Greetings feller' sailers'!
Not 'dat ya'll already didn't knows' 'dis, but jest' in case I'll have ya'll know 'dat the streets of Old San Juan are paved with ballast of all things.
Not gold mind ya' for if 'dat had been the case, 'den fer' sure somebody would have swiped it all by now. (present company excluded of course...)
Nope, all 'dem blue cobble-stones a lying about the streets of Old San Juan was simply the ballast of choice back in the days when Spanish Galleons would sail across the Atlantic wit' da' expressed intent of retrieving whatever fortunes had already been plundered in 'da New World.
And of course it goes wid'out sayin' 'dat gold was the ballast of choice for the return trip back home.
But what ya'll prob'ly don't knows is 'dat on the east coast of the island is a mighty fine marina 'wit all the amenities 'dat a feller' sailer' could possibly want with the possible exception of Heineken beer.
For ya see, I seem to vaguely remember drinkin' up all 'dem Heinekens while at the marina bar one night before being unceremoniously booted out of the place and told 'dat they done run out of Heinekens. But 'den yet agin', 'dat bar manager might have been a tellin' me a fib' 'fer all I knows.
In any event, 'dat fine upscale marina was designed and constructed in conformity with the King of Spain's edict back in the day. An edit 'dat stated 'dat all Spanish ports were to have a pier wide enough to accommodate his horse carriage should he personally elect to visit the new world.
Hence the name of 'dat fine marina. "Marina Puerto del Rey".
Marina Puerto del Rey, Bahia Demajagua, Puerto Rico
Yep... 'dat be me 'wit my young 'un a standing alongside a Spanish Galleon after furtively searching in vain fer' a bit of "ballast". Barcelona, Spain. 1991.
Dang! 'dat be 'sum mighty fine ballast if anybodys where to ask me.
And by da' way feller' sailers'... if per chance ya' mights happen to come across a certain barstool sailer' a claiming 'dat milk be bad fer' ya' and dat' ya' shouldn't be a drinkin' it, den' rest assured dat' he only be a tellin' ya' dis' 'cause he wants ya' to purchase a case or two of his gawd-awful soy milk dat' he gots' stored in his bilge.
Yippers, rest assured 'dat that soy milk he be a carting around as ballast ever since he done got booted out of Cuba is so gawd-awful 'dat not even the local Cuban populace wanted any part of it. So consider yor'selves forewarned folks 'cause 'dat barstool feller' be F.O.S. is what I says.
