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Puerto Rico…Finally!!

Posted by on December 11, 2014

We’re here!

Dolphins leading us out of the harbor as we sail out of Samana Bay for the second time...we thought that this was a good sign!

Dolphins leading us out of the harbor as we sail out of Samana Bay for the second time…we thought that this was a good sign!

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After the net in the prop incident and we had to sail back to Samana Bay we had to wait 5 days for another weather window to open up for us to once again attempt to cross the dreaded Mona Passage. We headed out of the bay around 9:00 am giving us plenty of time to beat through the seas and down the coast with us planning to be in the Mona Passage during the early morning hours and then across the most notorious part well before noon when the wind and seas usually pick up. We were lucky though we had the perfect trip the wind never really blew more than 10knts and there was little to no waves, just nice roller waves that Moon handles much better than choppy ones so all was good.

Big line of Sargasso Weed...bet there is good fishing here!

Big line of Sargasso Weed…bet there is good fishing here!

Well, there was one scary part of the passage that happened on my late night shift around 3 in the morning. For everyone that knows me they know that one of my biggest fears out on the open sea at night is the scary kraken. Oh yea, and of course big ships too. I know that one is more realistic than the other but you know it’s my fear and I have a great imagination! Well, here I was standing watch, main sail up cruising along at a steady 5 to 6+ knts, stargazing in a moonless sky and enjoying my shift when out of the blue…smack! I get hit in the face with something hard, wet, slimy and fishy smelling! Ahhh!!!!I scream and Brian comes popping up onto deck big eyed and wondering what is going on. Me I am still screaming until I realize that it was only a fish that decided to commit suicide by jumping out of the sea and hitting me in the face. Once I realized what it was next I was jumping around and yelling at Brian to get it and put the poor thing back into the sea. Brian my hero to the rescue again. He grabs the fish and throws him back into the deep blue. I’m not sure who was more scare me or that poor fish! So there is my oh so close encounter with the kraken…maybe he sent the fish just to warn me….I better still keep a eye out just in case!

Coastline as we approach Puerto Rico.

Coastline as we approach Puerto Rico.

Then one more hiccup. When we reached the PR side of the Mona Passage still way out in the open sea the engine shuts down again. Yikes! What is it this time? After Brian did some troubleshooting we found out that it was the fuel filter. Because of all of the sloshing around we did in Samana’s bumpy anchorage and with the seas bouncing us all over we had stirred up lots of sediment from the bottom of our fuel tank and clogged the filter. Brian is the hero of the story once again. With in just a few minutes he had the filter changed, the engine running and we were on our way. I’m starting to think that Brian is a superhero!! I know that he is to me!

Isla Desecho

Isla Desecho

The sun was coming up and it was going to be a bright new day. In the distance we saw our first sign of Puerto Rico…it was an island just off shore called Isla Desecho and it was quite the sight. It is located in the NE part of the Mona Passage. It just pops out of the ocean and goes up 700 ft. I know that this does not seem really tall but it rises from the sea floor that is about 2,000 ft deep…that is something else if your think about it rising up from the deep and popping out all alone out there…pretty cool!

Our 1st Sunset in Puerto Rico

Our 1st Sunset in Puerto Rico

Our first stop was in Bahia De Mayaguez to clear in with customs. Mayaguez is the 3rd largest city in Puerto Rico. The harbor was a bit murky because of the rivers that flow into it but it was nice and protected and calm. Perfect place to anchor after being at sea! Once again we raised our “Q” flag and set about clearing in. We were not sure where the customs office was so we had to walk a bit to find it. Now that we know where to find it, we know that it’s so simple to clear in here! When you pull into the harbor you can anchor right off of the beach to the right side by a small fishing pier. It’s a public park where you can land your dinghy and the customs office is a stones throw away. Well, anyways it is if you have a good throwing arm. 🙂 Nice and easy to find…we liked that!

US Customs Building – Mayaguez

US Customs Building – Mayaguez

Catedral Nuestra Senora De la Candelaria - Catholic Church

Catedral Nuestra Senora De la Candelaria – Catholic Church

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After clearing in were were able to walk around town. There was lots going on in the town center with the Christmas celebrations being set up. The day that we arrived was there big holiday kick off and we were treated to fireworks that night. It was like they know that we had arrived and were welcoming us! Welcome to the good old USA Nelsons!

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Walking around town you we could see that we were surround with history. The old buildings and architecture are beautiful! We enjoyed strolling around and enjoying all of the sights. We had our first US food….Subway and it was delicious!

Plaza de Colon, Christopher Columbus Town Square - downtown Mayaguez

Plaza de Colon, Christopher Columbus Town Square – downtown Mayaguez

Christopher Columbus Statue

Christopher Columbus Statue

We were also able to find a store where we got a phone with get this…a Florida phone number! Everything was overwhelming and exciting at the same time. So far being in PR is a bit like being in FL. It seems a lot alike the sunshine state here except for all of the Latin music blasting everywhere and the tsunami warning signs that we keep seeing all over the place…tsunami warning signs…what…yikes!

Yikes! Tsunami Zone!

Yikes! Tsunami Zone!

You can see the railroad tracks from times gone by on the main streets of town. Pretty neat!

You can see the railroad tracks from times gone by on the main streets of town. Pretty neat!

Ok so that’s it for now. We still have lots of catching up to do for you with photos and stories. We’ve made it to Ponce the 2nd largest city in PR and we we found a mall and Walmart and lots of other stores…WOO HOO! Crazy what things you miss when you leave home. The best part is that Rachel will be flying to San Juan this Sunday where we will pick her up and she gets to join our journey…now if that’s not exciting I don’t know what is!! We can’t wait to see her!

Can you see all of the black dots in the air? It's bees! There were hundreds of them all around the boat as we were leaving Mayaguez. I think that it was two kinds of bees and one bunch was attacking the others. They started dying and falling over the deck. It was crazy I was running all over to close the hatches to keep them from coming in the boat. Thankfully none of them stung us!

Can you see all of the black dots in the air? It’s bees! There were hundreds of them all around the boat as we were leaving Mayaguez. I think that it was two kinds of bees and one bunch was attacking the others. They started dying and falling over the deck. It was crazy I was running all over to close the hatches to keep them from coming in the boat. Thankfully none of them stung us!

We’ll be writing again soon and hopefully we will catch you up to where we are…it’s soooo nice to have internet!

Until then, take care all –

Jennifer and Brian

4 Responses to Puerto Rico…Finally!!

  1. Brian Cairns

    Jen, thanks for sharing!!!
    We were in the Panama City Christmas boat parade last night.
    Lots of hot chocolate, hot dogs and fun!!!
    My daughter Lindsey, my grandson Rohan, Patricia, and friends Lou and Dot and myself.
    It was chilly but not to bad.
    Have fun!!!! Later Brian

    • admin

      We love seeing the boats all lit up at Christmas time! I bet it was a great time being in the boat parade. Wish that we could have been there too and seen your boat all lit up too.

  2. Regina

    I love it!!! I couldn’t wait another day to find out what happened next. You know you will probably get another call…New year’s eve.

    • admin

      Glad that you liked our story 🙂 i did not even know that you had called until later that week when I check our missed calls…sorry that we missed your call! Keep in mind that we are two hours ahead of you.

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