Arriving at Punta Ensenada in calm seas on a sunny day was just what we needed. Nineteen hours is a long time without a functioning autopilot onboard. Clearing back into the US was easy. As US citizens we didn’t even have to go ashore, just used the app and answered some questions over the phone when the CBP Officer called to clarify some details. We enjoyed a relaxed day and planned our route across the southern side of the island. It wasn’t going to take us very long, and the forecast looked like we were going to enjoy nicer conditions.
The next day was even more beautiful than forecasted. We left at first light, and motor sailed to our anchorage at Punta Montalva, which was a nice little spot protected by shallow reefs and small outer islands. Very few neighbors and very quiet. We were able to enjoy a great night’s sleep.
Once again, the following day was beautiful, and we made our way to Ponce to fuel up and take care of some housekeeping tasks. We were able to anchor in the harbor by the yacht club, and even greeted a neighbor from the DR when he anchored behind us. The cruising community is indeed a small one. There are sailors we’ve seen time and time again. The sense of community is awesome. Everyone is quick to offer help, and eager to share tips they’ve learned a long their own journeys.
We continued to enjoy peaceful seas as we made our way along the coast. Our next anchorage reminded us that life is not always easy. Bahia de Jobos gave us a terrible time trying to get our anchor to hold. Each time we tried to set it, we felt it grab when backing down on it, but within an hour, we were dragging again. In fact, we watched a fair number boats struggling as well. In the end, we all left the area and each found somewhere else to enjoy the sunset. It was still an awesome day.
On our last leg across Puerto Rico’s southern coast was a bit choppier and the skies were cloudier. We left early in the morning and made our way to Palmas del Mar Marina. We tried sailing, but the wind was not cooperating at all, so we just motored. Along the way, another sailboat hailed us on the radio. They had snapped a few pictures of us and wanted to send them to us. We exchanged numbers and returned the favor. It is always a treat to get pictures like this. Both of us were heading to the same marina, and were hoping to get there before the winds and seas picked much more.
We made it safely to the marina, and enjoyed a few days there, exploring the local shopping area with lots of yummy restaurants and a well stocked little grocery store. The view from the marina looking east was beautiful. We kept an eye on a storm front passing by, and were glad we were in a safe place to wait for it to move out of the area.
We made our plan to cross over to St. Croix at the first friendly weather window. It required us to leave around 5 in the morning to ensure arrival during daylight hours. Above is picture of all we could see when we headed out of the marina. While traveling in the dark is not something we enjoy, we knew we had about an hour before first light started to peek out, and sunrise would follow shortly there after. We were happily on our way to see family, so the darkness didn’t matter. Best of all, despite the hiccups we’d had a long the way, we were actually going to make it to our destination a full week ahead of schedule. Life was good.
Traveling Team Fischer 