We made excellent time in maximum comfort. We even saw several whales. Loon (British), Elvina (Swedish), and Moody Blue (Canadian) were also making the crossing. We were creeping ahead according to Moody Blue, so much so, that we lost radio contact with them in the night.
We did, however, hear Moody Blue hail the US Coast Guard for the time at 3:15am. They further asked whether it was the same time on the entire island of P.R.! How embarrassing? In the morning we ran into Sierra Hotel. They were also heading to Ponce from a nearby anchorage 18 miles from Ponce. We tied up to the fuel dock with them where we had to clear customs. Two hours later Loon showed up and late in the afternoon Elvina came in.We each got into a slip at the marina, The Ponce Fishing and Yacht Club.
The next morning we rented a minivan with the other boaters and set out to restock the boat and buy Phillip some presents. Ponce is the second largest city in P.R. so they had Sam’s Club, WalMart, Blockbuster… It is just like home only signs are in Spanish. Civilization at last! We stocked the boat, filled the propane tanks, did laundry, took long showers, and enjoyed a couple of nights of AC. We also went to Carnival which was like Halloween with a dance recital on stage. The vending stands had great food and music, and a fun time was had by all.
We left Ponce around noon heading to Peurto Patillas a small coastal town. The others left in the morning, but we were tired and stayed for another night. We ventured into town and got a ride in a police car into the center of town. It was not so much like America here. We visited the tourist office and they gave us pins with the cities coat of arms on them. We immediately put them on since we blended in so well already! We went to a market and bought some fruits and vegetables that we had never seen before. The locals told us how to cook them. Turns out they were delicious!
