We had a fabulous downwind sail on March 21st as we moved from Puerto Patillas back to our little anchorage spot near the power plant (and about 4nm away from Marina de Salinas). We hoisted the main sail (which we haven’t seen since the Bahamas) and then got our spinnaker out for the first time this season. There was just enough wind to keep the spinnaker full and to move us along at a decent speed. It was a lovely morning and we arrived at our anchorage before lunch.
In the morning (March 22), we motored the 4nm to the marina. Salinas is a very popular destination for cruisers and the bay is full of permanent and temporary boats. It was a bit challenging to find the path through all the anchored boats but luckily a catamaran went in just before us so we followed it in! The marina was also quite confusing and of course they never answer the radio when you hail them. Mark ended up phoning them to get a slip assignment while I circled the boat in front of the marina. Once we found our slip, we had loads of help getting into it. The wind had picked up a lot (first windy day we’ve had since arriving in PR) and it was pushing us into the slip. The 2 marinas we’ve been to in PR have these fairly narrow slips with very short finger docks. We have to go bow in (because we can’t get off the stern of our boat) so it is a bit of a challenge to get on and off!! The owners of sailboat right next to ours helped us get secured and also gave us a ride up to the grocery store that afternoon. They were super helpful and gave us lots of advice about restaurants and shopping in the area.
The marina is quite nice and very busy. It has an event space that was rented out on March 22 for a wedding. We had dinner that night at the little bar on-site and watched the wedding reception get underway. There is also another restaurant onsite and a little pool. We explored the area on Sunday – walking along the streets near the marina. We found lots of restaurants and a little bakery! It was great to just walk around a bit without having to dinghy ashore first! I have to keep reminding myself that we can just get off the boat whenever we please – don’t have to untie and lower the dinghy and put out the boarding ladder. It’s such a treat and we’re slowly finding our land-legs again!
Our plan for the next 2 weeks is to clean up to v-berth and to get a few jobs done. So far we’ve not done much. The wind has really piped up and my deck work (washing the deck) has been delayed a bit. Mark and I have both been on the mend – my back is acting up and Mark’s just not feeling himself. Today (March 25th) we’re both feeling much better and hopefully when the wind dies down tomorrow, we can start our dock jobs!
Crimson Kathryn and her crew 