As you’ve probably gathered, we had some boat visitors a few weeks ago. Wade & Kim were here from February 16th to the 24th, then Ela & Andrew arrived February 26th and left March 13th.

We decided to stage both visits from Salinas, Puerto Rico. Unlike the exposed beach harbours and coves dotted along PR’s south coast, Salinas Harbour is enclosed and protected from ocean swell by a large, mangrove covered island so we felt confident leaving the boat anchored there while we did airport pickups & drop-offs, as well as some land-based touring.

We arrived February 14th, two days before Wade & Kim were scheduled to fly in, so we had time to catch up on laundry and to get the lay of the land. We were fortunate to meet Fred, a long-time resident of Salinas, originally from California, who drove us into town to get some engine oil and gave us a tour of the place along the way.

How did we end up getting a lift and the grand tour of town from Fred, you may ask? I know I’ve mentioned it before, but since we’ve been sailing, we just seem to encounter really kind and generous people. Sometimes they’re fellow travelers, but most often they’re local people, going about their regular day. If I posted something in Kindness & Generosity everytime a complete stranger was kind & generous to us (which was my original intention, incidentally), there would be at least a hundred posts. At least.

So we were using the WiFi at the Marina De Salinas’ snack bar, when Phill asks Fred (who was sitting at a table nearby) to point us in the direction of the closest place to get some diesel engine oil. “Are you on a boat anchored in the harbour?” Fred asks. “Yes.” Phill says. “You’ll need a car to get there – let me give you a lift.”

As easy as that…we were prepared to call a cab (we really needed the oil – Phill had already drained the old oil from the warm engine when we first anchored), but Fred insisted on giving us a lift.

I liked Fred instantly – it might have been in part because his little red hatch-back was in a state of mild disarray very similar to how I left my disintegrating Golf back home (before the we parted ways at the wrecker’s, that is). But he’s also an interesting guy – a sailor who’d reinvented himself, successfully several times. He’s a trained mechanical engineer, but has had several different careers that kept his sailing dream afloat for about forty years. He’s seventy – but doesn’t look it – and talked like my imagining of a aging west-coast surfer (he ended a lot of his sentences with ‘man’).

Anyways, on the way to the hardware store, Fred showed us the grocery store, the bakery (where we later met Jimmy), the town square and Sal Pa’ Dentro, “The Cruiser’s Bar”.

So after we picked up the engine oil, Fred droped us off at the bakery, where we indulged in a small sampling of their wares. On this visit and all subsequent ones, the lady at the counter was very patient with our crap Spanish (it was here, I think, that Phill started a bit of a love affair with Puerto Rican pastries). Then we walked to Sal Pa’ Dentro, which was closed at the time, but owner Jean, let us in – “I gotta be here anyways…“. I’ll tell you about Jean and Sal Pa’ Dentro later…

I don’t know why, but while we were there, we had fun referring to Puerto Rico as “The Puerto Rico”, I suppose because we’d recently come from The Dominican Republic. Anyhow, that night, The Puerto Rico caught fire!

Our photos are always so much less impressive than the real thing, but here are a few…

The hills above Salinas burned for several hours. We never found out if it was a regular event to burn off vegetation, but the speed with which it spread, the absence of any panic on shore, and the music (heavy drum beats) & singing in the distance made it seem like a controlled burn to us.

While we were in Salinas we rented a car, which simplified the logistics of Wade & Kim’s and Ela & Andrew’s visits. It also made it easier for us to get groceries whenever we felt like it. We had it for two weeks ($200/wk which actually turned out to be $150/wk once we got the credit card statement), and were able to see more of Salinas and its environs than most of the other towns we’ve stopped.

Interrupted by a couple of road trips & nights anchored out with Wade & Kim, we spent 12 days in Salinas Harbour.

We recommend it highly if you’re looking for a place to safely leave your boat in PR.