We did an overnight sail (no wind so mostly engine, as usual) to Culebra, one of the Spanish Virgin Islands that came highly recommended. Culebra is a magical little island. It is small and very hilly but full of little bays on all coasts, which make it a superb cruiser's stop. The main town of Dewey is a delight with many of its buildings colorfully painted and well maintained, while others are decayed a bit- our guess is it is on the rise as a tourist destination. We pulled up with our dinghy to the Dinghy Dock bar, a local favourite. We immediately met a long bearded American who arrived here 26 years ago on his sailboat and never went any further, although he moved to shore. He is part of the land based English speaking expat community. Amy Jo was the entertainer for the night- singing out her heart to soft rock, country and her own original songs. She is trying to make it on the big circuit but has been using Culebra as her base for the past few years. We can't blame her as it is an idyllic little island, yet easily accessible to Puerto Rico's mainland by ferry (1 hour) or plane.
As we traveled around Culebra's little bays and outer islands we saw beautiful villas dotted along the hills, all with an unbeatable view (and the providers of our wifi - thanks!). There is certainly scope for loads more development. We did some nice snorkeling and a dive off of Culebrita and wandered up the hill to its pretty little derelict lighthouse for a great view down on the bay. On Sunday there were 10-15 motor yachts rafted up for the day. But once the early evening hit, they all disappeared in a flotilla and left us the whole bay. A very peaceful few days for sure.
After Culebra it was time to head back to Puerto Rico's mainland to get work done on the boat and spend a day in Old San Juan before Dana flew back to the dirt and the world of making money. It was somewhat of a shock to choose a marina that had 1,000 slips after owning the bay in Culebra.
