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Puerto Rico Yacht
Charters Spanish Virgin Islands
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Puerto
Rico Yacht Charters - The Spanish Virgin Islands,
or Passage Islands, are a group of Islands and reefs which lie
15 miles to the east of Fajardo on Puerto Rico and for many years
have been off limits to yacht charters because they !ay within
territory reserved for the United States Navy. They used the islands
for war games and bombing practice. While it is still possible
to find both manmade and natural shells on the beaches, nowadays
the islands are, for the most part, open to cruisers and are awaiting
rediscovery.
There are enough anchorages in these islands to keep
a serious cruiser going for weeks. There is a quiet anchorage
at the head of Ensenada Honda, just off the main town of Culebra.
The town, which was all but flattened by Hurricane Hugo in 1989,
is a delightful blend of Caribbean and Spanish cultures.
The centrepiece is the red and white lifting
bridge which spans the narrow boat canal. The bridge is rumoured
to have lifted just once, on its day of inauguration some 30 odd
years ago. It became stuck and remained in the open position for
several days, trapping cars on one side or another. Engineers
finally managed to return tlhe bridge to the closed position,
where it has remained ever since!
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There are several small bars and
restaurants which appear to open or remain closed at their owners'
whim. Nothing seems to happen very fast here!
Weapons training by the US Navy has severely
restricted access to these islands for much of the past century.
Now, as life gets a little more sensitive to this sort of thing,
matters are becoming more relaxed and yachtsmen can visit the
islands with permission of the Navy when they announce the range
to be 'not hot'. If the range is hot, one is very courteously
encouraged to return on another day. If you do not hear them
it is wise to call the range by VHF.
Cruising in the Spanish Virgin
Islands certainly does give one the impression of what life
must have been like throughout the Caribbean some 30 or 40 years
ago. We found the people friendly and helpful. Customs regulations
were somewhat laid back and relaxed.
Arriving from the US Virgins it is important to.check in with
the authorities and obtain a cruising permit. The official currency
is the US dollar, and both English and Spanish are spoken and
understood.
Ice, fuel and water are all available, but
not always easy to obtain when and where you might wish. There
are some local laundries. We found an adequate telephone system
and a small airport provides a regular air ferry service to
Puerto Rico.
Fresh vegetables can be a little sparse and
we would advise that a good stock of fresh produce should be
brought with the visiting yacht after that, one relies on impulse
shopping when green leaves are spotted at road side stalls!
But visit these islands on a crewed yacht
charter for their natural beauty, tranquillity and the diving,
for fine food restaurants and noisy nighttime entertainment
simply can not be found here.
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Arrive at the San Juan International
Airport, the largest and most modern in the Caribbean.
A ten minute limousine drive will have you onboard in
historic Old San Juan, established over 500 years ago,
the second oldest city in the Hemisphere with original
cobblestone streets, fabulous architecture and history,
duty free shopping, art galleries, exquisite restaurants
and night life, bohemians, artists and politicians.
Leave San Juan by spectacular El Morro
Castle and the impressive fortified walls surrounding
the Old City. A cruise West, with the wind and seas, will
have you in unique Mona Island in time for lunch. Explore
one of the most guarded secrets of the Caribbean, a pristine
uninhabited island. Take a guided tour with a ranger and
observe the large iguanas, sea turtles, wild pigs and
the island's other exotic flora and fauna. Superb scuba
and snorkeling. Dinner alfresco under a ladened sky.
From the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean
Sea. In just three hours you will anchor at Caja de Muertos,
another uninhabited island that has been declared a natural
reserve presenting a 121 year old lighthouse built by
the Spaniards, several endangered and rare species and
some of the most beautiful white sand, translucent beaches
of the world. Enjoy swimming, scuba, and water sports
or just relax. But the Señorial City of Ponce,
the second largest of Puerto Rico, is only 4.8 nautical
miles away.
Explore Ponce: Serralles Castle, La
Guancha, a historic fire station, an acclaimed world-class
museum and more fabulous architecture and history. Venture
to the nearby Camuy Caves, the second largest underground
system in the world.
Sail
the South coast of Puerto Rico for two hours en-route
to famed Vieques Island, just off the Northeast coast
of the Main Island of Puerto Rico. Spectacular diving
and water sports, wonderful beaches will be followed
by what is certain to be one of the highlights of the
cruise: a night-time visit by tender to the nearby phosphorescent
bay, one of the most luminescent anywhere, where swimming
will be long remembered as each motion of your body
will light up the surrounding water.
Option A : Culebra
A one-hour cruise will put you at anchor
in Ensenada Honda at Culebra Island, one of the least
populated of Puerto Rico. Fish, water sports, explore
a myriad of coves or visit the beaches at Culebrita and
Flamenco, some of the most spectacular anywhere.
Option B: El Conquistador
In less than one hour you
are tied to a slip in this world-renowned resort on the
eastern town of Fajardo. Breath-taking funicular rides
from the marina to the hotel at the mountain top, pools,
great service, tennis, beaches, world class golf are all
at your beck and call. The fabled Puerto Rico Rain Forest
is twenty minutes away.
Leave the resort by helicopter for an
aerial tour of the Island landing at the San Juan International
Airport with plenty of time for your departure. For the
less adventurous, this airport is 40 minutes away by limousine
from El Conquistador.
- Plaza Las Americas,
the largest mall in the Caribbean and one of the largest
in the U.S.
- World-class golf courses designed by Greg Norman,
Robert Trent Jones, Jack Nicklaus and many others.
- World class thoroughbred racing.
- Casinos galore
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