Culebra

We left early the next morning and sailed back along the south coast of Vieques to the western tip, Punta Arenas. We kayaked in and went for a walk, hoping the find the boardwalk around the Kiani Lagoon, but I think we went the wrong way.

It was very hot. We saw a Puerto Rican woodpecker high in a coconut palm. Later, at the side of the lagoon, we saw a stilt and maybe an American oystercatcher. It was big, black-and-white, had the right sort of voice, but was gone before I could nail it down. I’m reasonably sure it wasn’t another stilt because of its call. We also saw a kingbird building her nest, tucking a long bit of dry grass into the structure.

We gave up on finding the boardwalk and went back to the kayaks, thence to Django. We dropped our mooring and set on the three-hour crossing to Culebra. We anchored in Ensenada Honda (Deep Cove) by the only town: Dewey. Culebra is much like Vieques. The bar culture is alive and well, it’s a cruiser stop, the people are almost comatose they are so laid back. Shop times are not to be trusted because a shop keeper may not feel like it today.

We took Boffo in to the dinghy dock, which was very high, and wandered the streets. We found a supermarket, a bank with an ATM, the ferry dock, and an ice cream shop. The woman showed us the laminated sheet with photos of her wares. I asked for three that she said she didn’t have, then finally settled for a coconut ice. And delicious it was.

We sat on a pier and watched pelicans. We were joined by a fellow who talked amiably with WW before asking to borrow a cell phone to call his mother for Mother’s Day next day.

We bought our provisions and went back to Django. That evening, we dined at the Dinghy Dock Restaurant. So sensible. Just pull up in your dinghy, tie her to a cleat, get out, and eat.

The next morning, we saw that Calypso had arrived. After lunch, we went over and were about to pull away as she was so quiet, when we heard MaryAnne calling, “I seeeeee you!”

We had wanted to go ashore for dinner with them that evening, but they had caught a 10-lb black-tailed tuna and were going the sashimi route. So we joined them at Mamacita’s, another resto on a dinghy dock, and had a glass of wine while they ate. The waitress took a photo which I’ll post when I can get the camera to talk to the computer.

That evening, we went to Mamacita’s for dinner, but a big, smelly, noisy motor cruiser was blocking the view and the breeze. Despite a 10-foot maximum rule, apparently some boats are more equal than others. We ended up heading back to the Dinghy Dock Restaurant.