When we sailed from Guanica to Salinas, we were trying to accomplish two things;
1)…Get here before Christmas, which we did on the eve
2)…Be in a comfortable place for our guest who were arriving on the 26th
Diane, Muriel’s sister and her husband Lloyd have spent many vacations with us , and many more trips aboard our boat came to experience the cruising life.
This time of year there are strong winds known as the Christmas Winds blowing most of the time so they didn’t see any sailing. We spent our time together visiting the many attractions that Puerto Rico has to offer. I hope they enjoyed their vacation, as we sure enjoyed having them here.
Because we missed it, and also had favourable weather, we sailed the 14 miles back west to the island of Caja De Muertos. The island resembles a coffin at sunset. Half way up one of the hills, there is a statue of Jesus where the fishermen come to pray. At the top of the highest point sits a lighthouse built by the Spanish, but it guided the U.S. troops at Guanica to take possession of Puerto Rico. This was another piece to the puzzle. One day when I have more time I’m going to read about the Spanish- American War.
Mistress at anchor , far right
Isla De Caja De Muertos is ran by the National Park Service with free mooring balls to visiting boats. There is a ferry service from the mainland, which is a favourite to the locals.
Trails lead to all sides of the island. The cactus and Chicharon lined paths lead to various beaches that are used by Leatherback turtles as nesting areas. The oily sap from Chicharon causes blisters which itch for days and may cause blindness if you get it in your eyes. It is related to Poison Ivy.
John and Jac from svJacasso
We spent time hiking, caving, geocaching ( found all 5), and the most important, scrape the hull of Mistress.
As we sit at anchor, all kinds of organisms attach to our hull which turns into sort of a mini-reef. All this growth slows us down so it must be removed at least every month. When we were back in Luperon we hired our friends Papo and Pedro to do the job, but now it’s all up to us.
After a few hours stretched over 2 days, with cut up hands we both finally finished.That night, at sunset we were visited by a 6ft. shark, must of smelled the blood. Barnacles can cut neoprene, another learning experience. Rum can soothe the pain.
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