March 2006

We finished our visit to the BVIs by going to Soper’s Hole which had been recommended by a number of Americans. It probably was beautiful at one stage but now very touristy and the attitude of many locals appeared to be one of making maximum bucks with minimum courtesy. Telephone links with the outside world were minimal and access to the Internet very restricted. We were to become very familiar with these problems from now on... We moved on to the US Virgin Island and stayed several nights in different locations in the Marine National Park on St John. Much quieter and cheaper from our perspective. There was one resort in Caneel Bay having something to do with the Roosevelts, where we had to pay our National Park fee. We felt quite poor as typical charges for this were $12,000 per week! It was packed with Americans!! They must be rich!!!

Moored in Soper's Hole with a view of the hills to the north and east
A brown pelican waiting on the dock at the National Park Visitor Centre in Cruz Bay, St John, USVI

Time was marching on and our date with our granddaughter in Florida getting nearer so we moved on to Culebra in the Spanish Virgin Islands where we could check into Puerto Rico. Suddenly there were very few cruisers any more and most were Canadians headed southeast. Culebra was delightful and we could have lingered here. You anchored in a large central lagoon in the middle of the island after threading through the offshore reefs. To check in you took the dinghy ashore and walked out of the town to the tiny airport where US Customs and Immigration gave us our US Cruising Permit, valid for one year. The island was locked in a time warp and visited by Puerto Rican day trippers from the main island. It reminded us of Porto Santo and Graciosa on the other side of the Atlantic. We were able to top up our shopping and plan how we would spend time in Puerto Rico which looked very inviting on all the charts and guides.

Sail Rock - a nasty hazard on an ocean voyage between islands!
The tranquil anchorage inside the vast lagoon at Culebra, Spanish Virgin Islands

It was a fast day-sail on the Trades to the Puerto del Rey marina on Puerto Rico’s east coast. This marina is so HUGE that you call a golf cart to transport you to the shore from your berth! We decided to hire a car to go shopping at a hypermarket and West Marine before visiting the rain forest at El Yunque. This is a very impressive National Forest with easy road access and plenty of walking trails which we were happy to explore. It was ‘Spring Break’ in the USA and many College Students had chosen Puerto Rico instead of the traditional Florida beach parties. The forest was just beautiful and full of frogs sounding just like birds. Two towers had been built that afforded extensive views across the treetops.

Locals posing beneath the smaller falls in El Yunque National Forest
Leaves of the Breadfruit tree
Rainforest creeper growing across a fallen tree
Brilliant orange/red flowers on a rain forest tree
El Yunque has a huge number of rain forest palms amongst all the hard woods
The peaks in the rain forest werew jagged but the trees go all the way up
A view of the south east coast from the forest
The palms are evident in this view of the forest canopy
A high view of the south east coast

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