Last Updated on June 6, 2019 by PowersToTravel
We live in Newport, Rhode Island, and in the summer it is possible to parasail in the Narragansett Bay, or the Atlantic. My husband had that opportunity when his daughter and her family visited two summers ago. Unfortunately I had to work and have been resentful of my loss ever since. As I planned the Puerto Rico trip, I bumped into A & J Adventure’s Parasailing from Fajardo.
“But we could parasail again, up here. We don’t need to go to Puerto Rico to parasail,” said my husband.
“But it’s so warm down there,” I countered.
“But you don’t go into the water – you hang in the sky,” he responded, the knowledgeable one.
“But what if you don’t?” I asked.
So, I planned our parasailing adventure, nine months in advance, fearing every time slot might book up if I didn’t book early.
We spent five nights at Luquillo Beach, at the Luquillo Sunrise Beach Inn (recommended). The weather was variable, that is to say, it was rather windy, with banks of clouds scuttling in from the east, crashing into the mountains at El Yunque. Then suddenly, the bright blue sky would appear. On the day of our planned parasail, the wind looked as if it might be too strong. As agreed, we called them in the morning, and they delayed our lift-off.
“Can you come at 11:30?”
“Of course.” We had dedicated the entire day to getting me into the air.
We wandered around Fajardo, scouting out the marina, El Conquistador Resort (the location of, not the amenities of), the Seven Seas public beach (very picturesque). We were just entering a Kentucky Fried Chicken (oh my!) when they called again.
“It’s raining in Fajardo. Can we delay to 2:30?”
“Sure, we’ll get lunch.” We were in Fajardo. We looked at the blue sky above us and wondered where in Fajardo it was raining. We stopped wondering and bought our lunch.
Finally, we made our way to the marina. We ended up wandering all over the marina looking for the very poorly signaged slip. We should have turned immediately right upon entering, and continued along the water. We waited on the bench in the shade until the proprietors arrived. Turns out they were actually in Carolina when they looked at the weather map and said “It’s raining in Fajardo.”
We signed our release forms, put on our life jackets and got harnessed up, and headed out to sea. We had just left the harbor when our captain stopped the engine and completed the setup of the chute. We were motioned over, to sit on the back deck, and were hooked to the chassis. He hit the gas as his helper worked the chute. Suddenly we were off the rear of the boat, about a foot off the water.
“No!” I thought loudly. “We didn’t ask for the Dunk…”
Before I could finish my thought, the wind caught the chute and we were lifted into the air. Up we went. Soon the boat was a spec in the water. We could see the ferries making their way to and from Vieques and Culebra. We hung effortless in the sky.
It actually quickly became boring, as we were facing the sea, that is, so we could face the wind and keep the chute up. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way! However, there was less to see. Somehow I had envisioned going along the coast, seeing the sights. So I enjoyed the height and the view, but was not disappointed when we were reeled in.
It was not too long before I realized that we also faced a challenge getting back into the boat, due to the relatively strong winds and bounce of the waves. With a final yank of the rope, the assistant brought us to the boat, but we skittered off to the side and I suddenly looked down to where one foot was off the boat and over the water. Yank! and I finally landed on the deck of the boat.
I’ve heard that some people get vertigo, and in fact my husband said that while he had not gotten ill at all in Newport, in Puerto Rico with the strong winds, he did not feel well up under the chute. I myself had a splendid time, although suddenly I felt a bit queasy as the boat left the sea and arrived in harbor. I’m really glad that there were no other participants and that we could quickly get to land.
Definitely an adventure worth having and much recommended.
Diabetic Travel Tips
There’s a highly rated seafood restaurant called La Ola along the opposite side of the Marina. Here’s the link to Trip Advisor’s site: La Ola. However it was closed on Tuesdays. There seemed to be nothing else around.
We did, on another day, eat at Costa Mia, near the Seven Seas beach. They don’t seem to have their own website, but here’s a link: Costa Mia. I thought my burger was very good, the fries were excellent and it was very nicely located.
Just don’t end up at Kentucky Fried. I still can’t figure how that happened. Possibly because Chicken is the food of choice in Puerto Rico and somehow fried chicken seemed at the time to be the thing to do.
Related Links
Luquillo Sunrise Beach Inn – highly recommended, awesome location, and secure parking
Map of Fajardo, Puerto Rico
