For years, we have heard about the wondrous beauty of a small island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico called Culebra. It has been on our itinerary, even before we started cruising. All that waiting made our arrival in Culebra that much more exciting. On the way, we only made a couple of stops, one […]
Adventures in Eating
Since the Bahamas, I’ve enjoyed photographing some of the most, uh, interesting food and drink we’ve encountered. We’ve eaten very much as we always had, needing to make only a few adjustments, as we’ve found certain staples aren’t always available, but discovering new culinary delights is a major advantage to traveling. I can only […]
A Photo Journey Through Old San Juan
Even cruisers need to take a break from sea life. While staying in a marina is Salinas, Puerto Rico, we left Pura Vida behind for a few days of playing tourist in Old San Juan. To describe it words will not do it justice, so this blog is primarily a photo essay of Old San […]
In Hot Water
The marina warned us. Our friends warned us. Yet we thought we knew better! Everyone said to arrive at the Marina de Salinas before 9am or the winds will be too high to dock your boat. “Seriously, they must be exaggerating. The winds do pick up late in the morning, but never above 15-20 knots.” […]
Box of the Dead
Securing a slip at the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club meant two exciting things for us; we finally could receive Amazon deliveries, and we would be able to have our generator repaired properly. I don’t know which one I was more thrilled about. There was not much frivolousness included in the packages from Amazon. After […]
Back in the U.S.A — Kinda
As we said farewell to the Dominican Republic and saw its coast disappear behind us, the only thing separating us from Puerto Rico was 90 miles of open water in the Mona Passage. The Mona Passage is the stuff of legends for sailors. We have been hearing tales about this infamous body of water for years, […]
Dominican Republic – Episode 3: Saving The Best For Last!
It took us almost two months bouncing our way along the south coast of the Dominican Republic, but finally we were on our way to a true island paradise. We planned our final stop in the country for Isla Saona – a palm-tree-lined, soft-white-sandy-beached, crystal-clear-water, daytime getaway destination for Dominicans, resort folk, cruise ship passengers […]
Dominican Republic – Episode 2: Puppy Love!
She was barely noticeable in our rental car headlights as we pulled into the marina, but there she was, stumbling forward aimlessly, desperately searching for even the smallest morsel of food in the dirt in front of the guard station. Kimberly jumped out of the car and picked up the tiniest baby puppy we have […]
Dominican Republic – Episode 1: Marina Madness!
After eighteen exhausting hours of motor-sailing into the trade winds and bouncy seas, we reached the Dominican Republic, our home for the following month. Just as we crossed the border, a huge pod of Spinner dolphins raced, leaping, toward Pura Vida as if to welcome us. Shortly after the spectacular greeting, we arrived to the […]
The Forbidden Coast
When we got our boat insurance, it had a clause prohibiting us from going to Haiti. Asking most cruisers about Haiti, we heard “you can’t go there!” The reasons ranged from crime, personal safety, health, lack of facilities for cruisers, and the simple fact that almost everyone heading to the Eastern Caribbean goes straight from […]