I am frequently in Puerto Rico during the week, but rarely over the weekend. This week, due to an office move and the change over in telephone service, my presence was required on Friday and the following week, so I had a weekend to kill. I came across Las Tortugas Eco Tours on the web (www.kayak-pr.com) and called Gary, an ex-Coastguardsman from Seattle what he had going this weekend. He apologized that he only had a beginners group but I was welcome to come along. They supplied everything including a Scupper Pro SOT, PFDs and lots and lots of beverages. I brought my own paddle. There weren't a lot of folks in suits carrying briefcases and paddles at Miami International! The entourage arrived outside my hotel at 9am on Sunday as scheduled and off we went. The truck was piled to the gunwales with SOTs...at least a dozen, and I jumped into the van with Christian (later dubbed Kamea-mea) Jomarie and Wally (short for a Spanish name I never really caught..Wally was a she). After a 40 minute drive we arrived at private boat ramp on a mangrove lined river. A sign said "Kayak $5" and there were a few boats and jet skis being backed in. We unloaded the kayaks and waited a short while for a group of conversational English students from the University of Puerto Rico. A small rowboat passed the ramp, with the occupants looking like they were escaping from Devil's Island. Apparently, there are a quite a few locals who live a very primitive life in the mangroves. The group soon arrived and after a short training session, were assigned to single or double SOTs and launched into the just moving river. The river became a maritime equivalent of bumper cars, as the novice paddlers struggled with all the problems most of us take for granted. By the time the last boat was launched most of the group was getting the hang of it. I was paddling a cherry red Scupper Pro (With a rudder) and was enjoying myself. Thigh braces would have made it more interesting, but it was surprisingly fast and tracked well. I disconnected the rudder. We paddled down river for about 40 minutes. Gary gave an on-going description of various fauna and flora along the way. The scene was typical of South Florida rivers but with an odd plant here and a strange crab there. Gary was also paddling amongst the group hand out bottles of cold spring water to those who were running low. We soon arrived at the mouth of the river which emptied into a lagoon and a reef 100 yards or so off shore. There were some absolutely beautiful waves asking to be surfed, but not being familiar with the SOTs and noticing that these waves were breaking on some very hard rocks, I decided to stay inshore of the break. On both sides of the river were picture perfect beaches lined with tall palm trees, the species that have all died off in Florida, and the backdrop from the water included El Yunque, the famous mountain and rainforest. We all put in at a spot on the beach and we were met by their vehicles. Out came the coolers loaded with ice cold soft drinks, water and beer. The lunch cooler was opened and a tasty noodle salad accompanied with a turkey, chicken or vegetarian wrap was served. As far as I was concerned, this was paradise! "We don need no stinkin MREs!" After lunch, Gary took a group off to snorkel on the reef, and I explored the coast from inside the lagoon. I thought about catching a wave or two and decided to play in the surf in the lagoon and was promptly flipped. Where was my Nordkapp (or K-Light) when I needed it!) After paddle another 4 or 5 miles I returned to the beach where the conversational English group was well into the beer cooler and relaxing in the water. I decided it was time for Bob's Conversational English 101. What I told them was, when ever anyone says anything in English, look them straight in the eye and say; "Kewl". We practiced this for some time, with various nods of the head, and variations of Kewl, Kew-el and the traditional, cool. I am now waiting for the hit squad from the English department to arrive... After a while Paul and Bob arrived. Paul also has kayaks and is a 25Year Navy man planning his retirement in the sun. Paul was also in the military (Roosevelt Roads Navy Base was not too far) but not as coherent as Paul and was primarily focused on Wally. Somehow, we were all invited to cross the river for a wedding party and a small boat showed up and off we went, cooler, boombox and conversationalists. On the other side of the river there was a fire going with a huge iron pot with chicken boiling away in a wonderfully scented sauce. The chef, who's name either was forgotten, or never mentioned was ex Con Edison, and moved back to the island to live the simple life. He and his friend cook on the same spot every Sunday, and all are invited to partake. Some Sundays, there are dozens of folks and huge pots brimming with fish, chicken and meat. We weren't quite so lucky, but the wings were delicious, spice with garlic, Salsa and Merengue and a beautiful Puerto Rican sunset. The beer lasted till whenever, then we all piled into the skiff, crossed the river, said our farewells :"Kewl" and headed back to San Juan after and absolutely perfect day. Was it great kayaking...nope..just great! Gary later invited me to join him on a paddle around El Morrow, the Spanish Fortress that was the beginning of San Juan. Unfortunately a tight schedule prevented it. I will try to make Gary's Isla de Cardona: http://www.kayak-pr.com/page5.html later in the year. Gary and his wife were the perfect hosts and I would recommend contacting his company; Tortugas, if you ever find yourself in Puerto Rico. He also has overnighters and longer trips which I will, hopefully, report on shortly. BTW, the total cost for my trip was $65. Hey....it's tough being down here but someone has to do it! cya *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue May 18 1999 - 19:23:01 PDT
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