Two classics in the harbour
Demonstrators stop Medalla party in Culebra
Members of the Community Committee for Culebra stopped the holding of an event by the beer brewer Medalla at Dakiti Bay on Friday after learning that the company didn’t have permits for the activity.
Members of the Community Committee for Culebra stopped the holding of an event by the beer brewer Medalla at Dakiti Bay on Friday after learning that the company didn’t have permits for the activity.
“Medalla was going to hold an event [Friday at] the bay, in Dakiti, for which they had rented a ferry and trucks with gasoline and ice, as well as other equipment, but they didn’t have the person with the permit there,” group spokeswoman Sylvia Feliciano said. “They were going to have a party, music at sea … in an ecologically sensitive area because there are corals.”
Local residents “don’t have anything against beer, but they have to get the permits,” she said.
Feliciano blocked the entrance of the rented ferry with her car.
Because of the demonstration, which took place just after 2 p.m., the company dropped its plans to hold the activity.
Local residents “don’t have anything against beer, but they have to get the permits,” she said.
Feliciano blocked the entrance of the rented ferry with her car.
Because of the demonstration, which took place just after 2 p.m., the company dropped its plans to hold the activity.
They met with municipal officials and police and they learned that they did not have the proper permits.
Feliciano also noted that a helicopter landed in the Dakiti area, “something that is not permitted for anyone, not evern the police.”
And kudos to our trash men. When I went to work at Susie's in the late afternoon, the trash barrels around Milka's were all full to overflowing. By the time I was heading home around 10:30, they were all empty and the surrounding areas cleaned up. Thanks, amigos, for doing such a great job all year, but especially over this holiday.
Speaking of trash, hats off to those boaters I saw carrying 4 full bags of trash to trash receptacles instead of just leaving them laying around. There is so much garbage (take that on all the levels appropriate) generated over this Holy Week that hugely strain our very limited resources, and not having to pick up chicken/cat torn garbage bags carelessly left around makes a huge difference. I know you two were only some of those acting responsibly (the other ones, you know who you are, and we do not thank you), but it was a really, really nice thing to see.
If you bring it in, take it out - that includes your trash!
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The flip side of the Semana Santa coin here, also from the Daily Sun:
Authorities confirmed Saturday that the two bodies found in the Dakiti sector of Culebra were involved in a boating accident Friday night.
The victims were identified as José González Quiñónez, 37, of Carolina, and Ernesto Llanos Domenech, 43, of San Juan.
According to the preliminary investigation, the men were in an eight-foot dinghy that crashed with a 25-foot boat.
The bodies were recovered in a bay [Saturday] near Dakiti Beach and were transferred to the Fajardo Maritime Division, which identified the men.
Police were looking for the other boat and its occupants to question them about the accident.
From what I understand, the crash occurred after dark and the dinghy had no lights. They were apparently trying to help someone else in boating difficulty. Yes, it's stupid to not be using a light on your dinghy!!! But that should earn you a ticket and a fine, not the loss of your lives.
The careless actions of some holiday boaters is nothing more than completely irresponsible and we all see it over and over again. Just because you can afford to buy a large powerful boat does not give you the right to violate the laws of the sea (there are classes offered teaching maritime laws; it would behoove many of these boat owners to take one), endangering, maiming and in this case, killing other human beings. As the owner of the boat that struck these two men fled the scene and are being searched for, I believe we can make a safe guess that they not only know what they did, but that it wasn't simply a tragic accident, which would be horrible enough, but must have had additional circumstances they obviously wanted to hide.
To the rest of you boaters, who come to Culerba's waters to have a good time, taking care of the people on your boats, boats and people around you, and the very sea you are boating on, thank you. Please, please continue to boat carefully. For those who are not using lights at night in your dinghies, if this isn't a wake up call to you, I don't know what else it takes. Easiest, minimalist solution? Buy a solar light (the yard lights have stakes) for five dollars and attach it somewhere on your craft, so you don't have to have an excuse (even to yourselves) for not remembering to bring a light along.
Culebra in its entirety is a fragile environment, and Dakity is just one of our beautiful areas used by not only humans, but sea creatures, right down to the corals that form the reefs. Please, visitors, you who claim to love Culebra for its simplicity and its beauty, along with its wonderful people...remember; Culebra is a treasure, not a trash can. Treat her accordingly.
Have a good Easter, no matter how you celebrate the day. Be safe.
I just spent a wonderful two weeks in Culebra and the only thing that tainted the visit was to hear about this accident. I really hope that the same doesn't happen again this year when Budweiser is not only supplying the beer, but shooting commercials too. Someday, I hope I can live someplace as beautiful as Culebra and the boating life is wonderful. Thank you for your posts!
ReplyDeleteBrandy, I don't know about commercials and I do not think it was Budweiser, but rather, Medalla. Regardless, any beer reps will know we're on watch, and hopefully we'll avoid any more tragedies and only have the fun, good times as it should be. Glad you had a wonderful time! That's as it should be.
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