We departed Palmas Del Mar and sailed (meaning we motored) to the small island of Culebra. Culebra is still Puerto Rico and is one of the many islands to the east referred to as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Wanting a couple of days of isolation we went to a beautiful cove and hung out for a couple of days. Bahía de Almodóvar was recommended to us by a local captain on our dock at the Palmas Del Mar Yacht Club Marina. It turned out to be just what we were looking for. We took the time there to clean Cream Puffs bottom and propeller. We figured if we are going to spend a day in the water, we may as well make it productive. We also scrubbed away the grass skirt the Puffster has been sporting for a few weeks. The water is warm and algae likes warm.
Bahía de Almodóvar – Enter to the left of the island and come up behind the reef with a view of the open ocean and is incredibly calm inside
The reef is the light blue water where it about 1 foot deep at high tide. The parks dept, has moorings buoys to tie to.
From Bahía de Almodóvar we went around the corner to Ensenada Honda and anchored in the northeast corner of the bay just off the Dinghy Dock Restaurant. There is not much on Culerbra. It is a tourist hangout for people wishing to escape the main island. The town is colorful and small. There are a few boutique hotels and an airport. Flamingo Beach is rated as one of the best beaches in the world. Ferry service runs between here and San Juan. Since we anchored Cream Puff nearby the Dinghy Dock Restaurant, we figured we should give the food a try. The result: meh. The view was much better than the food.
“Hector the Protector” guards the entrance to Culebra’s harbor
Dinghy Dock Restaurant….
…where it is okay to feed the gulls…..
….. and the fish
The local grocery store, Colmado Carniceria Milka, from the front….
….. from the back
The lift bridge no longer goes up but was recently painted to keep it looking nice
The Art Shop
Colorful waterfront residence on Ensenada Honda
Looking down an ally we caught a glimpse of the Puffster waiting for us
Saw the sign. Turned. We got wine.
On the way to Culebra, we could see the mountains of St Thomas on the horizon. It is about 25 miles to St Thomas from Culebra. This is very cool: As we are sailing to one island we can see our next stop that happens to be a different country further away on the horizon. This was a first for us. Normally the next country has been out of sight over the horizon. Since lowering the anchor in Ensenada Honda on Culebra, St Thomas began calling out to us.
