Realizing we would not make landfall in Puerto
Rico before dark we decided to drop anchor at Isla De Mona! Wow, thank
goodness! We would have missed a slice of Paradise had we not stopped!
Heading into the anchorage following two range
markers, all you can see is waves smashing on the reef and until you up close
no gaps! When the gap appears it's a maximum of two boat widths! In the gin
clear waters below you the reef lurks as dark brown stains on the sandy bottom!
Holding our breath we motored in almost to the shore then turn sharp left to
the mooring balls!
Only then did we breathe easy! Having just
sailed an overnight we turned in to catch up on some sleep. About two hours
later we surfaced rubbing our eyes in wonder at the Paradise we found ourselves
in!
Gin clear waters gently rolling onto clean white
sands or against towering cliffs! The rocky shore waved in and out creating
small private beaches between them. Looking out to sea the reef stretched from
end to end except for the small gap we entered through!
It didn't t take us long to don snorkel gear and
set out to explore! Stunning healthy reef teeming with Blue Tang, Parrot fish
and the beautiful Black Durgon of the Triggerfish family with his electric pale
blue lines between his tail and body!
Isla de Mona is often called the Galapagos of
the Caribbean and we can understand why! Fourty nautical miles west of Puerto
Rico, this isolated island is about 7 miles long and 4 miles wide! It is a
designated National Marine Sanctuary. We had been told you were not allowed
ashore unless you had made application beforehand but decided to take our
chances and go and ask! What a friendly warm reception we got! There are four
Rangers, two policemen and a biologist on the island and they do one week
rotations from Wednesday to Wednesday! The new crew hand just landed and taken
over. They spoke good English and were super friendly! We were welcome ashore
to hike the island, they even opened the small museum for us and gave us
information on the trails and caves to visit!
The Island teems with large Iguanas, found only
here, with their two horns on their heads. Wild boars dating back, according to
the Rangers, to Christopher Columbus' times and goats.
It was inhabited by the Taino Indians for
centuries and there are Taino drawings on the cave walls! Christopher Columbus
'discovered' it in 1493 and it became a port of call for Spanish Galleons.
Following the Spanish the Pirates took over and it's rumored Captain Kidd made
use of it. The numerous caves were used as is supported by the cooking
utensils, fragments of Sabers and even chains found in them.
Following Pirates Guano miners harvested there
until 1927! Piles of their rusting equipment and remains of train tracks are to
be seen.
In the 1930 and 40's a sport fishing club was
established and their old lodge can be found on the western shore!
Boar hunting season takes place between May and
November. This is to keep the numbers down and generate income for the
maintenance!
Strolling along the reef edged beaches we were
delighted to find fresh turtle tracks from the sea. Obviously the night before
they had come ashore and laid eggs. The large indentation where they made the
nest and their tracks back to the sea easy to spot!
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| Turtle track and nest |
After a chilled evening listening to the sounds
of silence we slept well.
The next morning we set off to climb the path up
the cliffs, we wanted pictures of the boat from above! Along the trail we found
freshly dug earth and peering around we saw brown bodies scuttling away back
into the bush! Boar or Goats we are not sure but it was thrilling.
The path up the mountain strewn with the fallen
leaves of overhead trees is teeming with hermit crabs. It amused me that as they
heard us coming they would pull into their shells and now being on a steep
slope would roll down the side among the leaves, their bright red legs and
pincher tucked tightly into the shell! Their favorite abode is the empty shells
of the periwinkles found everywhere.
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| Hermit crab roll! :) |
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