Mofongo anyone?

March 2023

Culebra & Vieques, Spanish Virgin Islands,

Puerto Rico

Just 15 miles East of the US Virgin Isles, the decades roll back and food changes for the better. Mofongo, being the Puerto Rician plantain tasty mush, is just the start of culinary differences. Seafood is key ingredient of course, sadly the fishing around the SVI is outstanding - but the warnings about ciguatera bacteria in most fish populations made me put my poles aside 😢 (plus reeling in my lures every 10 minutes because there were fouled with sargassum made my arms sore💪).

Culebra was our first port of call, and the large protected bay of Encenada Honda was the perfect anchorage. Only 7 miles long, the golf cart we rented used hardly any gas to take us to all the islands beaches. Because the wind blows nearly every day and from some form of East, there are calm sides to harbor in, and others to avoid. The calm ones we snorkeled in, and swam with a dozen sea turtles, and some impressive super shallow near shore reefs my mom would have loved.

Culebrita is the little sister Isla next door. We tried to anchor, but the north swell in one bay, and the coral heads in the other, sent us back to Culebra and taking the dinghy over. A lovely hike up to the old Spanish lighthouse and further along the beach to the warm jacuzzi baths were highlights.

We made the voyage with friends we met in Grenada, it's good to travel in a pack, and we all continued together to Vieques. Sun Bay beach and the cute wild horse town of Esperanza, was our only stop (there are only two towns : south shore and north - winds from the north you go south👌). Vieques will need more time to explore than we had to give. But we did get to kayak in the absolute must-see bioluminescent Mosquito Bay. An EPIC experience of clear boat paddling thru millions of tiny creatures that mimic the stars above.

Culebra has its own island flag. It is part of the 51st state of Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 (who's flag looks like the CYC burgee).

Wild horses, hikes galore, monsters looking for handouts (the horses do that too), and fantastic snorkeling (we will be diving next visit for sure)

Underwater pic is of the Spotted Flamingo Tongue Snail, living on a sea fan.

hike with friends Dan & Michele to the ole lighthouse on Culebrita

This man Dan always makes us laugh! It's actually hard to make friends with boat folk...

There's always a boat repair project or friends visiting, or schedules to keep, plus no one who lives on a boat (cruisers) stays in any one place for very long.

World War 2 target practice tanks on Flemenco beach. Watch out where you drop your anchor around these waters: there are still unexploded ordinances !

Thanks for all the responses and well wishes.

It will be coming up on a year away from home this May, but thankfully my brother turns 50 and calls us home to celebrate. I was looking forward to a year of only driving on the left side of the road (all of our travels so far this year have that British curiosity), hopefully I will remember the correct way🤞.