Tom and Karmen on S/V Ellida

Some friends from the summer of 2009 in Luperon, Dominican Republic, are in the Boqueron, PR, harbor waiting on parts for their autopilot before continuing farther West.  They have spent the last 4 years sailing in the Caribbean.  They made it as far south as Trinidad.  Now they are heading back to the U.S. to take a break from cruising and replenish their bank accounts.

Snorkeling in Boqueron Bay, Puerto Rico

Went out snorkeling this morning on a reef in the mouth of the Boqueron Bay.  In the picture (L-R) are:  Bob, Clarence, Denise, and Marie.  Clarence lives in Puerto Rico, while Bob, Denise, and Marie are on an extended vacation from the winter rigors of New Hamshire.

St. Patty's Day Parade in Boqueron, PR

Even though Boqueron is in Puerto Rico, they have a St. Patty's Day parade.  Maybe that's because the largest bar and restaurant there is named Galloways and the owner is Irish.  Anyway, there is a parade and a celebration.  In Puerto Rico, any excuse for a party will do.

Surfing Competition

Domes Beach, on the western tip of Puerto Rico is named for the remaining dome of a 1960's era nuclear power plant nearby. It is a very popular surfing spot and Saturday, March 12, I watched some of the qualifying rounds for the Corona Extra Pro Surf Circuit . Here are some pictures, plus a video at this link:

Bio-Luminescent Bay at La Parguera, PR

One of the unique tourist attractions in Puerto Rico are the bio-luminescent bays. Small bodies of water along the coast, with restricted connections to fresh ocean water, develop large populations of phosphorescent marine organisms. At night, when you disturb the water, the organisms glow. It is quite fun to jump in the water on a dark night and watch the glow around your feet and hands as you tread water. You can even float and make glowing "snow angels" in the water. Aunt Ginny and I went with Paradise Scuba from La Parguera to the nearby bio-luminescent bay. At $32 dollars apiece, it was okay to do it once, but we probably won't make a career out of it. The following link takes you to a Google Map to show where it is: Bio-Bay at La Parguera

Snorkeling at La Parguera, PR

Aunt Ginny and I went snorkeling with Paradise Scuba in La Parguera, Puerto Rico, yesterday afternoon. We went with a group of about 20 people, mainly 20-somethings, many of whom had never snorkeled before. Stepping on the boat, it was obvious that it was not Coast Guard inspected, In fact, I never did see a life jacket. I wondered why they only started one engine, then watched later when they got into a situation requiring both engines, how a crew member reached into the engine compartment with a rusty hand file and jumped the starter solenoid to bring a sick engine to partial life. As you can tell, I am not recommending this outfit to anyone. The snorkeling was fun, but definitely not as visually entertaining as we experienced at Steps Beach in Rincon, PR.

Gilligan's Island

Drove to Guanica, Puerto Rico, this afternoon with Aunt Ginny to tour a small offshore cay where the television show "Gilligan's Island was filmed. A short ferry ride dropped us off and we walked around a small picnic area. The cay is pretty small and the real castaways would have quickly gone crazy, or swam ashore. We stayed an hour and caught the next ferry back. Still it was fun to reminisce about the good times spent watching the TV show. And for the record, I preferred Mary Ann.