Over the Memorial Day holiday eight families from the BoRinquen Islands Sailing Association (BRISA) sailed over from various marinas in Puerto Rico to the island of Culebra in the Spanish Virgin Islands for a long weekend full of sailing, fun and family activities. The cruise was organized by José Pla, one of BRISA’s active members, who did an excellent job of planning, organizing and motivating members to join the cruise.
Seven of the eight families who participated rafted their sailboats, ranging in size from 32 to 41 feet, in “Las Pelas” bay where they spent three days swimming, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, exploring by dinghy, and just plain relaxing. Evenings were spent boat-hopping to gather and talk, sing, play dominoes and to share and enjoy some fine Puerto Rican food.
BRISA is a sailing association, founded by its present Commodore, Professor Nelson Ramirez, to promote the sailing lifestyle in a family-oriented environment. There are currently over 30 sailboats/families in the association. Members are grouped into four “flotas” or teams named Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. Each flota has its own captain.
BRISA hosts various seminars, regattas, parties and cruises throughout the year for its members and friends. For more information, or to join BRISA please contact Prof. Nelson Ramirez by phone at (787) 367-7083, or via email at profnramirez@gmail.com.
You can also visit their web site at www.brisaweb.net where you will find their calendar of events, photos, additional information as well as the BRISA membership application.
This was our family’s first cruise with our new BRISA friends. We are already looking forward to our next gathering, maybe in Vieques or the Virgin Islands. So what are you waiting for? Join BRISA today and start making new sailing friends. We are glad we did!
Capt. Tony Miró is a life-long sailor, photographer and web developer who currently lives in Puerto Rico with his family. Whenever possible you can find him sailing aboard his Hunter 376 ¡Nada Mas! His web site is sailboatspecs.com.
