ART: The first leg of the journey done with a big group of friends. Tanya, Lincoln, and I load up the car and head south to meet up with Jim, Heather, Savannah, Stuart, Anton and Julie at the Ponce Yacht Club. We load up 6 boards and 8 people in Jim and Heather's dinghy and motor 8 miles straight upwind in about 15 knots of breeze to Coffin Island.
LINCOLN: I remember pulling through the big steel letters on the interstate that simply read P.O.N.C.E. So cool. Well, you certainly know where you are. Next I hear Art tell me to look to my left and I see it for the first time- the island of Caje De Muerto. It's our intended destination and hear it's beautiful. I also hear Art and Tanya discussing how far of a paddle it is, somewhere along the lines I hear "Only a seven or eight mile paddle."
Great. This is... mmm... my sixth time paddleboarding? Yup, this is gonna be fun.
After a while we get to the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club and meet up with the rest of the group. What can I say about this crew.? Where do I begin? Well I just don't have the words on how cool, how much fun, how awesome, well, might have a few of the words but their just aren't enough adjectives to describe how much I enjoyed being around each and everyone one of these human beings. So rather than describe everyone I edited this 2 minute video laying out the Cast and Crew of this awesome trip. Check it out:
ART: I have never been to this island or the Yacht Club and both exceeded expectations. The water was magazine clear where we launched to do the 8 mile downwinder.
LINCOLN: Art predicted the roughest part of the day would be the ride out there. 7 PaddleBoards, 8 people, 1 cooler full of water and beer, and choppy seas. No worries, Jim and Heather's huge Dingy mowed through most of the chop (Thanks much in part to the expertise of Captain Jim). I actually enjoyed every bit of the ride out, especially Heather who was cracking me up as she braved the front of the boat and "road the bull" the whole entire time.
No wonder they call her THE HURRICANE. The whole time we had the radio going and we were jamming to all kinds of music. Some cheesy, some great, but all the music kept us rocking for sure. What sticks out in my head is ACDC'S "ROCK N ROLL AIN'T NOISE POLLUTION", Foreigner's "HOT BLOODED", and Pink's "I'M COMING UP." All of which I used for the soundtrack for the folllowing Vids. Check out this one of the ride out. Yeeeehhaaaaaa!
HEATHER: What an amazing day with new and old friends. It was super cool to reconnect and with such a common interest,,,,keeping my Bark board scratch free!! Dinghy ride I think was more work than the rocket paddle downwind, thanks to Antoine! Better keep your eye on that kid... he's a SUP rookie coming up the paddles! Really couldn’t couldn't ask for a better day... Gorgeous Caja De Muerto with Gringo pasta salad, seashell hunting, paddle board shuffling, downwind cruise.. oh yeah!!.. that's why we were all piled in a 19ft dinghy with 6 SUP's and 8 folks! Post downwind cervezas and a sundown on Miss MaJic.. when are we doing this again? Thank you Art for getting us ALL out on some paddle virgin waters!!
LINCOLN: The water, holy sh#&*t what beautiful water. Crystal clear underneather and a bright, glowing blue turqoise looking down at it above. It was truly the most beautiful water I have ever seen. Art said it right- "magazine clear". What a blast paddling out to the beach and swimming around, collecting conch, eating some of Heather's yummy Gringo Pasta Salad, and taking photos of it all. Fun, fun, fun!
Check out Video us rocking out Caje De Muerto:
EDITOR'S NOTE: WAS FORCED TO AUDIO SWAP FROM FOREIGNER'S "HOT BLOODED" TO CREED'S "HIGHER". NOT MY DECISION- DAMN YOUTUBE AND THEIR SILLY COPYRIGHT RULES- WORKING ON SOME NEW ANGLES TO AVOID THIS STUPID PROBLEM IN FUTURE. OH YOUTUBE: YOU BASTARDOS! -L.
ART: Heather and Anton didn't take much longer paddling back than it took to motor all the way up to the launch. It took us about 1 hour 15 minutes to motor there and took Anton and Heather a little longer than an hour and a half to paddle home. Tanya , Lincoln and I pulled in about half an hour behind. So much fun to just hangout and catch up with good friends on the back end. As always lots of laughs, a great happy hour(s), and we hung out on jim and Heather's pimped out sailboat Miss Majic. Gotta thank Jim,Heather, Savannah and Stuart for the boat support, food , cold beers and beverages, and basically hooking us up ALL day.
LINCOLN: Yes, a big thanks to Heather, Jim, Savannah, Art, Tany, Julie, Antoine, The Baus's dog Ella, and to their cat...um...Jigaboo? (Hey, I didn't name him.) For real guys, thanks to all and can't wait to do it again.
Check out this video of the 8 Mile Paddle back from Caje De Muerto and then the party back on the beach and then on the Baus's boat. What a great time! You guys Rock!
What can I say my friends. Sitting here at 2 am exhausted and speechless. What a week so far. And tomorrow is 3 Kings Day- biggest party/celebration of the year in PR.
Check out the link to Art's/Lincoln's other website to see just how beautiful things are. Love you guys.
ART: The plan today was to paddle another leg of our paddle around the island. Wake up before sunrise and have a great breakfast and coffee at the local bakery. I drive down the hill to Marias beach to check the ocean conditions and pretty much immediately cancelled the idea of a long paddle. The waves picked up and the wind has died down and I paddle out and catch half a dozen set waves from the outside and get to shore before the crowd fills in. Lincoln and I meet up and he wants to try out his new camera so we paddle out to Tres Palmas and have it all to ourselves for an hour and a half with really fun overhead waves coming through consistently. So much fun and in shock that no one else is out.
LINK: Just couldn't believe it either. Tres Palmas is ripping- biggest I've ever seen in PR. And then there's me and then there's Art. Nada mas. Everyone else is down at Marias and Domes. Suckas! Y gracias Adios! Tried the new Surf Heroe Camera out, a few kinks here in there, mistakes are all on my part and trying to learn this amazing new tool. Settled for shooting with my Still Water Camera for the time being. Later on I head down to Marias and score some great wave footage there. Take a breath and check this out- Oh yeah, it was just that good. SEE BELOW VID:
ART: We load up the boards and head to Lazy Parrot for a great lunch and I say adios to everyone and head back home in time to make my midnight shift at the airport. To sum up the last 3 days. great waves , lots of fun, and we ended up paddling only the 7 mile leg from Rincon to Anasco due to the quality of waves we encountered. I guess that means we have to head back to the West Coast soon to finish some more legs of the paddle around the island.What a way to wrap up a great 2009. Happy New Year to all....Peace
LINCOLN: I had originally planned on heading back with Art in my car, but after experiencing this short stint in Rincon I decided I just had to stay to celebrate the New Year with all my friends there. To all of you- Well gracias for everything and what a blast, huh?
SEE BELOW VIDEO AND YOU'LL UNDERSTAND
Will see you all soon back in Rincon. (NO GPS SHORTCUT NEXT TIME!)
And what a great New Year it was. Was so stoked to ring in the new year but halfway through realized how much I missed all my friends back in Isla Verde. Long story short, headed back first thing in the morning (mas or menos). And the good times just kept going. Pinones for Pinchos and laughs. And then picking up one of my best bro's at the airport. Welcome home JT.
Love you all. The adventure continues. And Feliz Trez Reyos to everyone. HAPPY 3 KINGS DAY.
ART: My friend Lincoln is on his way from San Juan to meet me for a downwind leg of our paddle around the island. I had plenty of time to prepare due to his wonderfully accurate GPS system he swears by.
LINCOLN: O.K., this is how it breaks down on my end.
Me: Yo Art, in Aquada.
Art: Yo what's going on! You're right around the corner, brotha.
Link: You know it! Hey, what's the name of the next road I need to take? I think it's... Oh wait, no worries, I'll just plug in my GPS from here. My girl will do me right. (I call my GPS my girfriend because of the female voice that speaks from the magical grey box and tells you where to turn and where to go. Art hates the thing.)
Art: No! Don't use your GPS. I hate that thing.
Link: No worries, man. My lady hasn't done me wrong so far. Be there in a few.
Art: OK, but if you have that bitch talking when you get here I'm throwing her out the window.
Link: Roger that, brotha.
Fast Forward two hours later. I'm lost in the middle of the mountains, nowhere near Rincon and somewhat close to Mayaguez. Wind up in a little mountain town of Las Marias. When I ask the local bar owner if I'm close to Rincon he smiles, shakes his head, and says, "You used your GPS didn't you. Happens like that here. For some reason people end up here lost all the time because they listen to their GPS."
I nod, laugh, look at the map and realize just how wrong my girlfriend has done me.
PUTA!
Why didn't I just go with the map before? Because I love my girl and figured she was just shooting me to some great shortcut. Again, here I am, two hours later. Beautiful Country Though. My bad Art.
ART: The swell has dropped substantially from yesterday an the wind is howling around 25 knots all day, so we scrap playing in the waves and while I wait for Lincoln, Izzy and Frank from Taino Divers help me plot a downwind course from their shop to the public beach in Anasco 6 and a half miles away. Lincoln finally arrives after a short 2 hour detour through the hills of Mayaguez. We launch and paddle right along the coast the whole way stopping off at various beaches to either rest, meet and play with the locals, or chill out and drink cold Medallas at upscale beachside resorts depending on whose perspective you take. Long story short, I paddled to the car we dropped off in Anasco, and Lincoln supported me for 80 % of the way.
LINCOLN: Just a quick note here. Yeah, I had a blast. Little worn from my detour. As we begin our paddle the conditions are perfect- wind at our back, calm seas, and sun a shining. I initially feel like I could go forever. And then reality sets in. Wait, what's going on here? My knees are shaking and where did these dizzy spells come from? Art asks me if I'm OK and that if we need to turn around that now is the time to decide. No man, I wanna keep going, but damn never figured this would be so tough. How are you doing?
Art smiles. He hasn't even broken a sweat. I watch him paddle just ahead and suddenly realize just how good of shape he's in. This is Lincoln's fifth time on a PaddleBoard. Art- Going on four years. He's one of the best in the biz and I suddenly hate and love the bastard all at the same time.
"Let's keep going, dude. I can handle it. Just don't laugh at me when I break it down to paddling the rest of the ways on my knees. Oh wait, check that, I'm switching to my butt now. Beautiful country though. My bad Art."
And thank god we kept going. What a blast. SEE VIDEO BELOW- ENOUGH SAID.
ART: Lots of smiles and laughs on the backend of the paddle which means it worked itself out just the way it was supposed to . My good friend Ron sums it up simply, "there is the plan, and then there is what happens." What a fun two days. Incredible waves, old friends, new friends and lots of laughs. Thanks to Eduardo for the beds, Carson, Dennis, Izzy, Frank and everyone at Taino divers for food, friendship and laughs, and Pablo for his Ron Barrilito goodies and support and stories. The beach where I pulled up in Anasco is stunningly gorgeous. The only negative was being reminded of how terrible the poor stray animals of Puerto Rico are treated. Breaks your heart, what a shame and disgrace.
ART: Worked the midnight shift at the airport, and after checking out the waves rolling through Caballos from the control tower, a trip out West was a no brainer. Got off work at 7a.m. and hurried home, loaded up the car with all the essentials for 3 days and was at Taino Divers in Rincon by 11a.m. When I pulled up , Carson, Ernie and Bryan were coming in from a fun morning paddle at Tres Palmas. Some of the prettiest and bigger waves I have seen in a while. 12 -15 foot faces with an occasional set in the 18 -20 foot range. Caught 6 waves, four being the biggest, prettiest waves that I have caught on a paddleboard. Within the first hour , I saw half a dozen boards snapped in two. The scene the whole day was pretty impressive. Wilderness in Aguadilla was as big, clean and perfect as it gets. Got out of the water at 3:30, a bite to eat at Shipwrecks and off to my friend Eduardo's guesthouse ,Sandy Beach Surf Camp or as Ron Barrilito Pablo calls it, Villa Kandui.
LINCOLN: Checked out Art's Photos, just too many great ones to post all through this one. Check out this short video with music to truly get a feel. This is the way we'll be rockin' for now on as we share our words/photos/videos and adventures with all. And everyone is invited to come along anytime. Yessss!
About me, I guess just read the web journal and that's the best way to get a hang of this crazy gringo. All you fuckers know me anyway so... yeah, read it and live it.
