We left Luperon, the
Dominican Republic on 20th April and arrived Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
on 27th April 2014 like Joao already explained about our sailing
experiences in previous posts. The route we took is one of the most dangerous
sailing routes in the world because we sail against trade winds and the wind in
this area is well known as UNPREDICTABLE!
We had been living in
the Dominican Republic for the past 4 months, I was thrilled to leave to a new
land. Would be, actually, the first time for long distance sailing with s/v
Dee. For me, apart from one-day sailing around Macau, I never had experience
offshore. I was excited but somehow I got sea sick for 3 days in a row! Maria Dee is the best baby to travel with.
Because of the strong wind, we have to sail during the night until we arrived in
Puerto Rico, and every night Maria Dee slept like a rock, same as Noel!
During the entire
route we followed the advice of Mr. Bruce Van Sant from his book “Gentleman’s Guide
To Passage South”. However, unlike our friends who took the same route and
departure with us, we got bad weather and clouds when we approached Mona Island
which is the hard passage before arriving Puerto Rico. It’s the deepest place
in the Atlantic Ocean. I can say that I was scared from the first sailing
experience with s/v Dee.
The Island of Enchantment,
Puerto Rico, is US territory.
Facts
Language: Spanish and
English are the official languages. In commercial business and government
services, most of the people can speak English. Here is a lot easier for me.
Currency: US Dollar.
Most of the places accept credit and debit card. For example, I paid 3 USD
using the debit card in the Post Office, no fee added like in Asia! It’s not
difficult to find ATMs or the local banks but I didn’t see money exchange houses.
Capital: San Juan is
the capital city of Puerto Rico. It’s divided into two parts; San Juan and Old
San Juan which is designated World Heritage Site by the United Nations. If you visit San Juan, you must visit the Old
San Juan, it’s worth it.
Transportation: Car
renting is the best option if you want to explore the country. The public transportation
between the cities is not convenient. In some big cities like Ponce, taxi is
easy to find but not in Salinas for example. The common car renting companies are
Avis or Enterprise. Is better you have your own car insurance, otherwise you
will pay much more when you rent the car.
Local food: Beans,
rice, banana are the mains. One should try “Mofongos”, mash banana with spicy
sauce, good with seafood. People from all over the country come to Salinas to
sample “Mojo”, the famous sauce that you can find in Salinas. Even the government
has a campaign to promote the “Mojo” sauce to attract the tourism to visit
Salinas. The big American food brands like MC Donald, Wendys, Burger King,
Krispy Kream, Popeye, Subway are everywhere unlike Starbucks.
Population: The locals
look Latin American, you can have the idea from the famous Puerto Rican singer
like Jenifer Lopez
Port: Sailing boats
coming from the North or West coast of Puerto Rico can conveniently clear in
the ports at Mayaguez or Ponce. At Mayaguez port, the dingy dock condition is
poor in windy days. In Ponce, you can anchor outside the Ponce Marina and Yacht
Club, if you go to the marina with the dinghy they may change you for dingy
dock 10USD per person a day. Puerto Del Rey Marina on the Eastern Coast of the
country is the largest marina in the Caribbean.
Nautical activity:
Local people love water sports. Every weekend the marina will have busy traffic
for fishing boats, motor boats, sailing boats to go out for a day. Don’t be
upset if your boat always swings on weekend with loud music on the background.
It’s very common to see local with kayaks or dinghies.
Communication: Many
restaurants have wi-fi service with password. Local mobile SIM card is
available in many places. We paid for our package 35USD to use internet for
more than 50GB but only to make local calls. In commercial areas they have
public telephones.
Water and Electricity:
Water and electricity are ready available unlike in the Dominican Republic that
had limited electricity usage time. Local told us that public water from the
tab is safe to drink. The entire marina we visited, apart from fuel services,
water is available everywhere.
Our Challenging Journey to Isla Del Encanto
Dominican Republic on 20th April and arrived Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
on 27th April 2014 like Joao already explained about our sailing
experiences in previous posts. The route we took is one of the most dangerous
sailing routes in the world because we sail against trade winds and the wind in
this area is well known as UNPREDICTABLE!
the Dominican Republic for the past 4 months, I was thrilled to leave to a new
land. Would be, actually, the first time for long distance sailing with s/v
Dee. For me, apart from one-day sailing around Macau, I never had experience
offshore. I was excited but somehow I got sea sick for 3 days in a row! Maria Dee is the best baby to travel with.
Because of the strong wind, we have to sail during the night until we arrived in
Puerto Rico, and every night Maria Dee slept like a rock, same as Noel!
route we followed the advice of Mr. Bruce Van Sant from his book “Gentleman’s Guide
To Passage South”. However, unlike our friends who took the same route and
departure with us, we got bad weather and clouds when we approached Mona Island
which is the hard passage before arriving Puerto Rico. It’s the deepest place
in the Atlantic Ocean. I can say that I was scared from the first sailing
experience with s/v Dee.
Puerto Rico, is US territory.
English are the official languages. In commercial business and government
services, most of the people can speak English. Here is a lot easier for me.
Most of the places accept credit and debit card. For example, I paid 3 USD
using the debit card in the Post Office, no fee added like in Asia! It’s not
difficult to find ATMs or the local banks but I didn’t see money exchange houses.
the capital city of Puerto Rico. It’s divided into two parts; San Juan and Old
San Juan which is designated World Heritage Site by the United Nations. If you visit San Juan, you must visit the Old
San Juan, it’s worth it.
renting is the best option if you want to explore the country. The public transportation
between the cities is not convenient. In some big cities like Ponce, taxi is
easy to find but not in Salinas for example. The common car renting companies are
Avis or Enterprise. Is better you have your own car insurance, otherwise you
will pay much more when you rent the car.
rice, banana are the mains. One should try “Mofongos”, mash banana with spicy
sauce, good with seafood. People from all over the country come to Salinas to
sample “Mojo”, the famous sauce that you can find in Salinas. Even the government
has a campaign to promote the “Mojo” sauce to attract the tourism to visit
Salinas. The big American food brands like MC Donald, Wendys, Burger King,
Krispy Kream, Popeye, Subway are everywhere unlike Starbucks.
look Latin American, you can have the idea from the famous Puerto Rican singer
like Jenifer Lopez
coming from the North or West coast of Puerto Rico can conveniently clear in
the ports at Mayaguez or Ponce. At Mayaguez port, the dingy dock condition is
poor in windy days. In Ponce, you can anchor outside the Ponce Marina and Yacht
Club, if you go to the marina with the dinghy they may change you for dingy
dock 10USD per person a day. Puerto Del Rey Marina on the Eastern Coast of the
country is the largest marina in the Caribbean.
Local people love water sports. Every weekend the marina will have busy traffic
for fishing boats, motor boats, sailing boats to go out for a day. Don’t be
upset if your boat always swings on weekend with loud music on the background.
It’s very common to see local with kayaks or dinghies.
restaurants have wi-fi service with password. Local mobile SIM card is
available in many places. We paid for our package 35USD to use internet for
more than 50GB but only to make local calls. In commercial areas they have
public telephones.
Water and electricity are ready available unlike in the Dominican Republic that
had limited electricity usage time. Local told us that public water from the
tab is safe to drink. The entire marina we visited, apart from fuel services,
water is available everywhere.
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