Sailing Ohana

We stopped at St. John for a brief but enjoyable visit with our friends the Olsons, who live there. We grabbed a mooring ball in Caneel Bay, and dinghyed to Cruz Bay where Stirling picked us up. We got to see their home which is a lovely open-air house, with screens for windows. We went out to an elegant and delicious prix fixe dinner and had way too much food and drink, including all the desserts! The next day we moored in Hawksnest, and they met us on their boat. They brought their dog Kalia who was in her last days of life, so that she could say goodbye to her namesake, SV Kalia. Then we sailed off into the sunset, literally, to Puerto Rico.

Hoping to enjoy the benefits and culture of the big city, we went to San Juan in Puerto Rico this time. The anchorage there is no bueno. It’s a mix of mooring balls and open spaces, and boats of all sizes, making it impossible to accurately judge the length of rode and location to anchor. There were cruise ship docks on both sides, and mega yachts docked next to us. It didn’t help that we know a boat who got hit by cruise ship’s bow-thrusters in the middle of the night, throwing them off their anchor and into other boats, causing lots devastating damage. On our first try the anchor dragged, but when we did set it we realized we were to close to the fuel barge dock. We moved a number of times, debated, argued, and finally anchored at the front of the anchorage, arguably too far East, but as long as the winds stayed as predicted, we would be totally fine. It was the first time we have ever stayed next to a big city. We parked our dinghy at The Sizzler Restaurant at the marina and walked to the car rental place, then set out to explore!

Our first stop was Old San Juan, where the cobblestone streets wind through historic buildings and bustling businesses. We left the car in a parking garage and as soon as we walked away from the main cruise ship drop off, we found quaint shops and cafes. Our marina in Puerto Real had given us a list of their recommendations for places to go on the island (which I kept with my book), and they listed a pizza restaurant in Old San Juan as the best pizza on the island. We had to try it out, and it was amazing! It felt like a speakeasy, with the entrance up an unmarked staircase in an ancient building. It was full of locals. After that we went searching for the Pablo Casals house and museum. Sadly, when we arrived at the location, it was closed. I inquired with the art gallery owner next door, and she said that it had closed during COVID and was partly relocated to the Symphony Hall, which was temporarily closed. 😦

We were very close to the fort named Castillo San Felipe del Morro, aka “El Morro”, so we walked to the edge of Old San Juan to check out in person what we had seen from our boat. The first thing you notice when walking up to El Morro are the giant battlefields, where people are flying kites. This open area, with wind coming from the ocean and kites flying everywhere, was such a peaceful, relaxing scene amidst a crowded old city. Spencer’s friend gave him a kite for his birthday right before we left, and we brought it on the boat, so we made plans to come back and fly it the next day. We did the self-guided tour through the fort and throughly enjoyed learning about the history of it. The boys were fascinated by the cannons and weapons they had on display.

The following day we went to West Marine, which is an American boat supply store, and spent a long time there, of course. We bought a wakeboard for the boys, which everyone is excited about. After that we drove up to El Yunque National Forest, stopping on the way for a fantastic lunch of Puerto Rican food. The visitor’s center shows a fascinating movie about El Yunque (narrated by actor Benicio del Toro), describing its history and the work they are doing for wildlife preservation and rainforest restoration. We hiked to the river on a path through the forest, noisy with birds and the shuffling of critters all around. It was pretty cool.

The boys and I went back to the Fort to fly their kite, and then drove around in circles on the tiny streets of Old San Juan, trying to find a supermarket that was mismarked on Google maps. Tommy and I went to a different one the next morning, before we departed for the Bahamas. We were looking forward to the Bahamas, but felt really grateful that we were able to share more time in Puerto Rico.