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| OUR PUERTO RICAN FLAG |
LEAVING THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND TRAVELING ACROSS THE MONA PASSAGE TO PUERTO RICO
154 NM AND 20 HOURS
OVERNIGHT PASSAGE
Our morning was filled with preparations for our all night run from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico across the Mona Passage. Our marina bill was surprisingly low, especially considering the high quality of the facilities here. We bade adios to our new marina acquaintances and the exceptionally friendly and accommodating staff. The check-outs with the DR Immigration as well as the Navy was accomplished with little or no difficulty. By 2:30 we were untied and moving out into the Bahia de Samana.
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| OUR LAST SIGHT OF THE TOWN OF SAMANA |
Passing Cayo Leventado with her lovely resort we began searching the area for humpback whales. Unfortunately, we only saw a couple distant sprays but no huge tails shooting up from the water.
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| CAYO LAVENTADO BEACH |
Catching a good weather window made this trip so much more enjoyable than the last couple of passage crossings. The near-full moon also kept the sky illuminated and made for good company during the long night. Around 10:30 we came about as close as I car to another boat. The sailboat was probably 100 yards or so off but it seemed almost within spitting distance. A couple of freighters also came in range but tracking their progress just helped to keep us awake.
With hints of the coming sunrise we passed by little Isla Desecheo and began to see lights from mainland Puerto Rico. During his second voyage to the New World in 1493, Christopher Columbus discovered the main island and named it San Juan Bautista to honor the son of Spain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The first settlement was founded by Ponce de Leon of the “Fountain of Youth” fame and he became the first governor. In 1898 Spain ceded all the islands to the US under the Paris Treaty. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is one of our territories.
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| MERCHANT SHIP GOING INTO THE PORT AT MAYAGUEZ |
After getting settled into our new digs at the modest Club Nautico de Boquerón we took a leisurely stroll through the little town of Boquerón, stopping for empanadas at one of the local haunts. It’s kind of a corny little town with roadside oyster and clam stands, typical beach tchotchke shops and tacky shore bars. I’ll give you a better report after we review a little more!
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| QUEST AT THE MARINA |
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| STREET SIDE OYSTER AND CLAMS |
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| CRUISING BOQUERON STREET |
Our phones seem to be working just grand here in the US Territory of Puerto Rico. Our data, however, ---not so much. Something is going on (or not) with Claro who handles Verizon’s data and we are struggling so bear with us.
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