Spanish Virgins anyone?

[arisatx]

Originally Posted by EscapadeCaliber40LRC

I do the Spanish Virgins often, my boat is just across from there in Puerto Rico.

Culebra: You can anchor in Ensenada Honda but it is just as easy to go around to the West side where there are four mooring balls close in near the ferry dock, these are usually empty of other boats plus you avoid the narrow entrance to the bay. I have found all the mooring balls in Culebra and Vieques to be free of charge. Be mindful of the Grampas area off the SouthEast side of the island, it is quite shallow and extends quite far off shore. Don't miss Flamingo bay, and the Key Lime Pie at Mamacita's is a diabetic nirvana

Vieques: The bio bay tour in Mesquito Bay near Esperanza on the South side of Vieques is a real treat but avoid the full moon nights. There are several mooring balls in Sun Bay along the windward side that provide great nights or you can anchor in Sun or the two bays in front of Esperanza.

The windward end of Vieques always has rough waterexpect 8 -10 foot waves, going back, I would advise going back around the West end of Vieques and head for Culebra. Then take the inside passage around to the Cubelitra exit and tack for Sail Rock. Then tack for Water Island just off Charlotte Amalie. You avoid the Grampas shallow water by this route.

Be mindful of the long bar that extends out from the West end of Vieques towards Puerto Rico. It extends out many miles. If you follow it in on the Western side, there are some nice mooring balls on a very nice beach area that rarely gets traffic.

Caliber:
Thanks for your tips and local knowledge. We just finished up a week's bareboat charter out of Puerto del Rey and explored the southern bays of Vieques. On our last night off Green Beach (Punto Arenas) we were fortunate enough to see a humpback gliding by - doesn't get much better than that! Very uncrowded (2-3 boats avg) and undeveloped compared to the BVI's - glad to have experienced the Spanish Virgins.

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My friends and I did the Spanish Virgins last Summer on a bareboat charter out of St. Thomas. We were there for to short of a time to do the exploring we should. The bio bay on the south side of Vieques was spectacular on a moonless night, though the teams destroying unexploded ordinance on the beaches could be a little disconcerting. Over the July 4 weekend, the sportsfisher boats were lined up in the more popular coves We went back to Christmas Cove off the east end of St. Thomas from the north side of Culebrita, a tropical storm passing north of us gave us a wind shift that we rode all the way on one tack. It can be a slog.