From the small town of Esperanza to the Ensenada Anchorage was just a few miles, but in that short distance we were able to leave all trace of civilization behind. Virtually surrounded by mangroves we anchored out far enough to ensure no nighttime bugs found their way to us, and then just kicked back to enjoy the peace and quiet for a while. Snorkeling the mangrove edges, sailing the dinghy, climbing around on shipwrecks (an unlucky sailboat that didn’t make it out of their hurricane-hidey-hole).
The kids even packed backpacks and had me drop them off in the mangroves so they could hike through and then hack their way to the top of a nearby hill with machetes and hatchets. Their plan was thwarted when they reached the hill and it was covered in cactus. Instead they found a little hole in the mangroves and swam for a while before calling us up on the walkie-talkies for an evacuation.
Our dinghy gas consumption is increasing exponentially to the kids’ ages.
A vagabond’s well-used tea set.
While we were out at anchor we started to notice battery problems. First I noticed the solar wasn’t charging. I found one loose jury-rigged wire connection. I straightened that out and thought things were working again. Then it failed again. I checked all the connections, found another that seemed a likely culprit, fixed that, and thought we were okay again. But then the batteries didn’t charge again. I eventually noticed one of the batteries was all sunken in on itself. Being that we were only 3 hours away from the west coast of Puerto Rico, and we had bought the batteries just nine months earlier from West Marine (12-month warranty), we headed back to get this squared away.
We pulled into Palmas Del Mar Marina where we were met by what was easily the nicest, most helpful, marina staff we’ve ever encountered. They didn’t bat an eyelash when I asked for help lifting batteries on and off the boat—something Ali flat-out refused to let me talk her into this time around, and I couldn’t even begin to blame her for.
Rather surprisingly to me, West Marine took one look at my receipt, and didn’t so much as question my replacement request. Kudos to them. I generally despise West Marine for their ludicrous mark-ups, but I’m not above giving them props when they deserve it. And hey, for the second time in three months I got to stand in the checkout line admiring Bumfuzzle in Passagemaker magazine.
We spent a few mostly uneventful days at the marina, waiting for weather and ensuring the batteries and solar were working the way it should be. The kids swam in the pool, we met a friend who happens to live in the neighborhood, and we got a few last minute free-wifi jobs done. We were itching to get moving again, but patience is the key to trawler life—calm weather was on the way.
7 Comments on “Ensenada Honda”
I love watching the children grow and explore on their own, out there all alone looked like paradise. The picture with the rainbow was incredible!
Very inspiring, your photography is outstanding ?
What a beautiful and empty place! I agree with Theresa that the photo with the rainbow was lovely. Enjoy!
Fantastic photos! What an idyllic life for your children-not bad for you big kids either!
Love that you keep having fun as a family!
Are you taking the kids to Biobay? Vieques has the best bioluminescent bay.
I second this suggestion! We went several times and it just breathtaking! One time we went on a windy night and the concentration of the little creatures (dinoflagellates I think they are called) was so high the little wavelets on the water were lit up. We anchored just outside the entrance to the bay and you have to use a non motorized (to protect the creatures) mode of entry. Sometimes my husband rowed us in and my favorite was when we took our paddle boards. We have friends who’ve traveled all over the world and they said it was one of the most amazing sites they’d seen.
Love that you’re eventually letting the leash out, even with the walkie-talkies. They have earned it.
I’ve always found West Marine the same way. Expensive but no questions asked. Thank God you weren’t alot further out. ?
imagery is stunning…groovy, keep them coming whilst grow’n young’uns!