Puerto Rico is a breather. After the many countries, islands, impressions and short sailing legs of the last few months, we are looking forward to a slower pace.

Before that, the passage from Saba leaves nothing to be desired. The 122 nautical miles are straight as a die in perfect conditions to Culebra, a small island to the east of Puerto Rico’s main island. In the afternoon, we are happy to find a perfectly sheltered anchorage bay and get straight down to the formalities for entering the USA. Despite our fears, the process is uncomplicated, friendly and, above all, completely digital. We have our visas and cruising licenses ready, a border official calls us via video call, asks to see all our faces, and in the end we don’t even have to leave the boat to go anywhere. If only it were always that easy.

After checking in and a stroll through the small town, we fall contentedly into our bunks and are grateful for the most wobble-free berth we’ve had in a long time – no danger from sliding glasses, falling objects or opening drawers.

Culebra and the little sister

A few days later, a family delegation arrives in Culebra. So we set up in the bay and get the boat ready for the visit. The island definitely feels more Latin American than US American. Spanish is the dominant language and the music in the streets speaks its own language. What does seem American, however, are the golf carts, which are powered by a noisy and smelly gasoline engine and not by electric motors as on the previous islands.

Since the tourists go directly from the ferry to the main beach of the island, Flamenco Beach, the island is otherwise rather tranquil. Spring break has just ended and the biggest rush seems to be over for now. There are more chickens with their chicks on the streets than people. We walk to the airport to pick up our crew for the next two weeks. They land in a small propeller plane with room for ten people.

From then on, the five of us explore the area, eat tacos, find the best cafés and snorkel on the reef on our doorstep. The corals are gray in gray. But they are teeming with large and small fish, lobsters, rays and nurse sharks. For the first time, pink jellyfish appear in significant numbers. The test shows: harmless.

In addition to anchoring at the reef, we make a stop at Culebrita, the even smaller island next to Culebra. Apart from an old lighthouse with a spectacular view, there’s not much to see. The island is uninhabited and we feel like Robinson Crusoe discovering deserted beaches in the golden evening light. Since a storm is expected on the east coast of the USA, we prefer to return to the calm bay of Culebra after a night of adventure. So we untied the line from the sturdy mooring ring we found by chance while snorkeling. It did its job in the shifting winds, keeping the anchor chain away from the surrounding coral.

In Culebra, we join the flow of people this time and head towards Flamenco Beach. The crowd pours over the huge beach and spreads out under colorful umbrellas and shady palm trees. Life guards meticulously ensure that no one gets lost in the waves and currents. A catamaran makes its breakneck way through the offshore reef in front of an astonished beach audience, only to quickly find its way back out between the breakers. The stunt was certainly a source of amazement.

Since a number of children have gathered in the bay that serves so reliably as our base, there are plenty of opportunities for the kids to play. The highlight is a birthday party on the beach. There is no set program because the fantasy of playing on the beach and in the water makes everything else superfluous.

When expectations are exceeded

There are corners of the world where the sea glows. Billions of single-celled organisms live there, responding to mechanical stimuli with light. Everything that moves in the water glitters and sparkles. One of the bays with the highest concentration of these fabulous organisms is on Vieques, another island off the main island of Puerto Rico. Mosquito Bay is definitely the place to go for bioluminescence.

We can’t afford to miss the show. Kayak tours are offered for 60 USD as it is not allowed to use a petrol engine in the bay. Swimming is also prohibited in a certain area. The ecosystem must be preserved at all costs. Fortunately, both Nikola and the dinghy run quietly and cleanly on electricity. So we can anchor at the entrance of the deeper bay and try our luck with the dinghy and SUP in tow after sunset and before the first rays of the moon.

It is breathtaking. At first it glows softly around the dinghy, but then the glow becomes stronger. The propeller leaves a trail of light behind it. Fish run away from us, shooting through the water like glittering rockets. Once we reach the main pool, we can hardly believe what we see. Everything lights up: every paddle stroke, the fish, our submerged hands and feet. The children’s watering can we brought with us pours a stream of light into the water. It’s really, really, really hard to describe and difficult to capture.

Yay, it’s a city

Vieques invites us to make another stop to shorten the route to San Juan. We spend a quiet night in the clear water. At dawn we set off with the extended crew for the final leg. In perfect sailing conditions the coast of Puerto Rico passes by and after two barracudas we finally catch an edible fish. The Spanish mackerel may not be huge, but it will fill seven more mouths that evening.

After a while of green coastline, the skyline of San Juan (pop. 250,000) slowly comes into view. This alone is an experience, as we haven’t set foot in a city of this size since Porto (Portugal). Our first anchorage is right in front of the old fort, which, like the well-preserved old town, is a World Heritage Site.

Despite our personal euphoria, San Juan is a city worth seeing and we are all delighted by it. We wander through the colorful streets and find lovely breakfast cafés, restaurants, beautiful old houses, exciting buildings, lots of history, interesting stores and even a solid playground. And when there isn’t a fleet of cruise ships docking, it’s wonderful to stroll through the almost car-free streets. The anchorage directly in front of the old town proves to be ideal, the distances are short and we are right in the middle of the action. The only downer is the difficulty of tying up the dinghy somewhere without city security putting a huge padlock on it.

Off into the mountains

There are many of national parks in the USA. The only one that consists of rainforest is in Puerto Rico. El Yunque offers a well-developed network of hiking trails and is just over an hour’s drive from San Juan. A good opportunity to stretch your legs and take a trip into the countryside.

Unfortunately, the penultimate night on board is a little short for our visitors. Early in the morning, we are awakened by a noise. The wind has dropped and Nikola is now touching one of the neighboring ships. The anchorage deeper in the bay next to the large cruise ships is not only narrow, but also deep at ten to eleven meters. This means that the boats use a lot of anchor chain, especially since the bottom is a bit difficult. When the wind shifts, there is a risk that they will swing against each other. Despite all our precautions and arrangements with the neighbors, this is exactly what happened. So it was better to go back outside the old town. Although no damage was done, it was an experience we could have done without.

One leg after the other

The family leaves the next day and we wave goodbye with a heavy heart. For some the return flight begins, for others the preparations for the next leg. With three days, it will be the longest trip since the Atlantic crossing. That means washing, tidying up, shopping, checking the boat, climbing the mast, clearing out and so on. We also have to refuel. For the first time since Mindelo we dock at a jetty – Where are the fenders again? For the first time since Mindelo we need more diesel.

Once again, we maneuver Nikola into the narrow anchorage of the cruise pier. This time, she rocks fearlessly a few meters in front of an solid pontoon. The good thing is though: We can complete the formalities for leaving the USA on foot from here. On the way, we pass the exhibition grounds. The doors are open for the “Coffee & Chocolate Expo” How annoying. How annoying that we don’t have time for this. We have to get going.