Captain’s Log: Sailing to Puerto Rico
The Basics
The boat: Peach Paradise, a FP Helia 44
Crew: Captain Jalil (instructor)
ASA Students: Roberto, Robin, Travis & Sandy
Courses Completed: ASA 101 (Basic KeelBoat), ASA 103 (Basic Coastal Cruising), ASA 104 (Bareboat Cruising), ASA 114 (Cruising Catamaran)
Day 1: Sailing to Puerto Rico
What’s the best time to start sailing? For those joining Captain Jalil on this sailing trip, they would tell you retirement! The crew talked to Captain Jalil about their hopes to lake sail back home in Arizona after they finish their learn to sail vacation. Then, they plan on coming back to Go Sail Virgin Islands next year to charter a sailboat! However, for this trip, they would like to head to Roberto’s birth country of Puerto Rico. Captain Jalil is happy to oblige!
Day 2: Learning to Sail
Cast off! The crew proceeded to Nazareth Bay for maneuvers under power. For lunch they stopped in Secret Harbor and enjoyed their first swim in the Caribbean! In the afternoon, they raised the full main and jib and learned to jibe! They made their way just south of Prince Frederik’s Battery where they dropped the sails and picked up mooring at Hassle Island. A perfect first day of learning to sail!
Day 3: Dreams Do Come True
It had always been Roberto’s dream to visit Culebra and Vieques so off the crew went— excited to make his dream a reality! They raised single-reefed main & full jib, then took a reef in the jib, jibed a few times, and next thing you know— they had dropped the sails just east of Bahia Sardinas in Culebra! They headed to Bahia Melones under power for anchor practice. At the end of the day they celebrated with excellent Puerto Rican food and a swim in the crystal clear waters!
Day 4: A Midnight Swim
For Captain Jalil, the morning started early as he took the dinghy into town to buy water. “The gang had already drank all 6 gallons of drinking water, desert people like to stay hydrated,” he joked in his Captain’s Log. Then, they were off! South of Cayo Luis Peña they raised the single-reefed main & full jib and began point-of-sail drills. In the afternoon, they picked up a mooring in Bahia Tamarindo, Culebra. To finish off the day, they swam to the beach and across the point to Playa Flamenco to drink Medalla on the famous beach. The crew got back to Tamarindo after sunset, so they had to swim back to the boat in the dark!
Day 5: Man down!
The crew practiced reefing and tacking all the way to Vieques. South of Punta Esta, they dropped their sails and navigated through a sea of fish traps under power. They finished off the day with more Puerto Rican food ashore, followed by a Latin dancing show, and Roberto woo-ed the audience by playing his skin flute! Captain Jalil proved his sea legs were more sturdy than his land legs by falling off the dock and twisting his ankle on the way back to the catamaran. Oops!
Day 6: Getting Past Seasickness
Choppy waters led to some seasickness in the morning so Captain Jalil and the crew decided to take it easy until the afternoon. Then as the water calmed, the crew got back to work on their ASA skills! They reefed the sails, practiced man-overboard drills, tacked, and even got some anchoring practice in! In the evening, Roberto did some night swimming while the others headed to bed.
Day 7: A Hearty Goodbye Breakfast
The crew may have slurped up quite a lot of water but they didn’t get close to eating all the food aboard! Roberto decided to make a large breakfast spread for the crew to use up the rest of the provisions. It was a hearty breakfast that prepared them well for their final hours at sea before returning to land, saying goodbye to their captain, and heading home to plan their next sailing trip with Go Sail!