North Coast Puerto Rico - West Bound

[nautical62]

I may be sailing a boat I have in Tortola back to Florida this summer. (Late June- July)

I know that many ding the thorny path headed east, often follow the south coast of Puerto Rico, but does following the north coast make sense heading NW? I was thinking of doing a crew change in San Juan and then heading straight from there to the Turks and Caicos and up through the Bahamas from there. Avoiding the Mona passage and north shore of the DR.

Is this a reasonable idea? Are there any places to stop along the north shore?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by nautical62

... Are there any places to stop along the north shore? ...

San Juan, Arecibo?
➥ Marinas > Puerto Rico

[bvimatelot]

Well, its the route I always take when ever I deliver from BVI to Florida. Then, depending on which bit of Florida I'm aiming for, I'll go through the old bahama channel or outside the Bahamas and cut in through the NW/NE Providence channels.

[sailingaway221]

Not too many good spots to stop other than San Juan HArbor... easy sail down the north coast though... and free parking in san juan harbor by Club Nautico ....The head straight for the turks/..... done it three times and fairly painless as long as you dont run into a cold front coming out of florida and down island...

[btrayfors]

BVI to Florida in the timeframe you indicated should be an easy trek. No need to stop in PR unless you want to or have to.

We did Tortola to Southport, NC with a route which went westward along the north shore of PR, then up thru the Bahamas, stopping in Mayaguana, Rum Cay, and Marsh Harbour.

Take lotsa fuel; winds may be light.

Had a wonderful brisk sail from Mayaguana to Rum Cay overnite; one of the best I've had.

Bill

[nautical62]

Thanks for the tips everyone - just what I needed. Much appreciated.

[Cats Eye]

We just hit Florida, but we did do the south side of PR. We enjoyed a couple stops in the DR. We only stopped for a quick rest in T&C, at French Cay, we did not even check in. We hit the bottom of the bahamas and spet a month there. We are now cruising the ditch. 3 day in it not sure how much I like it. But I did like the South side of PR.

[cruisergirl]

Hey there! Just came across this thread while searching the net for a cruising guide from Puerto Rico to Florida. Do any of you know of such a guide, or have any tips for the trip? We were thinking from Puerto Rico to Dominican Republic... T&C.... Bahamas... then Ft Lauderdale. The idea is to get the boat to FL asap to do some more work before we continue cruising on our new vessel, so I'm not looking for tips on bars, recreation, and what not. I'm really just looking for the best routes, good anchorages to sleep sound, and where we need to check in/out, as well as get fuel/water/provisions. Any information is greatly appreciated!

ALOHA!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by cruisergirl

Hey there! Just came across this thread while searching the net for a cruising guide from Puerto Rico to Florida. Do any of you know of such a guide, or have any tips for the trip? We were thinking from Puerto Rico to Dominican Republic... T&C.... Bahamas... then Ft Lauderdale. The idea is to get the boat to FL asap to do some more work before we continue cruising on our new vessel, so I'm not looking for tips on bars, recreation, and what not. I'm really just looking for the best routes, good anchorages to sleep sound, and where we need to check in/out, as well as get fuel/water/provisions. Any information is greatly appreciated!

ALOHA!

I understand what you're saying about what you want, but the beaches of Puerto Rico are spectacularly beautiful. The one at our hotel had hammocks slung between coconut palms, like something out of a fantasy. There's a river there that is virtually always bioluminescent. You can play "Angels in the Snow" in the water!

The food was fantastic and we really liked the people. I urge you to try to build in some R and R time in PR.

[cruisergirl]

Aloha Rakuflames!

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and respond! I think you are absolutely right... Puerto Rico does have some amazing beaches, and excellent anchorages. I guess my post wasn't that clear... we are actually getting ready to LEAVE Puerto Rico headed for Florida, and I'm looking for information about passages heading that way. We DID enjoy (more than enough) R & R at four different anchorages/towns along the south side of PR, spending several days at each, as well as renting a car to go explore inland on two different days! We loved PR! (and especially the bio bay we found in La Paragara!) Thank you for sharing! I am still looking for info on the passages going west/north to FL leaving from Boqueron. Any info is greatly appreciated!

Happy Sailing!

[ty.gregory]

I'm sorry, Cruisergirl, I can be of no use to you re: info like that. Because you have spent some time in Puerto Rico, I was wondering if Boqueron is the smelly, awful, cesspool anchorage, that I heard it was? All the boats dragging in the soft sand, etc...