Marinas Anchor Offshore Adventures and Onshore Excitement

By Peter Martin 2713 0

Puerto Rico holds a prime position in the Caribbean’s celebrated boating scene in no small part because of its wide array of well-equipped marinas and yacht clubs, aquatic oases that serve as secure bases for adventures both offshore and on land.

2022

Puerto Rico holds a prime position in the Caribbean’s celebrated boating scene in no small part because of its wide array of well-equipped marinas and yacht clubs, aquatic oases that serve as secure bases for adventures both offshore and on land.

Whether angling for a world-class catch, sailing the trade winds or cruising the seas, these ports of call provide secure berths with access to essential supplies as well as more creature comforts. Importantly, they pull double duty as landing areas for incursions into Puerto Rico as well launch pads for excursions to explore the island’s sprawling coastline, offshore islets and beyond.

And while the marinas that dot Puerto Rico’s 700 miles of coastline vary by size and amenities all are set up to help get boaters out to sea in style and back on dry land safely.

There is an endless array of off-the-beaten path anchorages surrounding the main island, the offshore archipelago of Vieques and Culebra and dozens of uninhabited islet gems to explore. There are trophy catches on patrol in fertile sport fishing grounds. There are crystalline underwater wonder worlds replete with kaleidoscope of marine life. The world is your oyster and Puerto Rico is a pearl for the seafaring set.

So chart a course for adventure, assured in the comfort that there are multiple marinas around Puerto Rico where you can fuel up for the fun at sea and ease back into life on land without a hitch.

A look at Puerto Rico’s marinas and yacht clubs shows the scope of these vital facilities for the broad-ranging boating community and visitors looking to spice things up with a healthy dose of seawater thrills.

The heart of the capital city is always a good place to start

Sitting at the intersection of the capital’s various tourism hubs, the San Juan Bay Marina serves as an excellent gateway into a wide spectrum of onshore attractions nearby including Spanish colonial forts, the Caribbean’s best gastronomic scene, pulsing nightlife, glittering casinos, beautiful beaches and easy airport access. A range of onsite rentals and charters are on tap for on the water activities such as sunset sails, inshore and offshore fishing charters, jet skis, standup paddleboarding and a diving center. Dry stack, haul and repairs are just some of the services available at the full-service facility.

Anchoring the area is the Club Nautico de San Juan, or San Juan Yacht Club. With a refined ambiance in line with traditional European yacht clubs, this capital city landmarks boasts a well-respected restaurant and ballrooms and members areas including bar, library, game room and terraces looking out over the gleaming boats and glittering skyline. The club continues to play a vital role in Puerto Rico’s sailing scene through classes for kids and is the staging ground and sponsor of an annual billfishing contest that lures crews from around the Americas.

Just a few minutes from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport is Cangrejos Yacht Club, which straddles an inlet between Carolina and Piñones, the beating heart of Puerto Rico’s Afro-Caribbean culture and a favored destination for families seeking affordable eats with million-dollar views along the Atlantic Ocean. The open sea is within a stone’s throw of the Yacht Club but don’t miss out on the inshore charters that will have you stalking trophy tarpon just minutes off the dock in the world-class fishing grounds of the Torrecilla and San Jose lagoons, fish-filled mangrove mazes that wind through rarely seen sectors at the edge of the bustling metroplex.

Head further east and reach Fajardo, the town that can stake its claim as the hub of Puerto Rico’s boating scene boasting multiple marinas including Puerto del Rey, Sunbay, Villa Marina, Puerto Real and Puerto Chico. Fajardo and its plethora of ports make it a natural staging ground for jaunts to Vieques, Culebra, the Cordillera Reef Natural Reserves and the postcard-perfect islets of Icacos and Palomino, among other destinations including the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands and beyond. It is not uncommon for longer voyages to the U.S. mainland, Bermuda and Latin America to be launched out of Fajardo.

Puerto del Rey Marina, protected by a substantial breakwater on Majagua Bay, counts some 1,000 boat slips and its 50 acres of land includes extensive repair and storage facilities along with a range of amenities including restaurants, mini-market, marine supply store, boat dealers and on-site car rental. Leading maritime tour operator East Island Excursions runs sailing and snorkeling day trips to Icacos, Culebra and Vieques and various charters operate out of the facility.

Located along the northern entrance to Sardinera Cove, Puerto Chico Marina is adjacent to Sardinera Beach and sits within 10 minutes by boat from picturesque uninhabited island hotspots including Icacos, Palominos, Palominitos and Lobo. A new restaurant and bar round out a solid menu of amenities at this relaxed facility, which is also a short distance south El Conquistador Resort and Las Croabas, a longtime fishing village that is now home to popular eateries and watering holes and a passive park. El Conquistador also has a small marina where boaters can tie off to enjoy the dining facilities.

Carved out of the end of an artificial cove, Villa Marina Yacht Harbour provides excellent shelter and is within easy striking distance on numerous keys and islets. It is the home port for an array of activities including deep-sea fishing tournaments, boat exhibitions and regattas.

Situated to the south on Fajardo Bay, SunBay Marina prides itself on a commitment to preserving the area’s aquatic heritage and protecting the environment. Offering a solid slate of services and amenities, the facility is in the heart of one of Fajardo’s most developed stretches of waterfront.

Continuing south along Puerto Rico’s eastern edge brings you to the Yacht Club Marina at Palmas Del Mar, a sprawling and luxurious resort complex that put the sleepy town of Humacao on the map. The modern marina bills itself as the only such facility linked to full a resort community, offering access to pools, party facilities, a pair of championship golf courses, tennis courts, a beach club and an equestrian center. Eat and drink right at the yacht club or sample any of the nearly two dozen restaurants within Palmas del Mar.

Puerto Rico’s southern coast is also peppered with a strong string of ports of call along the generally calm and clear waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Among them is the Guayama Nautical Club, a small marina situated along the Jobos Bay nature preserve known for its annual wahoo fishing tournament.

Rounding further west along the southern coast is the Salinas Marina, a long popular landing spot for sailboat crews as they island-hop around the Caribbean region. The well-appointed facility is protected by a series of barrier keys and ringed by mangroves, providing a natural refuge even in the active Atlantic hurricane season. The town of Salinas is famed for its waterfront seafood restaurants and fiercely proud of its mojo isleño, a scrumptious and highly addictive sauce made with tomatoes, onions, oil, vinegar, herbs and often olives.

Ponce, the regional anchor known as the Pearl of the South, is home to a world-class art museum and a proudly preserved colonial core replete with restaurants, an iconic red and black striped firehouse and other attractions. The coastal city along the central Caribbean coast also claims the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club, a family-oriented facility in the La Guancha boardwalk area that is stocked with options even for land-lubbers including a golf course, pool, gym and tennis and basketball courts.

La Parguera Nautical Club, in the southwest coast town of Lajas, is a good launching point for daytrips to pristine keys including Caracoles and Enrique, as well nighttime excursions into one of Puerto Rico’s three bioluminescent bays. Bioluminescence, caused by microscopic organisms in water that light up when disturbed, is not unique to Puerto Rico but the island has three lagoons — Mosquito Bay in Vieques, La Parguera in Lajas and Laguna Grande in Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve in Fajardo — with concentrations of the dynoflagellates that are not seen elsewhere. La Parguera is also a known saltwater sportfishing hotbed.

Cabo Rojo, a southwest coast municipality with an expanse of elbow room, is also known as a key launching point into the offshore fishing paradise stretching from the Caribbean Sea north in the Mona Passage. Blue marlin and other billfish roam these waters in good numbers.

Set out to find them from a number of ports including Marina Pescaderia, which is located on Puerto Real Bay to the south of the city of Mayaguez, the western region’s largest urban center. Due west is Mona Island, an uninhabited nature reserve that offers hunting, camping and hiking opportunities, as well as incredible scuba diving just off of its soaring cliff-lined and cave-pocked coastline. Beyond that is the Dominican Republic. Amenities abound onsite at the facility, which was was awarded a prestigious Blue Flag for its environmental ethics and standards.

There is no shortage of breathtaking beaches and awesome eateries in the surrounding Cabo Rojo waterfront areas of Joyuda, Boqueron and Combate, and for that matter, along the expanse of Puerto Rico’s west coast marine wonderland.

Further evidence Cabo Rojo’s fishing craze are the Club Deportivo del Oeste, a docking facility in the Joyuda area that sponsors billfish tournaments that follow strict catch-and-release guidelines. The Boqueron Nautical Club, meanwhile, stages well-respected blue marlin and mahi-mahi tournaments.

Back on the upper edge of the island sits Arecibo, a city sitting at about the midway point of the Atlantic coast that is studded with stellar surf spots, oceanfront restaurants. The Arecibo Nautical Club, which includes a marina area and a double boat ramp, is perfectly positioned for quick runs to “Marlin Alley,” where prize billfish patrol depths of more than 1,000 feet just minutes off Puerto Rico’s north coast.

However, not all the action is seaside, with inland attractions including the venerable Arecibo Observatory, long the world’s largest radio telescope and a still vital research tool, as well as river trekking adventures in remote karst forest, the Toro Verde zipline park and the Camuy Caverns system.

The abundance of marinas in Puerto Rico will allow you to spend your days on high seas or at a yacht club, whatever your heart desires.

Shining new lights on All-Star Island

Puerto Rico has long punched above its weight in the world of sports, producing a long line of luminaries who have shined at the highest levels of athletics including professional baseball, basketball, and boxing and beyond.

2022

Puerto Rico has long punched above its weight in the world of sports, producing a long line of luminaries who have shined at the highest levels of athletics including professional baseball, basketball, and boxing and beyond.

Through a seemingly endless stream of big league greats and an incredibly deep pool of champion prizefighters, Puerto Rico earned its moniker of All-Star Island over decades of triumphs and stellar play on top stages. Championship belts, trophies and other laurels are not limited to the ring or diamond though, with islanders making their marks on tracks, the gridiron and Olympic podiums just to name a few of the ever-expanding range of arenas where Puerto Ricans are adding to the Caribbean island’s outsized athletic legacy.

Nowhere are the exploits of these world-class competitors more closely tracked and justifiably celebrated than in Puerto Rico itself, which boasts a fan base that is unmatched in its passion and loyalty — and always ready to gather to cheer on their homegrown heroes wherever they are.

Any list of local legends would start with Carolina’s Roberto Clemente, the beloved Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder who remains alive in the hearts of islanders — and many others around the world for that matter — nearly a half-century after his tragic death while launching a humanitarian mission to earthquake-ravaged Nicaragua. It could also include Monica Puig, the tennis ace from San Juan who swung her way to a historic gold medal at the 2016 Olympics and continues to climb up the WTA rankings. There simply isn’t enough room on these pages to run through all of gems who have sparkled on Major League diamonds, which have showcased the art of the “sweet science” above boxing canvases, which repeatedly steered thoroughbreds to the roses in high-stakes races.

But this story isn’t about looking back and taking stock of all of the achievements of Puerto Rico’s greats. It’s about providing a spotlight on the up-and-comers, the rising stars who are already writing their own chapters in the island’s storied sports history. Here’s a look at a few leading lights.

Adriana and Melanie Diaz

Ping pong may not spring to mind when thinking of Puerto Rican sports stars but that is changing fast thanks to Adriana and Melanie Diaz, sisters from the rural mountain town of Puerto Rico who have climbed into rarified air on the international table tennis scene.

In the process, they drove the popularity of the sport on the island, landing on advertisements, media tours, newspaper covers and even sponsorship by reggaeton godfather Daddy Yankee as they racked up medals in far-flung corners of the globe, often with boisterous, Puerto Rican-flag waving Boricua fans on hand.

While Puerto Rico’s ascendency in table tennis may raise some eyebrows, it comes as no surprise that the dynamic Diaz duo would lead the way coming from a family where mom and dad, two other sisters and cousin Brian Afanador all played competitively.

Melanie and Adriana have drawn inspiration from, and comparisons to, trailblazing tennis titans Serena and Venus Williams, superstar siblings that rewrote the book in their sport. Still, Adriana looks much closer to home for a main mentor.

Adriana began making a name for herself on the big stage while still and adolescent and made history at just 15 when she became the first Puerto Rican female table tennis player to qualify for an Olympic Games, earning a spot to face off against the best of the best of the best in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

The spotlight grew even brighter in summer 2019, when the teenager won the gold medal in women’s singles at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru to book a return trip to the 2020 summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. She also sided with Melanie to swing to the top of the podium in women’s doubles. Oh, for good measure, the dynamic Diaz duo and fellow national team member Daniely Rios also combined to take the team gold. After sweeping gold in the Pan Ams, the young Puerto Rican women were met by swarms of fans upon touching down at the island’s international airport to kick off a proper homecoming party.

Maria Fernanda Torres

Maria Fernanda Torres has come a long way from her hometown of Trujillo Alto, swinging her way to a place in history as the first Puerto Rican woman to earn full LPGA Tour status, beating the odds and the elements after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island in 2017.

And to think Torres may never have picked up a set of clubs given her early focus on equestrian pursuits, which luckily included frequent horse rides near a golf course and a pair of parents sharp enough to ask whether their 8-year-old daughter wanted to try her hand on the links.

Rising through the adolescent ranks in Puerto Rico, home to no shortage of world-class golf courses, Torres gained exposure to stateside colleges through the American Journal Golf Association and took her talents to the University of Florida. On the path to graduating with a degree in Family, Youth and Community Science, the Gator notched five tournament victories, set the school record for lowest single-season scoring average and was named the Southeastern Conferences Golfer of the Year.

Maria Fernanda Torres is the first Puerto Rican woman to earn full LPGA Tour status.

Maria Fernanda Torres is the first Puerto Rican woman to earn full LPGA Tour status

Soft-spoken with a million-watt smile, Torres generally lets her game do the talking, although she’s not shy about expressing her joy in playing on the sun-kissed and verdant golf courses of her native island.

After turning pro in December 2017, Torres hit the ground swinging in her first year on the LPGA Tour, carding two top 10 finishes in her rookie campaign and setting the stage for what is shaping up as a bright career in the top-tier of women’s golf.

Irad and Jose Ortiz

Jockeys Irad and Jose Ortiz surged out of the gate and charged to the front of the pack in the hotly competitive sphere of professional horseracing, both racking up an impressive array of victories and awards — and notching hundreds of millions of dollars in winnings — while still in their early 20s.

Hailing from the town of Trujillo Alto, the Ortiz brothers have horseracing in their blood and are natural-born jockeys. Their father ran an off-track betting parlor that covered Hipodromo Camarero, the premier Puerto Rico track where a grandfather and uncle raced, and where the Ortiz brothers got their starts before making the jump to the high-stakes New York circuits while still in their teens.

Family lore says their father would outfit the young Ortiz boys as jockeys, complete with a pillow turned saddle positioned in front of the television on important race days.

Irad and younger brother Jose — the siblings are separated by just 18 months — went nearly stride for stride in their wildly successful young careers, with back-to-back first place finishes in the Belmont Stakes, a jewel in the vaunted Triple Crown. Irad struck first, steering Creator to the roses with a stunning sprint down the stretch in 2016. Jose followed suit a year later in equally dramatic fashion astride Tapwrit.

The Ortiz brothers have also both notched Eclipse Awards, the top honor bestowed annually to the winningest jockey of the year throughout North America, with Jose taking the title in 2016 followed by Irad in 2017. A year later the elder Ortiz won ESPN’s Espy Award as top jockey.

While their rise to the forefront of one of the world’s most risky sports has been marked by an intense rivalry, no less clear is their respect and support for one another in a pursuit that regularly sees them careening around crowded tracks on half-ton thoroughbreds at speeds nearing 40 miles per hour. The brothers share a deep degree of love for the horses they pilot to glory and have an uncommon ability to calm the animals,

The Ortiz brothers are known in racing circles for their horsemanship and command of all aspects of the jockeys’ craft, but each has his own distinctive style in the saddle. The hard-charging Irad rides with a rare aggression that reminds race observers of John Velázquez, the legendary Puerto Rican jockey who is among the winningest in the history of the sport. Jose on the other hand is celebrated as a sneaky tactician with a knack for putting his horse in the right place at the right time.

Tipping the scales at around 114 pounds, both brothers are known for their overall athleticism, off the charts work ethics, and powerful passion for racing, pulling on their boots and strapping up races of all stakes for the sheer joy of competing in the saddle. Those traits are sure to serve the youngsters well in a sport where age is just a number.

Alexis Diaz

Alexis Diaz is a 25-year-old right-hand pitcher from Barrio Daguao in the town of Naguabo that made his big league debut as a rookie reliever on the Cincinnati Reds 2022 Opening Day.

Diaz had not pitched above A-ball in the minors before pitching in 35 games out of the bullpen for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts last season. He compiled a 3-1 record with a 3.83 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 42 ½ innings for Chattanooga.

Alexis Diaz made his big-league debut as a rookie reliever on the Cincinnati Reds 2022 Opening Day.

Alexis Diaz made his big-league debut as a rookie reliever on the Cincinnati Reds 2022 Opening Day.

Drafted in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB Draft from Juan Jose Manuez High School, Diaz has spent his entire career in the Reds organization.

He spent time with the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Reds in 2015, 2017 and 2019, the Appalachian League Greeneville Reds in 2018, the Midwest League’s Dayton Dragons in 2019, before spending all of 2021 with the Lookouts.

Baseball is in the blood of the Diaz family, Alexis’ brother Edwin, is the closer for the New York Mets.

This is Edwin’s seventh major league season. He led the American League with 57 saves as a member of the Seattle Mariners in 2018. Edwin compiled 173 career saves entering the 2022 season.

Francisco Lindor awarded a $10.5 million, one year deal.

Puerto Rico’s MLB shining stars

By Eugenio Hopgood 2113 0

A new generation of young and exciting MLB players is drawing the attention back on Puerto Rico.

2019

A new generation of young and exciting MLB players is drawing the attention back on Puerto Rico.

Five years ago, the names of Javier Baez, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, and Edwin “Sugar” Diaz didn’t ring a bell to most baseball fans but now they are quickly establishing themselves as elite ballplayers by headlining highlights, Google searches, and drawing large crowds.

They were earning close to a million dollars but going into free-agency they are expected to obtain multi-million dollar deals. And none of these players are over the age of 26.

Puerto Rico has also gained recognition as a baseball powerhouse after earning back to back second place trophies in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The Puerto Rico National Team finished second in 2013 behind the Dominican Republic and then placed second behind Team USA in 2017.

The boricuas as Puerto Ricans are also referred to, have not only excelled in the Majors in batting and pitching but with their dugout strategy and decision making as well. Rookie manager Alex Cora led the Boston Red Sox to a World Series victory in 2018 with a franchise record of 108 wins.

“After winning all those games and then going on to practically sweep everyone in the post season to win the World Series, what else can you ask of a rookie manager?,” said Puerto Rican Baseball Commentator Raymond Perez.

Noting that Cora, a former pro infielder, is the second Puerto Rican to manage a MLB team; Perez believes that in order for Cora to be successful, he has to lead Boston into the World Series again since the team is even better than last season.

  • Alex Cora won World Series title as Red Sox Manager.
  • Edwin Diaz named 2018 National League Relief Pitcher of the Year.
  • Edwin ‘Sugar’ Diaz.
  • Edgar Martinez was inducted to Cooperstown.

 

In the 1960’s and 1970’s Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente and Orlando Cepeda, who played for the San Francisco Giants and the Saint Louis Cardinals, were the first Puerto Rican MLB players to acquire superstar status.

During the 90’s and beyond, ex players like Hall of Famers Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez and Edgar Martinez, who was inducted this year into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his final year on the ballot; as well as Carlos Delgado, Juan Gonzalez, and Carlos Beltran, among others were huge stars. However, that generation faded away and for years Puerto Rico lacked baseball idols until this new crop of players appeared and demonstrated their talent right from the start.

Most fans agree that one of MLB’s future stars will be Javier Baez of the Chicago Cubs. Baez is a 26-year-old utility infielder who led the National League in runs batted in last season with 111 and belted away 34 home runs with a .290 batting average, coming in a close second for the league’s MVP award in only his third full season in the Majors.

Javier, known as “El Mago” for his fielding abilities at second base, shortstop and third base; was a key player in the Cubs’ race to the 2016 World Series.

“Baez exploded and had his big season in 2018,” said Norman Davila, a Puerto Rican veteran radio sports broadcaster. “He is currently one of the most exciting players in the MLB, his base running is spectacular and he plays at a high risk mode all the time.”
Defensively Perez compares Baez to ex major leaguers Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles and Roberto Alomar of the Toronto Blue Jays, who were players that set new standards in the game and made dazzling plays.

“The only difference is that Javier does it at three different positions,” said Perez. “He is a smart player with baseball savvy.”

Baez started at second base during last year’s All Star Game and earned a $2.5 million signing bonus as a promising teenager in 2011, while earning a salary of $657,000 last season. But this year Baez was eligible for arbitration and signed a $5.2 million, one-year deal for the 2019 season. In 2022 he will be a free agent and if healthy is expected to sign a multi-year, multimillion dollar contract.

Edwin “Sugar” Diaz, a 25-year-old tall, lanky native of Naguabo established himself as an elite closer in 2018. He was named National League Relief Pitcher of the Year during his third season in the MLB. Diaz led the league with 57 saves, five games short of the all-time record of 62 in a single season achieved by Venezuelan pitcher Francisco Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Angels in 2008, who also had a 1.90 earned run average, and 124 strikeouts.

“Edwin has a strong fastball of over 100 mph and a great slider, he gets a lot of strikeouts and when he has good control it’s almost impossible to hit his pitches,” Davila said. “He also has the temperament of a closer which is something not every great pitcher has because you take the mound in the ninth inning when the game is on the line and either save it or lose it.”

In December 2018, Diaz was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the New York Mets where “he will now have the backing of a large Latino community and more pressure to deliver,” Perez said. The Mets will pay him $570,800 – the same contract he had with the Mariners, which many consider low for such a solid performer.

Diaz will qualify for arbitration at the end of the 2019 season which will possibly ascend him straight into the millionaire’s club and if Diaz stays healthy, the bigger salary will arrive when he becomes a free agent in 2022.

Cleveland’s shortstop Francisco Lindor, nicknamed “Mr. Smile,” is in his fifth season and he came in strong from the start, as the runner up for the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year honor to Carlos Correa in 2015. Last year, he hit 38 home runs (ranking sixth in the AL) and had 92 RBI’s with a .277 batting average. Lindor has been a starting All Star Game shortstop for the AL in the last three years. In 2016, he won the Gold and Platinum Glove awards as best defensive shortstop.

  • Yadier Molina won 2018 Roberto Clemente Award.
  • A new generation of young and exciting MLB players is drawing the attention back on Puerto Rico.
  • Francisco Lindor awarded a $10.5 million, one year deal.

 

Lindor earned $623,200 in 2018 but to avoid arbitration with the Indians he was awarded a $10.5 million, one year deal in 2019. He will be a free agent in 2022 and is expected to sign a multi-year, multimillion dollar contract. According to news reports, Lindor rejected a contract extension of somewhere near the amount of $100 million in early 2017.

Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa has also delivered impressive performances since setting foot in a MLB stadium. He began his career in 2015 winning the American League’s Rookie of the Year Award and helped lead the Astros to a World Series title in 2017. In that season he batted .315 with 24 homers and shined defensively. In 2018 however, he was plagued by injuries and his performance went down as he batted for a career low .239 average.

Puerto Rico did not have a great starting pitcher for quite a while but now there is a rising star looking to fill that position – Jose Berrios of the Minnesota Twins.

Berrios, the 6 foot, 185 pound right handed rookie; won a spot among the Twin’s starting rotation in 2016 and has had quality performances in his second and third year. Last season he had a 12-11 record with a .384 earned run average (less than 4 runs allowed per complete games) and was voted to the All-Star Game roster for the AL. “He has a great 95 mph fastball and has been the best starter for the Twins organization,” Perez said.

Besides the aforementioned young talent, there are veteran players who still have a big impact in the game. Puerto Rico’s main major leaguer right now is St. Louis Cardinals Catcher Yadier Molina, who is playing in his sixteenth season behind the plate and recently won his ninth Gold Glove Award. Johnny Bench and Ivan Rodriguez are the only other catchers in MLB history who have won 10 and 13 Gold Gloves, respectively.

Molina earns a cool $20 million a year and is in his second year of a three-year contract extension for $60 million. He has said he plans to retire after the contract ends in 2020. “Yadier keeps playing at a very high level,” said Davila. “He is a fierce competitor and wherever he plays, he is a leader on and off the field, and that includes the Puerto Rico team in the WBC. He will be missed on that team.”

So, keep an eye on all of these young stars from Puerto Rico because they are bound to make headlines for quite a while in their MLB careers. And watch out for Team Puerto Rico in the 2021 WBC because these stars will be reaching their peak and might just take home the championship title next time.

Jose Jochi Mendez, founder of Canyoning Puerto Rico, is descending the waterfall of Rio Prieto in Ponce.

Taking the Plunge

By Peter Martin 4441 0

Canyoning offers big thrills 
in Puerto Rico’s lush highlands. Puerto Rico enjoys a well-earned place among the premier sun and sand destinations in the Caribbean and beyond.

2019

Canyoning offers big thrills 
in Puerto Rico’s lush highlands

Puerto Rico enjoys a well-earned place among the premier sun and sand destinations in the Caribbean and beyond.

Long celebrated as an ocean sports hotbed, Puerto Rico in recent years has emerged as a rock-solid island for a range of inland adventure pursuits including canyoning, an outdoor activity that will have you trekking up, down, and around some of the most remote and beautiful areas.

Canyoning essentially entails exploring canyons, rivers, or waterfalls by using specialized equipment and vertical techniques to descend or traverse from point A to point B. Adventure-hungry travelers expect to be immersed in unspoiled nature and put through the paces of a multi-discipline outdoor activity that can involves hiking, rappelling, jumping, diving, swimming, and climbing through landscapes which would otherwise be inaccessible. All on a single outing.

Split down the middle by a mountain range that runs east to west known as the central cordillera, Puerto Rico’s maze of steep terrain is home to a dizzying array of cascades and waterfalls as mountain streams fed by frequent rains plunge quickly toward the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south.

Unlike other canyoning playgrounds around the globe, Puerto Rico’s tropical climate allows for excursions year-round. As with nearly all outdoor activities in the Caribbean, it’s always canyoning season on the Enchanted Isle.

As interest in canyoning has surged, the number of established routes has expanded considerably in recent years and seasoned guides are ready to lead you through them. Nearly four dozen routes — generally defined as river sections with at least three or four successive waterfalls — have been traversed and documented and more are being explored and established.

A driving force in that development is Canyoning Puerto Rico (also known as CañonismoPR), collective of friends with diverse backgrounds in outdoor pursuits such as hiking, caving, river trekking, scuba diving, mountain biking, rock climbing, and nature photography.

“All of us share a common denominator: a passion for the outdoors,” says Canyoning Puerto Rico founder Jose Mendez. “Our ethics are tightly tied to the preservation and safeguarding of our natural resources, which serve as the stage for our hobbies, sports, and our lives.”

  • Canyoning offers big thrills in Puerto Rico’s lush highlands
  • Jose Jochi Mendez of Canyoning Puerto Rico finishing up his rapelling at Las Bocas Canyon in Barranquitas.
  • Alexis Rivera coming down Rio Fajardo’s Dos Brazos waterfall in Fajardo/Ceiba.

 

As a team, Canyoning Puerto Rico specializes in the exploration, logistics, opening, and equipping of Puerto Rico’s canyoning routes. Its active mission includes installing the safest “bombproof” stainless-steel rappelling anchors while blazing new trails and upgrading existing ones by adding additional safety points and/or replacing outdated anchors.

“We pride ourselves in facilitating and guiding adventures to the island’s most gorgeous waterfalls, stunning scenery, secluded landscapes and technical descents,” Mendez tells Bienvenidos.

Canyoning Puerto Rico’s lead guides are proud to have been trained by Alfonso “El Español” Carrero, the island’s first American Canyoneering Association-certified professional canyon guide and a key figure in Puerto Rico’s canyoning scene development, and by Rich Carlson, the ACA founder and instructor with over 30 years of canyoneering experience.

Team members came away from a recent canyoning trip to the Pyrenees Mountains in Europe with the understanding that Puerto Rico can lay claim to at least 10 world-class canyoning routes (Rio Prieto, Mete Miedo, Inabon, Inabon Maravilla, Emajagua, Barreal, Jaguas, Rio Fajardo, Rio Cubuy, and Rio Tanama).

“There are probably a few places in the world where you can tackle a canyoning route in the middle of a rainforest and follow it up with a drive of a few minutes to end on a beach,” Mendez notes. “However, most of the time we are content with just enjoying the good food served in the mountain region and a few well-deserved beers from the local chinchorros.”

Canyoning adventures can be had around the island, but the interior and southern regions boast the highest concentration of routes given that they are marked by the steepest drop to the sea from the central cordillera.

Now to the nuts and bolts of your canyoning adventures. Canyoning is not for everyone as it entails navigating substantial heights, serious hikes, and traversing over slick and challenging river terrain. “Good hiking endurance and strong mental focus to deal with heights and challenges are a couple of things that come to mind,” Mendez says.

Excursions should be tailored to cater to different levels of expertise and knowledge of vertical techniques. First-time participants can expect entry-level outings along routes that progress in rappel height, technique and difficulty. This natural progression allows for newcomers to master the rappelling techniques while descending through a series of gorgeous waterfalls, infinity pools, and stunning scenery.

Entry-level excursions follow routes that progress in height and/or difficulty as participants sharpen their skills as they descend through the various rappels. These routes generally take between three hours to six hours to complete depending on access, approaches, practice time, overall descent, and route exit.

  • Gustavo Martinez-Cañavate descending La Plazuela waterfall in Orocovis.
  • Guillem Torderas and Eli Martin of AVEM at Rio Inabon in Ponce.
  • Jose Jochi Mendez, founder of Canyoning Puerto Rico, is descending the waterfall of Rio Prieto in Ponce.
  • La Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat), Salto Barreal in Peñuelas.

 

Mendez says that groups generally have a minimum of two guides, although his team has opted for three — a lead guide and two others.

“This is key for a unique and personalized experience,” he says.
Advanced routes with more demanding vertical and river passages may take between eight hours and 12 hours to complete, in part because of their remoteness — with approach times of as much as two hours to reach the first waterfall rappel — and due to a higher degree of skill for increasingly technical terrain.

“Offering inexperienced participants excursions to these more advanced routes can be considered a reckless act and is strongly discouraged by the Canyoning Puerto Rico team,” Mendez says.

In fact, Mendez claims Canyoning Puerto Rico has avoided mass tour offerings due to the inherent risks of the activity and has focused on reaching people truly interested in living the canyoning experience.

That is why the outfit has opted to only offer excursions along an “entry-level” route thoughtfully crafted by the Canyoning Puerto Rico team to appeal to first time participants as well as more experienced canyoneers.

“We do encourage and invite the participants to practice and gain further experience if their intent is to tackle other more demanding routes,” Mendez said.

Established tour operators include Ruta Nativa, Altura and Montaña Explora, among others, and they prepared to lead first-timers safely down remote terrain.

The best companies provide all the equipment necessary for the adventures and boast guides who are well-trained and knowledgeable in rescue and first aid techniques. While a plunging stream or waterfall high in Puerto Rico’s mountains is sure to be refreshing, they are generally not cold enough to require any sort of wetsuit. Good hiking shoes and clothes (long pants and long-sleeve nylon shirts recommended) that you don’t mind getting wet and dirty are a must. Check ahead with guide outfits as some may recommend trekkers bring small back backs with water, snacks, etc.

Ruta Nativa offers two main adventures along the Tanama River – which include hiking, rappelling, body rafting, caving, and canyoning – and are focused on the education and preservation of natural and cultural resources of the area.

Montaña Explora runs trips on the south side of El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. national forest system and a riot of lush vegetation, massive boulders, cascading rivers, and scenic views. Soak up the clean air and crystal mountain water, drawing energy from the island’s “lungs” as did the indigenous Taino natives, whose petroglyphs are visible on a trek that includes hiking through jungle, rappelling, boulder hopping, cliff jumping, and swimming in calm cool pools.

Altura currently offers three trips: The Big Waterfall Adventure; the Zip and Zen Guided Rappelling Adventure; and the El Chorro Waterfall Adventure. Go online to find the one that best suits you and your group.

All of the outfitters will put you in a position to immerse yourself in Puerto Rico’s wonderful nature, where participants can expect to be rewarded with a sense of accomplishment, a powerful surge of energy and unmatched memories.

So, get out there and take the plunge.

Camarero is the island’s only horse racing track located 15 minutes from the Isla Verde hotel sector and a 20 minute drive from San Juan taking Route 66.

Plenty of excitement at Camarero racetrack

By Eugenio Hopgood 2898 0

Infectious energy, the majesty of the thoroughbreds, jockeys wearing vibrant silks, and stunning park-like grounds with El Yunque mountains as a backdrop is the perfect way to describe the setting at Camarero racetrack.

2018

Puerto Rican jockeys have proven their dominance
for decades at top racetracks in the world.

Infectious energy, the majesty of the thoroughbreds, jockeys wearing vibrant silks, and stunning park-like grounds with El Yunque mountains as a backdrop is the perfect way to describe the setting at Camarero racetrack.

If you enjoy horse racing, or just want to spend a few exciting hours during your vacation in Puerto Rico– than add this on your To-Do list.

Grab your binoculars and sunscreen for a fun-filled day of fresh air and adrenaline, and hopefully you’ll leave with some extra money in your pocket.

“To see a live race is very different than seeing it on TV,” said Alejandro Fuentes, executive vice president at Camarero Inc., the Puerto Rican company that manages the racetrack and horse racing business on the island. “You get to hear the fans cheering for their favorite horse and the sound of the horses galloping on the track; it’s truly exhilarating.”

Camarero is the island’s only horse racing track located 15 minutes from the Isla Verde hotel sector and a 20 minute drive from San Juan taking Route 66. There is plenty of parking, admission is free and the norm is casual attire.

Back on Track

Race days at Camarero are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with post time at 2:50 p.m., and a fifth day will be added soon. However, Sunday is the perfect day to go for people watching.

If it’s your first visit to a racetrack, you may get a more rewarding experience finding a spot where the entire track can be seen. The horses are paraded about 10 minutes before each race prior to trotting off to the starting gate. You sit outdoors at the grandstand –which is an open air multi-leveled seating near the center of the action where you can watch the parade, race, and winner circle picture taking up close and personal. Kids, especially, will enjoy this part of the track.

The Clubhouse and Terrace Restaurant, THE place where horse owners and anybody who simply preferred to leisurely eat a meal in air conditioning while watching the races through its huge windows, is currently closed and expected to be reopened soon.

Learning the ins-and-outs of how to bet before you arrive at Camarero will save an incredible amount of time. So get a racing program, pick your horse of choice, and hurry to the betting window and hope the odds are in your favor. Stick to a budget. A racetrack can be one of the most affordable entertainments 
around.

There is important information you need to know before you approach the clerk’s window: the race number, dollar amount of your bet, type of bet and number (NOT name) of the horse(s) you’re betting on. The types of straight wagers are win, where you pick a horse to finish first; place, where you select a horse to finish first or second and show, where you pick a horse to finish first, second, or third.

Exotic wager bets include exacta, where you pick the first and second place finishers in the exact order and trifecta, where you pick the first, second, and third place finishers in the exact order; and the multi-race bets that include daily double (pick the winner in two consecutive races), pick three (choose the winner in three consecutive races), pick four, pick five and pick six referred to as el Poolpote in Puerto Rico.

Payouts are determined by the number of horses in the bet, the odds, and the wager amount.

Daily wagering at Camarero currently fluctuates $400,000 to $500,000.

Its monthly event “Night at the Races,” where the race card begins early, followed by a live band is expected to make a comeback soon. This event, held every Friday night, attracts a large crowd and high number of wagering.

“It is like a whole world in itself, an entire industry revolves around the track activity,” said legendary racetrack announcer Norman H. Davila, who is one of the faces and voices of Puerto Rico horse racing.

There are more than 1,000 employees and contractors at the racetrack, especially in the stables – from hot walkers, grooms and trainers to blacksmiths and vets.

“When you add up indirect jobs there are about 8,000 that include owners and employees in over 400 off track wagering agencies island-wide, the horse breeding farms, producers and distributors of food,” said Fuentes.

An island full of world-class jockeys

In horse racing there are two types of athletes: the horse and the jockey. Puerto Rico has had its share of excellent thoroughbreds that have won important international races like the Caribbean Classic. Half of the 600 horses that normally are active on the island are native specimen while the rest are imported mainly from the U.S. mainland. But more impressive are our exceptional Puerto Rican jockeys who have proven their dominance for decades at top racetracks in 
the world.

Camarero’s horse racing vocational school, affiliated to the Puerto Rico Horse Racing Administration, is where trainers, blacksmiths, and jockeys are trained. This school graduates about 15 jockeys a year that begin their racing careers as apprentices. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, several young apprentices ventured out into the racing circuits in Florida, New York and California, three states that have some of the most important racetracks in the world, in order to test their luck and begin demonstrating their talent.

Puerto Rico’s pioneer adventurer was jockey Eddie Belmonte who attracted attention in the New York racing circuit and was the first Puerto Rican to win a race (Preakness) of the Triple Crown aboard ‘Personality’ in 1970.

Jockey Angel Cordero followed suit and dominated for years the racing circuit in New York at Saratoga, Acueduct, and Belmont Park racetracks. He competed for 30 years (1962-1992) and was the jockey with the most earnings on four occasions in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Cordero, referred to as the King of Saratoga, has the most wins in Triple Crown events including three Kentucky Derby victories.

  • Camarero is the island’s only horse racing track located 15 minutes from the Isla Verde hotel sector and a 20 minute drive from San Juan taking Route 66.
  • Brothers Irad Ortiz, on left, and Jose Luis Ortiz have been ranked among the top five jockeys in the U.S. mainland in overall earnings.
  • Jockey John Velazquez is one of Puerto Rico’s superstar in the horse racing scene.
  • Race days at Camarero racetrack are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with post time at 2:50 p.m.

John Velazquez has been active in New York since he left at the young age of 18 in 1990. He is also another Puerto Rican superstar in the horse racing scene.

Velazquez has been a leader in earnings for four consecutive years (2001-2004) and has won two races of the Triple Crown – the Belmont Stakes in 2007 and the Kentucky Derby in 2011.

In the past two years, besides Velazquez, there have been other Puerto Rican jockeys who have stood out in the U.S. mainland horse racing panorama – brothers Irad Ortiz and Jose Luis Ortiz. The Ortiz brothers have been ranked among the top five jockeys in the U.S. mainland in overall earnings.

In 2017, the 24 year-old Jose Luis won the Eclipse award for being the most outstanding jockey in the U.S. for highest earnings ($22.9 million) while the 25-year-old Irad was the jockey with most wins.

By winning an Eclipse Award, Jose Luis has joined the exclusive club of Cordero and Velazquez, an honor comparable to winning a MVP award in Major League Baseball.

Juan Carlos Diaz, the King of Camarero

Jockey Juan Carlos Diaz

Nevertheless not all stellar jockeys migrate to the north.

When at Camarero racetrack and making a wager you may see names like Edwin Castro, Hector Berrios, Javier Santiago, Wilfredo Rohena, among others on the racing form that offer a guarantee that the horse will be in good hands and could possibly be a winner.

However the most outstanding of the local crowd is currently Juan Carlos Diaz, a jockey that holds the title of having the most wins in Puerto Rico’s horse racing history with more than 4,700 victories under his belt. He has also been the leader in victories and earnings for 17 straight years showing his absolute dominance on the island.

  • Jockey Hector Berrios
  • Jockey Edwin Castro

“I have had the opportunity to ride in the U.S. but have decided to stay in Puerto Rico because I have led for many years here and am economically solid,” said the 40-year-old Diaz. “I have my home and family in Puerto Rico and my son is enrolled at the jockey school.”

Besides Diaz’ family life, that has a major role in his decision to remain in Puerto Rico, there are other factors.

Diaz was raised near the ocean – not riding sea horses but rather fishing, scuba diving and surfing, even though he loves horses. His passion for surfing and boats continues despite the fact he has to be at the track at 10 a.m. to then race from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. four days a week. But he does find a way to escape to the beach to ride 
those waves.

“Sometimes after the morning workouts at the track, if there are waves, I escape to surf for an hour in Luquillo at La Pared or La Selva beach and then return to the racetrack. Besides the fact that I love the ocean and it relaxes me, it’s a good workout and provides balance, which helps me as a jockey.”

Come and witness the passion of Puerto Ricans as they cheer on riders like Diaz and play the Poolpote jackpot, and if you are lucky to pick all six winners of the afternoon’s race card you can win lots of money. Feel the excitement of seeing your horse fight for the lead and who knows maybe you’ll have beginner’s luck.

Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Golf Club has two 18 Hole Courses in Rio Grande

Back Into the Swing of Things

By Peter Martin 2245 0

Puerto Rico’s rebound in the wake of Hurricane Maria can be likened to a round of golf at one the islands world-class courses —there was bound to be some rough, some ups and downs, and some unexpected turns along the way. And while landscapes may change, the renewal of the island’s lush greens seemingly blossomed overnight as its mountain forests, palm-lined coasts – and yes its 18-hole oases – sprang back to life under the healing tropical sun.

2018

Puerto Rico’s rebound in the wake of Hurricane Maria can be likened to a round of golf at one the islands world-class courses —there was bound to be some rough, some ups and downs, and some unexpected turns along the way. And while landscapes may change, the renewal of the island’s lush greens seemingly blossomed overnight as its mountain forests, palm-lined coasts – and yes its 18-hole oases – sprang back to life under the healing tropical sun.

Like many of its best hotels, Puerto Rico’s golf courses seized the opportunity presented to grow back better than ever through a host of upgrades including a new fleet of GPS-equipped golf carts at Dorado Beach through the remodeled club house and re-imagined courses at Rio Mar, to cite just two examples.

Check out Costa Caribe to Coco Beach and El Conquistador, Palmas del Mar, Punta Borinquen and beyond, where restoration contractors who arrived on the island in droves could be heard extolling the virtues of Puerto Rico’s range of golf courses on their hard-earned days off from the work of rebuilding.

Puerto Rico is known as the premier location for golf professionals and enthusiasts in the Caribbean where golf enthusiasts travel from all over the world to play throughout the year on the island’s 20 championship golf courses. This year’s tournament calendar features the PRGA’s annual signature event, the PRGA Championships, as well as seven World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points tournaments for both juniors and amateurs. For the second straight year, Puerto Rico will also host a USGA U.S. Am qualifier.

With global media attention focused on Puerto Rico’s challenges and can-do attitude, the island’s profile in the golf world was also elevated through the likes of its touring professionals such as Maria “Marife” Torres, the first Puerto Rican to play full time in the LPGA and Rafael Campos’ solid presence on the PGA Web.Com Tour.

  • Rafael “ Rafa” Campos, the first Puerto Rican to lead a PGA Tour event since the 1979 Tallahassee Open.
  • Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club in Ponce.
  • The Dorado Beach Plantation Sugarcane Course.
  • Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Golf Club has two 18 Hole Courses in Rio Grande
  • Maria “Marife” Torres, the first Puerto Rican to play full time in the LPGA.

Further shining a bright light on Puerto Rico’s competitive golf scene were a range of signature tournaments stretching from spring into winter – no need to worry about the weather on an island where balmy 80 degree days are the rule.

July 9-10
USGA US Amateur Qualifier
August 11-13
PRGA Junior Match Play Championship
November 2-4
PRGA Match Play Championship

But the biggest sign of the solidity of the island’s competitive golfing future may well have been the PGA’s bet on bringing the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open back to the island at least through 2020.

Dating back a decade, the 2018 event could have been carried out, but the PGA Tour and the main sponsor the Puerto Rico Tourism Company opted instead to hold a special, unofficial PGA Tour event in March to support recovery efforts on the island featuring PGA Tour golfers, athletes and celebrities. The charitable event was held at the TPC Dorado Beach, which is home to three legendary championship golf courses, including the famed East and West courses originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. Since its inception, the Puerto Rico Open has supported the work of local charities and donated nearly $700,000 to non-profit organizations that work with children, youth and health-related issues.

While putting relief before dollars was a move right from the heart, the PGA Tour doubled-down on Puerto Rico when it inked in the return of the four-day, official PGA Tour event in 2019 and also in 2020.

“The Puerto Rico Open has been part of the PGA Tour for the last 10 years and our commitment to golf on the island has never been stronger,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Our hope is that this special event in 2018 would benefit Puerto Rico’s recovery efforts to the fullest extent, while reminding the world that Puerto Rico is a premier golf and travel destination.”

In partnership with tournament officials and the PRTC, the PGA Tour heavily considered all factors following Hurricane Maria to determine a course of action for the 2018 Puerto Rico Open and examined what would provide the greatest support and economic impact for the island during this period of recovery. Therefore, the tournament in Puerto Rico was re-imagined as a special, unofficial PGA Tour event to support the recovery efforts and to celebrate golf and Tourism on the island.

Ernesto Zambrana Tabla Surfing Puerto Rico ola

Two master shapers put passion into their top quality surfboards

By Eugenio Hopgood 35012 0

Puerto Rican master board makers Nestor Ramirez of Pelicano Surfboards and Ernesto Zambrana of Zambrana Surfboards who reside in the northwest coast of Puerto Rico dubbed as the Hawaii of the Caribbean defy the international surf industry’s competitive marketing power and survive out of the sheer merit of their brilliant craftsmanship.

2017

Puerto Rican master board makers Nestor Ramirez of Pelicano Surfboards and Ernesto Zambrana of Zambrana Surfboards who reside in the northwest coast of Puerto Rico dubbed as the Hawaii of the Caribbean defy the international surf industry’s competitive marketing power and survive out of the sheer merit of their brilliant craftsmanship.

Finding Pelicano Surfboards factory is like searching for a secret safe house on the island. Visitors must drive along Barrio Bajura in Isabela, on a small road by the beach. Now and then the coastal brush from the side of the road clears up and gives a glimpse of peculiar rocky pond formations amidst white sand and deep blue water that are typical of this region’s shoreline.

Once on Road 4466, you locate the kilometer 1.6 sign, and enter an open gate on the right side, and keep driving until you come across a blue concrete rancher, not visible from the road with the image of a pelican, the logo of Pelicano Surfboards which is the life work of Ramirez, a senior master of Puerto Rico’s surfboard craftsmen, or shapers, as they are known in the surfing world.

Tall and fit for his age as most surfers, and grey haired in blue jeans and a t-shirt, the 61-year-old Ramirez, greets BIENVENIDOS warmly with a shy and friendly smile yet a let’s-get-to-business attitude.

Soon into the conversation it becomes apparent that Ramirez is a shy, soft spoken, and genuine individual with a no nonsense attitude, who is incapable of bragging or even mentioning his stature as a master shaper in Puerto Rico even with his 41 years of delivering top quality boards.

 

  • Ernesto Zambrana
  • Nestor Ramirez, Pelicano Surfboard Shop
  • Nestor Ramirez, Pelicano Surfboard Shop
  • Ernesto Zambrana, Surfing Puerto Rico
  • Ernesto Zambrana, Surfing Puerto Rico
  • Nestor Ramirez, Pelicano Surfboard Shop

 

The love of waves and boards for Ramirez began in 1968 when at the age of 12 he surfed on a longboard shared with a friend on weekends in Pine Grove Beach, a popular spot for beginners in Isla Verde. After some months, Ramirez was given his first surfboard and there was no looking back. “My first board was a seven footer Mini-Corky Carroll model, named after a Hobbie team rider that was quite famous then,” he recalled.

Ramirez started shaping boards in 1974 at the age of 19 in his family’s home garage in Hato Rey, where he set up a workshop with his buddy Carlos Ramos and began his quest for excellence by trial and error.

He crafted his first products as “Taino Boards” but by 1976 Ramirez started the Pelicano Surfboards brand, probably the most prestigious and well known in the local scene.

Ramirez began fixing his own board which sparked his curiosity about the whole process of design and manufacture, especially when a book that explained the basics of board building fell into his hands.

“It was in English and I wasn’t too good at it but I figured out how to build them looking at the illustrations and the rest was trial and error,” said Ramirez. “There were no YouTube tutorials back then. Guys at the beach liked my boards and when I told them I built them, they started asking me to make surfboards and that’s how it all started.”

Three years later, Ramirez and his family packed their bags and moved to Aguadilla, a town in the northwest region of the island right in the middle of Puerto Rico’s prime surfing region that begins with Isabela on the north side and ends with Rincon on the west.

There he perfected his board making skills for 19 years. “Coming to live here was one of my dreams,” sighed Ramirez.

Inside the workshop, tricks of the trade

The process starts with the shaping of the boards that are made of foam, mostly polyurethane or expanded polystyrene, which is a lighter foam material. Then a fiberglass sheet is fit to the board with resin over it.

“We have two ways of applying color to the boards, one is mixing color pigments in with the resin, what we call resin tints, and the other is airbrushing directly on the foam board,” explains Ramirez. “We do both here and my son Guaili works the resin and the tints while I do the shaping of the boards and the airbrushing. Also sometimes we work with foam tint where we put the colored resin directly on the foam board and then put the fiber glass on top. There are a lot of small tricks in this.”

The shaping room looks like a battlefield surgery unit where the board is the patient and Ramirez is the surgeon. The prime tool used for shaping is a plainer, an electrical brush originally designed to work on wooden doors. Armed with his tool and various types of sandpaper, the master works the board until he achieves the desired dimensions that will fit the client’s need; be it a faster board, a more agile one to swirl up and down the waves, a board for big waves or one that would be better for expert riders or for beginners. Special side lights on the room walls are designed to reveal imperfections on the board’s surface that would need further polishing to achieve an impeccably smooth finish.

 

Ernesto Zambrana, owner of Zambrana Surfboards, tests his own products to know what works.
Ernesto Zambrana, owner of Zambrana Surfboards, tests his own products to know what works.

 

From dominant trends to ‘anything goes’

Board designs have varied with the times. In the sixties there were the longboards (over 9 feet long) after 1967 and in the 70’s, the boards were in the 7 feet and under range and became even smaller. In the 1990’s most of the boards were 6 to 6.4 feet long, thin, narrow, and white with fluorescent airbrushed colors.

“Man it was boring to make surfboards during the 90’s because people were always asking for the same type of boards. Almost all of my work is custom-made and surfers then wouldn’t want anything else, so I was making more money, but it was boring,” Ramirez said.

Things started changing

“Surfers were using longboards and fun boards, which are a kind of a narrower and smaller longboard; fish boards, that have the swallowtail, and smaller boards that are becoming quite popular again in the last five years, but still anything goes, there is variety and it’s much more fun to shape boards these days,” Ramirez added.

With the longboard, according to Ramirez, it’s easier to ride the wave, especially for beginners, but it also has its style for experienced surfers, like walking the board.

The big boards, known as guns; are narrow, 8 to 9 feet long and are used to ride big waves ranging from 10 to more than 30 feet high.

Ramirez’ boards, signed Nestor Shapes, range from $425 to $800 and the production process takes around 4 to 6 weeks to complete. He makes boards for all types of surfers from the beginner to the pro. Although most of his clients are local he does have faithful followers in the Dominican Republic and the east coast of the U.S. mainland.

“People who really know about surfing know our boards are as good or better than any of the popular California trademarks such as the Channel Islands and Dan Love, but what people tend to see are world famous surfers photographed in magazines riding the big brand boards which sponsor them and this type of marketing works,” Ramirez said.

As a result, the surf shops in Puerto Rico import most of their boards from California and don’t buy local brands. Ramirez sells some of his boards at the Parada Ocho Surfshop in San Juan, but like most of the local producers, he mostly makes custom-made boards for individual clients.

And what makes this expert craftsman continue his board making passion after 41 years, the answer is simple: he just loves what he does.

“My greatest satisfaction is when a client tells me, hey man the board you made for me is awesome, or when somebody says the board is magical, which in surfing jargon means a board almost rides by itself, does whatever you want it to do; well, that’s what drives me to continue,” Ramirez concluded.

Ernesto Zambrana: Surfboard design is art

Zambrana is another of Puerto Rico’s prime board shapers. At 53 years of age he’s half a generation younger than Ramirez, and is also a city boy surfer who ended up settling roots in the surfing strip of the northwest coast, in his case, in the western town of Rincon, where he builds Zambrana Surfboards.

Zambrana likes building boards for small kids and enjoys the fact that he has made the first surfboards for many top local surfers like Jorge and Christian Rivera.
Zambrana likes building boards for small kids and enjoys the fact that he has made the first surfboards for many top local surfers like Jorge and Christian Rivera.

 

Zambrana’s love affair with surfing started early

As a toddler Zambrana spent weekends in a beach apartment in Condado, right near La Punta, one of the surfing spots in the San Juan metro area. For hours he would sit on the sand and watch the surfers ride the waves, imagining it was him on top of those magical boards.

“When I was 9 I was invited to a Cub Scout picnic on the beach and somebody lent me a board. I just went for it and on my first try I stood up and rode the wave, as natural as a kid learning to run, and that was it. No turning back,” said Zambrana, who appears younger than his age.

In the late 1970’s when Zambrana was 12, he and his younger brother got surfboards for Christmas. His was a 7.2 foot Hawaiian style, single fin pintail model from Wave Riding Vehicles (WRV). “Not in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined then that many years later WRV, a world renowned brand, would ask me to design boards for them!” exclaimed Zambrana while opening his eyes widely.

After a year of surfing at the San Juan “school beaches” in Pine Grove and the Sheraton Beach in Condado (right in front of the San Juan Marriott Resort), Zambrana and his friends began paddling into more challenging waters at Aviones Beach in Loiza.

“By 1976 I was a good surfer and we were making our pilgrimages to Rincon, considered not only the prime surfing area in Puerto Rico, but one of the best venues worldwide. At Aviones you could find some of the best surfers, I even got to surf with world champion Kelly Slater, who was a young rising star at the time,” Zambrana said. “He used to call me Conan the Barbarian because he was a skinny teenager and I’ve always had a wide sturdy frame, so Kelly joked that I might just beat him up if he got in front of me and ruined my ride.”

Surfboards were getting expensive in the 80’s and Zambrana couldn’t afford the one’s he liked, so he became interested in making his own.

Puerto Rico’s established shapers were not willing to share the tricks of the trade but Zambrana, who was studying sculpture at San Juan’s School of Plastic Arts, teamed up with a friend who had some experience. They set up a clandestine shaping room in a storage area inside the historical Maunabo Lighthouse, situated in the east coast of the island, where his partner and first mentor worked as a lighthouse keeper.

“We were kicked out of there a year later of course, but that’s where I learned the trade,” Zambrana laughed.

Zambrana and some other emerging shapers got prime materials from Bill Balke, an American hippie who drifted to Puerto Rico’s northwest coast in the 60’s. Balke had settled in Aguada, a town next to Rincon, however, besides being a free spirit he was also a chemical engineer, who was very savvy about the use of resins and tints.

“Bill was a very important guy in the development of shapers in Puerto Rico because he gave us advice and even had shaping rooms in his place where guys could build their boards,” Zambrana recalled.

“Rincon to surfers is the Hawaii of the Caribbean and the east coast of the U.S.,” Zambrana said. “Swells at Tres Palmas and Maria’s beaches, get up to 40 feet, the biggest waves ever documented in the Caribbean and the U.S. east coast. It’s not unusual to find celebrity surfers around here. Garret McNamara, who is sponsored by Mercedes Benz and is a big wave surfer of the world, was in Tres Palmas a couple of years ago,” Zambrana said.

Zambrana, who is a skilled surfer himself, showed BIENVENIDOS one of the boards he designed and built for the WRV brand, which he signs as Ernesto Z.

“Shaping is the extension of my passion for surfing,” said Zambrana with a sparkle in his eyes. “It enables me to fuse my two greatest passions, surfing and art. Creating boards is a mix of engineering with art. When I make custom boards I work with the surfer’s experience, size, and weight; one has to take all those elements into account to design the measurements.”

Lately Zambrana has been concentrating on just board design and airbrush artwork.

“Besides the functional quality, the board is like a white canvas and you create art out of it. So I use prints, photos, or drawings in rice paper and combine it with airbrush technique, freehand painting using stencils, which adds esthetics to the board. For health reasons, I do not work with lamination, resins, and fumes, so I contract that part of the work to Guaili, Nestor Ramirez’s son, who has become quite an expert,” Zambrana said.

 

Ernesto Zambrana, owner of Zambrana Surfboards, test his own products to know what works.
Ernesto Zambrana, owner of Zambrana Surfboards, test his own products to know what works.


A living legend riding your board

Zambrana likes building boards for small kids and enjoys the fact that he has made the first surfboards for many top local surfers like Jorge and Christian Rivera.

“But one of my greatest satisfaction was building a board for Tom Curren, a three-time World Champion and one of the greatest surfers of all times,” Zambrana said. “I gave the board to Tom as a gift when he came for the premier of a documentary about the Billabong riding team that was filmed in Rincon in 2000. I didn’t make much of it because I thought he wouldn’t even ride it.”

But then a friend called Zambrana one morning and informed him he saw Curren riding the board he made for him in a two-page spread inside an Australian surf magazine. “I just told my friend that it was too early for pranks. But it was true,” Zambrana recalled, reliving his astonishment.

Curren was photographed in Surfer Magazine and other international publications riding Zambrana’s board, even though he had the best brands in the world available to him. “In some of the photos you can even see a small Puerto Rican flag that I painted on the side so he could remember where the board came from,” Zambrana said. “It was a three fin 6’10” foot pintail, not the kind Tom usually rode, so it seemed like he wanted to try something different.”

In 2010, the World Surfing Championship was held at Middles Beach in Isabela, where Kelly Slater won his 10th championship

“I got to meet and become friends with Tom at this event. I introduced myself and asked him about the board, and he told me he liked it and had traveled around with it. It was a great experience to me,” said Zambrana with pride.

Technology allows concentration on design

Zambrana, who still makes boards for WRV (as also Nestor Ramirez does) and constructs his own Zambrana Surfboards brand with prices ranging from $475 to $650; mostly sells his product directly to customers.

“The advantage of being a surfer and a board maker is that you can test your own product which enables you to know what works and what doesn’t,” Zambrana said.

For the past four years, Zambrana has been working with a computer numerical control (CNC) machine that uses computer technology to shape boards. There is only one CNC machine in Puerto Rico and it’s used mainly to build paddle boards.

Zambrana says he is the only shaper who uses it regularly in Puerto Rico. “It gives me a chance to concentrate in design. I have several models and in 30 minutes I have them. Guaili does the resin application for me and I only have to work the details and art. The best thing is that I am able to clone my models,” Zambrana said.

Teaching the trade

After a lifetime of visiting Rincon, first vacationing there as a kid and then visiting to surf, Zambrana moved to Barrio Corcega six years ago with his wife Laura and their teenage kids.

“This is Puerto Rico’s surfing capital, but there is more to it. It’s Puerto Rico’s only town without traffic lights, where you won’t see a drug addict on a street corner, and where so many people work to protect the environment,” Zambrana said. “My way of sharing is to teach kids how to make and fix their boards. One of my goals is to set up a school where I can teach board shaping and surfing.”

Not only are kids learning the trade with Zambrana, Ricky Muñiz, one of the top new shapers who travels to expo-shows in U.S. mainland with his boards learned from him and he also provided shaping sessions to Rob Machado, yet another Californian former world surfing champion, who was venturing into shaping.

“Surfing is not a hobby; it’s a way of life. Maybe being in contact with nature and the sea all the time makes us different,” Zambrana said. “So I decided to be a board maker instead of a full-time sculptor. Although from now and then I work on sculptures, my love for surfing was just too much. I guess my destiny was to become a sculptor and painter of surfboards.”

featured_sports

Puerto Rico: Your Tropical Sports Paradise

By Peter Martin 1507 0

Sports fanatics will give a hooray about all there is to see and do in Puerto Rico related to the eternal glories of the art of human sports competition. Just relax or go all out because Puerto Rico has major sporting events throughout the year taking place across the island in a wondrous array of surroundings, which help make them once in a lifetime experiences.

2017

Sports fanatics will give a hooray about all there is to see and do in Puerto Rico related to the eternal glories of the art of human sports competition.

Just relax or go all out because Puerto Rico has major sporting events throughout the year taking place across the island in a wondrous array of surroundings, which help make them once in a lifetime experiences.

Whether its world class, pro surfing, golf or running, or a multi-discipline competition like IRONMAN® 70.3® Puerto Rico Pan American Tri Club Championship Presented By: Puerto Rico Tourism Company, the island is host to events that are the best in the Caribbean and are among the top in their class anywhere.

They make for a thrilling experience for visitors, whether you want to participate directly, or enjoy the spectacular fan experience in Puerto Rico. The island has quality events that attract international stars yet are accessible to any participant in a given sport. Best of all, there is always in Puerto Rico a side fiesta among event spectators regardless of what is being watched that is often where the true action is. For these and other reasons, your sports experience in Puerto Rico will likely be among your most exhilarating!

Whether you love golf with the devotion of a Pavlov dog, or you think it’s the death of a good walk, you’ll want to come to the Puerto Rico Open, which pairs outstanding professional golf with so much more: gourmet food and wine tents, classical and popular music performances, fashion shows, art exhibitions, play areas for kids, and other activities.

The Puerto Rico Open PGA Tournament is an official stop on the PGA circuit, and the world-class event draws the best international golfers. The 2017 edition is going to be HUUGGGEEE!!!!! Not only because of its 10th anniversary but it will take place at the Coco Beach Golf Club in Rio Grande from March 13-20.

The world-class golf event at the plush property is a great competition in the shadow of the rainforest, along sweeping Atlantic vistas. However, there is also almost always an intriguing live performance, other event, and gathering taking place at the same time. Every year, organizers say they strive not just to develop the event into the one of the PGA Tour’s most popular, but also to throw the best event on the island each year. And it really is one of the biggest parties the island puts on all year.

 

  • maraton_10k
  • Puerto Rico Heineken International Regatta
  • Puerto Rico Ironman Condado Lagoon
  • Puerto Rico Open at Coco Beach - Round Two
  • Puerto Rico San Blas Marathon, Coamo, Puerto Rico

 

The Coco Beach Golf Club has two courses that run from jungle to coast, and offer both challenges to players and aesthetic visions of the island’s natural splendor. This event will give you a looking glass into the wonderful world of golf in Puerto Rico. With nearly 30 championship and other high quality golf courses, Puerto Rico is the “Scotland of the Caribbean” or its “golf capital.” The top designers in the game have carved courses along expansive coastal vistas, surrounded by the blue ocean and coconut groves and through lush tropical forest surroundings. They include Tom Kite, Robert Trent Jones, his two sons, Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus and George and Tom Fazio, Arthur Hills, and Puerto Rico’s own Chi Chi Rodriguez.

The World’s Best 10K, which is celebrating its 20th birthday this year, is also a world-class sports competition with so many side shows they often feel like the main event.

The race around San Juan makes it a beautiful experience. It attracts some of the best long distance runners in the sport, but is also wildly popular with casual joggers and even strollers, and it’s a day-long festive event for running enthusiasts, the young and beautiful and active families. The race has historically been held in and around the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge, but organizers said a change in route has been undertaken for its 20th anniversary. Runners will now leave and finish at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, and will unfold along major roadways surrounding the sports complex. The race this year will be dedicated to Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, the great catcher who played Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals; and who was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame on first ballot.

This year’s edition takes place on Sunday, February 26 and attracts the best runners in the world, but the event is also wildly popular with locals and tourists, and makes for an amazingly fun time. There is a pre-race fair at a sports complex the day prior, and seamless public transportation is offered for participants before and after the race from major bus and urban train stations. Race sponsors lavish gifts on runners and the spectating public every step of the way, and there are food kiosks and live entertainment at a waterfront park near the start and finish lines.

Post-race events are held across San Juan, for participants and fans. The event normally coincides with a three-day holiday weekend. For years, the event was held in the late afternoon, but it switched in recent years to earlier morning. It has also been an internet trailblazer since its origins – the first race transmitted live via Internet, with audio, video, and results. The race’s internet presence continues to rock.

The World’s Best 10K is a big deal in Puerto Rico, which draws sponsorship support that enables a first-rate, world-class competition. Make sure you participate in one way or another should you be on the island at this time. While enormous swag and benefits are bestowed on early registrants, you can also sign up at the last minute. If you just want to cheer on and party, just follow the crowd surrounding the course.

In early spring, Condado and Isla Verde get overrun with buff guys and gals with an extra bounce in their step. They’re crowds of them, actually. It’s a downright wonder and a seeming mystery until you realize these are just the participants in the annual IRONMAN® 70.3® Puerto Rico, a competitive event that is also the catalyst for a series of side parties before, after, and during the wild competition. Most participants, turn the experience into an extra-long weekend at least, a chance for a mini-vacation, while getting your competitive fire tested.

 

  • Puerto Rico Ironman San Juan Run
  • Puerto Rico Corona Surfing Competition
  • Puerto Rico Ironman San Juan Bike Ride Biking

 

IRONMAN® 70.3® Puerto Rico, unfolds across a multitude of historic sites and attractions in San Juan, the oldest city under the U.S. flag. The race unfolds in view of historic fortresses, lush gardens, and windswept Atlantic coast. Prime viewing spots include Condado’s Dos Hermanos Bridge or the Caribe Hilton’s San Geronimo grounds.

The IRONMAN® 70.3® Puerto Rico starts with a 1.2-mile swim through Condado Lagoon, and then a 56-mile bike along Puerto Rico’s northern coast to Dorado. The 13.1 mile run explores Old San Juan, past enchanted Spanish colonial fortresses and cathedrals, as well as Art Deco office towers and other architectural gems. It meanders through other sections of San Juan and reaches its finish in an oceanfront park outside the old city near the Caribe Hilton.

This year’s IRONMAN® 70.3® Puerto Ricotakes place on March 19, 2017. It offers 30 qualifying slots to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Another huge race is the San Blas Marathon in Coamo, which unfolds in a south coast valley beside the ancient springs Spanish Conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon believed was the fountain of youth. The annual event (Feb. 5, 2017) attracts the world’s best female and male long distance runners to this gorgeous, pastoral south coast town, which takes place a beautiful Caribbean Sunday. This half marathon, which is one of the world’s most popular, also entails a weekend of musical events, fairs, and culinary delights. About 1,000 athletes participate from several different countries each year, and the event draws tens of thousands of spectators.

The 21.0975 kilometer race takes competitors and spectators on a tour of Coamo’s natural and historic sites and visitors after the event are sure to appreciate the town slogan “come to Coamo and you will love it like I do.” There are more than a dozen historic and cultural sites along the route.

The race winds through Coamo’s historic downtown area, home to the San Blas de Illescas Church, one of the island’s most impressive architectural works. First built in 1661, and reconstructed in 1784, the Baroque church rests on a series of steps with cast iron railings, its bell towers and arches overlooking Coamo’s charming plaza. The race meanders past other historic buildings and also crosses a number of bridges and unfolds on winding country roads.

The Coamo race was first run in 1963, and took off internationally as one of the world’s best races in the 1970s. Competitors have hailed from Australia, Ethiopia, Japan, the Soviet Union, China, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Tanzania, Costa Rica, Kenya, Belgium, Venezuela, Canada, and others.

Several world record holders have participated.

Surrounded by shimmering emerald waters that beckon off its virgin white beachfront, Puerto Rico is a sailor’s paradise. You’ll feel the lure of the sea from the San Juan to Mayaguez, Ponce to Fajardo. The island’s east coast marks the start of probably the world’s most pleasurable sailing area, a swath of virgin sea, dotted with coral and green islands.

As a result, Puerto Rico is home to several regattas, those sailing extravaganzas that mix the pure thrill of competition, with the infectious rhythm of a Caribbean celebration. The Puerto Rico Heineken International Regatta, which takes place off Puerto Rico’s east coast from March 2-5, 2017, is the biggest of the big sailing events. It has been based recently at Fajardo’s Puerto del Rey marina, as well as at the venerable Palmas del Mar marina, but the race always takes place in the glorious eastern Caribbean waters. The event is held at the close of the Caribbean sailing season but the start of summer, and has slowly become an annual rite of passage on the island over its more than decade-long existence.

The event draws sailors from across the Caribbean and other oceans that come every year to compete at the event, one of the most prestigious in the region that attracts all types of vessels. The event hosts Hobie Cats, Optimist, Sunfish, Laser, Native boats and Chalanas. Other classes are CSA Racing, PHRF Jib &Main, Melges, Raya, Mariner, and Hunter. There is also a Puerto Rico International Dinghy Regatta at the same time, where small boats race in the harbor. Cash prizes are paid out across the categories, and the event is part of the Heineken Star Cup, the sailing circuit uniting Heineken sponsored events across the Caribbean.

The fiesta continues at night, with live music and other entertainment, gourmet food, and so much more. There are all-day, all-night festivities and a variety of great cuisine throughout the event. The regatta is a daylong party that stretches across the night, often with live music, culinary diversity, and sociable bar areas, and other fun, games and prizes. It is also a serious competition that makes for fascinating spectator sport.

The regatta makes clear that Puerto Rico is one of the world’s most important sailing centers, while also reflecting the island’s prowess as a party power.

The Club Nautico’s San Juan International Billfish Tournament (September 25-October 1, 2017) has been attracting sports fishermen from around the world for more than a half century. The tournament has showcased San Juan’s prowess as a sports fishing, with a massive deep-water trench just off its north coast a lure for big game fish just a short ride from the city’s plushest marina. The vessels glide from the Condado and Miramar districts, out past Old San Juan into San Juan Bay, then past the imposing El Morro fortress to the open Atlantic and the big game fishing grounds.

In fact, the tournament is known for its stomping ground just 20 minutes from San Juan’s twin marinas (San Juan Bay Marina is adjacent to Club Nautico), which are known as “Blue Marlin Alley” and the “Billfish Pass,” and begin just a mile and a half off the coast. While the marlins, and other large billfish, are present throughout the year, high season for fishing them is in July, August and September, especially during full moon periods. The blue marlins caught during the tournament have weighed 700 pounds or more, and a 1,085 lb. marlin was caught off the San Juan coast in 2000.

Club Nautico says it is the first institution worldwide to establish today’s tag and release format for small Blue Marlin, even before the United States of America made it compulsory in 1988 and it grew into the sports fishing standard.

Puerto Rico is the Caribbean’s surfing powerhouse, and it has been hosting world class competitions ever since hosting the world championship in 1968. The island’s northwest surf Mecca comprised of an endless string of surf breaks in Isabela, Aguadilla, and Rincon, is most often the host. However, there are great breaks along the north coast, with San Juan home to several hotspots, as well as in the east coast. In summer, certain south coast surf sports are blessed with consistent swell that make for fun waves.

Puerto Rico hosts several world class competitions, and festive local events are taking place somewhere on the island on any given weekend. The 4th Legends Surf Classic (Jan. 20-22, 2017) is the finest on the immediate agenda.

First started in 2014, the Legends Surf Classic is open to surfers 49 and older and is held to recognize and promote the surfing legends of the 60s and 70s. Every year, surf legends from the classic surfing era, including finalists in the 1968 world championship held in Rincon.

This year, the invited guests include Hawaiian surfing legend Paul Strauch, who was a dominate surfer during the 1960s, known for his laid back style and nose riding. He was also the first surfer to perfect the ability to make turns on big waves. The event is held to support and promote the sport of surfing in Puerto Rico.

The island also hosts other pro surfing events, including the Corona Extra Pro Circuit and the Rip Curl Pro series. On 2007, it hosted the International Surfing Association World Masters Surfing Championship, which brought surfers from more than 15 countries including Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Great Britain, Italy, Jamaica, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Sweden, Tahiti, and Venezuela. The best master surfers in the world competed in the event.

It’s no wonder Puerto Rico is an electrifying sports paradise for athletes and fans alike.