At the end of March, we just spent about 5 days in Culebra, an island within the Spanish Virgin Islands. The day we arrived we went for a 45 minute walk just to stretch our legs, get our bearings and, of course, locate a nearby ice cream shop for Jenna. Our anchorage behind sand and rubble reef was very calm despite the breakers that rolled ahead of us. We were trying to empty the larger freezer, and consolidate to the smaller cockpit freezer in order to remove the many months of frost build-up, so we opted to cook dinner on the boat. We went for a brief swim before dinner, but found that the water was not very clear (which scares me even though that is normal in New England) and felt rather warm instead of refreshing. This was disappointing because we wanted to cool down and we had not been snorkeling in clear waters in at least a week.
On Friday, we took a hike across the island to a beach on the north shore. The trek was up and down local roads at around noon. As we reached the interior, we found little to no shade and limited breeze. In short, it was hot! After 1.9 miles, traversing over several “hills,” we could hear breaking waves ahead. Oh my — how stunning (see picture below). Scott continued to hike along the sandy shoreline. I stopped to rest on some volcanic rocks, watching the waves and Jenna playing in some of the nearby tidal pools. The beach was truly beautiful, but riptide warnings discouraged swimming. I wish we had an option to return for a picnic, but I knew I would not be repeating this journey.
I thought that wearing a pair of sneakers (which I haven’t used since October) would help me walk faster than traveling in my flip flops. I recalled the importance of bringing ear buds to listen to music or a book on tape but neither the footwear nor the tunes seemed to motivate me in this heat. Next time I will bring more cold water and/or perhaps a cooling towel in my backpack. My hands were swollen from the heat, to the point it was slightly painful.
The small resort town had a variety of home lining the quaint streets. There is still evidence of the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, but many improvements have been made as well. This town clearly welcomes the cruising committee and all visitors.
On our last day in Culebra, we took a 2.5 mile dinghy ride to the north western corner of the island. We wanted to find a decent snorkeling spot before moving on to Puerto Rico, because we had read about some fabulous snorkeling in these islands but we had not found them….. yet. We picked up a mooring near Punta Tamarindo Grande and jumped in the water. It was crystal clear and the perfect temperature. There was a huge variety of fish and corals, soft fan corals to mid size hard brain corals (only regret not bringing my go-pro). We swam north parallel to the coast and the reef just kept getting better and better. I wanted to keep going but the current had started to increase in speed and there is no land for 30 miles after this point, so we turned back. We wished that we had found this spot earlier in the week.
Culture Shocks
For the last five months, we have only visited a marina once (Feb 2026: Saint Martin). Not driven a car. Not been to a mall.
This week we are in Puerto Rico and we have done all three.
In the beginning of April, we pulled into the Puerto del Rey marina, our first stop in Puerto Rico. I think that there was a minor error in our reservation. When I called to ask which side to place our fenders on, the response I got was that they were not expecting us until the following day. Uh Oh! So unfortunately our spot for the week was on the entrance breakwater, with persistent winds blowing us onto the dock and subsequently bouncing off it throughout the day and night.
We hired a team to clean, wax and polish the exterior, while we went shopping and visited the capital of San Juan.
So why were we still there after 4 days? We actually asked to extend our time. Our plans were to leave on Friday and head north to the Bahamas, but heavy winds and swell in the north have created large waves. Traveling on the north coast of Puerto Rico would be three days and three nights of continuous sailing. We needed to plan for a weather window that won’t be beating up the boat and the crew, but the ideal weather window continued to elude us.
Option 1. Sail along the southern coast of Puerto Rico AND hope and pray for calmer seas from the west coast of Puerto Rico to the Bahamas. This section of water is called the Mona Passage and has been a notoriously swell and wave driven area because Caribbean waters funnel at this pivot point around the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Option 2. Stay in the marina a little longer and hope for a weather window and if not, then sail to a nearby anchorage and wait for the waves to subside before making the passage.
We selected option 2 and returned back to Culebra as most of the other nearby anchorages on the east coast near Farjado, Puerto Rico would be open to the rotating winds and large southerly swells.
Culture shock: round 1
While in Puerto Rico, we rented a car and drove two three major grocery shopping centers to cover provisions for the next 2-3 months. Groceries are significantly cheaper in Puerto Rico than in the Bahamas and more importantly these larger grocery stores have a selection of items to choose from.
Culture Shock: round 2
We drove the rental car on the highway up to the Capital of San Juan to visit the old Town and the fort. We got very lucky to find an open parking garage near the old city center. Not only are there many visitors from around the island, as this week is their school break, but this is cruise ship central. More than 5 massive ships are lined up in the harbor. Tourists busy about the streets. Shops with cheesy souvenirs and mass produced artwork are side by side with old town restaurants packed with lines for lunch service. We did not think to stop and make a reservation (ooops…)
The grounds leading to the citadel, “El Morro”, on the northern coast of San Juan were magnificent including rolling acres of grass where people enjoyed picnics and kite flying. This is a UNESCO world heritage site. From the top walls of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, we could see the giant rolling and breaking waves surrounding the harbor. The water changing from sky blue to fluffy white tumblers. The impressive size of this fortress shows the continuous 250 years of continuous building with multiple levels, guardhouses and tunnels.
Culture Shock 3
We ventured to a huge mall near the capital for another crazy change of pace. Given that it was before Easter, the mall was PACKED with people waiting to participate in Easter crafts and waiting for bunny photos with their little ones. Back home I would avoid the mall on the weekend, but I have to admit it was nice to visit Sephora, a beauty supply store, to pick up a few skin care and hair products. Jenna also enjoyed shopping for hand cream and soaps at the Bath and Body works. We all indulged in a huge lunch at the Cheesecake Factory before leaving.
The GPS routing took us back via a different highway. I suggested that we stop at a nearby Walmart to look for some additional art supplies that Jenna had been asking for the past two months. It was the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Most stores were closed on Friday. All stores would be closed on Easter Sunday so the Walmart parking lot and the store itself was even more CRAZY busy than the mall. We did not find the masquerade crafts she was asking for and we left empty handed rather than wait in the 30+ minute check out lines for a few random nice to have items. Do not miss crazy driving in packed parking lots.
Flip flop hiking
As I add to this blog spot, I realize that on yesterday’s hike in the National park in Puerto Rico, I failed to do any of my pointers above. Yep…. no water, no sneakers, no ear buds. We scaled “39 flights” to the top of the Mt Britton Trail, in El Yengue National Park rainforest. The top of this trail was cooler, in and out of sunshine, due to foliage coverage from the rain forest and cloud cover. We marched to the top of the tower but the clouds masked our view. Most hikers seemed surprised as we passed—you are all wearing flip-flops? That was our usual hiking gear.
It wasn’t a difficult hike. Actually the entire path was a 2 foot wide concrete ramp that guided visitors to the top and was necessary for trail stability given the normal high amounts of rainfall evident from the muddy run off to either side of the path. I was grateful that it did not rain during our trek. I could see that this constructed path could get tricky and slippery. The forest was lush green and we often saw leaves shaped like a maple leaf but twice the size of my head.
On the drive down from this trailhead, we stopped the car and walked to the Baño de Oro, this smaller pool was built in 16th-century Spanish gold-panners. We were not able to visit the Mina waterfall as several of the roads and trails had been washed out in heavy rains and were in the process of being rebuilt.
Weather sometimes does not cooperate.
Back at Helia2, the winds have shifted to the south east. We were done staying at the marina (They are still building their pool. …. Sounds like a two year project). Actually, I was done with the nightly jarring bounce against the breakwater, a combination from both the north-east wind direction and from powerboaters entering this harbor between 5-8 PM with heavy wakes. I feel like I am a human milkshake. Even during the night it, we were rolling and bouncing off the dock. Suddenly being shaken awake from the jarring bounce into our fenders off the dock throughout the night was getting old. Normally marinas are a calm quiet location at night. Boaters midnight is typically 9 PM.
As mentioned earlier, we chose option 2 and returned to Culebra so we could tuck back into our spot behind the reef and enjoy a calm night on anchor. The following afternoon, we set out on our last dinghy ride up to the delightful marine park on the North corner of the island for snorkeling but we quickly realized that the southerly waves and swell were not going to be safe for us to continue the journey. We were certain that the unprotected snorkeling site would be even more challenging. Disappointed, we turned back, passing again by Hector the Protector, the local art installation that watches over Culebra harbor. We spied local tarpon in the small boat waterway between the bay and the west side of the island. To make up for the disappointment, Scott and Jenna went into town to get real milkshakes.
Our weather window opened two days later and our three day sail to the Bahamas began without returning to the island’s majestic marine park.