Dominican (Republic) Detour

We can't really call it a detour when we intended to go to this beautiful place but if you look at the charts from David's blog about passages, it was a premature dip to the south if we were to stay inline with our general southeasterly direction.  I have wanted to visit the island of Hispaniola (part Haiti and part Dominican Republic) for years and it has always eluded me.  So, I wasn't going to pass right by it without stopping on this trip.  David spent two weeks here in 2011 on a mission.  He helped build an orphanage in the town of San Pedro de Macoris.  He had a wonderful experience and was happy to revisit especially when we were stopping in the north which he had not seen and the promise of cold Presidentes!  Just kidding!  We can get those beers almost anywhere!  They are good, though!

The sail to Luperon was very enjoyable.  We left French Cay midday and arrived late the next morning.  We ran out of wind off the coast but that was OK because it was an easy motor sail to the bay which we would have done anyway heading east.  What we found was a narrow channel between mountains into the anchorage that was somewhat marked and two areas full of boats on moorings.  Quite unexpectedly, we met Don Quijote at the entrance.  That was the same yacht moored to the detached dock across from us at Blue Haven in Provo.  They are storing their yacht for hurricane season in a shipyard in Luperon, we were informed when we met for some beers and a meal, while they spend time back home in Australia.  It is entirely possible that we meet again in Panama around the first of next year as they are headed to the South Pacific also.

As we were looking for a place to anchor, a weathered old man in a skiff with two younger fellows pulled alongside and offered us a mooring for the night for $3.  His name is Papo and he proved to be very helpful during our stay.  When all the boats are moored in a field, it is better to do the same as anchoring puts a boat out of sync with the swing radius of everyone else.  Once India was secure, we were instructed in the customs clearance procedures and given some useful introductory information by Papo, who also had a Dominican Republic courtesy flag available for sale (convenient for us and smart business for him).  We gathered our documents, launched tuk-tuk and were quickly on our way to town.

Customs and Immigration in Luperon is hilarious.  It just makes me smile out loud thinking about it.  There are five bureaus which need clearance with varying degrees of formality and an antiquated system, which I find charming although many people are probably exasperated by it.  It does become tedious because it is necessary to repeat the process in and outbound for each port.  That’s right.  Each and every port of call while in the country.  First there is customs for the boat and it’s contents.  Then there is immigration for the master, crew, and passengers.  Followed by Department of Agriculture for any plants and animals we might carry and bureau of tourism for our visitors cards.  And then, and this is the hilarious part even though all of these other offices had their moments, one is obligated to pay a visit to the commandant of the local military up the road in the barracks!  Most of the documents are replicated in carbon paper and there are lots of stamps and questions and required signatures and it is all done in Spanish, of course.  Good thing it is one of the languages I speak, although they will use a translation app on their phones if there is any confusion. Dominican Republic is a militarized country and the sight of fully armed soldiers in uniform is common but not particularly threatening.  The officers we dealt with were serious but friendly and one has the impression that they keep track of the movements of visiting tourists here.

Once we were finished with all that we went straight to a local cantina for a refreshing cerveza nacional - Presidente!  We were tired and hungry but happy to be there.  We joined up with the Don Quijote owners and had a lovely meal together at a small restaurante familial. We noticed right away how gracious and friendly the locals were.  They are extremely humble and so are the prices of their goods and services.

Luperon is a pleasant northern town that has become quite popular with cruising boats because of its protected bay.  It is known somewhat as a hurricane hole although it has never had a direct hit by one.  The mountains to the south are said to be wind breakers.  Consequently, the locals refer to the harbour as Gracias de Dios (Thanks to God).  Because it is so protected from winds, it is hot!  Dead calm, airless, sweltering, oppressive heat.  For the first time ever and on both of the nights we stayed there, we slept outside on the trampolines.  It was very cool sleeping under the stars and fortunately it didn't rain.  But when I say cool, I mean enchanting views and a novelty sleeping arrangement, it was only marginally cooler at night.

Given the heat, we charged up the mountains the next day to the 27 Charcos of Rio Damajagua (27 'puddles'), as recommended by Papo.  Conveniently his son Francis took us to the starting point of the guided hiking tour but we were only able to do 12 of the 27 Waterfalls, Jumps, Pools and Slides back down the mountain due to the severe lack of rainfall.  We were fitted out with helmets and life-vests (uncomfortable, we looked look a bunch of turtles, but better to be safe) and a bottle of water and off we trekked through the many trails and stairs and bridges to the first and highest jump of 25 feet!  From that point on it was an exhilarating and refreshing afternoon out of the heat and a yummy buffet afterwards in the cool hills.  Please endure our video below!  

Luperon was a great place to start our DR Detour.  It has a nice local vibe, not touristic at all.  We were able to stock up on coffee (4$ per lb) and beer and the small marina had a very good restaurant with WiFi.  Everyone was very friendly and happy to see us.  We were greeted by everyone we passed in the streets and by the time we cleared out of the port three days later, all the faces were somewhat familiar.  I know that the DR has a questionable reputation for tourism and in fact some very suspicious deaths were reported while we were there, but we felt completely safe and well taken care of the whole time.  Mind you, we didn't venture out much after dark in town. 

Our next port of call was Ocean World Marina near Puerta Plata.  This is a tourist area and an interesting comparison.  Once tied to the dock, this full service marina bought all the amenities to us.  Within the hour we were cleared through customs and hooked up with power and water.  They even took care of our laundry - very nice job on our sheets and towels!  There was a casino, a couple of restaurants, and a liquor store with snacks and it was in walking distance of Cofresi Beach.  The beach is named after a famous Pirate and was really hopping on the Sunday we were there.  People in the water, families on the sand, loud Merengue music playing from parked cars nearby.  A real hot mess!  Everybody happy!  David and I chose a Mexican Caribbean restaurant where we could watch the action from afar and had one of the best meals we've had in some time.  I had multiple Sangrias which were delicately concocted with a special spice blend and chicken enchiladas with mole sauce.  Absolutely the best mole I have ever had!  David's beef tacos were also very good!  Afterwards, we UBER-ed into town to walk around the Fort and spend time at the nearby arena right on the coast.  A really great day.

We wanted to spend more time in the DR but admit that the clearance process was a deterrent for any further stops on this trip.  We even ran out of time to go to the Ocean World Marine Park.  The local super market had complementary transportation so we took advantage of some inexpensive produce and beers and a tour through Puerta Plata and by the time we got our exit documents it was time to go.  Dominican Republic is not a country to be experienced in a couple of days.  Its a large country with lots to offer in terms of natural wonders, historical and cultural sights, along with restaurants, resorts, beaches and eco and sports excursions.  It really has it all and as a less developed economy is extremely affordable.  I am grateful to have had an opportunity to finally see it, but it was just a taste of what the DR has to offer, that's why I refer to this trip as the Dominican Detour.

A real Indian Tuk-Tuk in Luperon!

Local cantina and ice cold cervezas nacionales!

Some local food....sabrosa!

Fortaleza San Felipe

No words for this caption. Maybe 'David's big cannon'...!

Dramatic skies

View from offshore as we were leaving

Provo

Providenciales, or Provo, as it is known locally, is the most populated and popular island in the Caicos part of Turks and Caicos and certainly the most navigable part which is why we choose to drop in from the north as we exited the Bahamas.  A little research pointed us to Blue Haven, a newly built resort and marina (2013) that was damaged by hurricane Irma but reported to be up and running so we took a chance hoping for a little luxury for ourselves following the challenging three day passage to get there and a place to give our india a good washdown and scrubbing and some TLC.  They also extended piloting service through the reef infested entrance channel and on premises customs and immigration clearance upon arrival and we were able to secure online reservations, something we had not been able to accomplish in the Bahamas, you might remember.  The channel turned out to be fairly straight forward but a ripping three knot current and brisk wind made for some exciting docking maneuvers.  Following our entrance formalities and a quick tour of the resort amenities, we gave india a fresh water rinse down, had an arrival cocktail and took a well deserved siesta in full Air Conditioning!  Nice!

Blue Haven Resort and Marina is beautifully located in a sandy channel-wide cut that flows from the extreme depths of the northern waters to the shallow passages in the southern banks.  There are still remnants of hurricane damage.  Some quite evident, like the outer sections of marina dock completely severed from any connecting walkways to land, and some more subtle, in leaning trees and landscapes.  One can see the renovation work in progress which is hopeful but it’s unclear if the apparent low occupancy is due to those reasons or that May is an off season month.  There were very few yachts and even fewer guests at the resort but the restaurants and pool bar had some patrons and the spa (hooray!) was open.  There was a small coffee and gourmet shop for the fun stuff (like beer, wine and chocolate and decent croissants) which we frequented and the Wifi enabled us to update the IOS on our phones (finally) so we were in good hands and really enjoyed ourselves after tending to our faithful catamaran that delivered us safely.  She was salt free and blinding white in no time with a polish to her brightwork as well.  Her owners were able to stroll to dinner on the premises in the evenings and spend a glorious afternoon in the pool.  It was so nice.

To get south from there we needed to backtrack westward to get around to the southern banks.  We found a little anchorage on our charts that was only a few hours away and set off.  As we approached the shoreline we could see the dive moorings dotting the drop off zone where the depths plunge into abyss like dimensions.  I can only imagine how incredible it would be to SCUBA here.  It’s on our revisit list!  We anchored outside of a well designed resort that looked pretty fancy even from a distance on the water.  Turned out to be the secluded ultra-luxury five star Amanyara Resort with stylish bungalows each with its own black infinity pool and private access to the sea available for a mere 1800 USD per night!  Well, not so private anymore once we anchored in front of them with our binoculars and took advantage of their sunset views!  We shamelessly stayed two nights and played in their clear turquoise waters enjoying our own fabulous sunset cocktails on the boat for significantly less money!  Just one of the perks of a cruising sailboat!

In search of customs clearance outbound and the very necessary documents for entry into our next port of call in the Dominican Republic, we steadily made our way in good sunlight through the southern banks and anchored near a small island called Bay Cay.  It was like having our own little island for the night and was in direct line of sight to a small privately owned Marina called South Side.  David called ahead and made arrangements with the owner for our clearance appointment in the morning and found an interesting beach restaurant called Bugaloo for our last TCI meal.  We anchored tuk-tuk in the shallows and waded in to our table.  It was a good fish and chips meal but the Margaritas were the star!  Fresh squeezed limes, good Tequila and Grand Marnier.  It was a classic and expertly concocted and only $18 a pop.  Since I had three of them, it was half the dinner bill!  David was drinking the local lager called AIN GA LIE.  Clearance went smoothly the next morning and Bob, the marina owner was kind enough to drive us to a well stocked supermarket and pick us back up an hour later.  We took full advantage of that kind service and stocked up our fresh provisions.  If we ever make it back to Provo, we’ll definitely stay there!

Our last afternoon was spent sailing the beautiful Caicos banks to French Cay, a national park and perfect staging point where we could drop off the south end into blue water depths for our transit to the Dominican Republic.  It turned out to be one of our favorite sails; a gentle beam reach through our last big swimming pool as the sun dipped lower on the horizon.  We were able to enjoy the sunset and happy hour knowing that our next day would be restful.  We snorkeled around the reef the following morning and spotted a couple of rays and colorful fish before we stumbled upon a sleeping shark in the shallows.  It was over six feet long so we didn’t stick around to identify it for fear of provoking the giant from his slumber in case he was a morning gourmand.  The rest of the day was spent making water, doing laundry and last minute check and preparations for departure.

Although similar to the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos had its own style and was certainly more upscale in my opinion.  The people we met were very friendly and helpful and we enjoyed our short visit.  It wouldn't be fair to comment other than on our own very limited experiences and hopefully we'll get a chance to come back.  I would personally like to stay at Amanyara and SCUBA for a week, that would be grand!

Really great coffee and croissants!

The marina in the channel.  The sloop across from us is moored to a dock that is completely detached!

All clean and de-salted

Pool bar!!!! 

Infinity pool to the beach

Fun with my handsome man

Amanyara restaurant

Bugaboo's Beach Restaurant

Dingy Parking for Bugaboo's

Best Marquerita ever!

Cay Bay in south Provo

Look at this water!!!!!

From A to B...

When sailing there are usually many ways to get from A to B, depending on the weather, your schedule, your boat, other boats etc.  Oftentimes, when sailing for recreation, you choose a nice day, sail a distance that can be easily covered in daylight, and end up somewhere nice for dinner and overnight rest.  Fair weather sailors we would call those people.  For what we have chosen to do, we would love to be fair weather sailors, but the distances and timescales involved simply don't allow it.

So, it was just a few weeks into our great journey, after leaving Miami for the Bahamas, that we found ourselves planning our first 'passage' - loosely defined as a sail between two countries, or across a significant body of water.  Due to the distances involved a passage usually involves sailing more than 24 hours, in other words overnight, or maybe even two or more nights.  Our first real passage on catamaran india came as we left Georgetown in the Bahamas Exumas to go to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) - about 240 miles.  Up until then we had enjoyed short spurts between towns and islands in the Bahamas, Abacos and Exumas with no real stress.  240 miles may not seem far, but when you can only move at 5 - 8 knots, little more than walking speed, it takes a long time.

We planned this first passage to take about 40 hours, leaving late one day and arriving on the morning two days later.  Little did we know.  The wind had other plans for us.  We knew at this time of year, the winds are mostly from the East, the trades as they are known, and these are the famous winds that blow all those little tropical depressions all the way from the coast of Africa to become hurricanes by the time they reach the Caribbean.  Our passage to TCI took us in various directions to sail around the lower Bahama islands - Crooked Island, and Long Island, to our destination. But, whichever way we sailed the wind changed to always be head on. It is possible to sail when the wind is in many different directions to your intended heading, but head-on isn't one of them.  So we struggled for some time after leaving to find a direction where we could sail, and not have to use the engines, after all this is a sailboat, not a power boat, but doing so by tacking would have taken us far off our course and added many miles and hours to our itinerary.  On top of this, on our first evening of that first passage, just as the sun was setting behind us, the Genoa sail furling line decided to detach from the furling drum.  This is problematic.  One has a large sail deployed at the front of the boat, with no way of bringing it in. And when that beast of a sail has the wind, it harnesses a huge amount of power.  The seas were rough, and had been for some days, since the winds had consistently been 15-20 knots form the east, and the waves and rollers out in the open sea were easily six feet plus in height.  This results in a pretty uncomfortable ride as the boat pitches and rolls along its way.  I can tell you it is pretty uncomfortable laying on the trampolines up front, trying to repair the detached furler line, with disappearing light and water everywhere.  Of course, we fixed it, an hour later and we had a good temporary solution in place allowing us to control that Genoa.  Dara took care to steer a course that made the wave action as slight as possible, and we had full deck lights on so she could see if I was tossed overboard, so she could turn around and retrieve me.  A good team effort and back in action.

And so it continued for the next 50 hours, with us struggling to find parts of the course where we could sail, and resorting to motoring when we couldn't.  The other aspect of long passages is watch management, especially overnight.  This was my first taste of serious sailing in the dark, and I have to say it was less of a stress than I had imagined (other than the furler incident).  With modern technology, you can sail a course, take a nap at the helm, and feel perfectly safe.  We have a chartplotter with radar, so at night we can see exactly, to the metre, where we are in relation to the earth and seas around us, and also use the radar to spot objects around us, such as land masses and other vessels, even rain clouds and storms.  Then we use an iPad with a dedicated navigational app, and a backup on another iPad and two iPhones - all with GPS, so no worries knowing where we are.  Then we have a system called AIS (Automated Identification System) which sends out a unique signal from india with our details - size, name, MMSI number etc - and the ability to receive that same information from other vessels up to many miles away, so that we know who else is around and what their intentions are.  So no real need for headlights on the boat.  We have all the necessary navigational lights in addition to the great technology I mentioned, but even with no moon when it is pitch black and one can't even see the horizon, it is possible to feel safe as you lurch along your way through the waves.  The only things we really worry about are things in the water that shouldn't be there - like containers that fell off a ship (it happens - there are something like 50 lost every day worldwide), tree trunks, fishing pots and other large floating debris.  Oh - and lightning.  When you sail through the night you frequently see lightning on the horizon, and wonder why you would sit in a boat in the middle of the ocean with a huge lightning conductor pointing up to the skies.  Statistically there is a much higher chance of being hit by lightning on a sailboat than walking around on dry land, but it is still about one in a thousand.  Luckily, if it happens, it rarely, if ever, injures anyone, but it will take out ALL your electrical and electronics systems - you know, the ones I mentioned above that you need to keep you safe and navigate at night.  So sailing at night is not without it's orifice-clenching moments.

Dara has completed many passages but for me these were the first I had experienced.  The passage itself is exciting - being able to control this 26 ton beast through miles of rough seas, the weather and the darkness using new skills and technology was a rush.  We chose a catamaran because it is more comfortable than a monohull - but not in all situations - on a passage being downstairs is a somewhat terrifying ride.  The huge boat lurches unexpectedly from side to side, back and forth, pitching like a bullride at the local fair.  And the noise is unbelievable - the slap of the waves against the hulls is like someone trying to break through with a sledgehammer.  All the while the woodwork, cabinetry and fixtures are creaking and groaning as if they have a voice of their own.  Then the background soundtrack of the constant rush of the ocean water and waves all around as you try to catch an hour or two of sleep before your next watch.  On top of the auditory and visual bombardment comes the non-stop spray of salt water as the bows crash through the waves and leave you covered in a salty, greasy coating. And as each hour goes on, your mind and body starts to crave sleep and rest - but not until it's really over.  It is definitely something different!  

So far we have completed three longish passages - the first from Bahamas to TCI (240 miles), then TCI to Dominican Republic (a mere 120 miles), then DR to Puerto Rico (275 miles).  We are now staged in Puerto Rico to leave later today and sail overnight to St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.  All of these passages had rough seas, unfavourable winds and many long hours of watching the lightning.  Soon it will be better as we reach the easternmost point of this Caribbean jaunt. We then turn right and head more south towards the windward islands and down to Grenada.  Apart from better winds and sailing conditions, the jump from island to island becomes shorter and more easily achieved in a day-sail.  Then we can kick back a little, enjoy those happy hours and sunsets, and really appreciate this new adventure. 

By the way - I mentioned AIS above - there are several AIS trackers online which allow you to see where we are currently in the world. Here is a selection:

Marine Traffic

My Ship Tracking

Vessel Tracker

Our MMSI number is 368071790 - track us online!!

The infamous furling drum with furling line now attached again!

The passage from Georgetown, Bahamas to Turks and Caicos Islands

The passage from French Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands to Luperon, Dominican Republic

The passage from Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico