From Monkey Island we headed to Culebra (means snake in Spanish) on Wednesday – getting an early start (0530). I don’t think Michael(Hawk) has seen this many sunrises since he stopped shooting golf! We mentally prepared for a rough trip with winds on the nose and big seas. So we weren’t surprised that it took us almost eight hours to claw through the 30 miles. We tacked a few times to take the waves at a better angle and keep the reefed main at least semi-full and give us a little push. We anchored off the town of Dewey (though locals just call it Culebra) in Ensenada Honda. Our friends Jack (and his wife Liz visiting him) on Anthem were in the harbour. We connected with them later in the day for sundowners and dinner at Mamasitas.
Today, Thursday we did some cleaning up – the forward head got a lot of water in it from the passage so everything was quite wet and salty. The bilges had water in them as well. Michael dropped off the propane bottle after many attempts to connect with Senor Perez – the propane guy via phone (three numbers later we got him). Our bad Spanish and his non-English proved interesting (along with the tropical downpour). The fact that there is a restaurant named the ‘Dinghy Dock” as well as municipal dock where you can tie your dinghies (aka the dinghy dock) created some interesting confusion for the propane tank delivery.
Together with Liz and Jack, we went snorkeling Thursday afternoon. Yoshi did a good job getting us there (having Liz and Jack in their dinghy gave us some reassurance in case Yoshi misbehaved again.) The coral reefs were very healthy and very diverse. Stag horn, elkhorn, brain as well as lots of soft corals – barrel sponges, sea fans and many, many beautiful tropical fish made for a terrific snorkel. Michael spotted a good sized grouper and a lobster – but no fishing allowed. We also saw several “flamingo tongue snails” – a small, brightly colored marine gastropod. They were feeding on the bright purple sea fans. We hadn’t seen any until now so were happy to spot them.
A little background on this area: The Culebra archipelago consists of the main island of Culebra and 23 smaller surrounding islands. All the islands are arid – having no rivers or streams. Fresh water is a valuable commodity on the islands and it is actually piped in from the main island of Puerto Rico via Vieques. The area (along with Vieques) is known as the “Spanish Virgin Islands” and this is a place with which we’re a bit familiar. We were here on Mariah in the 2001 adventure and also vacationed here a few times.
The islands have beautiful beaches – often ranked in the top ten of the world, and mangrove forests. The tallest point is Mount Resaca – all of 650 feet tall.
Most of the islands are classified as nature reserves. In fact, one of the oldest bird sanctuaries in the United States territory was established in Culebra in 1909 by President Theodore Roosevelt. As well as bird sanctuaries (which host more than 50,000 birds migrating through or making this home), the islands are also turtle nesting areas for many varieties of large sea turtles.
The island has an interesting history. Columbus was the first European to discover the island in 1493. Prior to that it was home to the Taino Indians and like many islands it was home to pirates of the Caribbean for more than 3 centuries. Settled in 1880, the island was originally called Isla Pasaje and Isla de San Ildefonso (after a Bishop San Ildefonso de la Culebra). In 1882, construction started on a lighthouse on the nearby island of Culebrita. It was completed in 1886 and was the oldest operating lighthouse in the Caribbean until 1975 when the US shut it down. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Culebra Naval Reservation. In 1939, prior to the US involvement in WW II, the US Navy began to use the Culebra island group as gunnery and bombing practice site. After protests by the people of Puerto Rico and Culebra, in 1975 the use of Culebra by the Navy for military practice ended.
The island is also called Isla Chiquita (Little Island – it is after all only about 11 square miles and has a population of under 2000) and Ultima Virgen (Last Virgen – can’t explain this one!). The name Culebra (snake/serpent) is thought to come from the serpent which is part of the coat of arms of the island and the Bishop for whom the island was originally named. This is a popular weekend destination for Puerto Ricans from the main island and Vieques because of the beaches, snorkeling and diving. We’ll see how crazy it gets this weekend.
Today, Thursday we did some cleaning up – the forward head got a lot of water in it from the passage so everything was quite wet and salty. The bilges had water in them as well. Michael dropped off the propane bottle after many attempts to connect with Senor Perez – the propane guy via phone (three numbers later we got him). Our bad Spanish and his non-English proved interesting (along with the tropical downpour). The fact that there is a restaurant named the ‘Dinghy Dock” as well as municipal dock where you can tie your dinghies (aka the dinghy dock) created some interesting confusion for the propane tank delivery.
Together with Liz and Jack, we went snorkeling Thursday afternoon. Yoshi did a good job getting us there (having Liz and Jack in their dinghy gave us some reassurance in case Yoshi misbehaved again.) The coral reefs were very healthy and very diverse. Stag horn, elkhorn, brain as well as lots of soft corals – barrel sponges, sea fans and many, many beautiful tropical fish made for a terrific snorkel. Michael spotted a good sized grouper and a lobster – but no fishing allowed. We also saw several “flamingo tongue snails” – a small, brightly colored marine gastropod. They were feeding on the bright purple sea fans. We hadn’t seen any until now so were happy to spot them.
A little background on this area: The Culebra archipelago consists of the main island of Culebra and 23 smaller surrounding islands. All the islands are arid – having no rivers or streams. Fresh water is a valuable commodity on the islands and it is actually piped in from the main island of Puerto Rico via Vieques. The area (along with Vieques) is known as the “Spanish Virgin Islands” and this is a place with which we’re a bit familiar. We were here on Mariah in the 2001 adventure and also vacationed here a few times.
The islands have beautiful beaches – often ranked in the top ten of the world, and mangrove forests. The tallest point is Mount Resaca – all of 650 feet tall.
Most of the islands are classified as nature reserves. In fact, one of the oldest bird sanctuaries in the United States territory was established in Culebra in 1909 by President Theodore Roosevelt. As well as bird sanctuaries (which host more than 50,000 birds migrating through or making this home), the islands are also turtle nesting areas for many varieties of large sea turtles.
The island has an interesting history. Columbus was the first European to discover the island in 1493. Prior to that it was home to the Taino Indians and like many islands it was home to pirates of the Caribbean for more than 3 centuries. Settled in 1880, the island was originally called Isla Pasaje and Isla de San Ildefonso (after a Bishop San Ildefonso de la Culebra). In 1882, construction started on a lighthouse on the nearby island of Culebrita. It was completed in 1886 and was the oldest operating lighthouse in the Caribbean until 1975 when the US shut it down. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Culebra Naval Reservation. In 1939, prior to the US involvement in WW II, the US Navy began to use the Culebra island group as gunnery and bombing practice site. After protests by the people of Puerto Rico and Culebra, in 1975 the use of Culebra by the Navy for military practice ended.
The island is also called Isla Chiquita (Little Island – it is after all only about 11 square miles and has a population of under 2000) and Ultima Virgen (Last Virgen – can’t explain this one!). The name Culebra (snake/serpent) is thought to come from the serpent which is part of the coat of arms of the island and the Bishop for whom the island was originally named. This is a popular weekend destination for Puerto Ricans from the main island and Vieques because of the beaches, snorkeling and diving. We’ll see how crazy it gets this weekend.
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