St. John, St Thomas, Culebra, Culebrita and Puerto Rico

PHOTO ALBUM CLICK HERE —->> St John, US Virgins

St John

The sail to St John from St Croix was memorable because John caught a lovely Mai Mai. He was very happy with the catch and so was Chico.

Once in St John we picked up a mooring buoy in Great Lameshur Bay.

Great Lameshur Bay

John and Jo were looking for friends on another boat and had hoped to find them there. They had already moved on. We stayed there for several days enjoying hikes ashore. St John is mainly National Parkland and is pristine. The waters are protected so in most anchorages you must pick up a mooring and pay a park fee of $15 per night.

Yawzi Point Trail

On the day that we arrived we set off for a later afternoon hike. We did the Yawzi Point Trail, which leads from through the thorny scrub vegetation to isolated coves. It was a very enjoyable walk. We visited ruins of homesteads and even saw deer grazing in the brush.

The next day we all set off to hike the Lameshur Bay Trail, the Reef Bay Trail and Petroglyphs Trail.

Lameshur Bay Trail,

connects Lameshur Bay with Reef Bay Trail. It consists of open dry forest. It winds uphill and down for about 1.2 miles. Again we saw a deer on the trail; otherwise it was mainly a wide, rocky, shady pathway.

We then followed the Petroglyphs Trail.

It leads to a natural spring, which flows over a waterfall of rock upon which are the ancient writings of the pre Columbian Taino people the first habitants of the islands. This trail was again shaded by tall trees and quite lovely. The site where the petroglyphs are found is very lovely with a waterfall, small pool of water reflecting the trees and the petroglyphs in its water. There we had our lunch and chatted to various people who passed.

We took the intersection of the Reef Bay trail,

which led us through moist forest, and dry forest to the remains of the Four Sugars Estate, more recent abandoned farming communities and Reef Bay. The guys found the Four Sugars Estate to be very interesting with al the old machinery still lying around. I found it quite scenic and enjoyed the photo opportunities. It was a good long hike enjoyed by all.

Watermelon Bay

The following morning we sailed to Watermelon Bay next to Leinster Point. It was there that we found Jo and John’s friends on Salacious, plus several other boats. Watermelon Bay is a large very sheltered Bay with good snorkeling. That evening we had another “fire” ashore along with Janice and Steve on Salacious and Eva and Steve on Music. The beach was very small, and the bugs were about, but all had a grand time.

Leinster Bay Trail to the Annaberg Sugar Mill ruins and the Annaberg School ruins:

We hiked the Leinster Bay Trail to the Annaberg Sugar Mill ruins and then the Annaberg School ruins the next morning. Both places are very interesting and the sugar mill is very scenic with a view right over the anchorage, but we had previously covered this ground 2 years prior. However one of the objectives of the walk was to see if we could get internet – no wifi was picked up. That evening we had a dingy raft up out in the bay to escape the mosquitoes. It was fun, Steve off of Music played his guitar and we shared snacks as the sun went down.

Johnny Horn Trail and Brown Bay Trail

During our last day in this anchorage a group of us did a long hike to the other side of St John we started off on the Johnny Horn Trail which passes through sunny upland dry forest and scrub and follows the old Danish road system from Watermelon Bay, across the ridge line southwards to Emmaus Moravian Church in Coral Bay. In Coral Bay we bight some much needed supplies and then had lunch at Skinny Legs. It was just a simple chicken in a bun with salad lunch, but it was excellent! After lunch we hiked back a different route. We followed the road till we reached the Brown Bay Trail, which was again another lovely hike.

Francis Bay

The next day we sailed to Francis Bay where we had another barbeque on the beach that evening. A good half dozen boats attended this one; again it was a fun social evening.

Cinnamon Bay Trail

Again a group of us took a hike the following day. This hike wove its way uphill around the bay arriving at the roadway close to another old sugar plantation where we walked around checking the ruins. Then it was into the nearby campsite to get refreshments from the supply store. And returning to the anchorage along roadway. The views of the turquoise waters across the bay were lovely.

PHOTO ALBUM CLICK HERE —–>> St Thomas

John and I set off for St Thomas the next morning where we sailed into the main Harbour:

Charlotte Amalie.

This is a busy Harbour, when we arrived there were 3 massive cruise ships along side. One of which was the second largest in the world. They departed that evening and in the morning more arrived one of which nearly anchored next to us, as it didn’t go along side. That day there were 6 massive ships in. There are constant comings and goings in this Harbour. In Charlotte Amalie we had some chores to get done, laundry, stocking up and getting water. Our first few days were centered around chores, but we did take time to:

Walking tour of Charlotte Amalie.

We followed the recommended route, along with Jo, around the old section of the town. The buildings are Danish and with the narrow, stone alleyways it is a quite charming capitol. I really enjoy the old architecture, which makes for good photography. We enjoyed the stroll and a yummy ice cream after.

Hassel Island

In the island is at the outside of the Harbour. It is part of the National Parks service and has 18th and 19th century fortifications, buildings and a shipyard on it. We went to explore the island with John and Jo from Out of Africa and Malcolm off Piano.

It was an adventurous, interesting walk. We visited as many of the fortifications and buildings as possible. That is all the ones not choked by trees and vines. The graveyard had the Hassel fellow who the island was named after. The fortifications overlooked the Harbour and offered a lovely view.

The real interest was the old shipyard and slipway. The original machinery and equipment was still there and the guys were very interested in it all. Much of the old relics are in desperate need of help as they are rusting away, but it looked as if someone had started this overwhelming task as some were painted against the inevitable rusting process.

What impressed me was the info that told of the coal carriers. These were black women who carried the coal in baskets on their heads weighing 80 -90 pounds. That just seems incredible!! And they would sing while working songs making fun of the white bosses. So they even kept their spirits up under those conditions.

At the end of our visit we strolled down a pathway towards and old dwelling where we had seen a peacock. There we found the most unusual collection of junk that had been artfully painted and displayed. It was a really fun several hours spent on Hassel Island.

Brewers Bay

Our last day was spent in Brewers Bay, which is a large sheltered bay next to the airport. That evening we had another cook out on the beach with again quite a number of folks off of the boats in the anchorage.

CLICK HERE PHOTO ALBUM —>> Isla De Culebra & Isla Culebrita

Culebra

We had a rough downwind sail to Ensenada Honda the main Harbour in Culebra. There we dropped anchor and went ashore to announce our arrival to the officials. It’s still US territory but has a different classification plus we needed a US cruising permit. From there we walked around the little town and then had a drink at the Dingy Dock, a bar on the waterside.

Golf cart to tour the island

Along with Jo and John we hired a golf cart to tour the island. We set off shortly after 8am and toured till 5ish. We started by visiting the eastern shore – Zoni beach – first. We stopped off along various other little roadways, past lovely farms and homesteads, over steep hills and then took the roadway to the

Brava Beach track.

John and I had visited here when we had visited 2 years previously and knew it was a very nice walk to a wonderful, wild beach. We found the same horses were present at the trailhead, basically nothing had changed, and it was a pleasant hike overland to Bravo beach on the northern shore. The beach is wild, the seas crash ashore making swimming dangerous.

Flamenco Beach

We then drove the cart to the famous Flamenco Beach. We had a delicious lunch from one of the venders and then walked along the beautiful beach to the tanks at the far end. These tanks are the remains that were left when the Americans used to play war games in these islands.

We drove to the south eastern point called Punta Soldado and enjoyed the view. Then it was off through the little village to Melones Beach to check out the western shoreline. It was another fun day had by us all.

Culebrita

Is a small island to the east of Culebra. We chose to go to the western facing bay, Tortuga Beach, to get in there it is necessary to navigate around and between the shallow reefs and plough through the rolling swell. The bay is beautiful, just the picture perfect bay, but there is a swell that rolls in as it squeezes around the protection of the reefs

We went for a lovely afternoon hike to the lighthouse on the top of the island.

Jo and John climbed the rotting, rusting, disintegrating, spiral stairs to the very top. I had climbed it on our previous visit 2 years previously and did not want to risk the staircase giving way, so I enjoyed the views from the bottom with O of A John. It is a very scenic lighthouse and sad that it is just falling apart from neglect. The walk back was at a very quick pace due to the hundreds of mosquitoes that were trying to feast upon our limbs. That night the swell rolling in grew by feet and nobody had a restful night.

Las Pelas

We left for a sheltered bay at Las Pelas as soon as we could in the morning.

This bay was along the coast of Culibra. To enter the bay we had to again navigate between very shallow reefs, but this reef offered 100% protection from the swell – flat calm waters – bliss! Here we dingied all around the bay by the mangroves that lined its shores, viewing the bird life and iguanas in the limbs of the mangroves. We walked on a small island that was part of the reef and enjoyed the day.

Back to Culbrita

we went in the morning, but to the anchorage on the southern side where we hoped it was calm enough to be comfortable. We went ashore and planned to hike to the cliffs on the northern side.

To do this we crossed the island on the path, crossed the beach, walked the shoreline and climbed the slope to the top. It is spectacularly beautiful from this vantage point looking out over the island and the bays that surround it.

From there we walked along the edge of the cliffs, uphill on the main part of the island towards the far end, following the goat tracks. There is a fair number of goats on this island and they watched our approach with trepidation possibly they are used to being hunted as on other islands. The pathway led us to the eastern end of Culbrita, but it was necessary to tread with caution as the goats had torn the Turks Head cactus apart and left the long, sharp thorns stroon everywhere. These thorns went right through the soles of our shoes/sneakers by the dozens and we would have to stop and pull them out after being pricked.

At the eastern end we walked along the shoreline and beach where we stopped and had a snack lunch. O of A John had a bad back so he cut down the trail back to the boats, we continued around the shoreline towards the peninsular at the eastern side. It was again a challenging trek along goat tracks that were steep and narrow at the cliff side that was crumbling and falling onto the rocks way below. After this challenging stretch we walked the shoreline back to the bay where the dingy had been left. It was an excellent day’s adventure!

We sailed to a bay off of the canal that leads to Ensenada Honda. Here we were able to go ashore and visit the grocery shop to restock.

Cayo Norte

Our last day in this area was at a small island called Cayo Norte. We anchored off a very pretty beach and went ashore hoping to go for a hike. However there were no pathways and walking the shore was not allowed due to sea birds nesting. So we went snorkeling in the bay and found that the reefs were just lovely. There were excellent displays of corals and Yellow Sea fans, conchs in the grassy areas and turtles too.

John’s Birthday dinner

We had a birthday dinner celebration aboard Aeeshah for O of A John. it was a full roasted chicken dinner with roasted potatoes and all the trimmings. Another night to remember.

CLICK HERE PHOTO ALBUM —>> Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

A few years previously we had visitd Puerto Rico on our way down island. That time we had stopped at anchorages along the southern coast. For this visit we anchored on the east coast off of

Isleta Marina

which is located on a tiny island about 1/2 miles off of the Puerto Rico coast. Jo and John off Out of Africa were there with us too and we all set off in the dinghies to explore our new surroundings. We found that while the mainland was a short crossing away the dingy dock was a rough set up and that the crossing was a rough wet ride. However we could get a ride on the small ferry from the marina for $5 a head. We arranged car hire from a local dealer and by 8:00am the next morning were on our way to discover Puerto Rico.

Shopping:

This was of importance to all of us, as we hadn’t visited any big stores or malls in a long time. So 1st stop was a large mall where there was Wall mart, Best Buy, Old Navy, and such stores. 2nd stop was another shopping plaza where there was a West Marine, a Kmart, a Pet Smart and a huge grocery store. It was wonderful to buy some new clothes and get many basics that we required. However it became challenging to fit everything in the car each day that we shopped. By the second day we had found just about all we required and we’re ready to explore the sites.

Arecibo Observatory

The Arecibo Observatory is in the center of a kast hill of the northern edge of the central mountains. It is the world’s largest radio telescope – no exaggeration it is massive.

There is a video introduction which explains the history and the workings of the observatory, a visit to the outside platform which looks out over the huge dish – reflector and the enormous hanging reflector, plus there is a large display area which offers explanations and hands on examples of the mechanics and science behind the operation of the facility. It was incredibly interesting and educational, well worth a visit.

largest meteorite, a cross section of it and examples of other meteorites found around the world. Also the explanations and examples of Nanos in modern science was excellent.

Rio Camuy Cave Park

The Rio Camuy Cave Park is one of the largest cave systems in the hemisphere. We arrived in time for the last tour of the day and were packed into a trolley train to be driven down the mountain into the sinkhole entrance of the caves to the walkway.

The caves were huge and spectacular. The tour wound its way along concrete pathways past the stalactites, stalagmites, columns and other huge limestone drainage creations to another opening where we could see a further sinkhole with a cave and the river running below. It was an enjoyable cave tour.

San Juan

Originally we intended to spend just 1 day in the city, but there was just too much to see and do in one day. Old San Juan is renowned as one of the oldest and best preserved historic districts in the New World with 2 historic forts, old colonial homes, museums, art galleries and tiny shops crowded on a sloped islet off San Juan Bay, El Viejo San Juan is a picturesque district dating back to the early 16th century. – Founded in 1521.

Paseo Del Morro

Is a walkway that one can follow around the outside of the fort. It is over a mile long. This is where we started. This walkway leads passed the old town gates along the edge of the fort wall to the very tip of the Islet. All along the way there are feral cats and iguanas basking in the sun on, between or next to the rocks and slopes by the massive fort/ town wall. It is quite scenic and really illustrates the huge size of the fortifications.

Castillo San Felipe del Morro – El Morro

The fort at the northern tip was our next destination. El Morro was built to protect San Juan Bay from attack from the sea. It consists of 6 levels of terraces, ramps, casemates, sentry boxes, rooms, a dry moat, loopholes and is massive!

We approached along the northern edge and were able to look down into the Bastion/cemetery with its graves, statues and crypts some of which being 100s of years old with the Atlantic Ocean crashing on the rocks behind, a very scenic view.

Inside El Morro we spent hours visiting every level, display, room, battery, tower, and plaza all of which was most interesting and very photogenic. We enjoyed our walk back to the car park through all of the narrow, brick roadways and alleyways. The architecture was wonderful!

Castillo San Cristobal

Is the second fort in Old San Juan, which started our second visit to San Juan. It has sprawling outer defenses and was built to protect the city and El Morro from attack by land. Castillo San Cristobal is the biggest European fortification in the Americas.

Interestingly it was built by Irish born Chief engineer Thomas O’Daly who was serving Spain, as Spain was an enemy of England and Ireland at that time. This fort has fewer displays, and 3 levels with a huge outside area that was built over 150 years. I found the dungeon quite claustrophobic and to imagine prisoners were actually kept there….. There were drawings on the walls that they believe were made by those prisoners several hundred years ago. Our walk around the outside defenses offered great views of the city and the Capitol building.

Old San Juan

Itself is full of historic plazas, monuments, buildings and churches. We wandered around looking at many of these: Plaza de Armes, San Juan Cathedral, Paseo de la Princessca to name but a few. The little shops selling any type of souvenir, artwork, cigars and coffee to name but a few items were also fun to poke around in. Lunch was a few of the local “pies/turnovers” called ……… From a roadside vender or a tiny cafe. We enjoyed 2 fun filled days in Old San Juan

El Yunque National Forest

This is the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest system. It covers 28,000 mountain acres and is easily accessible by car. We visited it twice.

Our first visit was on a day when the cloud was over the mountains and so there was an occasional misty type rain. We drove along the mountain roads enjoying the scenery, stopping to see the waterfalls.

We walked the La Mina Falls trail to the falls and then continued along the Big Tree trail to roadway and then back up the road to the car. The trail its self was very tame as it was paved, and there were groups of tourists being shepherded along by their leader/guide. However the trees, ferns and birdsong was lovely.

Our second visit was an early morning visit when there wasn’t any cloud cover on the mountains. This time we drove to the trailhead for the Mt Britton Tower and the El Yunque Peak.

We were a group of 5 as Helmut a German cruiser had joined us for the day. We headed up the paved trailhead and enjoyed the relatively tourist clear pathways. The forest itself is just magnificent, the trees, giant ferns and vines all of differing shades of green with the sunbeams shining down. The sounds of the birds above and the differing flowers along the sides of the path made for a very enjoyable morning hike.

The view from the Mt Britton Tower

was a stunning 360-degree view across Puerto Rico. Looking down on the turquoise seas, San Juan in the distance, the mountains and forested slopes. From there we hiked along a narrow service road and pathway to

El Yunque Peak.

Here again the view was amazing, the breeze cool and the air clear. This view was unbelievable! The height was 3000 odd feet one of the highest points in Puerto Rico. We had a snack and relaxed for a while until the first tourists started to arrive.

We then took a side trail to the El Yunque Peak rock, which proved to be a scramble up a large rock face. This provided yet another stunning view with a sheer drop off on one side. It was an excellent morning in the mountains!

Puerto del Rey Marina

Our friends Richard and Lavinia from svPartners were staying in the marina for a short time and so we drove south to meet up for lunch. We were also curious to see this huge 1000 berth marina. It was a fun lunch where John and I had our first burger in months. The Marina itself is massive, very spread out but mainly full of the huge sport fishermen type motorboats.