Vieques anchorage?

[muttnut]

My husband is sailing to Puerto Rico from Trinidad, and is going to arrive in the area late this afternoon, too late to go into the harbor at Marina del Rey. Vieques looks like a good place to drop anchor for the night. Does anyone know of a good anchorage on the western side that would be easy to get in and out of?

[Hud3]

Vieques is a great place to stop. I'd recommend Ensenada Sun Bay at Esperanza. Ensenda Honda to the east is a nice anchorage, but very tricky to get into if you've never done it before.

[RetiredSailor]

Looks like this will be too late for this particular trip, but there is a nice anchorage on the western tip of Vieques. It's not an ensenada (harbor), just a nice anchorage location sheltered from the typical E or NE winds. It's called Punta Arena, and many of the locals call it Green Beach. Just look for the western tip of Vieques and anchor on the west side. We used to anchor there a lot and never had problems.

If you're looking for easy in and out and fast access to Puerto del Rey the next day, this is a good spot - since it's not a harbor there is no maneuvering, just find a spot and drop anchor in about 10 feet, it's mainly sand. And the trip to Puerto del Rey is easy and well marked, just head west for the nearby buoys marking the main channel into the old Roosevelt Roads and you will avoid the sand bar that juts out from the west of Vieques, although I never had problems sailing over it. I never saw less than 8-10 feet, but you know how sand bars can shift.

[muttnut]

Thanks for the info. I will give it to my husband when he calls on the sat phone at 11 this morning. Looks great from Google Earth - just what I was looking for.

[Dale]

Originally Posted by RetiredSailor

It's called Punta Arena, and many of the locals call it Green Beach. Just look for the western tip of Vieques and anchor on the west side. We used to anchor there a lot and never had problems.

Green Beach is also a great place to snorkel. It was a popular place in the late 80's to see some great coral and tons of fish. We even picked up a bunch of amazing conch shells out there- one of which I still have today.