SOUTH SIDE OF PUERTO RICO

0630, December 16, 2014, Puerto Real, Puerto Rico: Marina Pescaderia had allowed us to stay overnight on the fuel dock. We left the dock at first light heading south around Cabo Rojo, and then east to the east end of the island. The sunny weather we had the previous day was like we had punched through the front. Last night the front caught up with us and a massive cloud formation hung over the island with the sun rising at the other end of the Island in a narrow horizontal slot between the land and the clouds, turning the bottom of the clouds red. 

Fortunately the seas were again 2 to 4 feet as they were directly on our nose as we headed east. Today we would  pass by the edge of several squalls, and run through another. After rounding Cabo Rojo the winds increased to 10 to 15 knots and later in the day they increased  to 15 to 20.  Jackie, our golden doodle, did as she had done on the last several days laying on cushions on our bed with the air conditioner running  when we would turn on the generator to charge our inverter batteries. The trips she would periodically make up to the pilot house  we first thought was to remind us she was still with us, but then realized it was to tell us to turn the air conditioning back on. Needless to say, she weathered the trip in far more comfort then we did sleeping between watches on the pilot house settee. 

The trip was 100 nm. Our destination on the east end of the Island. With no good anchorages available in the immediate area we choose the Marina Palmas Del Mar. The reviews of the marina were good, but primarily based on the responsiveness of its staff. The marina staff was very helpful. In addition to helping us tie up they assisted in removing a crab trap line with black styrofoam buoys that was caught in our starboard stabilizer fin.  This was our first after over 10,000 nm which included many crap trap mind fields.  Although the staff was outstanding the Marina design was terrible. The piers were poured in place concrete with no fenders, bumpers or dock edging protection. The piers and fingers were fixed, which is ok with the 6 inch tide variation, but they were too high, and there were too few cleats. Because of the height of the piers and the location of the few cleats they did have, the dock lines rubbed over the edge of the dock, and would cause chaffing in short time with the surge that I am sure is almost always present in the Marina with its entrance directly exposed to prevailing conditions.  We have rub rails, as many trawlers do, which protect the sides of the boat in situations where fenders don't with vertical wood piling. Here the bottom of the horizontal concrete dock was above our rub rails leaving our hull completely exposed.  Apparently recognizing this defect the Marina staff brought large fenders with them to assist our docking. However with inadequate number of cleats they were limited in where they could place the fenders.  The developers spent a lot of money on this relative new Marina and condominium project. A proper dock design could not have cost much more.