Cabo Rojo, PR
17.56.369N
67.11.846W

Pam & Charlie hailed us early this morning to let us know they were making their move north. We said our goodbyes and wished them well.

We made a dinghy ride into town to upload the internet posts and returned to ready the Palace for pre-staging to Cabo Rojo. We hoisted anchor about 2:30 pm and sailed most of the way.

After leaving Boqueron Harbor we looked back and witnessed for ourselves the thunderstorms VanSant describes in his cruising book. They build up over the land and then drift northwest out over the Mona Passage. An artist that we met in Boqueron told us that it rarely rains there. The rain clouds just pass overhead and move out to sea. When we called later to speak with Moon Goddess (who had elected to stay there for a few more days), it was raining.

Another observation that we made is that the mast isn't creaking as much. During the time that we were sailing across the Mona and things were quiet during the night, we heard a new creaking sound. We tracked it down and discovered that it was emanating from the mast (or at least the compression post vibrated when we heard the creaking sound. Dale tighted down the mast bolts that came through to the salon side and one of the pieces of standing rigging. So far the sound seems to have subsided.

Tonight finds us tucked just below the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse, a beautiful structure that is actually functional. It's refreshing to find navigational aids that work.

Tomorrow we head to Gilligan's Island. We were trying to hum the tune for Mike so that he could play it tomorrow at sunset on his sax but then Dale up and sang the entire song for him; word for word. Just when I thought he was under control, he lets out with one of his quirks. Oh well, I guess his real personality was bound to come out sooner or later.

Boqueron, PR
18.01.299N
67.10.621W

We searched out the internet cafe this morning. The crews from DocNoMore and MTNest joined us and we all hiked to where we thought we might be able to catch a bus to do some exploring. Unfortunately, after getting there, we learned that the buses only run every three to four hours at this end of the island. We did find a panaderia where we purchased the fresh bread I remember so well.

On our way back, we found a pizzeria where we ordered a couple of calzones. What? You've never heard of authentic Puerto Rican calzones? Well, these were good. Particularly when you haven't had one in a while. I tried making them on the boat but they turned out mostly bread. I'll continue to work on my cooking skills the further down island we go and the more expensive eating out becomes (the Luperon marina spoiled us with a special entre each day at happy hour.)

We finished the day playing Dominos with DocNoMore and MTNest. I really enjoyed that. I have either developed a compulsion to keep linear things lined up or its manifesting itself more aggressively now. Everyone had fun of me trying to keep the dominos straight on a boat. (I have a habit of arranging my french fries according to size too but don't tell anyone; its probably a symptom of some psychological malady.)

The wind is starting to calm down today and it supposed to do so again tomorrow. We plan on prestaging to Caba Rojo tomorrow afternoon and then on to Gilligan's Island on Wednesday.

Boqueron, PR
18.01.299N
67.10.621W

For us, it was a quiet day today. Darby came by to tell us how her cat had gone missing during the night. She surmised that the cat likes to sit in a port hole watching the world go by and must have fallen out during one of the more aggressive rolls (it doesn't wear its kitty lifevest when its inside.) Naturally she was upset and she and Gate searched not only the boat and its surrounding area but also went into town to search the shoreline. Incredibly, the cat was sitting a few feet from the dinghy dock by the telephones. It's a good thing the tide was coming in as it's a good 1/4 mile to the shore from where we are anchored. One life down, 8 to go.

We all joined up on Pam & Charlie's catamaran to study the islands to the south. They were very helpful in indicating where good anchorages and marinas were and very candid about the crime on the various islands. When you hear about the various dinghy thefts and boardings for money in such a concise fashion, it causes you to pause and reconsider the decision to cruise. Then I thought about the number of boats cruising, the number of incidents of crime, the safety and security measures we've taken, considered the percentages of it actually happening to us, then figured that we'd just be extra cautious or bypass those areas we've heard about and continue on our adventure. It's not like Dale is about to turn around and go back. Besides, I have pepper spray and I'm not afraid to use it! I guess that means I'd better find it.

We're still rolling considerably at anchor today so we went into town to get off the boat for a while. We walked down the beach in front of cabanas that appear to have been left over from when the Army was here. Dale thinks he remembers from our Navy days in Puerto Rico that MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) had cabanas that could be rented out. Well, they're still here and the park system is still renting them out. We met a couple from New York that come here for a couple of months each year for their vacation. They are right on the beach and something to keep in mind for future vacations.

We met up with crews from BlueStar, MTNest and Moon Goddess later for dinner. We learned that Moon Goddess' tender was damaged at the dinghy dock by a larger ski boat. We're not sure of the chronology of the events but it is evident that it fouled their prop on Moon Goddess' aft anchor line and sliced a gash in in their pontoon. (Due to the incoming swells, we would tie up to the dock and then throw out an aft anchor to keep us in place so as not to crash into the dock itself.) We're not sure if this all happened before or after the ski boat slammed into the docks tearing the end portion to pieces. Moon Goddess returned to find their anchor sitting on what remained of the end portion of the dock and 8' missing from their anchor line. Someone had moved their boat further down the dock to keep it from damaging further on the splinters and exposed bolts remaining.

We ran into Gate & Darby from Nicolino as we were leaving. They were delighted to have their cat back and Joe & Diane decided to pair off with them to go dancing the night away; what else can you do after day like theirs? The rest of us returned to our boats to turn in early. We're definitely cruisers now. Up with the sun; down with the sun and if you have a bad day, go dancing.

Boqueron, PR
18.01.299N
67.10.621W

Well the weather window definitely slammed shut today with winds in the anchorage at 20 kts and the swell rolling us from side to side. We've heard that the waves/swell in the Mona are now approaching 15' and the Coast Guard is broadcasting a lookout for a small sailboat overdue to arrive and a surfboard last seen heading out to sea.

We saw Darby leaving s/v Nicolino heading for town in her dinghy when it appeared to stall out. She tugged and tugged on the engine motor crank but to no avail. Dale and I jumped in ours and headed her way. When we got up to her, she threw her arms up in the air in frustration and promptly fell overboard. We grabbed her dinghy and held it for her as she crawled back in. Once back in the boat, she explained what she had done and Dale teased her that she needed to connect the fuel line to the engine to get anywhere (she had connected one end to the fuel tank but not the other end). I guess the reason I mention this at all is that it reminded me of something I had done in the Bahamas. Geri and I, being military wives, are independent women and had taken off into Marsh Harbor on our own. However, on our way back, we couldn't get the engine to start. I tugged and tugged on the crank until I was red in the face. A gentleman walked by and took pity on us and reminded me that you need to turn the switch on before anything will engage. Its all in the details!

Dale & I met up with Mike & Terri (MTNest) and walked around the little seaside town of Boqueron. It's a hopping place during the weekends, likened to Key West on Spring Break stateside. The music blared quite late into the night but we were too tired to notice for very long. Eventually we met up with Roger & Elaine (Doc-No-More) and sat outside the local establishments drinking sodas and watching the crowds pass by.

Dale and the guys headed back to the boats and gathered our information for checking in. Gate & Darby (Nicolino) told us that they had only called in using the Culebra telephone number (Culebra is an entirely different island but if it worked, we'd use it). Unfortunately, Culebra instructed us to call the local number. However, that was all it took. The guys passed the telephone around and within an hour, we were all checked in and administratively pure.

Later in the evening, Pam, Charlie and James (their crew) joined us where we had staked out a table. Then during the course of the evening, we would dart off in various directions for local delectables being sold on the street. Of course, we touted the flavors of "pinchos" and encouraged everyone to try them (barbequed meat on a stick). Pam & Charlie started telling us of their experiences down island and when we started taking notes (literally) they invited all of us over to their boat to go island by island down the chain and they would tell us whether, in their opinion, it was worth going to, crime in the area, cost, etc. We all promised to meet tomorrow and headed back to our boats.

I guess we've outgrown Spring Break. We were there for the food and what shopping bargains we could find (none).

Boqueron, Puerto Rico
18.01.299N
67.10.621W

Land Ho! Puerto Rico! As soon as the sun set yesterday, you could see the glow from Puerto Rico on the horizon.

As you may recall from yesterday's posting, we were making pretty good time on our transit from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. In fact, we were doing so well that we needed to slow down. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to slow a boat down when you're traveling too fast? First, we turned off the engine. Then we reefed the jib. Then we reefed the main (we began to wonder whether it would or not with the pucker at the bottom). Then we reefed the jib again and pulled the main in completely. Then the wind died down and we had to let everything back out again. When the wind finally quit all together, we pulled everything in and turned on the engine running at 1000 RPM's and still doing about 3.5-4 kts. Then the tide started pushing us to shore. At that point, the sun was starting to rise so we kept on going. We set our anchor at 7:45 am, about as exact to 48 hours as you could get.

We were the first into the harbor and spotted a large catamaran in the anchorage. We circled around and then hailed Blue Star to wake up Pam & Charlie. We had first met them 3 years ago when they were in Jacksonville tied up to a slip just down from our friends, Fred & Geri. They've been in Trinidad/Tobago and other southern islands for the past 3 years and are on their way back to Jacksonville to replenish the cruising kitty.

Two of the boats traveling with us elected not to slow down but to continue on to Ponce further down the southern side of Puerto Rico. Four of us entered into Boqueron within 2 hours of each other; the fifth, a couple of hours after that; and finally Moon Goddess came in just before sundown and promptly ran aground. They backed off without difficulty and were able to anchor not far from us.

After a quick chat with Pam & Charlie, we hit the rack to make up for the missed sleep. We spent a quiet afternoon, washing the salt off the boat, putting our transiting gear away, and taking much needed showers ourselves. Except for Moon Goddess, who couldn't resist the throbbing beat of the local music establishments, the rest of us elected to stay on our respective boats and call it an early night.

Tomorrow we'll figure out how to check in. The cruising guides say its just a matter of calling in but others believe that since 9/11, it is necessary to physically go over to Mayaguez to check in. We'll sort it out in the morning.

01/26/2006
East Coast of the Dominican Republic


It was a quiet night and thankfully nothing of interest happened; the main sail is still holding; hopefully until we can get to Fajardo where we know there is a good sail repair facility. Dale and I alternate 3 hours on, 3 hours off watches. We try to nap as much as we can in our off hours during the day so that we can stay alert during the night, so I was proud to be able to tell Roger when he radioed about the bright light that had started him when he turned around, was just a light coming from shore without a touch of my normal panic whenever there's even the most remote possibility of a freighter in our vicinity.

We finally made it to the hourglass shoals which seemed to take forever. The currents in this area kept shoving us north and for a period, we seemed to be making a circle around our waypoint without getting any closer to it. We are officially in the Mona Passage now. Thank God its quiet. For as far as we can see, the Mona is calm.

We have been doing better than we anticipated time wise and estimate that at the rate we're traveling, we'll arrive in Puerto Rico about 1 or 2 am. We prefer to enter a new harbor in the daylight, so we're going to turn off the engine and sail from here on.

Seven of the eight boats that took off from Luperon yesterday are now scattered along the route for about 20 miles. Moon Goddess is falling further and further behind; we're guessing that she's 50 miles behind us. We worry that she'll not make it across the Mona before the window closes.

North Coast of Dominican Republic
19.39.673 N
69.52.735W

We kept saying we weren't leaving, right up until we hoisted anchor at 7am and left. What can I tell you? When we went to bed, the wind finally died down and the wind generator did not come back on for the remainder of the night. This morning we got up at 5:30 and pulled up the weather information; no change; a window of favorable conditions for about 48 hours.

We saw signs of everyone else getting up and making preparations but no movements. Edgar over on Nine-Twenty-Four radioed to let us know that his brother called from Puerto Rico to say that they were predicting 12' waves in the Mona Passage by Saturday; they weren't going. We knew about this and reminded him that the plan was to be in by morning on Friday. Gate over on Nicolino asked that we call them when we went out and let them know what the sea state was. Still no one made a move. It was going on 7am, the Commandante had not appeared. Everyone kept asking us what we were going to do. Finally, we said let's get this over with! We'll go out, if it's bad, we'll come back in.

Obviously, it wasn't that bad. The sea was calmer than the first time we tried a week ago and we knew that as soon as we cleared the point, it would calm down even further. Which it did. We've motorsailed all day and have made good time. We've learned that the Van Sant cruising guide was right about the cape effects but we haven't hugged the shore as closely as he suggested and have been doing quite well. We just head towards shore until the seas and wind subside a bit and then tack back and forth until we get around the point. So far, this has paid off for us since we point higher than our catamaran buddies and use the extra wind to our advantage.

We've also noticed that our main sail is starting to show a pucker at the bottom of the sail which would indicate that the sail needs to be hoisted up. This probably means that my attachment repair is failing and it is starting to fall. Since we need our sails for as long as possible, we have elected to tack as quickly as we can until it either completely fails and collapses, or the winds subside to the point where we can try to roll it back in.

Hispanola is a massive island. Sailing along its northern shores showed us more of its natural beauty. The subtropical greens of its mountains reached down to the cliffs that bordered the Atlantic Ocean along this shore. We saw several mansions along this coastline that we imagined must belong to the Dominican baseball players that come to the US to play professionally. Several areas looked like they might be golf courses overlooking the cliffs but then they could have been meadows simply seen from a distance. It only proved to us that there is much more to see on this beautiful island.

This will be one of the longest passages we've ever made and, of course, through the Mona Passage which takes a full 24 hours to transit by itself.

For background information, the Mona is very much like the Gulf Stream, only wider. It has its own current/currents and with two good sized islands (Puerto Rico on the east; Hispanola on the west) with huge mountains channeling their winds and thunderstorms down and around through the passage. If you don't wait for a favorable weather forecast, you'll get your clock cleaned pretty quick. We've waited for one that predicts less than 15 kts of wind and seas of 4-6'. If anything, wind and seas have been less than what we were expecting. I guess all of those weeks waiting is finally paying off.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

We started the day listening to the weather reports and checking the various sites for sea states. We determined that we might have another small window of 48 hours to try to make Puerto Rico. After having done this once before, I didn't feel the anticipation that I normally get before a crossing. Still, we went through the motions. We paid our tab at the marina, picked up the laundry, uploaded our posts to this site and visited the Commandante. Apparently, there is a new rule (according to him per US instructions) that all vessels leaving for US ports, ie Puerto Rico, must have an inspection to document that there are no illegal aliens on board 1 hour prior to leaving. OK fine. Since we plan on leaving at 6 am that means they have to be here by 5 am. No problemo he tells us. He gives us a new dispatchio and says he'll visit us in the morning.

We make arrangements to meet later with several other boats besides our little group that are hoping for the same window. However, by the time we meet in the evening, we all notice that the winds have not died down as predicted and still gust to 20kts or better in the harbor. Elaine made the observation that there is no dominant voice in the group to say 'This is what we are all going to do' to make it easier for everyone to blame someone other than themselves for making the decision.

Although we are anxious to leave, Dale & I and Roger & Elaine are leaning more towards not going at this point. We learned from the last time that the winds and waves are a lot more than we bargained for when the winds are still blowing in the harbor. Moon Goddess is hell bent on leaving in the morning. MTNest is cautious but anxious to leave; we'll see what happens.

After all of the back and forth, we returned to the Palace where Dale asks me what I want to do. I tell him that once we go to bed, we should leave the wind generator on. If it starts turning (usually at 10 kts) prior to our departure time, we stay. It's about time for us to go to bed now and it hasn't turned off yet. I don't think we're going anywhere tomorrow.

The next window looks to be in another week. We're going to get pretty good at playing dominos. We're also going to have to start a college fund for the Commandante's new baby and make our dispatchio deposits there.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

Again with the wind and rain. At least today it was more wind than rain but still the wind continued to blow 20 kts. with gusts up to 30kts. I noticed another boat had dragged during the night and another that decided to use their riding sail. I'm surprised they haven't used it before now since they were one of the ones dancing like crazy and dragged the first day. My little homemade sail it still hanging in there and doing a fine job.

I started the day making English muffins from scratch. Not bad. Next time I'll make them bigger and let them rise longer. Dale and I had wanted to check e-mail and upload the last 7 posts today but Steve's was closed.

It was our turn to host cocktail hour among our little group, so we swept, mopped, dusted, scrubbed toilets, sinks and finally tucked those items away that have no real place on the boat. We hung my swing from the back arch, rolled up some of the side curtains, added a few throw cushions to the cockpit, took the wheel off and welcomed our friends. The first few minutes were show and tell to those who haven't been on it before and then the rest of the time we talked about everything and nothing. Again, the big topic of conversation was the go, no go decision to be made on Wednesday.

We'll have to go soon or I'll have nothing more to write about.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

Another rainy and windy day. Since we had dinner reservations at Casa de Sol, we decided to forego our trip to the Sunday swap meet/barbeque and save our appetites for dinner.

We spent most of the day reading and tidying up inside. When the wind picked up to 30 kts, we watched as a couple of boats that have been here for months/years? started dragging and offered to assist when other boaters went out to forage in the anchor lockers for secondary anchors to throw out. The only problem is who's going to go out when the wind changes directions to untangle the anchors when they foul and the boats start to drag again? Thankfully, MTNest stayed put as did the rest of our little group.

The rain seemed to abate when the sun went down and we all ventured out in our dinghies (except Joe who's still under the weather) to meet for dinner. The meal was good but the desserts were excellent. Stan, who owns the restaurant, picks up the patrons at the marina and drives them to the restaurant, cooks and entertains was quite the guy. He prepared bananas flambé and pineapple flambé for our desserts with the flourish of a born actor. Then he prepared a coffee liquor that was also flambé d. We tried to tell him that he needs to advertise either on the radio net or by brochure to let the boaters know what his restaurant has to offer. He seemed genuinely interested in our suggestions and we wished him well.

When we got back to the marina, it started to rain again. Of course, by the time we descended the hill and into our dinghies, it was a downpour and we were soaked to the skin when we finally made it back to the Palace.

The main topic on each of our minds has been the tiny window we thought we were going to see this week. Unfortunately, it seems to be disappearing before it ever developed. We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. Right now, it seems we are in for a few more days of this weather.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

It was rainy and windy today so Dale and I stayed on the boat most of the time. I had made a riding sail prior to leaving Florida and we attached it to the back of our boom today. It does seem to keep us from swinging so drastically in the winds that gust to 30kts (thankfully we haven't seen any 40 kts ones today,) but I worry that since I made it of canvas, it won't hold up in these winds.

Elaine and I took her laundry in during one of the dry spells and we walked up Gringo Hill for something to do. We stopped and explored a house that had been built but then left unfinished. It was in a hacienda style with the house built around a small open courtyard. We teased that if we can't get out of Luperon that we'd sell the boats and buy the house.

Later in the evening, we all made the wet dinghy ride in and trekked up the hill to hear Mike play his keyboard and saxophone. Terri seemed to be in better spirits since they didn't drag today when other boats did.

From the top of the hill we saw Darby (from Nicolino) trying to paddle with one oar against 20 kt winds. (She had made it to the dock but was blown back out again when she didn't get the boat tied up quickly enough.) Dale was on his way down to go get her when we saw Doug swing by and tow her in. She still mourns the loss of a custom dinghy (that "drove like a car") which was lost prior to arriving in Luperon. Gate purchased a new one but it is smaller and has an outboard motor that she hasn't mastered yet. Needless to say, by the time Gate arrived, Darby was wet, mad, frustrated (they've been here for 2 months) and on her second beer.

One sad note today. Norma is a tiny lady about 70 years old. She and her husband arrived here about 3 years ago with their cocker spaniel. Four months ago, her husband died of a heart attack. She decided that she loved Luperon, her boat, her dog, and her life here (social security goes a lot further here than it does in the US). Today, her dog died. Those that knew her well held a little funeral and were comforting her as best they could. I realize that it's her choice to live here, but I find myself wondering what will happen to her when people move on.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

Today was a farm yard day. Mike & Terry (MTNest), Roger & Elaine (Doc-No-More) and Dale & I met early to go horseback riding. Diane & Joe (Moon Goddess) declined as she was just getting over a bug and Joe was just coming down with it.

Mario picked us up at the government dock and took us to his home. While the rest were talking with his daughter, I watched as his stable boy brought in the horses and then as they selected the ones we would be using. I spotted a pretty red stallion that didn't look very old and stepped rather nicely when he was roped.

Mario selected a grey and asked who had experience riding. Mike indicated that he did and Mario proceeded to pair us up with horses that would match our abilities. Although I have experience, its more than 20 years old. I was hoping that it would be like riding a bicycle. He generally put the men on the livelier mounts but when he said that he was going to put me on a slow one, I declared my experience and was delighted when he indicated the red pony I had spotted. I was pleased to hear that the red preferred to be in the lead yet I had to prove to Mario that I could mount, ride, stop, and turn before he agreed to let me have it. Thank God it was like riding a bicycle.

Once I got my rhythm back, I became the instigator to a quicker ride and Dale and I rode in the front often allowing our horses to break into a trot and occasionally a gallop before Mario would put his hand over his heart and beg us to slow down. I have to admit, some of our fellow riders looked like they were clinging to the saddle horns for dear life. Poor Roger mounted reasonably well but for the life of him couldn't figure out how to get off when we stopped for a soda. Elaine sweet-talked her grey mare into keeping up but then learned that the mare was a follower; if we walked, she walked, if we trotted, she trotted. Throughout our 4 hour ride, Elaine stayed in the middle and was quite content to do so. Terri brought up the rear but flatly refused to use her heels or a switch to cajole her mare into keeping up. I don't think she was happy about it but she was one of the people who looked white knuckled too.

We rode along dirt roads throughout the countryside. Little farms nestled all the way up to the foot of the mountains; I thought it was beautiful. We still saw barefoot children playing in mud puddles but here it just reminded me of what country kids do on rainy afternoons.

We visited a local farm that made the cheese Elaine and I had purchased when we first got to Luperon. We stopped for a soda at a little shack alongside of the road and we stopped by a retaining pond that the farmers had constructed to help irrigate their farms. Mario told us of how back in the 50's the dictator had taken half of everyone's property for the state creating a mess of red tape to this day (since the government couldn't reimburse them for it, the people still retained title to the property so the government can't sell the property and the people can't use it.) He explained that the farmers became discouraged and stopped farming but that things are starting to change now and the government is encouraging people to farm again (he didn't say that the government was giving them back the property either.)

We returned in time for a late lunch in town and decided that we would catch the Friday afternoon cock fights at 3:00pm. The preparation was more interesting than the actual fights in my opinion. We watched as the roosters were shaved (except for their heads, wings and tails), taped and then the spurs were added to their legs. The one thing that we noticed, that we hadn't taken into consideration, was that there were "more people packin' than at the Policeman's Ball" (Dale's description). Most of those who were carrying handguns were asked to empty the chambers at the door to the club wielding and pistol packin' security guards. They were allowed to keep their weapons and keep their bullets so I'm not sure what type of deterrent this was supposed to create. We watched two fights, with its tickets and money going this way and that like the feathers that eventually flew, then left. Mike had started hooping and hollering when everyone else did and we got more of a kick out of him than we did the fights. But now we can say that we've been to a cockfight.

About half way in our walk back to the dinghy dock, Jose (our previous tour guide) caught up to us on his motorcycle and told us that one of our boats was dragging in the harbor. He didn't know which one it was. As we got closer, some other boaters recognized us and identified the the vessel as MTNest. We picked up our pace and I heard Terri tell Mike that she just wanted to leave (they've had a horrible time trying to stay anchored here.)

We got back in time to see several dinghies finish securing MTNest to Moon Goddess again. There were 3 anchors out at various angles and Diane told us that they had endured 44kt winds in the anchorage while we were gone. MTNest was one of many that had dragged. As they had 140' of chain out and they didn't want to put out a second anchor with the 360* turns we make in this harbor, we suggested that they add their second anchor to their primary about 40' back from their first anchor. They decided that this was a good idea and we helped them collect the anchors that held them in place and then re-anchor setting the two anchors. Dale had them square up on the single line and back down hard. They didn't appear to move, so we're hoping that they stay put for the rest of their time here.

Since we're now in the midst of the front that is moving through, we realize that we're going to be here for a while longer. It will take days for the seas to calm down after all of this wind.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

Happy Birthday Kyle! We love you.

Elaine and I got our hair cut today. A lady on another boat offered to do it for us. I guess you get what you pay for. Both of us ended up with quite short styles. At least mine grows quickly. It seems the longer we're out here, the shorter mine gets and the longer Dale's gets.

By the time I returned from my scalping, Gate and Darby from Nicolino (a sister ship to ours) were just getting off their dink for a visit to see the modifications we've made to the Palace for cruising. I'd heard that they keep their boat immaculate, so I was hoping that Dale had made the bed after we stripped it for taking to the laundry. I wasn't that lucky. They graciously oo'd and aah'd and then invited us over to theirs later in the day.

It rained off and on most of the day but we were able to join Roger & Elaine for a hike up the hill on the other side of the harbor to a proposed marina site. The developers have extensive plans but apparently faltered when it was discovered that they didn't hold a clear title. If its ever completed, it will be quite grand. Unfortunately, until the water is cleaned up, I don't see where they will attract the clientele it would take to make the waterfront condos, single family home sites and a golf course a successful business.

Between rain drops, we took our laundry in and then stopped by Nicolino to compare notes. It was true, their boat was immaculate. We found out that Gate is an interior designer for large hotel complexes. It showed. The boat was beautiful and inviting but it wasn't set up for long term cruising either. However, it did give me some ideas about making the cockpit more comfortable when we return stateside.

The nasty weather we've been watching should probably pass through here this weekend but we're hoping that we can go horseback riding tomorrow.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

You know, you really don't exercise on a boat the way you do on land. I figured that running up and down our stairs on the companionway half a dozen times a day would put me in pretty good shape. However, today I feel each and every one of the 365 steps I climbed yesterday.

Dale and I went for a walk over the hill to the beach today to help loosen my legs up. Elaine and Roger joined us. We walked by 'Gringo Hill' where the ex-pats live and through the resort over by the beach. Then we followed a dirt road up the hill to the plateau that marks the way to the entrance channel to Luperon. From up there the view was magnificent. We could see the ocean to the north, the channel to the east and the harbor to the south with the mountains in the distance. Intermingled with all of this was farm land. Roger, Elaine and Dale deferred to my farm girl judgment in passing a herd of cattle that lounged in the middle of the road. So I picked up a stick and took the lead. I'm happy to report that nothing happened. Even the two Brahma bulls laying in the middle of the road ignored us as we passed by. (I have to admit, after wacking them on nose if they had challenged us, I'd run like hell. I try not to mess with bulls.)

If you only saw this little corner of the island, you'd live here in a heart beat. At the top of the hill looking down, there was a small house tucked below the plateau yet still quite a bit higher than sea level. It had a beautifully tended lawn and a rock fence surrounding the property. There's something about that house that's stayed in my mind. A lot smaller than the gringo houses but so peaceful and serene.

Later, Dale & I walked into town and stopped into Steve's Place where he checked our e-mail and I rocked Stephanie, Steve's 4 month old daughter, in a wicker rocking chair on an open air veranda. We met MTNest and Moon Goddess for lunch, then we dropped by the local bakery on our way back to the boat for a couple of loaves of freshly baked bread for slicing up and dipping in olive oil sauces for appetizers on MTNest later this evening. We were joined by our regular group plus Edgar on Nine-Twenty-Four (Jenny wasn't feeling well) and Marc and Louis, a couple of French Canadians on their way to St. Martin to pick up their wives. It was a wonderful day for enjoying the simple things in life.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

I believe I've mentioned before how just doing the simple things can take an entire day. Today was one of those days. We hired a minibus to take the four boat crews (Doc-No-More, MTNest, Moon Goddess and us) to Santiago to do our grocery shopping. Janet at the marina loaned us her Price Club Card so we were excited to go shopping American style. However, we knew that we had to be back to the marina by 5:00 pm because Mike (MTNest) was going to be performing at happy hour. He's a very talented keyboard and saxophonist. (Remember back when we were in Georgetown and I thought the guy who played during the Christmas sing along might be a preacher? Well, he's a retired music teacher and has a rather ribald sense of humor.)

We stopped at the monument to various revolutions in Santiago and climbed the 365 steps to the top. After we descended, we apparently offended the local who opened the door for us because we didn't tip him to his expectations. We've been told that there is a fine line between tipping for a service and being "stupid". The only thing this guy did was open the door; we certainly weren't going to tip him the $5 he wanted from each of us and he wasn't very happy with what we offered, so we left.

We then went to a Radio Shack at the local mall to pick up a couple of motion detectors we had been told about. (We heard a first hand account of an incident in Venezuela where a boater was boarded by would be thieves.) While we were at the mall, we had lunch at their food court. All of the Dominicans were eating at the Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dominios and Chinese food take out, and all of the 'gringos' were eating at the DR fast food place. Dale & I decided to eat at the Puerto Rican sandwich shop.

From there we did our grocery shopping. First at the Price Club and then at another local grocery store. Unfortunately, when we returned from our second store, our driver was missing in action. It took us a hour to track him down. I don't think we ever did completely understand where he disappeared to. Of course, this put us dangerously close to running out of time as we were over an hour away from Luperon.

Unlike our way to Santiago when we got caught behind a horse drawn buggy (like what you might see the Amish drive,) on our way back we were behind a convoy of trucks hauling dirt/mud up the mountain side and then down the other. We didn't pull in to the marina until 5:30 pm and then we had to dinghy our food back to our boats before returning to watch Mike perform.

However, it was a great ending to the day. A couple of the other boaters got up to sing while Mike played the keyboard and Nancy played guitar. It's amazing when people have such clear, beautiful voices sitting next to you but put a mike in their hands and suddenly every squeak comes out.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

About 2:30 am there was a kiss in the night. Thank God it wasn't us; it was MTNest and Moon Goddess. Poor Terri and Mike had been exhausted when they arrived and it took them half a dozen tries at two different locations with two different anchors to get one to set. So when they bumped Moon Goddess in the night, Terri was in no mood to reset the anchor. They started off trying to untangle their anchors but ended up just rafting together for the remainder of the night. Dale and Roger went over first thing this morning to help them untangle and reset the anchor. So far its held. After discussing the situation ad nauseam we decided that they probably didn't drag but instead bumped because they were closer to the mangroves where the current passes by quicker than in the middle area. Moon Goddess was further in and probably didn't turn as quickly as they did when the tides changed. Anyway, they're untangled now and hopefully it won't happen again.

Mike had fun the with interaction by saying that after they rafted up he heard a lot of moaning and groaning but when he went topside, he found that with all of the bumping and grinding during the night, the two boats had produced a little one between them (the dingy had wedged itself between the two boats). Mike is quite the jokester and I look forward to having them in our little group heading south.

I finished making my rain catcher and we've decided to put it on the back suspended between the two arches. This way the cockpit protects it some from the wind while the arches support it. I hope it works this time. We've missed a couple of opportunities to replenish our water supply. Also, with this one totally devoted to catching water, I can make sure it stays clean and not have to waste water by waiting for the rain to wash it off first.

The rest of the day was spent reading and baking an hors d'oeuvre for our cocktail hour on Doc-No-More. Elaine had also invited MTNest, Moon Goddess and Meridian Chaser. We figure that there will be about 9 boats trying to catch the next weather window. Moon Goddess and Meridian Chaser are monohulls, so we won't be left in the dust by Doc-No-More and MTNest which are catamarans.

Tomorrow we are all going shopping in Santiago. If you can't do anything else, go shopping.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

This morning started off rainy but ended up as another beautiful day in paradise, DR style. We joined Doc-No-More, MTNest and Moon Goddess at the fleamarket/barbeque, then returned to our boat for the remainder of the day. I had decided that we needed a different type of rain catchment system. The one I had originally sewn was an awning for the front of our boat that when dropped down would catch water in a drain that we could connect a water hose to. However, in using it, we discovered that it was too large when there was any wind involved. So, I made a simple square one, with the same drain system. It took me the better part of the day to put it together but I should have it finished by tomorrow. In the meantime, Dale started reading "Into Thin Air." Unfortunately, this makes for a very boring entry into the blog.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

This morning about 7:00 am Calaloo and another boat pulled out prior to the trade winds picking up. We checked the buoy reports that reflected worse conditions than we had anticipated for today but as they didn't return, we wished them the very best in their travels.

MTNest (whom we had met in Georgetown) and Moon Goddess (who had anchored next to us in Ft. Pierce) came straight to Luperon from Provo to keep from getting caught in the closing window. They said that they had endured a miserable night; conditions had improved during the day but were once again deteriorating as they got closer to Hispanola. Again, we thought of Calaloo.

Except for going out to the entrance to guide MTNest and Moon Goddess in, we stayed on the boat reading most of the day. At happy hour though, we made our way up the hill to hear the local talent for open mike night and were once again harassed. The singer teased us by calling us the "come and go" group when we entered which in turn garnered the attention of the Commandante.

Elaine and I were seated at the table when he approached and asked us in broken English why we had not left. Elaine tried to explain in her less than fluent Spanish that we had tried to leave but that the seas and wind were against us so we had to stay. We asked him to join us and by the time the guys sat down and bought him a beer, we had started a Spanglish conversation that would last the better part of the night. Before he had departed our table, his second in command had joined us and by the end of the evening, we had met the mayor of Luperon who had been the second in command's geography/history teacher in high school.

Although I don't speak Spanish, I have picked up enough to understand more than I speak, if the conversation is slow. Since the Commandante was trying to use more of his English and everyone else was trying to use their Spanish, it was a very slow conversation. I thought I did pretty good when I understood what the Commandante was trying to say about the rainy season and they didn't. All in all, it was quite the evening and we didn't get fined or asked to leave. We'll make sure our harbor fees are paid on time and probably speak with the Commandante again before we leave just to be on the safe side.

It looks like we're going to be here for a while.

Luperon, DR
19.54.031N
70.56.897W

To go, or not to go. That is the question. Whether tis nobler to leave and possibly get your butt kicked or err on the side of caution and become another semi-permanent citizen of Luperon.

Last night when we went to bed, it seemed the decision had been made that the window we were hoping for was too short to go from here to Puerto Rico with any kind of safety margin. By that I mean that you look for a weather prognostication of a day for the seas to flatten out, 2 days to cross and another day of good weather just in case the area of calm is going through faster than you anticipated.

This morning, the forecast we had was for one day of good wind and sea, followed by a rougher day followed by two and a half good days. Another forecast was just plain ugly, the third and fourth were somewhere in between. After a little conference, we changed our minds and decided that although it wasn't perfect, it would probably be another 10 days before we saw another opportunity to go.

Dale and Roger made a visit to the Commandante's office to pay the fee(?) and checked us out of the harbor with the other various and as sundry offices. We ran by the other boats who had shown interest in leaving with us and let them know we were preparing to move. One said it was a Friday (superstition says that you don't start a trip on a Friday) and to top that, it was a Friday the 13th; nope he'd stay. Another said they were leaving but on Saturday (same reason?) and the last was non-committal. We called a local guy to come scrape off the barnacles and we talked with some people on a boat that had come through Samana who said that although they had to pay the entry fee again, the officials were polite and they didn't feel threatened in any way. Also, just to be on the safe side, Dale and I took a dingy ride out of the harbor to the ocean itself and looked. The seas appeared to be flat and the winds seemed to be calmer outside of the harbor than in. OK, a go it is!

We scurried around, paid our tab at the marina bar, said our good-bys and readied the boat for an open ocean transit. This involves putting the hammock, books and dishes away, and bringing out the jack lines, tethers and harnesses. Also, since we anticipated crossing the Mona Passage (much like crossing the Gulf Stream,) we put the dink up on the bow of the boat. Once everything was secure, we hoisted our anchor, washed off as much mud as we could and departed Luperon about 4:15 pm.

By 5:30 pm we were back and re-anchoring in roughly our same spots. We had threaded our way out of the harbor but once past the cape to the east of us, the seas and wind picked up considerably. We were only making 2.9 kts with both the wind and swell directly on our noses. We weren't going anywhere fast. After a couple of 10' waves a lot closer than the 10 seconds predicted, Doc-No-More declared that this wasn't any fun. Our boat was doing fine as long was I was hand steering but if we used the auto-pilot, we would be bashing through those same waves after dark. So, we chalked this one up to a character building exercise.

What we didn't realize though, was that we were providing the evening's entertainment for the barflies. Some had actually crossed over the hill to watch to see if we cleared the cape. Then we really entertained them when it took Dale and I three attempts to get our anchor to hold in this muddy goo. We ascended the hill to a round of applause and glad handing welcoming us back from our voyage. We took our licks and started a new bar tab.

Now that we sit here in dead air doing circles over our anchor, I wonder if we gave up too soon. We know that sailing is better done at night in this area to use the lee of the island to shelter you from the wind and waves. I also know that this is a tricky harbor to enter and although I just saw a boat do it, I certainly wouldn't want to try to come in here after dark. So, we'll sit here and ponder what we may have learned from the experience and wait for the next window to come through. Hopefully, it will be before we become Luperon semi-permanent citizens.

Santo Domingo, DR

Bright and early Wednesday morning, we secured the boats and Nancy & Doug from Presque Isle, picked us up and dropped us off at the dinghy dock in Luperon. We hired a taxi to take us to Imbert where we bought tickets for the bus to Santo Domingo. I was relieved that they used a numbering system to assign us seats that we didn't have to share with goats, pigs or chickens. In fact the young man monitoring the boarding, kept an eye on us to make sure we got on the right bus and that we were put on the bus together. We were amazed that when we finally made it to Santo Domingo, we were the last passengers aboard the bus. So the driver took us directly to the old town area where we were staying. He told us that he was turning the bus into a taxi; we paid him accordingly.

Santo Domingo itself is a bustling city with the same dichotomies of old and new side by side. I wished I had been quicker with my camera to capture the scene of the man selling bananas from a wooden two-wheeled wagon pulled by a mule which had paused in front of a modern bank building.

We checked into the Hostel Nader which had been built in 1502 as a home but eventually became a monastery, then a retreat for poets, prior to becoming a hotel. It was located on a corner with sidewalks barely wide enough for two people. You entered through a huge wooden door into a small reception room which opened up to an enclosed courtyard you stepped down into. The remainder of the hotel was very much in the Spanish style of two stories, surrounding the courtyard. Our rooms were very spacious with extremely high ceilings. The windows were quite high with wooden shutters that you closed from the inside. Each room had its own bathroom, air conditioning and TV.

We asked for directions to a restaurant and were directed to go down the street about 2 blocks and turn right. Unfortunately, a film crew for a new Matt Damon movie ("The Good Sheppard"- supposedly set in Cuba) had several streets blocked off and we were directed to go another way. By the time we circled around the blocked streets, we couldn't find the restaurant we had been directed to, so we looked for another. Lots of people offer you directions but almost all want a tip. Elaine wanted to eat authentic DR food and that's exactly what we had. I just don't think she wanted it quite that authentic. We'd had better in Luperon.

We toured the Cathedral Metropolitana where Christopher Columbus (and relatives) had been buried prior to the Columbus Lighthouse in which he was later entombed. We walked to the Fort but decided that once you've seen a couple of these forts, you've seen them all. We walked throughout the old town area trying to locate the museum of shipwrecks but were not able to locate it. We returned to our hotel for a short siesta and then located a nice restaurant nearby for a truly wonderful dinner (it more than made up for the not so wonderful lunch).

We returned to Luperon today via a Caribe Bus (like a regular American bus) which took about 3 hours. Although I enjoyed the visit to Santo Domingo, I really enjoyed the bus rides to and from the city crossing over the mountains where the clouds rose from the canyons and mingled with the tree tops before being blown out to sea. Along this road we saw bulls harnessed to hand plows breaking the ground on mountain sides. A little further we saw a tractor up to its hubs in rice paddies that appeared to be a commercial enterprise. We saw tobacco leaves drying in thatched covered lean-tos being passed by bicyclists in their colorful shirts on state of the art touring bikes. We saw cell phones being sold by the dozens on street corners; stop at a traffic light and buy a cell phone or lottery ticket.

For some reason or other I found the various cleaning crews interesting. From a distance, you only see the beauty of the mountains and valleys with their green plants and trees, but up close the streets are teeming with litter. There were organized crews designated to pick up garbage and tend to the medians along the roadways. Yet the crews were using hand tools to do their job. Groups consisting of two people each were hand cleaning the streets. Road crews of several men were using machetes to cut the grass down to the roots and trim the trees in the medians. Clearly they are trying to make their country more appealing, yet those who are actually in the gutters, have nothing more than rudimentary tools to complete their tasks. It seemed so futile. Yet I supposed you have to start somewhere. In the city, there are trash receptacles every 10'; that's always a beginning.

I imagine that Christopher Columbus must have seen this island as a tropical paradise. Hopefully, they are on they're way to making it one again.

Luperon, DR
19.54.02N
70.65.913W

Another night of wind and rain. Even with 130' of chain and a 35# kellet, we may have dragged a few feet. It's hard to tell. Particularly when you've been staring at everything for so long, you're certain that you're getting closer it. Still, we certainly didn't have to move again.

Today even though the rain showers were scattered, we would occasionally get gusts of wind up to 24 kts. inside a well protected harbor. I can't imagine what its like outside of here. Needless to say, we spent most of the day on the boat reading and making sure we didn't move.

This evening as things quieted down, we went over to Doc-No-More and discussed strategies. Word has gotten around that we are planning on leaving as soon as there is a weather window. So various boats have approached both Roger & Elaine and Dale & I asking to join us in our journey south. Apparently, other boats who have left Luperon bound for Samana have been targeted by officials forcing them clear customs again when they anchor (regardless of whether they get off the boat or not) and demanding much higher amounts to do so; they even know the boat names so they are getting their information from someone here. Some boats have even skipped the clearing out phase and just went to Puerto Rico without stopping anywhere along the way. We've decided to go ahead and check out but instead of hopping around the island as we had originally planned, go straight to Puerto Rico too. We've even kicked around the idea of using different boat names to hail each other on the radio to keep things confused.

We also decided to take the local buses to Santo Domingo tomorrow. I'm really not crazy about the idea but everyone else thinks that it will be a grand adventure.

We finally ended the day playing dominos again. This time with the guys. Dale ended up winning, Roger grumbled through the whole thing but I think we all enjoyed ourselves.

Luperon, DR
19.54.02N
70.65.913W

Today was a rain day. Most of it was spent trying to fill our tanks with rainwater (since there's no way we're using our watermakers in this water,) reading (Into Thin Air) and finally in the afternoon, Elaine and I went into the marina to play dominos with some of the other boaters. Actually, it was pretty fun.

We're still kicking around the idea of going into Santo Domingo but Elaine wants to take the local bus system and spend the night and I want to hire a driver and mini bus to take us in very early in the morning and return late the same evening. Since the weather isn't going to be letting up anytime soon. Everything is on hold.

Our plans for moving on include hoping for a weather window to open up this weekend to start making our way around the island and over to Puerto Rico.

Luperon, DR
19.54.02N
70.65.913W

Dragging in the night? It was sprinkling last night when we went to bed, so we buttoned the Palace up so that we wouldn't have to get up during the night. We both remember hearing it rain once or twice and the winds picked up but nothing out of the ordinary.

This morning about 7:30am I awoke to hear a woman's voice outside my window telling Dale that if we hadn't anchored so close, we wouldn't be dragging into them. In fact, we hadn't dragged at all. Instead, the winds had shifted to the west and the scope we had let out for the more common northerlies and easterlies, now caused us to swing closer to her (we weren't crazy about how close we were swinging into them either.) Courtesies dictate that since they were here first (they've been here for 3 years,) we would be the ones to up and move; but only a few more feet away; just enough so that we didn't have to hear her casting dispersions in our direction when we swung in their direction.

Doc-No-More didn't fair as well. Two other catamarans took turns swinging into them from midnight on. One (with no one aboard) had actually hit a sandbar and was no longer swinging in conjunction with the rest of the boats, so everyone near it, either hit it or had to maintain a watch to increase or decrease their anchor chains to allow for him not moving until he floated free with the rising tide. The second catamaran (with 3 small children aboard) had dragged and was continuing to drag well into the morning. They ended up re-anchoring directly behind us after we moved. As soon as they could, Roger & Elaine also moved over by us. Of course, the anchor nazi reprimanded both catamarans with regard to their anchor sites and forced them to move further away from her. She may not get hit during the next couple of days, but she certainly isn't making any friends either.

As well as having winds coming from an unusual direction (those who we spoke to today said that the wind inside the harbor was worse than during hurricane season), we apparently had 5.5" of rain (you could have fooled me.) The run-off from the surrounding mountains have made the harbor look like a sewer (now we see what other boaters were complaining about.) Trees, branches, leaves, garbage that wasn't contained, and some that was, bag and all, has all washed into the harbor. The water is as muddy as the ICW ever appeared to be. Pretty gross. We had to be very careful dinghying in to the barbeque today for fear of fouling our prop. Hopefully, this will eventually wash out with the tide or settle. Right now, it's just going back and forth.

We're hoping to take another tour inland to Santo Domingo this coming week but I'm not willing to leave the boat during unsettled weather. I am also not willing to take chances crossing the island without reliable transportation or lodging if we want to spend the night. We might have to wait to see the capital on our return trip.

Luperon, DR
19.54.025N
70.56.934W

Last evening during our nightly hike up the hillside to the marina happy hour, much was being discussed about the impending cold front due to come through in the next couple of days. So with nasty weather on the way, Dale and I decided to use this last quiet day to do some sail repair I've been threatening to do since we left Florida.

We brought the main sail down so that I could restitch the sacrificial (that's a piece of canvas that covers the portion of sail that is left exposed to the elements) and check my previous repair. That sounds simple enough, but it took us half of the day to complete. Folding, rolling, and just plain smooshing the sail through my machine took most of the time. The repair we had made when the sail came tumbling down in the Bahamas was holding up well but we noticed that the foot (bottom) attachment point was also wearing, so we added another piece of webbing to that point since we had it down.

I'm not sure if it was because we've been sitting outside all day or if the weather has changed but it was downright hot today. A little cool weather might be a nice change. We've noticed that the winds have already started to pick up but since this anchorage is completely surrounded by mountains, we feel very safe inside.

Tonight is talent night at the marina so we'll slog up the hill again to hear our boat neighbors sing and strum the guitar.

Tomorrow is the flea market at the marina with a barbeque afterwards. You can see how people get sucked into staying here for years at a time without meaning to.

Luperon, DR
19.54.025N
70.56.934W

Yesterday was spent doing various little projects that for some reason or other took the better part if the day. We ended the day searching for Dominican cigars for the guys (who don't smoke) and with dinner in Luperon at the Chicken Shack. I have to admit Luisa made a mean fried chicken. I was even willing to say that it was better than mine but Dale said no, as good, but not better. (I come from a long line of women than flat out know how to fry a chicken.)
Today, however, we hired a mini bus and ventured further a field to visit the city of Puerto Plata. On the trip into town I was struck by the incongruities of old and new side by side. Burros laden with wooden troughs (hollowed out tree trunks) of fruit sharing the road with cars and buses. Here and there we'd see a pony or donkey with wooden saddles and saddle blankets composed of bundles of straw.

There are a lot of small farms on this side of the island. Pigs, goats, chickens and cattle can be seen along with huge swaths of sugar cane fields. Looking up into the mountains you can see where small portions of land have been cleared along the sides for avocado and various citrus trees.

Puerto Plata was a larger city by far than Luperon, which is probably considered a small town. Here cars, small pick-up trucks, mini-buses, regular sized buses, and a bazillion motor bikes (all about the 150 size) vie for the same space in the road.

Our first stop was at the amber museum. The history of the museum building itself was more interesting to me. It was a 3 story home of a family who had made their fortunes in sugar during the 1800's and who often hosted elegant balls and parties. Unfortunately, they lost their fortune during the depression. The home was then used as a school before being abandoned and falling into disrepair. The Italian embassy next door purchased the building and created the amber museum.

If you've ever seen the movie Jurassic Park, you've seen the history of amber. It's the sap of a tree that captured and then encapsulated small insects, reptiles and nearby flora, thus preserving the imprisoned DNA of its victim. Millions and millions of years later, we're wearing it as jewelry, complete with lizards, spiders and termites. Some interesting things I did learn about amber is that, the real McCoy floats in salt water and turns blue under black light, whereas forgeries (including plastic) sink (this only works if the stone hasn't been set in metal already) and maintain their color.

We visited a small fort on the banks of the Puerto Plata harbor before heading off to the Brugal Rum Factory. Essentially, only the bottling factory is located in Puerto Plata. The distillery and barrel portions of the process are located elsewhere. However, each factory has samples of their rum available and, of course, you can purchase their product there. Which we did. One little item of interest that I noted. They are the 3rd largest rum producers in the world but 90% of their production is sold in the Dominican Republic to their own citizens and those who visit here.

We finished up the day by having lunch at a local restaurant and grocery shopping at a good sized grocery store. On the way home, Miguel, our driver, asked if Dale and Roger would see his daughter who was quite ill. It turned out that she had contracted Dengue Fever from a mosquito bite. Dale had treated this before in Puerto Rico and said that she had a milder form and that rest was about all she could do to recover as she had already passed the worst of it. Roger said that he was going to be more diligent about wearing his insect repellant. I haven't even worn any yet, so I figure by now, its already too late.

Thank heavens, tomorrow is a down day. As I've said before, fresh air and exercise will kill you.

Luperon, DR
19.54.025N
70.56.934W

Today was not for the faint of heart! Roger & Elaine and Dale & I met Jose our tour guide at 8 am to began our tour to the waterfalls. We had been told to bring an extra change of clothes, towels, and shoes you didn't mind getting wet. These instructions were my first inkling that this "tour" was going to be a little different.

Jose told us of some of the history and pointed out areas of interest along the way. He described one tragic event back in the 1950's, involving the miscommunication of a dictator and his troops. Trujillo, the dictator, instructed his troops to clean up the ruins of the city of La Isabella (the first city in the Americas founded by Columbus in 1493-which, at the time, was "remarkably intact") for a visit of Spanish archeologists. His troops misunderstood and bulldozed the ruins.

As we wound our way through the narrow streets with tiny houses built only a few feet back (very much like the rural areas of Puerto Rico) Jose explained that although schooling is not mandatory, 12 years of public schools are offered and encouraged. Larry, our ex-pat driver, also added that the Dominicans are consumed with obtaining wealth and have recognized that for the younger generation, that means education.

We finally made it to the base of a mountain that contains 27 levels of waterfalls and stopped to pick up a guide; Robert, a muscular young man in his early 20's joined us. Jose told us that we would appreciate having Robert during our visit to the waterfalls. We then turned off the main road (a 2 lane blacktop) onto a dirt road through sugarcane fields which ended at a wide spot in front of a low lying river.

We climbed out of our mini bus and peeled down to our bathing suits. We were instructed to leave our jewelry and money in the mini bus where Larry would stay. We were to continue on with our towels, cameras and the life jackets and helmets they rented to us for $1 US. (Another clue?)

While we donned our life jackets and helmets, I watched as a young barefoot boy (about 8-10 yrs.) with a long stick, herd a dozen or so thin cows with their calves along the river bank on our side, across the river and up the hill on the other side. A few minutes later, Jose and Robert (without the stick) shepherded us along the same path.

We crossed the river through chilly, knee deep water and up a dirt road through an ever thickening canopy of subtropical growth. Various trees and plants had their names hand painted on signs in front of them. Fences composed of sheared cactus or small posts made from tree limbs with barbed wire separated us from the cattle and goats grazing in the adjacent meadows.

The road came to a "Y"; the cows went one way, we went another. Our path narrowed and we waded across a few more streams until we came to a pool with a small waterfall beyond. The vegetation parted just enough to let filtered light warm the little lean-to where we were instructed to leave the remainder of our belongings to begin our assent up the waterfalls. It was evident this was going to be a different kind of tour.

Water that was chilly when we waded through it, was downright frigid when we swam across it to the 5' falls beyond. Robert led the way and scampered up the rocks to the next level. He would then turn and direct us to place one foot here, another there, lift our left hand to him and don't use your knees to crawl up the rocks, etc. One level had a ladder made of tree limbs that we could avoid the rushing waters of the falls; the rest didn't and we had to force our way through them. Each level had a pool that we had to swim across (not easily done in a life jacket and shoes that float); sometimes the sun would filter down to the water and create shimmers of light along the rocks. Some levels had trickles of water descending completely around us into the pool. That which came over the rocks was actually warm and we would stand beneath them for a quick warm shower. We climbed 7 levels of falls in this manner until we reached a point where Robert said that we could go no further. Then we turned around and headed back.

Each level back, you had to either slide down the rocks you had previously climbed or work your way to another place closer to the pool and jump or dive down. The first couple of levels we all sat, crossed our arms in front of us, placed our legs out straight and leaned forward. Wahoo! The ride through the rocks was exhilarating; I was appreciative of the helmet (just in case.) Dale started jumping with the guides (I'm not sure of whether it was due to his long legs or the rough ride on his butt - he says that it was because he's a manly man), but then we all had to jump on the last level. (Big Time Wahoo!!) Both Roger & Elaine said that they had never jumped from any height, let along one of that height.

We treked back to the mini bus the way we had come and headed off for lunch. At the little restaurant where we stopped, we dined on a back patio overlooking a beautiful area of lush green vegetation with aviaries of parakeets along the railings. They prepared a buffet of roast chicken, stewed pork, stewed beef, fried mashed plantains, white rice, rice and peas, cabbage, tomatoes, a vegetable I didn't recognize, bananas, papaya, and anything you wanted to drink, which included beer or rum. A perfect lunch in any culture.

Once we filled our stomachs, Jose took us to see the Brugal ranch. Although this family owns the 3rd largest rum distillery in the world, their pride and joy is a 3000 lb white Brahma bull which is led out, tied to a post and tourists are encouraged to hop on and sit a spell. Elaine took off around the back end of him and was up the stairs and on his back in a flash. Not to be outdone but certainly not willing to walk behind him to do it, I was next. Dale took a picture to prove it.

Our next stop was at a botanical garden begun by a family and handed down for at least a couple of generations. I'm not sure how it evolved, but now the gardens belong to the state. Jose explained that the mahogany trees that grow on the island are protected and that those who dare to harvest them can be fined and imprisoned (even if they grow on the land that you own). He followed up by saying that people do poach the timber from time to time. Its pretty overgrown now, but I took several pictures because you can see that at one time, it was a beautiful garden. I saw one lone gardener where there should be a dozen tending the plants. There were topiaries, herb gardens, rose gardens, passion fruit trees, cocoa fruit trees, tropical flowers of all kinds, and many exotic wood trees. There were terraces down the side of a steep embankment and palms trees formed into arches along the pathways. Words will never do it justice.

Elaine made an interesting observation. Most tourist attractions are usually surrounded by souvenir shops full of tacky little items made in China. Here we saw only one vender near the bottom of the falls selling hand made jewelry made from the local stones polished into gleaming beauty. A refreshing change and one I'm sure won't last for very long.

After our tour was completed and we returned to our home on the water, we collapsed for an hour nap before getting up and heading over to the Yacht Club for happy hour and popcorn. Thank heavens we're taking tomorrow off for a few miscellaneous maintenance projects. All this fresh air and exercise will kill me.

Luperon, DR
19.54.025N
70.56.934W

People who don't cruise often ask those who do what they do all day. Well, I can tell you now that a lot of your time is spent waiting. Yesterday we had arranged to have fuel delivered to our boat this morning at 8 am. Being thoroughly versed in island time (from our days being stationed in Puerto Rico), we knew not to expect it until 9 am or possibly later. Although Roger & Elaine have been living aboard their boat for the last 3 years, they are still very much the type A personalities (they still wear their watches).

At 9:15 Dale asked me if we should call the delivery people to make sure they knew where we were located within the anchorage. I suggested we wait to see how long Doc-No-More could hold out. A few minutes later, we heard them radio to see what the problem was. 'Handy Andy', the delivery people, said they would call back in 10 minutes. A half hour later, Doc-No-More called again. They were assured that the fuel was on its way. A little after 10 am, an inflatable dinghy towing a hard bottom dinghy with a rubber bladder full of diesel finally arrived. A very muscular young man explained that their outboard motor had been stolen during the night and he had to borrow another dinghy to deliver the fuel. It seemed ironic that cruisers generally lock up their outboards so that the local hoodlums don't steal them. It would appear the local businesses need to do the same. We surmised that one of 'Handy Andy's' competitors had tried to even the playing field.

Since they had to take our jerry cans in to be filled with gasoline as opposed to the diesel they delivered, Dale took me into Steve's establishment so that I could drop off the laundry and connect to the internet. It was dial up and very slow but since I could connect, it didn't matter. In fact, Dale had gone back to the boat, received the fuel, and returned to pick me up before I finished reading the e-mails, paying the bills and uploading our latest posts to the blogspot. This put us just in time for lunch in which Roger & Elaine joined us.

Did I mention that we meet the most interesting people while cruising? While waiting for our lunch to be served, Elaine introduced us to "Bruce", another cruiser who had sought them out for a medical opinion. Roger offered his opinion as a retired urologist and suggested that he get a second opinion from Dale, whom he refers to as a 'real' doctor. I'm sure that if Dale were to write this up in a medical record it would read as:

A 55+ year old, 275#, w/m presented with an un-bandaged 1.5" round, open puncture wound, approximately 1.5" deep, 4" above his posterior left ankle. Said wound was dry with an obvious brown power applied throughout. Patient advised that approximately 8 weeks ago while riding a motorcycle at night, he ran into a bull which gored him in in the leg. He sought local assistance and was advised to apply a brown powder made from grinding the inside bark of a palm tree.

What can you say to something like that? Dale looked at it, told him it didn't look infected but that it would probably take 6-8 months to heal. The guy said that he probably needed to go grind up some more bark.

Then we had lunch.

The rest of the afternoon was spent searching for fruits, vegetables and bread (the nuts had already sought us out). There are several vendors along the various streets but you'd find bananas in one place, pineapple at another, potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant from the back of a truck; you just had to keep looking to find everything you needed. Thank heavens Dale & I only needed bread. At first we asked for directions to the bakery in our extremely bad Spanish but that only got us so far. Then we reverted to just following our noses to find the aroma of freshly baked bread.

Tomorrow we're off to see the waterfalls. Everyone tells us that we've got to take that tour because it one of the best ones around. They also told us to take an extra change of clothes because the water is cold.

Luperon, DR
19.54.025N
70.56.934W

People who don't cruise often ask those who do what they do all day. Well, I can tell you now that a lot of your time is spent waiting. Yesterday we had arranged to have fuel delivered to our boat this morning at 8 am. Being thoroughly versed in island time (from our days being stationed in Puerto Rico), we knew not to expect it until 9 am or possibly later. Although Roger & Elaine have been living aboard their boat for the last 3 years, they are still very much the type A personalities (they still wear their watches).

At 9:15 Dale asked me if we should call the delivery people to make sure they knew where we were located within the anchorage. I suggested we wait to see how long Doc-No-More could hold out. A few minutes later, we heard them radio to see what the problem was. 'Handy Andy', the delivery people, said they would call back in 10 minutes. A half hour later, Doc-No-More called again. They were assured that the fuel was on its way. A little after 10 am, an inflatable dinghy towing a hard bottom dinghy with a rubber bladder full of diesel finally arrived. A very muscular young man explained that their outboard motor had been stolen during the night and he had to borrow another dinghy to deliver the fuel. It seemed ironic that cruisers generally lock up their outboards so that the local hoodlums don't steal them. It would appear the local businesses need to do the same. We surmised that one of 'Handy Andy's' competitors had tried to even the playing field.

Since they had to take our jerry cans in to be filled with gasoline as opposed to the diesel they delivered, Dale took me into Steve's establishment so that I could drop off the laundry and connect to the internet. It was dial up and very slow but since I could connect, it didn't matter. In fact, Dale had gone back to the boat, received the fuel, and returned to pick me up before I finished reading the e-mails, paying the bills and uploading our latest posts to the blogspot. This put us just in time for lunch in which Roger & Elaine joined us.

Did I mention that we meet the most interesting people while cruising? While waiting for our lunch to be served, Elaine introduced us to "Bruce", another cruiser who had sought them out for a medical opinion. Roger offered his opinion as a retired urologist and suggested that he get a second opinion from Dale, whom he refers to as a 'real' doctor. I'm sure that if Dale were to write this up in a medical record it would read as:

A 55+ year old, 275#, w/m presented with an un-bandaged 1.5" round, open puncture wound, approximately 1.5" deep, 4" above his posterior left ankle. Said wound was dry with an obvious brown power applied throughout. Patient advised that approximately 8 weeks ago while riding a motorcycle at night, he ran into a bull which gored him in in the leg. He sought local assistance and was advised to apply a brown powder made from grinding the inside bark of a palm tree.

What can you say to something like that? Dale looked at it, told him it didn't look infected but that it would probably take 6-8 months to heal. The guy said that he probably needed to go grind up some more bark.

Then we had lunch.

The rest of the afternoon was spent searching for fruits, vegetables and bread (the nuts had already sought us out). There are several vendors along the various streets but you'd find bananas in one place, pineapple at another, potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant from the back of a truck; you just had to keep looking to find everything you needed. Thank heavens Dale & I only needed bread. At first we asked for directions to the bakery in our extremely bad Spanish but that only got us so far. Then we reverted to just following our noses to find the aroma of freshly baked bread.

Tomorrow we're off to see the waterfalls. Everyone tells us that we've got to take that tour because it one of the best ones around. They also told us to take an extra change of clothes because the water is cold.

Luperon, DR
19.54.025N
70.56.934W

You think the U.S. has bureaucracy? You've never been to Luperon! We waited for the Commandantes to come to our boat until 10 am. We were in the process of giving up and taking off for their office when a boat came up with 3 men in it. One of the people in the boat was wearing a green fatigue uniform (the Commandant's representative), another was wearing blue denim utility uniform (the Navy's representative), the last was wearing street clothes (the interpreter.) This was the first of 5 meetings and the first of 2 inspections.

The paperwork was conducted in the cockpit by the Commandant's representative, ably assisted by the interpreter. Once completed, the Navy's representative came down the stairs, walked forward into the guest stateroom/storage area, proclaimed that we were "good", walked back to stairs, ascended and returned to the others. He didn't walk back to the rear of the boat to the master stateroom where we keep our nuclear weapons and underwear but since we were pronounced "good", we weren't going to argue. We were then instructed to pick up our papers at the Commandant's office prior to leaving. (Supposedly only the interpreter spoke English, but when Dale cracked a joke about the interpreter's boat, I noticed that all 3 laughed.)

Next, we proceeded to the Immigration office, which was actually, 3 offices in one trailer. We were instructed to obtain our visitor cards at the first table. Then we were ushered into a private office of the Immigration official where we filled out more papers, had our passports stamped and the visitor cards stapled into our passports. Then we had to go back to the first room and complete our paperwork for the port fees at the harbor master's desk and then finally we were instructed that the agriculture officials would inspect our boat by 3:00 pm. Naturally, each had their own fees. All in all, we spent about $60.00 US.

We walked through the town, exchanged our dollars for pesos, then returned to Steve's Place, an ex-pat, who has developed a one-stop shopping establishment (restaurant, laundry, internet, fresh veggies, rental motorcycles, you name it, he has it or can get it for you.) The town pretty much closes down from 12 - 2:00, so we returned to the boat and waited for the agriculture inspectors to arrive. We waited until 4:30, hailed Doc-No-More (who was also waiting) and agreed that if they didn't show up by 5:00, we'd take off for the happy hour we'd heard about and check in with them again tomorrow. Needless to say, they showed up as we were literally getting into our dink to leave. They came aboard, we showed them our veggies, they inspected our refrigerator (for what, we don't know), they filled out their paperwork and we paid our fees and all was good to go. Now all we have to do is remember to run by the Commandant's office prior to leaving to pick up our entry papers. A little backwards but as long as it works for them, who cares.

At the marina happy hour, we met up with Dan & Jan, who are fairly well traveled cruisers and Roger & Elaine. We talked travel, politics, religion, weather, engines, and where we were headed next. Dan & Jan are about a week ahead of where we are but since we keep running into them, you'll probably hear about them from time to time.

I was sorry that Anders and Elizabeth (a couple we met at the dinghy dock) hadn't shown up. Anders is Finnish and Elizabeth is Canadian. Elizabeth speaks in a high, almost childlike voice but the stories she tells are incredible. Apparently, Anders missed sailing but Elizabeth had never sailed. They joined a yacht club and when someone asked if anyone was interested in bringing back a boat from Turkey, she volunteered. I not sure if they're terribly courageous (Elizabeth says that Anders is fearless) or incredibly stupid (Anders version when Elizabeth isn't chattering). They've come all of this way without charts. Their GPS died a one point, in fact they lost all of their electronics at one point, they've run aground, they've entered the wrong port, just about everything has broken on the boat at one time or another, Anders patches it back together and yet, they should make their Florida landfall within the next month. You meet the most incredible people in this little sailing community, I would have loved to listen to her longer.

Tomorrow we're back to Steve's for laundry and internet.

Luperon, Dominican Republic
19.54.025N
70.56.934W

We're in Luperon! What a difference in scenery. Where the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands were arid, Hispaniola is lush and green.

Last night was quite the experience. Not the tranquil little sail we had anticipated. The period of quiet weather dissolved while we were mid stream (a full 24 hours ahead of time) and the wind and waves picked up quite a bit. We put a couple of reefs in each of the sails to combat the wind but the swell and current played havoc with our autopilot. We ended up taking it off the tracking feature and just using a course heading. Then we'd adjust our course as to how we were progressing via the chartplotter. About 2/3's of the way here, I started seeing lightening on the horizon. Thank heavens we only got more wind and some rain. Dale and I both stayed up in the cockpit all night, taking turns napping while the other stood watch. There was no traffic but it took both of us to adjust the sails when needed.

For those who have read Van Sant's "Passages South," it was exactly as he described. The wind and waves calmed 20 miles out. You could smell the earth long before you could see it. Then when dawn came, you saw beautiful mountains of green and could smell wood fires burning. It was a very impressive sight. (Someone told us that Jurassic Park was filmed here, to envision it.)

We knew from our reading that the harbor itself is concealed from view until you are just about on top of it, the coordinates given in the books were perfect. We were lucky that a boater inside was taking his dog out for a morning romp and stopped to direct us through the channel itself. Apparently there are some hidden mud banks that you can get stuck in. Nothing dangerous, just embarrassing. Clearly, it's a very popular anchorage. We found a spot to anchor in 20' of water at the end and Doc-No-More anchored nearby near one of the mud flats. We had heard complaints that the water was extremely muddy. Clearly those that complained have never been in the St. Johns River. This evening showed that there is a fair amount of phosphorescence in the water which, in my experience, looks muddy in the day. Otherwise, it's more of a green look to it but I have to admit, you can't see your toes in it either.

For Dale and I, once we latched onto mother earth, we both zoned out for a couple of hours because we were exhausted. Although Roger described the catamaran's action as like being in a washing machine, they apparently were more well rested than we were. By mid-afternoon, Elaine had scoped out the anchorage, met with a couple of ambassadors of good will and had us signed up to go on an inland tour to see some waterfalls on Wednesday. She even had the skinny on a tour of a rum factory (she knew she had our vote on that one) and possibly renting a van to do some errands.

I had been a little apprehensive about coming to Luperon but so far, all of my concerns have been unfounded. Tomorrow we'll check into customs and immigration and pick up some local currency. We figure we'll be here about a week before moving on to Puerto Rico.