and quite a few people enjoying picnics under the trees. We were keen to snorkel ashore and were delighted to find the best coral garden so far on our Puerto Rican cruise. There was endless varieties of soft coral in all shades of creams through to yellows, with touches of green and purples almost like icing on the tips of the fronds. The shapes were from huge fans to both long and short tendrils that swayed in a beautiful dance, to the rhythm set by the sea. There were outcrops of hard coral, all of which appeared dead. We worked our way slowly ashore, walked the beach, munched on pastelillos (which we were told were really Empanadillos) and then swam back at various speeds to Trilogy, again having to run the gauntlet created by the jet skis, who all thought Trilogy was a perfect turnaround destination.
Just as we finished lunch, a huge bank of dark ominous clouds decided to head towards Trilogy and we all scurried below to wait for the onslaught. Fortunately there was not a lot of wind in the squall and only steady rain for close to an hour. This increased the humidity enormously and we all elected to remain below decks in the air conditioned comfort to sleep, read and chill. About an hour before sunset there was another swim across the reef in a different direction, with the same rewards.
Refreshed, we settled for the usual pleasantries of shipboard sunsets and happy hour, followed by a delicious Chicken and Chorizo Gumba created by Colin and Amelia, Baileys and chocolate. Peter was below decks to knead his bread dough vigorously before we all retired after another happy day.