The harbor in Salinas is an idyllic spot, with a friendly community of sailors.
Hearing a description of the harbor in Salinas, Puerto Rico, it sounds like a made-up idyllic spot from a Jimmy Buffett song. It’s a friendly community of sailors, snug in a protected bay guarded with lush mountains, and waters teeming with sea turtles, dolphins, manatees, and rays.
The south coast of Puerto Rico is along the usual path for sailors going both directions through the Caribbean because of the ample safe anchorages to hide away in, as needed. But Salinas is one of those places where sailors stop in, then they blink, and eight weeks later they’re still there and not terribly motivated to leave.
Arriving, it can look crowded on the approach, but the bay is deceptively deep and there’s always a spot to tuck in, even in the high season. With sturdy mountains to the north and protection from some barrier islands, reefs, and mangroves all around, the harbor stays mostly calm and settled, even in strong winds. All the way back into the bay puts you closer to Marina de Salinas, a cruiser-friendly staple with a well-run fuel dock. They take annual liveaboards and transient boats, too, though they are often booked months in advance. For a small fee, anchored boats get full access to the dinghy dock, parking, mail service, laundry, ice, showers, and the bars and restaurants that are alive with activities and music on the weekends.
The town of Salinas is an excellent base to explore the rest of the island.
The town of Salinas seems sleepy at first, but walking around the streets you start to uncover most of the things cruisers need and want in a harbor. There is a hardware store, an excellent vet, a barbershop, and a major grocery store a little more than a mile away. They have a small marine chandlery in town, but if you rent a car, you are about an hour from two different West Marines on the island (the better stocked one is downtown San Juan). The marina can connect you to a local guy who rents cars to cruisers at a steep discount from the standard places.
Salinas is an excellent base to explore the rest of the island of Puerto Rico, which you do need a car to do. You’re an easy day trip into Old San Juan, Fajardo, the rainforest, and loads of other touristy spots to check off your list.
We stopped in to collect some mail and spend a week showing my cousin around, who was visiting from Oregon. We left the boat for a couple of nights while we drove around playing tourist. With so many liveaboards and fellow cruisers in the harbor, we had no trouble asking some friends to keep an eye on the boat in case the weather changed drastically. We felt completely safe leaving the boat, which made sightseeing a lot more enjoyable. We loved getting our steps in across Old San Juan, taking in the natural world at El Yunque National Forest, meandering festivals and checking out street art in some of the vibrant small towns, and exploring the Rio Camuy Caves.
We blinked and...
My cousin left a week or so later. We had plans to catch the next weather window to the Dominican Republic. And then, blink... more than a month passed. Our dog was unwell, so we took him to the vet. Some boat projects needed doing, and with the West Marine so handy, we couldn’t resist checking those projects off of our to-do list. Friends were coming through, so we lingered to wait for them. All the while weeks were passing by like gentle waves on a following sea.
Even with projects, work, and a sick dog, the days were far from stressful. Mornings I’d pop into my kayak before the rest of the family woke up. Paddling out to the middle of the harbor, I’d drift quietly until I heard a tell-tale breath. They’d curiously surface and say good morning; the manatees of Salinas harbor are curious and steadfast. While the waters are teeming with other marine life, the manatees seem to be dominant. I’d paddle away from the manatees and head for the shallows, where spotted eagle rays would glide over the sea stars and conch nestled in the seagrass. On the way back to the boat, sea turtles would guide me, and if I was lucky, a dolphin would frolic by.
Sunset would sneak up on us, followed by a blanket of stars.
After projects and work were done for the day, we would take the dogs to one of the many little islets or small beaches around the harbor so that they could run and swim. Other cruisers would congregate there, as well as Puerto Rican families unwinding for the day. With the kids playing and the dogs chasing and the adults chatting, sunset would sneak up on us without warning. Back on the boat under a blanket of stars, I would sit out in the cockpit and listen for manatee breaths in the hushed harbor.
And blink, more weeks passed. We were out of excuses to linger longer in Salinas. I said goodbye to the manatees and soaked up one last dramatic sunset from our cockpit. We lifted anchor early one morning to leave Puerto Rico and continue on our way. With places like this, I always whisper a ‘thank you’ to the harbor for keeping us safe and happy, because who knows if or when we will get to spend a week or eight here again?
by Cindy Wallach
About the Author: Cindy Wallach cruised the Caribbean with her family and two dogs aboard their St. Francis 44 catamaran Majestic, which is for sale. Learn more at majesticstfrancis44forsale.com.
