We left Gilligan's Island anchorage on Monday and had a nice but a bit lumpy downwind sail in 5' seas, with about a 6-second period. Boat was fine, but it is hard to go dead downwind with seas that high, as when we surf down the waves, the autopilot has a hard time holding the boat dead downwind, which increases the risk of an accidental jibe. Which we did - oops. Nothing broken, the boom brake did its job.
We spent a few days in Boqueron. Boqueron is a touristy town, with many restaurants and hotels, and they have a very nice long beach for all to enjoy. It is a quiet, sleepy town Monday to Friday, but gets busy on the weekends.
 |
| Sunrise in Boqueron |
 |
| Lots of nice murals, narrow streets |
 |
| These are all for food vendors that open mostly on the weekends. We were in at 9 in the morning |
 |
| Lots of murals and a nice carved pelican |
 |
| Tree is split up the middle |
 |
| Small private marina for condo owners accessed behind lift bridge. |
 |
| More nice murals |
 |
| Cute bunch of puppies taking a nap. Looked well-fed |
Thursday afternoon we motored the 5 miles up to Puerto Real. Anchored as usual, and backed down on the anchor and all held well. We were below, relaxing, when the winds piped up again, as they had every afternoon. Gusts to 30 knots. Kris got up to look outside and noticed we were dragging, so went out and had to re-anchor. Don't have any idea what went wrong, not like we are novice at this - but a good reminder that even with lots of experience things can happen you don't expect - so don't get complacent.
Friday we went into the marina, dropped off our trash and mad a rental car reservation for Monday. Kris was quite happy to use her Spanish, which she has been working on every day for the last couple of months.
Friday midday we heard a Mayday on the VHF. The Mayday was from a boat on the reef only 5 miles from us. They were a catamaran that had hit a reef, and were not in danger as the boat not taking on water. A local salvage boat went out and got them off and towed them into Puerto Real. These were folks that had sailed across the Atlantic and the Caribbean, so not inexperienced. Most likely, they did not zoom in on the charts enough to see the offshore reef. Again - years of experience no excuse - you just cannot get complacent.
Kris did basic engine checks on Saturday, and worked on cleaning our dodger. Dean polished some stainless.
 |
| Puerto Real is well protected from winds. Very calm morning in the anchorage |
 |
| Puerto Real anchorage |
 |
| We are anchored next to this unfortunate boat |
We are just hanging out, waiting on a good weather window to sail to Florida. Will rent a car Monday to drive into Walmart and do some provisioning, and drive and see some more of inland Puerto Rico
