Ponce - Docking
The Ponce Yacht & Fishing Club is a private marina that has a few slips for rental on a daily basis. If you plan on renting a slip, you are permitted to use their fuel dock for FREE for clearing in. Their weekly rates for rental work out better value than paying the daily rate. Facilities are good (see below).
If however, you anchor, you must pay to use the fuel dock for clearance, which sometimes results in a 4-hour stay. During this time the club cannot sell fuel for the hours that the fuel dock is blocked and selling fuel to sport fishing boats is a significant profit centre for the club. Therefore, the Club charges $25 for boats under 40 ft and $50 for boats over 40 ft to use the fuel dock for clearance only.
Note that refuse CANNOT BE DISPOSED of without express permission of the Department of Agriculture, which is part of the group that clears a boat in. If rubbish is taken off the boat prior to permission being granted, the boat is subject to a $5,000 fine and the club can be fined as well.
Anchoring
If you choose to anchor in the harbour, it has been reported that the PYFC no longer offer use of their facilities to anchored boats for a nominal daily fee (which used to be $10 per person, per day). It is therefore difficult to find a safe dinghy dock to leave your dinghy at when going ashore. See Related User Comments for more information.
There is an anchorage outside the marina and a place to land and leave a dinghy north of it by a ramp. This pontoon, however, is used by commercial vessels and cruisers do risk damage to their dinghy if leaving it here.
It costs US$10 by taxi to get into town where there is a good range of shops and big cash and carry. There is also Sams Club, Walmart, Homedepot and well-known fashion outlets in town.
Last updated: March 2016.
Editor’s Note: E-mails to the PYFC asking for updates have gone unanswered.
If you have information for this section, or feedback on businesses used, please let us know at editor@noonsite.com. We also welcome new information about businesses you have used (see Related Businesses).
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Related to following destinations: Main Island, Ponce, Puerto Rico
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From reading comments our expectations weren’t good arriving here. As it happens the options are many.
We first anchored in the bay in 4 meters water at 17.58 921N 66 37 381W. Good protection from the N and NW. With the katabatic effect, it’s dead calm at night. Good holding here. Dinghy ashore with good security at the small boat harbour, suitable for dinghy only 17 58 921N 66 37 381W. Local small powerboaters here, really friendly group of local types.
The second option, we also stayed at the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club. We have a Leopard 40 cat, charged at $2.00 per foot, on a daily rate, cheaper if staying for a week. Friendly pleasant staff, perhaps not pushy and a little indifferent but nothing to complain about. They even arranged a monohull to move off the T slip so that I could tie up. I appreciated that.
I had an Amazon delivery sent here, again, the staff were helpful and didn’t see a problem with that.
Shopping is a little far to walk but a uber ride to Walmart cost $7.30 there and $8.40 back, again, no complaints.
The town is clean, the locals are friendly, a good stop in all respects. If I hadn’t been expecting an Amazon delivery, I would recommend anchoring in the bay, good security, right out in front of the water police. Great spot.
We have some more information about the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club!
As you write on your website – you can get info, dock your dinghy, showers etc… For a 10$ p.p.
Well, they stop doing this…. so it is hard to leave your dinghy somewhere.
For everything you ask, the answer is the same “go to town for the answers – only when you take a berth in the harbour for 1,24$ ft can you use the facilities!”
I think someone misused hospitality.
Ron & Joce
SY “De Verleiding”
Posted on behalf of Kathleen Banks, s/v Legacy
A note on Ponce. Yes – it is a private club. They sell gas, diesel and beer by the case dockside. Prices are the same as in the USA. We did not get water as the attendant said they had installed new locks on the water and they were not working. You have to pull up to the dock and tie up yourself as the attendants are usually inside the attendant shack!
The Club does not allow cruisers day passes any longer, the attendant made that abundantly clear. Ponce is not the friendly spot it once was (as Van Zant described it), it is now a leisure club for the wealthy few, who have no interest in cruisers, except to sell fuel too.
Anchoring in Ponce is in 30ft of water, no shallow spots. If you do go ashore, expect to see customs at the dinghy dock shortly after you tie up. The office will not take English speaking calls and will hang up on you. It’s not a very friendly environment.
Kathleen Banks
s/v Legacy
Salinas, P R
Nice marina but the close Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday so forget about checking out then. They never answer emails. There are only 1 or 2 spots for catamarans and finally, there is a karaoke bar he plays loud music and poor singing until late at night. I would not recommend thus marina
I would like to let cruisers visiting Ponce, Puerto Rico to know about Luis Llorens who operates Llorens Boat Works and has personally performed work on our boat, Geronimo, on numerous occasions. He can do everything from painting your hull, repairs to fibreglass, epoxy, carbon fibre and other composites, and general boat repairs. If he can’t fix it for you here in Ponce, he can tell you who can, and you’ll find his prices very reasonable.
The reason I am adding this comment is that many times cruisers have visited Ponce and told me that they needed to find someone to work on their boat, but couldn’t find anyone there to help them and didn’t know who to contact. Ponce Yacht & Fishing Club can provide the haulout and Luis can work for your boat for a good price. For questions or quotes, contact Luis at 787-370-0278 or llorensglasswork@yahoo.com.
Bruno and Nanette Bruchhof
s/v Geronimo