Bareboat charter of a Lagoon 42 sailing cat from Sail Caribe out of Fajardo, Puerto Rico. 5 adults and a teenager.

We chose a counter clockwise course around the SVI to put us in Esperanza at a good phase of the moon for seeing the bioluminescent bay nearby.

Day 0: Visits to Walmart and Costco for provisioning (a major plus for this charter location). Overnight on the boat.

Day 1 We had a thorough boat and charter briefing and an introduction to our immaculate boat by Sail Caribe. Then we motored into a breeze from Fajardo to Punta Arenas (green beach) at the west end of Vieques. We anchored in a nice quiet anchorage with a pleasant beach and snorkeling.

Day 2: We made short move from Punta Arenas to Esperanza on an overcast and showery day (again a motor into the wind). There were a few more boats outside Esperanza but again we found an easy and relatively sheltered anchorage. The dinghy dock at Esperanza leaves a lot to be desired (it’s a concrete jetty with pallets as flooring). Best to hold the dinghy off the dock with the dinghy anchor. Several bars were closed (on Monday) but we had a sun-downer at Lazy Jacks and a nice and friendly dinner at El Blok hotel waiting for the biobay tour. Unfortunately thunder storms started to roll in and the tour with Blackbeard Sports was cancelled (with a full and immediate refund).

Day 3; We had a long motor sail, at first in pouring rain, to Playa Punta Soldado on Culebra. The weather improved and we found a delightful anchorage with good snorkeling (this was one of the suggestions by Sail Caribe and did not disappoint!).

Day 4: Today a short motor sail found us at Culebrita (Playa Tortuga) on a beautiful sunny day. The whole party enjoyed the almost deserted and classic beach, and some even hiked the short distance to the lighthouse (take water!). We then motored back to Ensenada Honda and anchored in front of Dewey amongst a larger fleet of boats (but with more than enough room) close to the public dinghy dock. We used the public dock and picked up our golf carts Carlos Jeep Rental (very helpful). A good dinner at the “Dinghy Dock” restaurant capped a great day.

Day 4: This was a land day, first we took the golf cart and went snorkeling at Playa Tamarindo (we pronounced this the best snorkeling so far with rays, turtles, even a squid amongst sea grass) and then spent an afternoon at Playa Flamenco (this is a classic sand beach with palm trees, snacks, rental umbrellas etc available from vendors in the car park and even a decorative tank skeleton).

Day 5: We went back to Culebrita by general request. There were more boats (it being a Friday before Memorial Day weekend) but as usual the power boats hugged the shore while the sailboats anchored further out so there was no trouble finding a place. This time we just went swimming and visited the Jacuzzies. Then we motor sailed around to Playa Carlos Rosario and took a mooring ball there. We spent a comfortable night alone in the bay.

Day 6: We had the best snorkeling we have ever seen on the Wall at Carlos Rosario. Lovely coral, fish and more fish. After lunch we moved to Lina’s Bay (a small bay on the south east side of Cayo Luis Pena) and took a day use ball. Yet another lovely bay, with a nice sand beach and some snorkeling. Another night completely alone with some slight rolling but good shelter.

Day 7: Back to base via quick motor sail over to Fajardo and the end of the charter.

Overall Culebra is lovely, with great beaches, different types of snorkeling, and a charming town. It is well worth a visit. For us, the weather featured unusual light south easterly winds, and lots of rain at the start. Together with our timetable it did not allow enough sailing. Overall we agreed the SVI was a great choice for our charter.

Thanks for the TR. The weather has been quite unsettled and squally the last week or two. At least the breeze is back!

Cheers, RickG