Sunrise as approaching Puerto Real harbor
We arrived in Puerto Real on the west coast of Puerto Rico after a 48 hour passage from the DR. We had to motor sail the first 24 hours as we were headed into the easterly tradewinds, but once we rounded the eastern end of the DR, we were able to sail the rest of the trip. The seas were calmer in the infamous Mona Passage than we expected (how often does that happen?!) and we had a pleasant night sail, arriving just before sunrise.
Riggs goes forward for a trip to his "puddle pad". We only take him up in calm seas so sometimes he has to hold it for quite awhile. That white thing is the dinghy strapped on deck. When we have a potentially rough ocean passage we haul it up on deck and deflate it rather than carrying on the back of the boat on davits. The long yellow straps are jacklines that we use to attach tethers to us so we don't fall overboard when moving around on deck.
Riggs has a knack of finding the most comfortable place to sleep while we are underway. He takes up a lot of room for one so small!
We know only a few things about Puerto Rico, and it seems likely we will not learn much more as the rumor mill overwhelms the information trickle. Things we know: 1) The marina we are in is pretty new, is nice and is well-managed. 2) There is a nice food store nearby to get provisions. 3) Everyone – locals, police, marina, boaters – are confused about the rules for “transient” boaters (we are transient boaters).
Yes, that’s about it – 3 things.
MB was able to share a taxi to the grocery store with two others from boats we have been traveling with for the last few weeks. Outside the store, there was a sanitizing station with a garden sprayer and disinfectant for the carts which was reassuring. Although the store didn’t look like much from the outside it was amazingly well stocked with prices lower than in the US. MB said she was just going for some fresh produce, but she came back with a roasted chicken, freshly baked rolls, caffeine free diet coke (which we haven’t seen since the states), hummus and all sorts of wonderful food! That was our one venture outside the security gates of the marina. We hope to be able to come back sometime to explore this beautiful country.
Everyone is on lockdown/stay at home orders here except for trips for groceries, fuel, doctors, etc just like in much of the states and DR. There is a curfew from 7pm through 5am and nothing at all is open on Sundays. Many of the marinas are closed, but this one is a port of entry for the country and is allowed to be open. Before we left there were constant announcements coming out about what is open and whether boats would be allowed in. We confirmed with Puerto Rico Customs that we would be allowed in before leaving the DR.
As we entered the harbor, a police boat came along side and asked us a few questions. They followed close on our stern until we pulled into our slip in the marina. Shortly after tying up, two policeman came to our boat to get our passports and boat documentation which is unusual. They were very friendly, but these documents are normally only reviewed by Customs. In Puerto Rico, the local governments and officials are allowed to make many of their own rules. We used the CBP ROAM app to check in with Customs and they called quickly to verify us. Check in went more smoothly than we had expected.
A few hours later we heard about some other boats who had arrived shortly after us who were denied entrance into the country. The boats with Canadian and Australian citizens were denied entry and told they must leave immediately or face jail and/or $6000 in fines. They have no place to go as most countries have now closed their borders. When we left the DR we were advised that we would not be allowed back in. This is where these boats had come from so they cannot return there. Most of the islands have closed their borders. Sailing back to Australia or Canada is not really possible given how many of the ports and places to rest and refuel and get food are closed now. It is unclear if the new rules are coming from the US federal government or the local government so one doesn’t even know who to appeal to.
We are better off than many since our US citizenship carries some weight here, but there are rumors that they are going to ask all transient boaters to leave Puerto Rico. If so, this will most likely get interpreted differently in different areas of the country.
It is not clear that we can execute our current plan to get to St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, get the boat hauled out and prepared for hurricane season, and fly home with Riggs. Airlines are not allowing pets to fly in cargo now and flights are significantly reduced and may be stopped soon. The boatyard where we have a signed contract is closed since they are deemed non-essential. It is possible that we may have to live in the Virgin Islands for several months until the Corona cases subside. We’re facing many unknowns, many rules that frequently change, and much variation in rule interpretation from one port to another even in the same country. On the positive side, the locations where we have been in Turks & Caicos, the DR and now in Puerto Rico have no Corona cases, so that is a very good thing from our perspective. It is unlikely that we have been exposed so far.
It’s also possible that we may be prevented from entering the US Virgin Islands in which case we are up the proverbial creek without a sail. The prospect of sailing back to the USA with two people is rather daunting (10 day sail without stops), and I’m not sure how or where we would even be received there right now.
So it seems that we won’t see any of Puerto Rico beyond the boundaries of the Marina. Even with the abounding confusion the locals we’ve met are very friendly and helpful. Poor Riggs is desperate for some real exercise. Walking him around the small confines of the marina is not doing it for him, but he seems to take it all in stride.
We were able to see part of our church’s webcast on Sunday morning which was nice. Seeing a familiar setting and spending some time focusing on God’s presence is calming and reassuring. Though we uppity humans may not like the way God choses to work in our lives at times, it is reassuring that He does work in our lives in spite of ourselves. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Pray for the leaders of these island nations as they try and do the right things, and pray for the many people in these islands who have very limited means to deal with this crisis.
We are leaving here Wednesday morning and will make our way along the Puerto Rico south coast en route to the US Virgins. As long as we have internet we’ll continue to post blogs as things change.
Its not all bad being on lock down in a small fishing village. Bought this freshly caught lobster for last night's dinner.
David and Mary Beth
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