Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico
18.14.009N
65.37.581W

We sailed away from our anchorage at Green Beach and pointed our bow towards Roosey Roads. Approaching from Vieques, there were a few changes that we noticed right away. A new commercial fuel dock that was only in its construction phase when we left here. There were new barracks that we could see on the hill that we didn't recognize. The mooring field in the harbor appeared to be larger than we remembered and the slips have been greatly improved.

We radioed ahead to the harbor master for permission to enter the harbor and when we were granted authorization, the next radio transmission was to the marina, who told us to take whatever slip we wanted. We took one that, if it isn't our old one, it's very near it. There were quite a few boats here; all at slips. Water, electricity, showers and the laundry room were included in the slip fees.

After washing the Palace off and doing our laundry, we pulled out our bicycles and headed towards the bowling alley to upload these posts. Unfortunately, the bowling alley, where the internet access is located, is only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and the small restaurant associated with the bowling alley is only open from 9am - 2pm the rest of the time. We'll pedal in again tomorrow to try once more.

We've lived here from 1991-1994, when this base was working at full capacity. Now, although all of the lawns are still well maintained and all of the bougainvillea and hibiscus are still vibrantly blooming, the atmosphere is surreal. The road leading to the opposite side of the base where the Officer's Club and golf course were and the road leading to the high school and Officer housing are blocked off with signs warning that special permission is required to travel beyond the barriers. The Navy Lodge, the new commissary, the old exchange and all of the little shops associated with it stand empty. The hospital is empty, all of the barracks are empty, the schools are closed; the MacDonalds is abandoned. The post office is still functional but on a limited basis. No traffic. No people. Total quiet. We understand that there are only 15 or so people left as security for the area but, supposedly, only the Commanding Officer is living on base. Other than that, we are only one of a handful of 'live-a-boards' who are the only other residents of this base. The remaining boats are stored here.

Being here brought back so many happy memories. Dale and I speculated as to what it would take to live here again. His retirement would cover the boat payment and the slip fees. Our cruising kitty would cover food and fuel for a while. It's the insurance we having a hard time with. Oh well, looks like one of us will have to go back to work; at least part time. I believe that's called locum tenems.

At least for now, we're going to be here for a few weeks. I'll try to keep the posts interesting.

Green Beach, Vieques
18.06.976N
65.34.639W

This morning while Dale cranked the anchor up, I pulled out the main and we sailed away from our anchorage. We haven't done that in a long time. By the time we left the bay, we were sailing at 7.8 kts. In monohull speed, that's flying. We turned out of the bay and started surfing down the waves with 18-20kts of wind coming from behind us to push us along. What a blast! Later when we turned the corner of Vieques and headed to Green Beach, it was a beam reach, so the cats screamed along at 10 and 11 kts and we brought up the rear with our 7-8 kts. Considering we are traveling with catamarans, I thought we made a respectable presentation.

Green Beach is definitely a home coming of sorts. We used to sail here on weekends or even long afternoons, if we could get away. It's more lush than I remember but we figure that its because we were stationed here shortly after Hurricane Hugo swept through and more than likely cleared away a lot of the brush.

As its the weekend, there were about 20 or so powerboats here but without the blaring music that we remember associated with them. DocNoMore & MTNest explored the beach area while Dale & I sat on our boat reminiscing. We invited them over in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day listening and discussing our eclectic collection of music. I made a big pot of jambalaya for dinner which we ate at sun down while listening to Mike play his sax. It was a beautiful day no matter which way you looked at it.

We look forward to seeing our old home, Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, tomorrow.

Sun Bay, Vieques
18.05.540N
65.27.381W

Happy Birthday Geri! We hope you had a wonderful day.

The group decided to stay an extra day at Sun Bay so today we toured the various gift shops to see some of the local artisans' work. Unfortunately, the items I was drawn to were made in China. We explored the town to find the local Catholic Church for Mike &Terri, found some interesting fruit trees that we couldn't identify, then walked along the beach back to our dinghies to return to our boats.

For some reason or other the swell at Sun Bay has been particularly troublesome. Each time we've landed our dinghies, we've all had to time our approaches, then pull the dinghies out quickly before they were swamped. Over the last two days, each one of us has had to bail our dinghies out to some degree. Suddenly, I'm wearing two and three changes of clothing a day and not because I want to.

Tomorrow we'll head to Green Beach, our old weekend get away from when we were stationed at Roosey.

Sun Bay, Vieques
18.05.540N
65.27.381W

We waved goodbye to Mac at 6:45am as we pulled out of Palmas del Mar Harbor and turned our bows toward Sun Bay on Vieques. We have been telling everyone about the great phosphorescent bay near there where we used to take our children when they were younger and couldn't wait to show them in person. We'd heard that the locals are now making tours to the bay and discouraging boaters from entering on their own but we thought we'd just wait until after dark and give it a shot anyway.

We had a great transit across to Vieques and anchored by 10:15 am in Sun Bay which is beautifully accented by a long, white sand, crescent shaped beach. Incredibly, we had the bay to ourselves while the next bay down, Puerto Real, was rather crowded.

At lunchtime, we dinghied to the almost deserted beach and walked the short distance to the little seaside village of Esperanza, which has become quite the little tourist town. Scooters, kayaks and jet ski rentals were everywhere; gift shops and restaurants were peppered in between. Photo-ops along the wide cobblestone walkway bordering the beach appeared by every palm tree as you looked out at the sea with the mountains in the distance. We stopped for some of the famous burgers at the Bananas Bar & Grill (which we paid premium prices for) before returning to our respective boats.

Dale took the opportunity to put the two zinks on the shaft while we were anchored in clear water. The remaining zink that had been on our shaft was now completely gone, so it was good timing. With us using two zinks every six months, we'll make sure to have a few in our inventory before we leave Puerto Rico.

The full moon was already up when evening came and we joined everyone on MTNest. Mike played his sundown sax melodies before we sat down to a wonderful pork chop dinner. About 8 pm, we divided ourselves into two groups of 3; Elaine, Dale and I in one boat and Mike, Terri and Roger in the second, for the ride over to Mosquito Bay, the official name of the phosphorescent bay.

As I mentioned earlier, Dale and I have done this a couple of times before. We know that it can be a wild ride if the wind is up but since all was quiet in the bay, we hoped that the small swell in the bay would be all that we'd encounter. Of course, a small swell in the bay means a large swell outside of the bay and our one mile dinghy ride turned into one of the water rides amusement parks yearn for. Dale tried to minimize the splash by taking the waves at an angle but then we ended up getting closer to the rocks we were trying to avoid. Eventually, we made it around the last rocky outcropping, soaked to the skin, and turned into the bay.

Once again, the conditions calmed and by the time we entered through the narrow into the phosphorescent bay, it was flat and glassy. We turned off our outboard light and kept going. And going. And going, and going, and going. Did I mention that it was a full moon? In the past, I remembered that the glow from the fish movement would be a green glow when there was any moon showing and a neon blue glow without any light. What little we could see tonight was pale white and hard to discern from just the moonlight shining on our own wake. Needless to say, it was 'much ado about nothing' and a total bust. Thank heavens the ride back was an exhilarating surf and much, much quicker. However, we felt for Elaine knowing that Roger was going to be crumbling for some time about Mr. Toad's Wet & Wild Ride. If their dinghy was anything like ours, it took almost 10 minutes for the water to empty out when we got back.

Palmas del Mar, PR
18.04.680N
65.47.765W

Happy 50th Birthday Nicky! I hope you celebrated in a new red hat.

Dale is certainly getting a work out each morning as he cranks in the anchor chain. We had a nice motor sail to Palmas del Mar, tacking back and forth for a little extra assistance from the wind. As we turned from the south coast to the east coast of Puerto Rico, we were welcomed with steady winds off the starboard bow and dropped anchor about 4 hours later in the jetty protected harbor. Unfortunately, it doesn't protect us from all of the swell.

We quickly showered and changed into our yachtie attire (polo shirts and nice shorts) to see if we could locate Mac & Marie. We were in luck, we were able to find their telephone number in the book but they weren't at home. We looked around the few shops and restaurants, checked out the property values in the area at the local real estate office, then returned to the Palace.

We had missed DocNoMore and MTNest when they went exploring but when they radioed later, we thought we'd give Mac & Marie one more call before we headed in to meet the crew. This time we made contact and agreed to meet them at 5:30. As it turned out, we were anchored about 100 yards off their back patio.

We had a great visit and learned that Roosey's future is still unknown. They told us the hospital is vacant but is still being air conditioned to preserve its recent renovation with hopes that it can be used as a VA hospital. Apparently, the only services remaining are the marina, a tiny mini-mart associated with the marina and the bowling alley. Rumors abound regarding the fate of Roosey but we certainly hope that the Coast Guard or Army can take it under their protection.
They also told us that the anchorage that faces the sea behind their home is slated to become a marina with over a 100 slips. Needless to say, the homeowners aren't happy about the proposition.

Mike serenaded us on his sax from the top of his boat and many of the homeowners along the harbor came out to applaud.

Since DocNoMore and MTNest don't have to be in Fajardo until Monday, we have suggested a quick trip to Vieques to see the phosphorescent bay.

Dale and I sort of have the feeling of coming home. We're anxious to get to Roosey but a quick cruise to our old stomping grounds will be nice too.

Puerto Patillas
17.58.517N
66.00.012W

I'd like to say that we hoisted anchor and left in the dawn as usual, however, the windless hadn't improved with Dale's labor and he was forced to retrieve it manually cranking it in 6-8" at a time. With 100 or so feet out, it took time.

We tacked our way back and forth through the wind that was constantly on our nose the entire length of our trip which was made more interesting with the occasional rain cloud and 4-6' seas. After 4 hours, we anchored in Punta Patilla where we rocked and rolled for the rest of the day and where it doesn't appear to be letting up anytime soon.

We'll be heading to Palmas del Mar tomorrow. With any kind of luck, we'll be able to locate Gordon & Marie MacDonald. Mac was also stationed at Roosey's hospital when Dale was there and retired to Palmas.

Salinas, PR
17.57.383N
6617.539W

DocNoMore and MTNest slipped in and anchored before we poked our noses out of the boat today. We all had our little projects we wanted to complete and pretty much went our separate ways, meeting for lunch accidentally, then off again in different directions.

Dale tore apart the windless and greased the various wheels that looked like they needed it. He said that the motor ran great as long as there was no load put on it but even adding the wheels without any load seemed to slow it down. We won't know until tomorrow morning at 6:30 whether his maintenance helped or not. Our list for West Marine in Fajardo is getting longer and longer.

In checking our e-mails today, we learned that Chuck McLaughlin and his wife, Judy, will be in Fajardo in March. Chuck, Judy and Dale were all stationed at the hospital in Roosevelt Roads together 12 years ago. Dale crewed on Chuck's boat, Aggressive, for a couple of races and Chuck offered him a chance to race again in March. Dale's mulling over whether we can do everything we'd like and still make it south before hurricane season. In any event, we look forward to seeing Chuck & Judy again.

Tomorrow we head out for Puerto Patilla and will keep side stepping our way around the island until we get to Roosey Roads.

Salinas, PR
17.57.383N
6617.539W

Dale and I left Ponce before everyone else did today and ended up being the only boat to make it to Salinas before the winds made it impossible. As it was, we got caught out in them and ended up breaking a couple of attachments to our dinghy from all of the gyrations. It really didn't feel that rough but obviously it must have been more than what we normally encounter.

It took us a couple of tries to anchor in the mud and the last time Dale retrieved the anchor, the windless started grinding in a most distressful manner. He thinks that it only needs lubricating and will tear it apart tomorrow to accomplish this.

Once we were certain that we were securely anchored, Dale was able to find a marine store within walking distance where he purchased the pieces and parts needed to fix the dinghy attachments. He was also able to purchase a couple of zinks. We've been eating zinks recently and after consulting his books on the matter, he decided that it is the result of adding the copper dynaplate required for a single side band radio, near the steel shaft thus creating an electrical current between the two, forcing the two zinks to eat their little hearts out keeping an equilibrium. As he sees no way around this, we'll just have to keep a supply of zinks on hand to counteract the electrolysis.

DocNoMore and MTNest left about an hour to an hour and a half after us and ended up having to take shelter at Caja de Muertos, a small island half way between Ponce and Salinas. They were being slammed too hard by the afternoon winds and waves to continue on. When we last spoke, they anticipated an early morning transit to catch up. This means we'll be staying an extra day here. But!!! Salinas has WiFi, so you know what I'll be doing tomorrow.

Ponce, PR
17.57.881N
66.37.043W

We were supposed to visit the art museum and the sugar plantation mansions today, but I have been fighting a nasty headache for the last few days and today, it got the better of me and developed into a cold. Dale and I stayed back while the rest went sightseeing. They returned in time to watch the Super Bowl and Dale joined them up at the lounge area for the evening. I am drinking lots of water and sleeping.

Ponce, PR
17.57.881N
66.37.043W

Today we marveled at man and nature's awesome creations. We visited the Rio Camuy Caves and the radio telescope both located in Arecibo.

We crossed over the island from the south to the north, along a modern highway, over the mountain system, until it gave way to a small rural road that wound its way down through the subtropical forests to the bottom. We stopped for the construction that was building a giant bridge that would someday cut the distance in half but would also bypass the beauty we saw by traveling an arms length from the plants and people of the island itself. I was delighted to see that Puerto Rico is much cleaner that I remembered it to be 12 years ago when we were stationed here with the Navy.

The Rio Camuy Caves have only recently (the last 30 years) been available as a tourist destination. Obviously they were developed over thousands and thousands of years ago. The indigenous Indian tribes knew of their existence and used the caves for protection during the hurricanes of long ago. Then for the longest time, the caves were located on private property until the 1950's; my guess is that when the two major highways were built over them they were once again, "discovered". Anyway, it took 30 years to explore and develop the caves into the tourist attraction that they are today while preserving their natural beauty. The portion that you could once repel down into has been closed as the tour guides started developing lung problems from a fungus growing at the lower portions of the site.

What we were able to see, was phenomenal. It appeared to be only one cave that we were allowed to visit but the sheer size alone was extraordinary. There were stalactites and stalagmites and the ones that met in the middle were called columns. The ones that came down like icing on a cake were called drapes and the semi-liquid ones that might come down on your shoulders were called bat guano. At the very bottom was a river that was described be the world's 3rd largest underground river. Concealed lighting was used to illuminate various points of interest without loosing the sensation of being underground. Where the two natural openings where located, the tropical forest once again dropped its seeds and vegetation tried to gain a foothold.

When we reemerged, we sought out the Arecibo radio telescope, the largest in the world. I was kind of disappointed in this attraction as it didn't have any guides that we might have asked questions. What information was provided only added to my curiosity.

The radio telescope is used 24/7 for various scientific projects but there was no one to ask how many projects are being worked on, how many scientists can the location host (they can live on the premises), what have been some of their more interesting discoveries? What are they working on now? I suppose it didn't really matter, Dale and I were the only ones truly interested in seeing it. Roger & Mike fell asleep during the movie portion of the presentation and I don't think the other ladies were interested in astronomy.

One really cool presentation were the sphere's along the path leading up to the radio telescope. It started with a golden orb about the size of a basketball located in the parking lot representing the sun. Then along the path, each of the planets were depicted by a silver orb in relation to its distance from the sun. The first four were relatively close, the fifth at the top of the stairs, the next was located on one of the columns supporting the radio telescope. The next would have to be placed at the end of the island and Pluto, would have to be placed in Hawaii. Absolutely mind boggling when you think we're one of the smaller galaxies in the universe.

When you start thinking about both of the attractions, the caves and the radio telescope, side-by-side on a small island, one representing the past, the other the future, it's astounding in so many directions.

Ponce, PR
17.57.881N
66.37.043W

Once again we rose with the sun to make our way through the reefs and on to Ponce. We entered the harbor to find that Romance and Nicolini, who had traveled with us from Luperon, had arrived before us. Nicolini must have passed us while we were in Gilligan's Island, as we had left them in Boqueron.

We each took our turn at the fuel docks and then took slips. Roger and Mike were impressed that I was at the helm not only when we pulled into the fuel pier, but also when we pulled into the slip. All of the women are at the helm during our anchoring exploits and we all stand our own watches, but we see don't see the ladies at the helm pulling into slips very often. Dale and I started off with me at the helm as a safety measure in the event something happened to him, I could bring the boat in myself if I had to. Then, we attended a seminar that Tom Neale presented in which he encouraged the women to be the helmspersons, as the men had the upper body strength to fend off in emergency situations and manhandle spring lines as necessary. This we knew to be true, so we've just sort of left it that way. Anyway, I take acknowledgment when I can get it and today they both had kind words that I appreciated.

The three boats split the cost of renting a minivan and took off to downtown Ponce to see the sights. We found the art museum that DocNoMore wanted to tour. Unfortunately, it was half an hour before closing and they didn't want to purchase the admission for just half an hour. We also found the cathedral that MTNest wanted to see but it was closed, so . . . we went to Walmart. There were lots of little things that we all needed and this was the store to fill the bill.
We finished off the day by walking along the boardwalk outside of the Yacht Club to a Cuban restaurant not far away. We all enjoyed our dinners but the plantains, whether mashed, fried, or sculpted into a bowl for stews, where not making any points with our group.

Tomorrow we're all headed to visit the caves in the center of the island. In the 3 years we lived here previously, I don't recall anything about sightseeing caves. This should be fun.

Gilligan's Island, PR
17.56.837N
66.52.279W

We explored what there was of Gilligan's Island today. Actually, it's just a small island that the park service has turned into picnic areas. It does somewhat resemble the island depicted in the 70's TV show and apparently at one time there was a fisherman than frequented the area that looked like Bob Denver. The best part was snorkeling up one of the mangrove canals and drifting back through another one. When we were done, we had circled the interior of the island. It was educational to see how mangroves grow from the bottom up. The park ranger had given us the heads up last evening about getting there early, so there were lots of small fish to see and of course the ever present barracuda, since we had arrived before the tourist ferries came over and the water was churned up by the vacationers.

We returned and set about cleaning the Palace's hull. Dale and Mike used the hooka to scrape the barnacles and I went behind them with a brush getting the loose dirt. Apparently, there is a remora that has taken a liking to our keel. No matter how much they tried to shoo him away, he was determined to stick around (no pun intended.) I certainly hope this isn't one of the ones that gathered around us in Cambridge Cay and followed us down. If it is, he's come a long way.

We ended the day with a pot luck on DocNoMore and played a couple of rounds of dominos. Since all of the guys were exhausted, we called it an early night.

At first light tomorrow morning, we'll head off to Ponce. The wind that was predicted to stay light until the weekend, has already picked up. Hopefully, this only means that it will be a quick and easy sail.

Gilligan's Island, PR
17.56.837N
66.52.279W

We rose with the sun this morning and after maneuvering our way through the reefs, hoisted sail and turned off the motor. We were the purists in the group and sailed the rest of the trip averaging about 4.5 kts upwind out to the deep water and tacking back in to the reefs along this coast. The two catamarans have a hard time pointing into the wind so they powered their way through to Gilligan's island arriving a whopping 2 hours before us. We probably had a lot more fun.

Once anchored, Dale busied himself cleaning the refrigerator strainer as the refrigerator kept overheating and tripping the circuit. Everything is working beautifully now.

He also dove in to check the bottom of the boat. When we left Luperon, we were told that anything more than a couple of weeks there, you needed to have your bottom cleaned. I have been scrubbing the bottom with a brush the first of each month to try to keep ahead of any serious incrustation. When we left, we could see that we had some growth along the waterline on the side that faces the sun, as well as a plethora of small barnacles on the bottom when the boat rocked. He resurfaced and said that tomorrow we'll be digging out the hooka to clean the bottom as it was worse than he had anticipated.

In case you wondering, a hooka is a diving apparatus that pumps air down to two divers without the need to carry tanks on your back. We can dive to about 40' for sightseeing as long as we carry the battery that powers it in our dinghy above us. We do have to be careful in some of the islands, as it is unlawful to fish using a hooka and it is up to us to prove that we weren't using it unlawfully.

Tomorrow we plan on joining the other two boat crews to explore Gilligan's Island in the morning and snorkel the small lagoon in front of it prior to the tourist boat arriving at 10:30. Then we'll head back to the Palace to scrape her bottom.

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.