My first impressions of Puerto Rico were not favorable. After enjoying the cheap prices in the Dominican Republic it was a bit of a shock to return to American prices. Additionally, Puerto Rican beer, we were dismayed to discover, came standard in 10 oz cans, a tough adjustment after the 20 oz bottles we'd enjoyed on the other side of the passage.
The Trade winds blow along Puerto Rico's coast, unabated and unhindered. The strategy recommend to us by our cruising guide was to make little 2-5 hour hops, darting from harbor to harbor along the coast in the wee hours of the morning, when conditions were at their calmest.
From Boquerón to La Paguera to Ponce, we harbor hopped our way along the southern coast of Puerto Rico, following the advice of our guidebook. Ponce is the the second largest city on the island and as good a spot as any to ditch the boat and crew and fly to Colorado to visit my girlfriend. I was lonely for a different type of intimate company.
The cheapest flights to the states were out of the capitol of San Juan, on the north coast, only an hour and a half by car from Ponce. When I booked the flight, I'd foolishly assumed there would be some kind of public transportation between the two largest cities in the country. There wasn't. I had to take a taxi from Ponce to the airport in San Juan for $120. I'm still a little angry at Puerto Rico for that.
While I was away snowshoeing in Breckenridge, the crew was moving the boat without me, farther along the coast to the port at Salinas. I'll admit this made me a little nervous but, they got to Salinas without mishap, rented a car, spent two days in San Juan sightseeing. They had almost as good a time without me as I did without them and we were all happy to see each other again when they picked me up from the airport.
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