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.
Monday, January 09, 2006
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.
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.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
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.
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.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
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.
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.
Friday, January 06, 2006
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Luperon, DR
19.54.025N
70.56.934W
People who don't cruise often ask those who do what they do all day. Well, I can tell you now that a lot of your time is spent waiting. Yesterday we had arranged to have fuel delivered to our boat this morning at 8 am. Being thoroughly versed in island time (from our days being stationed in Puerto Rico), we knew not to expect it until 9 am or possibly later. Although Roger & Elaine have been living aboard their boat for the last 3 years, they are still very much the type A personalities (they still wear their watches).
At 9:15 Dale asked me if we should call the delivery people to make sure they knew where we were located within the anchorage. I suggested we wait to see how long Doc-No-More could hold out. A few minutes later, we heard them radio to see what the problem was. 'Handy Andy', the delivery people, said they would call back in 10 minutes. A half hour later, Doc-No-More called again. They were assured that the fuel was on its way. A little after 10 am, an inflatable dinghy towing a hard bottom dinghy with a rubber bladder full of diesel finally arrived. A very muscular young man explained that their outboard motor had been stolen during the night and he had to borrow another dinghy to deliver the fuel. It seemed ironic that cruisers generally lock up their outboards so that the local hoodlums don't steal them. It would appear the local businesses need to do the same. We surmised that one of 'Handy Andy's' competitors had tried to even the playing field.
Since they had to take our jerry cans in to be filled with gasoline as opposed to the diesel they delivered, Dale took me into Steve's establishment so that I could drop off the laundry and connect to the internet. It was dial up and very slow but since I could connect, it didn't matter. In fact, Dale had gone back to the boat, received the fuel, and returned to pick me up before I finished reading the e-mails, paying the bills and uploading our latest posts to the blogspot. This put us just in time for lunch in which Roger & Elaine joined us.
Did I mention that we meet the most interesting people while cruising? While waiting for our lunch to be served, Elaine introduced us to "Bruce", another cruiser who had sought them out for a medical opinion. Roger offered his opinion as a retired urologist and suggested that he get a second opinion from Dale, whom he refers to as a 'real' doctor. I'm sure that if Dale were to write this up in a medical record it would read as:
A 55+ year old, 275#, w/m presented with an un-bandaged 1.5" round, open puncture wound, approximately 1.5" deep, 4" above his posterior left ankle. Said wound was dry with an obvious brown power applied throughout. Patient advised that approximately 8 weeks ago while riding a motorcycle at night, he ran into a bull which gored him in in the leg. He sought local assistance and was advised to apply a brown powder made from grinding the inside bark of a palm tree.
What can you say to something like that? Dale looked at it, told him it didn't look infected but that it would probably take 6-8 months to heal. The guy said that he probably needed to go grind up some more bark.
Then we had lunch.
The rest of the afternoon was spent searching for fruits, vegetables and bread (the nuts had already sought us out). There are several vendors along the various streets but you'd find bananas in one place, pineapple at another, potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant from the back of a truck; you just had to keep looking to find everything you needed. Thank heavens Dale & I only needed bread. At first we asked for directions to the bakery in our extremely bad Spanish but that only got us so far. Then we reverted to just following our noses to find the aroma of freshly baked bread.
Tomorrow we're off to see the waterfalls. Everyone tells us that we've got to take that tour because it one of the best ones around. They also told us to take an extra change of clothes because the water is cold.
19.54.025N
70.56.934W
People who don't cruise often ask those who do what they do all day. Well, I can tell you now that a lot of your time is spent waiting. Yesterday we had arranged to have fuel delivered to our boat this morning at 8 am. Being thoroughly versed in island time (from our days being stationed in Puerto Rico), we knew not to expect it until 9 am or possibly later. Although Roger & Elaine have been living aboard their boat for the last 3 years, they are still very much the type A personalities (they still wear their watches).
At 9:15 Dale asked me if we should call the delivery people to make sure they knew where we were located within the anchorage. I suggested we wait to see how long Doc-No-More could hold out. A few minutes later, we heard them radio to see what the problem was. 'Handy Andy', the delivery people, said they would call back in 10 minutes. A half hour later, Doc-No-More called again. They were assured that the fuel was on its way. A little after 10 am, an inflatable dinghy towing a hard bottom dinghy with a rubber bladder full of diesel finally arrived. A very muscular young man explained that their outboard motor had been stolen during the night and he had to borrow another dinghy to deliver the fuel. It seemed ironic that cruisers generally lock up their outboards so that the local hoodlums don't steal them. It would appear the local businesses need to do the same. We surmised that one of 'Handy Andy's' competitors had tried to even the playing field.
Since they had to take our jerry cans in to be filled with gasoline as opposed to the diesel they delivered, Dale took me into Steve's establishment so that I could drop off the laundry and connect to the internet. It was dial up and very slow but since I could connect, it didn't matter. In fact, Dale had gone back to the boat, received the fuel, and returned to pick me up before I finished reading the e-mails, paying the bills and uploading our latest posts to the blogspot. This put us just in time for lunch in which Roger & Elaine joined us.
Did I mention that we meet the most interesting people while cruising? While waiting for our lunch to be served, Elaine introduced us to "Bruce", another cruiser who had sought them out for a medical opinion. Roger offered his opinion as a retired urologist and suggested that he get a second opinion from Dale, whom he refers to as a 'real' doctor. I'm sure that if Dale were to write this up in a medical record it would read as:
A 55+ year old, 275#, w/m presented with an un-bandaged 1.5" round, open puncture wound, approximately 1.5" deep, 4" above his posterior left ankle. Said wound was dry with an obvious brown power applied throughout. Patient advised that approximately 8 weeks ago while riding a motorcycle at night, he ran into a bull which gored him in in the leg. He sought local assistance and was advised to apply a brown powder made from grinding the inside bark of a palm tree.
What can you say to something like that? Dale looked at it, told him it didn't look infected but that it would probably take 6-8 months to heal. The guy said that he probably needed to go grind up some more bark.
Then we had lunch.
The rest of the afternoon was spent searching for fruits, vegetables and bread (the nuts had already sought us out). There are several vendors along the various streets but you'd find bananas in one place, pineapple at another, potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant from the back of a truck; you just had to keep looking to find everything you needed. Thank heavens Dale & I only needed bread. At first we asked for directions to the bakery in our extremely bad Spanish but that only got us so far. Then we reverted to just following our noses to find the aroma of freshly baked bread.
Tomorrow we're off to see the waterfalls. Everyone tells us that we've got to take that tour because it one of the best ones around. They also told us to take an extra change of clothes because the water is cold.
Luperon, DR
19.54.025N
70.56.934W
People who don't cruise often ask those who do what they do all day. Well, I can tell you now that a lot of your time is spent waiting. Yesterday we had arranged to have fuel delivered to our boat this morning at 8 am. Being thoroughly versed in island time (from our days being stationed in Puerto Rico), we knew not to expect it until 9 am or possibly later. Although Roger & Elaine have been living aboard their boat for the last 3 years, they are still very much the type A personalities (they still wear their watches).
At 9:15 Dale asked me if we should call the delivery people to make sure they knew where we were located within the anchorage. I suggested we wait to see how long Doc-No-More could hold out. A few minutes later, we heard them radio to see what the problem was. 'Handy Andy', the delivery people, said they would call back in 10 minutes. A half hour later, Doc-No-More called again. They were assured that the fuel was on its way. A little after 10 am, an inflatable dinghy towing a hard bottom dinghy with a rubber bladder full of diesel finally arrived. A very muscular young man explained that their outboard motor had been stolen during the night and he had to borrow another dinghy to deliver the fuel. It seemed ironic that cruisers generally lock up their outboards so that the local hoodlums don't steal them. It would appear the local businesses need to do the same. We surmised that one of 'Handy Andy's' competitors had tried to even the playing field.
Since they had to take our jerry cans in to be filled with gasoline as opposed to the diesel they delivered, Dale took me into Steve's establishment so that I could drop off the laundry and connect to the internet. It was dial up and very slow but since I could connect, it didn't matter. In fact, Dale had gone back to the boat, received the fuel, and returned to pick me up before I finished reading the e-mails, paying the bills and uploading our latest posts to the blogspot. This put us just in time for lunch in which Roger & Elaine joined us.
Did I mention that we meet the most interesting people while cruising? While waiting for our lunch to be served, Elaine introduced us to "Bruce", another cruiser who had sought them out for a medical opinion. Roger offered his opinion as a retired urologist and suggested that he get a second opinion from Dale, whom he refers to as a 'real' doctor. I'm sure that if Dale were to write this up in a medical record it would read as:
A 55+ year old, 275#, w/m presented with an un-bandaged 1.5" round, open puncture wound, approximately 1.5" deep, 4" above his posterior left ankle. Said wound was dry with an obvious brown power applied throughout. Patient advised that approximately 8 weeks ago while riding a motorcycle at night, he ran into a bull which gored him in in the leg. He sought local assistance and was advised to apply a brown powder made from grinding the inside bark of a palm tree.
What can you say to something like that? Dale looked at it, told him it didn't look infected but that it would probably take 6-8 months to heal. The guy said that he probably needed to go grind up some more bark.
Then we had lunch.
The rest of the afternoon was spent searching for fruits, vegetables and bread (the nuts had already sought us out). There are several vendors along the various streets but you'd find bananas in one place, pineapple at another, potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant from the back of a truck; you just had to keep looking to find everything you needed. Thank heavens Dale & I only needed bread. At first we asked for directions to the bakery in our extremely bad Spanish but that only got us so far. Then we reverted to just following our noses to find the aroma of freshly baked bread.
Tomorrow we're off to see the waterfalls. Everyone tells us that we've got to take that tour because it one of the best ones around. They also told us to take an extra change of clothes because the water is cold.
19.54.025N
70.56.934W
People who don't cruise often ask those who do what they do all day. Well, I can tell you now that a lot of your time is spent waiting. Yesterday we had arranged to have fuel delivered to our boat this morning at 8 am. Being thoroughly versed in island time (from our days being stationed in Puerto Rico), we knew not to expect it until 9 am or possibly later. Although Roger & Elaine have been living aboard their boat for the last 3 years, they are still very much the type A personalities (they still wear their watches).
At 9:15 Dale asked me if we should call the delivery people to make sure they knew where we were located within the anchorage. I suggested we wait to see how long Doc-No-More could hold out. A few minutes later, we heard them radio to see what the problem was. 'Handy Andy', the delivery people, said they would call back in 10 minutes. A half hour later, Doc-No-More called again. They were assured that the fuel was on its way. A little after 10 am, an inflatable dinghy towing a hard bottom dinghy with a rubber bladder full of diesel finally arrived. A very muscular young man explained that their outboard motor had been stolen during the night and he had to borrow another dinghy to deliver the fuel. It seemed ironic that cruisers generally lock up their outboards so that the local hoodlums don't steal them. It would appear the local businesses need to do the same. We surmised that one of 'Handy Andy's' competitors had tried to even the playing field.
Since they had to take our jerry cans in to be filled with gasoline as opposed to the diesel they delivered, Dale took me into Steve's establishment so that I could drop off the laundry and connect to the internet. It was dial up and very slow but since I could connect, it didn't matter. In fact, Dale had gone back to the boat, received the fuel, and returned to pick me up before I finished reading the e-mails, paying the bills and uploading our latest posts to the blogspot. This put us just in time for lunch in which Roger & Elaine joined us.
Did I mention that we meet the most interesting people while cruising? While waiting for our lunch to be served, Elaine introduced us to "Bruce", another cruiser who had sought them out for a medical opinion. Roger offered his opinion as a retired urologist and suggested that he get a second opinion from Dale, whom he refers to as a 'real' doctor. I'm sure that if Dale were to write this up in a medical record it would read as:
A 55+ year old, 275#, w/m presented with an un-bandaged 1.5" round, open puncture wound, approximately 1.5" deep, 4" above his posterior left ankle. Said wound was dry with an obvious brown power applied throughout. Patient advised that approximately 8 weeks ago while riding a motorcycle at night, he ran into a bull which gored him in in the leg. He sought local assistance and was advised to apply a brown powder made from grinding the inside bark of a palm tree.
What can you say to something like that? Dale looked at it, told him it didn't look infected but that it would probably take 6-8 months to heal. The guy said that he probably needed to go grind up some more bark.
Then we had lunch.
The rest of the afternoon was spent searching for fruits, vegetables and bread (the nuts had already sought us out). There are several vendors along the various streets but you'd find bananas in one place, pineapple at another, potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant from the back of a truck; you just had to keep looking to find everything you needed. Thank heavens Dale & I only needed bread. At first we asked for directions to the bakery in our extremely bad Spanish but that only got us so far. Then we reverted to just following our noses to find the aroma of freshly baked bread.
Tomorrow we're off to see the waterfalls. Everyone tells us that we've got to take that tour because it one of the best ones around. They also told us to take an extra change of clothes because the water is cold.
Monday, January 02, 2006
Luperon, DR
19.54.025N
70.56.934W
You think the U.S. has bureaucracy? You've never been to Luperon! We waited for the Commandantes to come to our boat until 10 am. We were in the process of giving up and taking off for their office when a boat came up with 3 men in it. One of the people in the boat was wearing a green fatigue uniform (the Commandant's representative), another was wearing blue denim utility uniform (the Navy's representative), the last was wearing street clothes (the interpreter.) This was the first of 5 meetings and the first of 2 inspections.
The paperwork was conducted in the cockpit by the Commandant's representative, ably assisted by the interpreter. Once completed, the Navy's representative came down the stairs, walked forward into the guest stateroom/storage area, proclaimed that we were "good", walked back to stairs, ascended and returned to the others. He didn't walk back to the rear of the boat to the master stateroom where we keep our nuclear weapons and underwear but since we were pronounced "good", we weren't going to argue. We were then instructed to pick up our papers at the Commandant's office prior to leaving. (Supposedly only the interpreter spoke English, but when Dale cracked a joke about the interpreter's boat, I noticed that all 3 laughed.)
Next, we proceeded to the Immigration office, which was actually, 3 offices in one trailer. We were instructed to obtain our visitor cards at the first table. Then we were ushered into a private office of the Immigration official where we filled out more papers, had our passports stamped and the visitor cards stapled into our passports. Then we had to go back to the first room and complete our paperwork for the port fees at the harbor master's desk and then finally we were instructed that the agriculture officials would inspect our boat by 3:00 pm. Naturally, each had their own fees. All in all, we spent about $60.00 US.
We walked through the town, exchanged our dollars for pesos, then returned to Steve's Place, an ex-pat, who has developed a one-stop shopping establishment (restaurant, laundry, internet, fresh veggies, rental motorcycles, you name it, he has it or can get it for you.) The town pretty much closes down from 12 - 2:00, so we returned to the boat and waited for the agriculture inspectors to arrive. We waited until 4:30, hailed Doc-No-More (who was also waiting) and agreed that if they didn't show up by 5:00, we'd take off for the happy hour we'd heard about and check in with them again tomorrow. Needless to say, they showed up as we were literally getting into our dink to leave. They came aboard, we showed them our veggies, they inspected our refrigerator (for what, we don't know), they filled out their paperwork and we paid our fees and all was good to go. Now all we have to do is remember to run by the Commandant's office prior to leaving to pick up our entry papers. A little backwards but as long as it works for them, who cares.
At the marina happy hour, we met up with Dan & Jan, who are fairly well traveled cruisers and Roger & Elaine. We talked travel, politics, religion, weather, engines, and where we were headed next. Dan & Jan are about a week ahead of where we are but since we keep running into them, you'll probably hear about them from time to time.
I was sorry that Anders and Elizabeth (a couple we met at the dinghy dock) hadn't shown up. Anders is Finnish and Elizabeth is Canadian. Elizabeth speaks in a high, almost childlike voice but the stories she tells are incredible. Apparently, Anders missed sailing but Elizabeth had never sailed. They joined a yacht club and when someone asked if anyone was interested in bringing back a boat from Turkey, she volunteered. I not sure if they're terribly courageous (Elizabeth says that Anders is fearless) or incredibly stupid (Anders version when Elizabeth isn't chattering). They've come all of this way without charts. Their GPS died a one point, in fact they lost all of their electronics at one point, they've run aground, they've entered the wrong port, just about everything has broken on the boat at one time or another, Anders patches it back together and yet, they should make their Florida landfall within the next month. You meet the most incredible people in this little sailing community, I would have loved to listen to her longer.
Tomorrow we're back to Steve's for laundry and internet.
19.54.025N
70.56.934W
You think the U.S. has bureaucracy? You've never been to Luperon! We waited for the Commandantes to come to our boat until 10 am. We were in the process of giving up and taking off for their office when a boat came up with 3 men in it. One of the people in the boat was wearing a green fatigue uniform (the Commandant's representative), another was wearing blue denim utility uniform (the Navy's representative), the last was wearing street clothes (the interpreter.) This was the first of 5 meetings and the first of 2 inspections.
The paperwork was conducted in the cockpit by the Commandant's representative, ably assisted by the interpreter. Once completed, the Navy's representative came down the stairs, walked forward into the guest stateroom/storage area, proclaimed that we were "good", walked back to stairs, ascended and returned to the others. He didn't walk back to the rear of the boat to the master stateroom where we keep our nuclear weapons and underwear but since we were pronounced "good", we weren't going to argue. We were then instructed to pick up our papers at the Commandant's office prior to leaving. (Supposedly only the interpreter spoke English, but when Dale cracked a joke about the interpreter's boat, I noticed that all 3 laughed.)
Next, we proceeded to the Immigration office, which was actually, 3 offices in one trailer. We were instructed to obtain our visitor cards at the first table. Then we were ushered into a private office of the Immigration official where we filled out more papers, had our passports stamped and the visitor cards stapled into our passports. Then we had to go back to the first room and complete our paperwork for the port fees at the harbor master's desk and then finally we were instructed that the agriculture officials would inspect our boat by 3:00 pm. Naturally, each had their own fees. All in all, we spent about $60.00 US.
We walked through the town, exchanged our dollars for pesos, then returned to Steve's Place, an ex-pat, who has developed a one-stop shopping establishment (restaurant, laundry, internet, fresh veggies, rental motorcycles, you name it, he has it or can get it for you.) The town pretty much closes down from 12 - 2:00, so we returned to the boat and waited for the agriculture inspectors to arrive. We waited until 4:30, hailed Doc-No-More (who was also waiting) and agreed that if they didn't show up by 5:00, we'd take off for the happy hour we'd heard about and check in with them again tomorrow. Needless to say, they showed up as we were literally getting into our dink to leave. They came aboard, we showed them our veggies, they inspected our refrigerator (for what, we don't know), they filled out their paperwork and we paid our fees and all was good to go. Now all we have to do is remember to run by the Commandant's office prior to leaving to pick up our entry papers. A little backwards but as long as it works for them, who cares.
At the marina happy hour, we met up with Dan & Jan, who are fairly well traveled cruisers and Roger & Elaine. We talked travel, politics, religion, weather, engines, and where we were headed next. Dan & Jan are about a week ahead of where we are but since we keep running into them, you'll probably hear about them from time to time.
I was sorry that Anders and Elizabeth (a couple we met at the dinghy dock) hadn't shown up. Anders is Finnish and Elizabeth is Canadian. Elizabeth speaks in a high, almost childlike voice but the stories she tells are incredible. Apparently, Anders missed sailing but Elizabeth had never sailed. They joined a yacht club and when someone asked if anyone was interested in bringing back a boat from Turkey, she volunteered. I not sure if they're terribly courageous (Elizabeth says that Anders is fearless) or incredibly stupid (Anders version when Elizabeth isn't chattering). They've come all of this way without charts. Their GPS died a one point, in fact they lost all of their electronics at one point, they've run aground, they've entered the wrong port, just about everything has broken on the boat at one time or another, Anders patches it back together and yet, they should make their Florida landfall within the next month. You meet the most incredible people in this little sailing community, I would have loved to listen to her longer.
Tomorrow we're back to Steve's for laundry and internet.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Luperon, Dominican Republic
19.54.025N
70.56.934W
We're in Luperon! What a difference in scenery. Where the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands were arid, Hispaniola is lush and green.
Last night was quite the experience. Not the tranquil little sail we had anticipated. The period of quiet weather dissolved while we were mid stream (a full 24 hours ahead of time) and the wind and waves picked up quite a bit. We put a couple of reefs in each of the sails to combat the wind but the swell and current played havoc with our autopilot. We ended up taking it off the tracking feature and just using a course heading. Then we'd adjust our course as to how we were progressing via the chartplotter. About 2/3's of the way here, I started seeing lightening on the horizon. Thank heavens we only got more wind and some rain. Dale and I both stayed up in the cockpit all night, taking turns napping while the other stood watch. There was no traffic but it took both of us to adjust the sails when needed.
For those who have read Van Sant's "Passages South," it was exactly as he described. The wind and waves calmed 20 miles out. You could smell the earth long before you could see it. Then when dawn came, you saw beautiful mountains of green and could smell wood fires burning. It was a very impressive sight. (Someone told us that Jurassic Park was filmed here, to envision it.)
We knew from our reading that the harbor itself is concealed from view until you are just about on top of it, the coordinates given in the books were perfect. We were lucky that a boater inside was taking his dog out for a morning romp and stopped to direct us through the channel itself. Apparently there are some hidden mud banks that you can get stuck in. Nothing dangerous, just embarrassing. Clearly, it's a very popular anchorage. We found a spot to anchor in 20' of water at the end and Doc-No-More anchored nearby near one of the mud flats. We had heard complaints that the water was extremely muddy. Clearly those that complained have never been in the St. Johns River. This evening showed that there is a fair amount of phosphorescence in the water which, in my experience, looks muddy in the day. Otherwise, it's more of a green look to it but I have to admit, you can't see your toes in it either.
For Dale and I, once we latched onto mother earth, we both zoned out for a couple of hours because we were exhausted. Although Roger described the catamaran's action as like being in a washing machine, they apparently were more well rested than we were. By mid-afternoon, Elaine had scoped out the anchorage, met with a couple of ambassadors of good will and had us signed up to go on an inland tour to see some waterfalls on Wednesday. She even had the skinny on a tour of a rum factory (she knew she had our vote on that one) and possibly renting a van to do some errands.
I had been a little apprehensive about coming to Luperon but so far, all of my concerns have been unfounded. Tomorrow we'll check into customs and immigration and pick up some local currency. We figure we'll be here about a week before moving on to Puerto Rico.
19.54.025N
70.56.934W
We're in Luperon! What a difference in scenery. Where the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands were arid, Hispaniola is lush and green.
Last night was quite the experience. Not the tranquil little sail we had anticipated. The period of quiet weather dissolved while we were mid stream (a full 24 hours ahead of time) and the wind and waves picked up quite a bit. We put a couple of reefs in each of the sails to combat the wind but the swell and current played havoc with our autopilot. We ended up taking it off the tracking feature and just using a course heading. Then we'd adjust our course as to how we were progressing via the chartplotter. About 2/3's of the way here, I started seeing lightening on the horizon. Thank heavens we only got more wind and some rain. Dale and I both stayed up in the cockpit all night, taking turns napping while the other stood watch. There was no traffic but it took both of us to adjust the sails when needed.
For those who have read Van Sant's "Passages South," it was exactly as he described. The wind and waves calmed 20 miles out. You could smell the earth long before you could see it. Then when dawn came, you saw beautiful mountains of green and could smell wood fires burning. It was a very impressive sight. (Someone told us that Jurassic Park was filmed here, to envision it.)
We knew from our reading that the harbor itself is concealed from view until you are just about on top of it, the coordinates given in the books were perfect. We were lucky that a boater inside was taking his dog out for a morning romp and stopped to direct us through the channel itself. Apparently there are some hidden mud banks that you can get stuck in. Nothing dangerous, just embarrassing. Clearly, it's a very popular anchorage. We found a spot to anchor in 20' of water at the end and Doc-No-More anchored nearby near one of the mud flats. We had heard complaints that the water was extremely muddy. Clearly those that complained have never been in the St. Johns River. This evening showed that there is a fair amount of phosphorescence in the water which, in my experience, looks muddy in the day. Otherwise, it's more of a green look to it but I have to admit, you can't see your toes in it either.
For Dale and I, once we latched onto mother earth, we both zoned out for a couple of hours because we were exhausted. Although Roger described the catamaran's action as like being in a washing machine, they apparently were more well rested than we were. By mid-afternoon, Elaine had scoped out the anchorage, met with a couple of ambassadors of good will and had us signed up to go on an inland tour to see some waterfalls on Wednesday. She even had the skinny on a tour of a rum factory (she knew she had our vote on that one) and possibly renting a van to do some errands.
I had been a little apprehensive about coming to Luperon but so far, all of my concerns have been unfounded. Tomorrow we'll check into customs and immigration and pick up some local currency. We figure we'll be here about a week before moving on to Puerto Rico.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Atlantic Ocean
20.29.529N
71.05.257W
After listening to the weather report this morning, we knew that we could either go the Great Sand Cay and anchor for an hour or two before departing for Luperon, or we could anchor overnight and sail the next afternoon. What we decided to do, as you can see from our location, is just to leave Ambergrist later in the morning and motor sail up to Great Sand Cay but instead of pulling in, we'll just keep on going to Luperon making it a full overnight passage. We anticipate 10-15 kts of wind from the ENE which should be perfect sailing weather.
The champagne we were chilling for New Years Eve was pulled out of the refrigerator and wrapped back up in the bubble wrap for safe keeping. We'll drink it after we reach Luperon. Next year will dawn with us in a new harbor, in a new country and definitely a major step south.
20.29.529N
71.05.257W
After listening to the weather report this morning, we knew that we could either go the Great Sand Cay and anchor for an hour or two before departing for Luperon, or we could anchor overnight and sail the next afternoon. What we decided to do, as you can see from our location, is just to leave Ambergrist later in the morning and motor sail up to Great Sand Cay but instead of pulling in, we'll just keep on going to Luperon making it a full overnight passage. We anticipate 10-15 kts of wind from the ENE which should be perfect sailing weather.
The champagne we were chilling for New Years Eve was pulled out of the refrigerator and wrapped back up in the bubble wrap for safe keeping. We'll drink it after we reach Luperon. Next year will dawn with us in a new harbor, in a new country and definitely a major step south.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Ambergris Cay, TCI
21.19.283N
71.38.944W
The transit across the TCI Bank was awesome. There was absolutely no wind today so the Bank was like a pool. The water was crystal clear whether at 10 feet or at 20. I was completely hypnotized by the play of light and water on the sand. Dale seemed to zip from one little project to another. (There's always something to fix or maintain but I began to wonder what would happen if there wasn't.)
We had departed Provo at 6:45 am and dropped anchor at Ambergrist Cay by 3:00 pm. In between times, we motored amongst millions of sea biscuits, more than a few coral heads, hundreds of star fish and flamingos flying in formation. The average water depth through the majority of our trip was 13'. Dale and I were forced to come to an agreement between what would be considered prudent and what was being overly cautious. We finally agreed that anything less than 10 feet we would slow down and observe, otherwise, it was to be expected and throttling back was unnecessary. Since we were motoring at 6 kts, there were times when I was sitting poised to throttle back in an instant.
Once we reached Ambergrist, the clarity of the water was so inviting that Elaine and I both wanted to jump in as soon as the anchors were down, except for the fact that we had all seen several sharks on the way into our anchorage. All of us agreed that they were nurse sharks (supposedly non-threatening) but we were also not willing to 'swim with the sharks'. We ended up snorkeling a few small reefs and saw lots of fish but in all honesty, it seemed to be more clear from the decks of our boats than it was underwater, probably because it was getting later in the day. Dale says that I've been spoiled. Unless I have unlimited visibility, I'm not happy. He's probably right. I think that when you see the true colors and beauty surrounding you, it makes the dive/snorkel more interesting.
Since we had to dodge and weave the coral heads coming into this anchorage, we'll leave tomorrow for Great Sand Cay after 10 am to keep the sun high where we can dodge and weave our way back out again. From there we'll be heading on to Luperon.
21.19.283N
71.38.944W
The transit across the TCI Bank was awesome. There was absolutely no wind today so the Bank was like a pool. The water was crystal clear whether at 10 feet or at 20. I was completely hypnotized by the play of light and water on the sand. Dale seemed to zip from one little project to another. (There's always something to fix or maintain but I began to wonder what would happen if there wasn't.)
We had departed Provo at 6:45 am and dropped anchor at Ambergrist Cay by 3:00 pm. In between times, we motored amongst millions of sea biscuits, more than a few coral heads, hundreds of star fish and flamingos flying in formation. The average water depth through the majority of our trip was 13'. Dale and I were forced to come to an agreement between what would be considered prudent and what was being overly cautious. We finally agreed that anything less than 10 feet we would slow down and observe, otherwise, it was to be expected and throttling back was unnecessary. Since we were motoring at 6 kts, there were times when I was sitting poised to throttle back in an instant.
Once we reached Ambergrist, the clarity of the water was so inviting that Elaine and I both wanted to jump in as soon as the anchors were down, except for the fact that we had all seen several sharks on the way into our anchorage. All of us agreed that they were nurse sharks (supposedly non-threatening) but we were also not willing to 'swim with the sharks'. We ended up snorkeling a few small reefs and saw lots of fish but in all honesty, it seemed to be more clear from the decks of our boats than it was underwater, probably because it was getting later in the day. Dale says that I've been spoiled. Unless I have unlimited visibility, I'm not happy. He's probably right. I think that when you see the true colors and beauty surrounding you, it makes the dive/snorkel more interesting.
Since we had to dodge and weave the coral heads coming into this anchorage, we'll leave tomorrow for Great Sand Cay after 10 am to keep the sun high where we can dodge and weave our way back out again. From there we'll be heading on to Luperon.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Provo,
Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI)
21.44.585N
72.17.411S
Oh my aching feet! or looking for WiFi, Part II. We wanted an early start into town so we hailed Mr. Small on our VHF for a lift. We called, Doc-No-More called, he never did answer. So we were forced to do as we did yesterday, we dinghed in to the beach, walked a short distance to the road and threw out those thumbs. It didn't take long before we had a ride, which was good because today Dale was carrying our computer in a backpack (its really heavy). The young man who picked us up was Haitian and really didn't speak very much English. I don't think he had any idea what we were asking but he dropped us off at the grocery store we had found yesterday. This was OK because today we were armed with a map (found in one of the magazines we'd acquired from the car rental place) and off we launched looking for Suzi's Turn, the area of town where the WiFi was supposed to be.
Did I mention that island time includes taking off inordinate amounts of time for holidays? We soon discovered that a majority of small businesses close between Christmas and New Years. Including the little shop that had WiFi clearly advertised all over its windows. Poor Elaine wasn't sure who to feel sorry for, Dale for carrying the computer all that way or me, who she thought might go into withdrawal symptoms if we didn't connect today. We did run into a lady outside of the little shop who suggested that we walk further down the road to a supermarket that she thought had just started advertising wireless. So we did. Walk that is. Just before we got to the supermarket (about a mile and a half away), a nice couple from Denver who have a vacation home here, pulled over and offered all of us a ride. As it turned out, the supermarket was advertising for wireless telephones, not wireless internet connection.
Roger & Elaine wanted to continue on to Grace Bay, an exclusive resort area (which also was supposed to carry WiFi). What the heck, we thought, we'd go on with them and see the island. The couple from Denver lived in the area and said that they would take us the rest of the way.
Now we find ourselves at the complete opposite end of the island. We were dropped off at a cluster of small stores where they thought an internet cafe' was located. We found it. Unfortunately, the young lady behind the counter could only input the code into the machine, if it didn't work, she didn't know how to fix it. Of course, it didn't work. I noticed that it didn't work for any of the people who brought in their own laptops. (I miss Cherie and the IT crew, who I am convinced could fix anything computer related.)
By this time, Roger & Elaine had taken off to do their own sightseeing (I can't imagine why they didn't want to continue on with the search for internet connection) and we headed down to the resort clubhouse to see if they might have a hotspot. We were half way there when we spotted the clubhouse. Clearly very exclusive and not inclined to let boat trash (Dale's description, not mine) onto the premises. (We were even wearing our polo shirts. I couldn't believe he'd call us that.) So, we did an about face, headed back to the main highway and out came those thumbs again.
The gentleman (a TCI native) who picked us up asked the normal questions, where were we from, where were we going, how did we like the island so far, then he asked why we had traveled so far from our boat. We told him our plight. He picked up his phone and called his wife who owned a store, explained the situation and asked if she were using her computer. I guess she suggested that we try one more place (that we hadn't tried) on the way to hers and if they weren't open, to come on ahead. As it turned out, the place she suggested was closed but the people inside doing inventory let us in and we were granted access to the internet for as far as we could go without a code. As you can see, I was able to upload our blogs while Dale was able to access our e-mail; we'll have to wait to pay bills later.
After a successful day at the internet, we were once again out on the main highway trying to get back to our side of the island. So . . . those thumbs were stuck in the air again. This time we were picked up by a man from Sarasota who lives on the island part time. (He had accidentally discovered how nice this island was when his private plane needed to be refueled on its way to somewhere else.) He asked the same questions as everyone else except that he kept saying that he couldn't believe that we had traveled across the island in search of WiFi. Then we found out that he was in the internet business. (I wouldn't be surprised to find WiFi in all of the marinas the next time we're here. He seemed to be the entrepreneurial type.) He was gracious enough to give us a ride all the way back to our side of the island and even drove us up to the customs office so that we could check out. (Dale thinks that he felt sorry for a couple of old farts and couldn't believe we were walking everywhere.)
What can I tell you? It took us all day to connect to the internet but we saw the entire island from one end to the other. We witnessed the fact that if you have the money, this island is on the verge of a boom. Condos are going up on the north side of the island, while individual homes on deep water are being built on the south side. This is South Florida in the making. We got a lot more exercise than we would have any other way. We met some fantastic people and we accomplished our mission.
Tomorrow, we'll head across the TCI Bank for Ambergris Cay. It's extremely shallow and quite a few boats have run aground. We'll start out at day break and keep a vigilant eye towards the shallows. Hopefully, it won't be very dramatic.
Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI)
21.44.585N
72.17.411S
Oh my aching feet! or looking for WiFi, Part II. We wanted an early start into town so we hailed Mr. Small on our VHF for a lift. We called, Doc-No-More called, he never did answer. So we were forced to do as we did yesterday, we dinghed in to the beach, walked a short distance to the road and threw out those thumbs. It didn't take long before we had a ride, which was good because today Dale was carrying our computer in a backpack (its really heavy). The young man who picked us up was Haitian and really didn't speak very much English. I don't think he had any idea what we were asking but he dropped us off at the grocery store we had found yesterday. This was OK because today we were armed with a map (found in one of the magazines we'd acquired from the car rental place) and off we launched looking for Suzi's Turn, the area of town where the WiFi was supposed to be.
Did I mention that island time includes taking off inordinate amounts of time for holidays? We soon discovered that a majority of small businesses close between Christmas and New Years. Including the little shop that had WiFi clearly advertised all over its windows. Poor Elaine wasn't sure who to feel sorry for, Dale for carrying the computer all that way or me, who she thought might go into withdrawal symptoms if we didn't connect today. We did run into a lady outside of the little shop who suggested that we walk further down the road to a supermarket that she thought had just started advertising wireless. So we did. Walk that is. Just before we got to the supermarket (about a mile and a half away), a nice couple from Denver who have a vacation home here, pulled over and offered all of us a ride. As it turned out, the supermarket was advertising for wireless telephones, not wireless internet connection.
Roger & Elaine wanted to continue on to Grace Bay, an exclusive resort area (which also was supposed to carry WiFi). What the heck, we thought, we'd go on with them and see the island. The couple from Denver lived in the area and said that they would take us the rest of the way.
Now we find ourselves at the complete opposite end of the island. We were dropped off at a cluster of small stores where they thought an internet cafe' was located. We found it. Unfortunately, the young lady behind the counter could only input the code into the machine, if it didn't work, she didn't know how to fix it. Of course, it didn't work. I noticed that it didn't work for any of the people who brought in their own laptops. (I miss Cherie and the IT crew, who I am convinced could fix anything computer related.)
By this time, Roger & Elaine had taken off to do their own sightseeing (I can't imagine why they didn't want to continue on with the search for internet connection) and we headed down to the resort clubhouse to see if they might have a hotspot. We were half way there when we spotted the clubhouse. Clearly very exclusive and not inclined to let boat trash (Dale's description, not mine) onto the premises. (We were even wearing our polo shirts. I couldn't believe he'd call us that.) So, we did an about face, headed back to the main highway and out came those thumbs again.
The gentleman (a TCI native) who picked us up asked the normal questions, where were we from, where were we going, how did we like the island so far, then he asked why we had traveled so far from our boat. We told him our plight. He picked up his phone and called his wife who owned a store, explained the situation and asked if she were using her computer. I guess she suggested that we try one more place (that we hadn't tried) on the way to hers and if they weren't open, to come on ahead. As it turned out, the place she suggested was closed but the people inside doing inventory let us in and we were granted access to the internet for as far as we could go without a code. As you can see, I was able to upload our blogs while Dale was able to access our e-mail; we'll have to wait to pay bills later.
After a successful day at the internet, we were once again out on the main highway trying to get back to our side of the island. So . . . those thumbs were stuck in the air again. This time we were picked up by a man from Sarasota who lives on the island part time. (He had accidentally discovered how nice this island was when his private plane needed to be refueled on its way to somewhere else.) He asked the same questions as everyone else except that he kept saying that he couldn't believe that we had traveled across the island in search of WiFi. Then we found out that he was in the internet business. (I wouldn't be surprised to find WiFi in all of the marinas the next time we're here. He seemed to be the entrepreneurial type.) He was gracious enough to give us a ride all the way back to our side of the island and even drove us up to the customs office so that we could check out. (Dale thinks that he felt sorry for a couple of old farts and couldn't believe we were walking everywhere.)
What can I tell you? It took us all day to connect to the internet but we saw the entire island from one end to the other. We witnessed the fact that if you have the money, this island is on the verge of a boom. Condos are going up on the north side of the island, while individual homes on deep water are being built on the south side. This is South Florida in the making. We got a lot more exercise than we would have any other way. We met some fantastic people and we accomplished our mission.
Tomorrow, we'll head across the TCI Bank for Ambergris Cay. It's extremely shallow and quite a few boats have run aground. We'll start out at day break and keep a vigilant eye towards the shallows. Hopefully, it won't be very dramatic.
Providenciales (Provo)
Turks & Caicos
21.44.585N
72.17.411S
A great sail. We hoisted anchor about 12:30am and rounded the reef of Mayaguana towards Providenciales, Provo for short. Once past the tip of the island we turned off the engine and sailed the rest of the way to the Turks & Caicos (TCI) doing between 5 and 7 kts with 10-18 kts of wind off our port beam all of the way. What a savings in diesel. We've been very lucky when it comes to sailing; the general rule is that wherever you're headed, the wind is on your nose (which means that you're motoring.)
It took a little over an hour to enter onto the TCI banks and into Sapodilla Bay to anchor in 7-8' of water. Dale and Roger took the dink around to the freighter channel and checked us in to customs. The guidebooks indicated that only the captains of the boats should step foot on the island prior to the customs paperwork being completed, so Elaine and I waited back on the boats, dutifully (yea, right). Dale said that Elaine was doing the 'puppy dance' ('when can we go, when can we go') on her boat. At the other extreme, I took advantage of my time alone and had a nice, hot, leisurely, private bath and washed my hair. Maybe it's something about being female but for some reason, taking a bath or shower just makes you feel good. You have a tendency to step out and say "God, I feel human again." Particularly after a night sail where you're on 3 hour watches. Night and day and time seem to meld together. I'm never sure when to brush my teeth.
After lunch we took the dinghies and our bags of trash in with us as we set out to explore the island of Provo. We immediately found that the trash bin described as being at one end of the beach for cruisers, was no where to be found. Now what? Dale tucked ours back in the dink; Roger slung his over his should like Santa and we started off down the road towards town.
Before long, we knew that the 4 mile trip to town was not going to be as easy as we first thought. The cars drive on the left side (sort of); actually they're dodging pots holes, so they're all over the place. We just didn't want to get hit while they were dodging. The guidebooks said to hitchhike into town; that the people are friendly and would gladly pick you up. I have a problem with this. It's not that I have an aversion to sitting in the back of a pick up; heck, I lived on a farm, my father and mother threw the 5 of us kids in the back and off to town we'd go. It's just that I've taught my children not to hitchhike because you never know when the next Ted Bundy is around the corner. Roger & Elaine are more the world travelers and stuck out those thumbs as soon as they decided enough was enough! The first truck that stopped wasn't going all the way into town but when we asked about trash disposal, he said to just throw it in the back of his truck and he'd take it. Great! One hurtle crossed. Roger was happier now. The next truck that pulled over for us was going into town so we all piled into the back. It did remind me of when I was a kid. Dad & Mom weren't there, so I sat on the wheel well. I figured if I was going to start breaking the rules, I'd break that one too.
Provo is really spread out. Town is one long highway the length of the island. We were deposited in front of a bank, which again made Roger happy since he had to make an ATM withdrawal anyway and this time, it actually worked. We next headed for the airport on foot. We figured that we could rent a car to take us to all of the other places we needed to go without having to tote, our laundry, the computer, groceries and whatever else we might want to do back and forth the 4 miles into Town. We found a Budget Rental but unfortunately, it's still the holidays and every car on the island is rented out until Sunday. They were very friendly and let us take some island magazines which did list all of the establishments and where they were located. We sat down at a nearby restaurant and re-evaluated our needs. OK, I can do laundry by hand, Elaine could pick up a few items at the grocery store and carry them in her back pack but I had to have a WiFi connection! We were in luck, there were several internet companies and one that listed WiFi as being available.
In returning to the boat, we were lucky in finding a taxi driver on his way home who offered us a ride with the promise that we wouldn't tell anyone what we paid. We promised. Tomorrow, we'll call him again, because you all know I have to have a WiFi fix and Small's Taxi has guaranteed customers each time we have to go somewhere.
Turks & Caicos
21.44.585N
72.17.411S
A great sail. We hoisted anchor about 12:30am and rounded the reef of Mayaguana towards Providenciales, Provo for short. Once past the tip of the island we turned off the engine and sailed the rest of the way to the Turks & Caicos (TCI) doing between 5 and 7 kts with 10-18 kts of wind off our port beam all of the way. What a savings in diesel. We've been very lucky when it comes to sailing; the general rule is that wherever you're headed, the wind is on your nose (which means that you're motoring.)
It took a little over an hour to enter onto the TCI banks and into Sapodilla Bay to anchor in 7-8' of water. Dale and Roger took the dink around to the freighter channel and checked us in to customs. The guidebooks indicated that only the captains of the boats should step foot on the island prior to the customs paperwork being completed, so Elaine and I waited back on the boats, dutifully (yea, right). Dale said that Elaine was doing the 'puppy dance' ('when can we go, when can we go') on her boat. At the other extreme, I took advantage of my time alone and had a nice, hot, leisurely, private bath and washed my hair. Maybe it's something about being female but for some reason, taking a bath or shower just makes you feel good. You have a tendency to step out and say "God, I feel human again." Particularly after a night sail where you're on 3 hour watches. Night and day and time seem to meld together. I'm never sure when to brush my teeth.
After lunch we took the dinghies and our bags of trash in with us as we set out to explore the island of Provo. We immediately found that the trash bin described as being at one end of the beach for cruisers, was no where to be found. Now what? Dale tucked ours back in the dink; Roger slung his over his should like Santa and we started off down the road towards town.
Before long, we knew that the 4 mile trip to town was not going to be as easy as we first thought. The cars drive on the left side (sort of); actually they're dodging pots holes, so they're all over the place. We just didn't want to get hit while they were dodging. The guidebooks said to hitchhike into town; that the people are friendly and would gladly pick you up. I have a problem with this. It's not that I have an aversion to sitting in the back of a pick up; heck, I lived on a farm, my father and mother threw the 5 of us kids in the back and off to town we'd go. It's just that I've taught my children not to hitchhike because you never know when the next Ted Bundy is around the corner. Roger & Elaine are more the world travelers and stuck out those thumbs as soon as they decided enough was enough! The first truck that stopped wasn't going all the way into town but when we asked about trash disposal, he said to just throw it in the back of his truck and he'd take it. Great! One hurtle crossed. Roger was happier now. The next truck that pulled over for us was going into town so we all piled into the back. It did remind me of when I was a kid. Dad & Mom weren't there, so I sat on the wheel well. I figured if I was going to start breaking the rules, I'd break that one too.
Provo is really spread out. Town is one long highway the length of the island. We were deposited in front of a bank, which again made Roger happy since he had to make an ATM withdrawal anyway and this time, it actually worked. We next headed for the airport on foot. We figured that we could rent a car to take us to all of the other places we needed to go without having to tote, our laundry, the computer, groceries and whatever else we might want to do back and forth the 4 miles into Town. We found a Budget Rental but unfortunately, it's still the holidays and every car on the island is rented out until Sunday. They were very friendly and let us take some island magazines which did list all of the establishments and where they were located. We sat down at a nearby restaurant and re-evaluated our needs. OK, I can do laundry by hand, Elaine could pick up a few items at the grocery store and carry them in her back pack but I had to have a WiFi connection! We were in luck, there were several internet companies and one that listed WiFi as being available.
In returning to the boat, we were lucky in finding a taxi driver on his way home who offered us a ride with the promise that we wouldn't tell anyone what we paid. We promised. Tomorrow, we'll call him again, because you all know I have to have a WiFi fix and Small's Taxi has guaranteed customers each time we have to go somewhere.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Mayaguana, Bahamas
22.17.036N
72.47.146S
Another day on the boat, waiting. This morning was still overcast when Calaloo hoisted anchor and pulled out for Luperon. We radioed our bon voyage to them and watched as they circled around the anchorage and headed out of sight.
Dale and I spent the day cleaning the interior of the boat and studying the charts. Elaine radioed us about midmorning that she was tired of talking with just her husband so we went over for a lunch of homemade soup and finalized our plans for moving to a staging area for a midnight departure. The guidebooks advise to be at the entrance channel to the Turks and Caicos by morning so that you can go through the channel with a minimum of engine power against the outgoing water from the banks inside. Apparently the sun heats the water on the banks and they flow out to the ocean during the day at a fairly good rate and then return at night when the banks cool off again.
After lunch we hoisted our anchors and started sailing to the end of the island to the staging anchorage about 1:30pm. Dale let out one of his fishing lines and caught a tuna head (sharks got the rest). I don't think any of us realized just how far the end of the island was (17 miles is really nothing, right?) until we noticed that the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky and we still needed to go about 8 more miles. We turned on our engine and added a little iron wind to our sails to get the 8 kts we ended up with and anchored about 45 minutes before sunset.
We are now anchored (where suggested) in the swell just before the water hits the reef at the end of the island. We never did find the deep sand described in the guidebooks but Dale let out enough chain for the weight alone to hold us in place. Doc-No-More is right beside us. The winds are very calm, so there shouldn't be any problem.
We're off to bed early so that the alarm set for midnight won't be such a shock. Although it won't exactly be an overnight passage, the majority of this passage will be after dark, or should I say before light. This winter sailing is for the birds.
22.17.036N
72.47.146S
Another day on the boat, waiting. This morning was still overcast when Calaloo hoisted anchor and pulled out for Luperon. We radioed our bon voyage to them and watched as they circled around the anchorage and headed out of sight.
Dale and I spent the day cleaning the interior of the boat and studying the charts. Elaine radioed us about midmorning that she was tired of talking with just her husband so we went over for a lunch of homemade soup and finalized our plans for moving to a staging area for a midnight departure. The guidebooks advise to be at the entrance channel to the Turks and Caicos by morning so that you can go through the channel with a minimum of engine power against the outgoing water from the banks inside. Apparently the sun heats the water on the banks and they flow out to the ocean during the day at a fairly good rate and then return at night when the banks cool off again.
After lunch we hoisted our anchors and started sailing to the end of the island to the staging anchorage about 1:30pm. Dale let out one of his fishing lines and caught a tuna head (sharks got the rest). I don't think any of us realized just how far the end of the island was (17 miles is really nothing, right?) until we noticed that the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky and we still needed to go about 8 more miles. We turned on our engine and added a little iron wind to our sails to get the 8 kts we ended up with and anchored about 45 minutes before sunset.
We are now anchored (where suggested) in the swell just before the water hits the reef at the end of the island. We never did find the deep sand described in the guidebooks but Dale let out enough chain for the weight alone to hold us in place. Doc-No-More is right beside us. The winds are very calm, so there shouldn't be any problem.
We're off to bed early so that the alarm set for midnight won't be such a shock. Although it won't exactly be an overnight passage, the majority of this passage will be after dark, or should I say before light. This winter sailing is for the birds.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Mayaguana, Bahamas
22.19.576N
73.01.816W
Happy Birthday April. We love you; hope you had a marvelous day.
This morning came like any other. The big storm we were expecting had not occurred during the night. Dale checked with the various weather reports and spoke with Roger who had heard that the storm had passed through Georgetown earlier in the morning. We all stayed on our boats and waited for the inevitable.
About noon we heard the ominous thunder in the distance. About 1:00 the wind shifted as expected and we turned to face a black cloud that lined the entire horizon to the north of us. The black clouds rolled towards us like some giant road paver. I gathered our computer, a hand held VHF radio, a hand held GPS, our charter plotter blue chips and placed them in the oven to hopefully protect against any lightening strikes. Dale and I paced back and forth from the bow to the stern making sure that we had secured everything we could. We battened down the hatches, fastened our cockpit enclosure completely, tightened all of the lines one more time and then waited for it to hit us.
I sat in the back of the cockpit searching the leading edge for signs of a funnel cloud that could drop down and form a water spout. The rolling clouds passed over us and continued on. About 2 pm, it started to sprinkle. Off to the left, we could see Port Nelson, the distant town on Mayaguana, getting a down pour. Off the the right, the ocean was in another down pour. We held our breath.
About 3 pm, it was clear that this was a non-event. The sprinkle was all we ever got. No real rain; no howling wind. Dale looked at me and said that he knew he shouldn't say it, but we've been blessed with good weather on this trip.
We spend the rest of the day reading about the Turks and Caicos. Calaloo wants to totally bypass the country but we and Doc-No-More would like to get off the boat and see the countryside. Calaloo says that as long as the weather holds, they're heading out tomorrow regardless of what we decide.
22.19.576N
73.01.816W
Happy Birthday April. We love you; hope you had a marvelous day.
This morning came like any other. The big storm we were expecting had not occurred during the night. Dale checked with the various weather reports and spoke with Roger who had heard that the storm had passed through Georgetown earlier in the morning. We all stayed on our boats and waited for the inevitable.
About noon we heard the ominous thunder in the distance. About 1:00 the wind shifted as expected and we turned to face a black cloud that lined the entire horizon to the north of us. The black clouds rolled towards us like some giant road paver. I gathered our computer, a hand held VHF radio, a hand held GPS, our charter plotter blue chips and placed them in the oven to hopefully protect against any lightening strikes. Dale and I paced back and forth from the bow to the stern making sure that we had secured everything we could. We battened down the hatches, fastened our cockpit enclosure completely, tightened all of the lines one more time and then waited for it to hit us.
I sat in the back of the cockpit searching the leading edge for signs of a funnel cloud that could drop down and form a water spout. The rolling clouds passed over us and continued on. About 2 pm, it started to sprinkle. Off to the left, we could see Port Nelson, the distant town on Mayaguana, getting a down pour. Off the the right, the ocean was in another down pour. We held our breath.
About 3 pm, it was clear that this was a non-event. The sprinkle was all we ever got. No real rain; no howling wind. Dale looked at me and said that he knew he shouldn't say it, but we've been blessed with good weather on this trip.
We spend the rest of the day reading about the Turks and Caicos. Calaloo wants to totally bypass the country but we and Doc-No-More would like to get off the boat and see the countryside. Calaloo says that as long as the weather holds, they're heading out tomorrow regardless of what we decide.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Mayaguana, Bahamas
22.19.576N
73.01.816W
Christmas Day. Dale let me sleep in since I was up monitoring the wind during the night. It had picked up to 22-23 kts. steadily for awhile but then tapered off again. The front we've been waiting for isn't supposed to come through until tonight or tomorrow morning. We don't think we dragged anchor last night but if we did, it wasn't by very much.
We started our day by calling our children. It was wonderful to hear their voices and learn that Michelle (daughter) and James (son) were spending it together with Stephanie and her family (James' girlfriend). Kyle (son), a fireman, was still at work but we were able to speak with Veronica (who's expecting our 3rd grandbaby) and Valerie (our 1st grandchild). Valerie was very excited about getting her ears pierced. Alayna (our 2nd grandchild) was still asleep. Veronica said that the pregnancy was going well but that she was tired from chasing after the other two. We weren't able to find April (daughter), a graduate student, so we'll send her an e-mail as well as my parents (who just moved to Texas). Robbie, Dale's sister, didn't pick up the phone so we figure that she and her family are in Oregon for Christmas. We also spoke with our friends, Fred & Geri and Gerry & Nicky. Now that we've used our allotment of satellite minutes for the next 5 months, I feel better.
The rest of the day was pretty quiet. I started re-reading the guide to the Turks and Caicos, the next country we're visiting. It's a small country that most cruisers just check in, pass across their banks, then check out as they continue on their way to Luperon in the Dominican Republic. I'd like to spend a couple of days there visiting their land and sea parks. Elaine (from Doc-No-More) agreed with me (or perhaps she was looking for me to validate her argument to Roger) that it would be nice to spend some time there as well. Rick & Connie (from Calaloo) however, would like to bypass the country totally by making another overnight trip around the island nation, anchoring on the banks, then continuing on to Luperon. Regardless of what the final decision is, no one is moving until Tuesday, after the front moves through and the wind and waves quiet down.
In the meantime, Doc-No-More's has been having a problem with vibration loosening a screw that holds a brush in place on their generator. Dale's soldered a broken wire for them a couple of times and came up with an idea to perhaps alleviate some of the problem, so we visited with them for awhile this afternoon. Unfortunately, neither Dale nor Roger had a longer bolt to use with a locking nut to keep things in place. So he'll just have to keep patching it back together for them until we can get to a place where they can find what they need. Dale said that he didn't know who was happier when he fixed it this last time, Roger or Elaine.
Tonight, with some lightening on the horizon, we've let out an extra length of anchor chain to help hold us in place. We've done all that we can to secure ourselves and don't anticipate any problems but when you're completely surrounded by reef as your only protection, it's hard not to be a little apprehensive when a big blow is coming your way.
22.19.576N
73.01.816W
Christmas Day. Dale let me sleep in since I was up monitoring the wind during the night. It had picked up to 22-23 kts. steadily for awhile but then tapered off again. The front we've been waiting for isn't supposed to come through until tonight or tomorrow morning. We don't think we dragged anchor last night but if we did, it wasn't by very much.
We started our day by calling our children. It was wonderful to hear their voices and learn that Michelle (daughter) and James (son) were spending it together with Stephanie and her family (James' girlfriend). Kyle (son), a fireman, was still at work but we were able to speak with Veronica (who's expecting our 3rd grandbaby) and Valerie (our 1st grandchild). Valerie was very excited about getting her ears pierced. Alayna (our 2nd grandchild) was still asleep. Veronica said that the pregnancy was going well but that she was tired from chasing after the other two. We weren't able to find April (daughter), a graduate student, so we'll send her an e-mail as well as my parents (who just moved to Texas). Robbie, Dale's sister, didn't pick up the phone so we figure that she and her family are in Oregon for Christmas. We also spoke with our friends, Fred & Geri and Gerry & Nicky. Now that we've used our allotment of satellite minutes for the next 5 months, I feel better.
The rest of the day was pretty quiet. I started re-reading the guide to the Turks and Caicos, the next country we're visiting. It's a small country that most cruisers just check in, pass across their banks, then check out as they continue on their way to Luperon in the Dominican Republic. I'd like to spend a couple of days there visiting their land and sea parks. Elaine (from Doc-No-More) agreed with me (or perhaps she was looking for me to validate her argument to Roger) that it would be nice to spend some time there as well. Rick & Connie (from Calaloo) however, would like to bypass the country totally by making another overnight trip around the island nation, anchoring on the banks, then continuing on to Luperon. Regardless of what the final decision is, no one is moving until Tuesday, after the front moves through and the wind and waves quiet down.
In the meantime, Doc-No-More's has been having a problem with vibration loosening a screw that holds a brush in place on their generator. Dale's soldered a broken wire for them a couple of times and came up with an idea to perhaps alleviate some of the problem, so we visited with them for awhile this afternoon. Unfortunately, neither Dale nor Roger had a longer bolt to use with a locking nut to keep things in place. So he'll just have to keep patching it back together for them until we can get to a place where they can find what they need. Dale said that he didn't know who was happier when he fixed it this last time, Roger or Elaine.
Tonight, with some lightening on the horizon, we've let out an extra length of anchor chain to help hold us in place. We've done all that we can to secure ourselves and don't anticipate any problems but when you're completely surrounded by reef as your only protection, it's hard not to be a little apprehensive when a big blow is coming your way.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Mayaguana, Bahamas
22.19.576N
73.01.816W
We are literally sitting in the middle of nowhere tonight. If you were to approach this island from east, west or south, you'd see three little sailboats, apparently anchored way out in the ocean. What you can't see is that we are surrounded by a reef that breaks the waves and forms an unseen protected anchorage. So here we sit waiting for the weather to either form into a front or dissipate and go away. Definitely a Christmas Eve unlike any we've ever had before.
Last night's transit was generally uneventful, it was black as pitch with no moon and partly cloudy. So, we had the Christmas game of 'do you see what I see'. The women on each of the boats were on watch at the same time, which made the game even more interesting. I started the game when I saw a search light and radioed Doc-No-More (ahead of me) to see if they could see where it was coming from, at first, Elaine couldn't see it. Then Connie thought perhaps I was seeing her foredeck light. I relayed that what I was seeing was ahead of me (she was behind me). Then Elaine radioed back, yes she could see a light but couldn't identify it. Connie thought perhaps it was the moon. I told her that I would feel pretty silly if what I saw was the moon (the light was coming from the south.) Then we all saw it pan across the ocean; clearly a search light but where was it coming from? About 30 minutes later, Doc-No-More radioed that they had just played a game of dodge boat with a tug towing a barge and that I was next in line and oh, by the way, there's another big boat approaching from the west I might want to keep an eye out for.
Since I was about an hour behind them I had plenty of time to get ready to panic. Actually, I started off fine. Since the tug and barge were crossing my path, I could see that I was going to miss the tug but I would have to alter course to miss the towed barge. There were red and white lights all over the place indicating that something was being towed, the direction they were going and the end of the procession. (Fred, you remember how well I do with red lights.) (For everyone else: unless the red light steers a course across mine, I can't tell what it's doing. It could be 5 yards from me or 5 miles; it can be coming towards me or traveling away, I can't tell). Thank heavens the other big boat I had been warned about, was showing a green light; at least I could see that one. It was already passing me and Connie would have to tango with it. My concern were those red lights.
I turned on the engine and altered course to pass behind the barge, I thought. By changing course I was suddenly doing over 7 kts.; I pulled back on the throttle to idle, I was still doing over 6.5 kts. By this time, Dale was awake and clambering up the stairs to see what was going on. Wow, red lights everywhere; what's going on? I told him what I had seen and what I had done. That's when it happened. Suddenly what I thought was the red light showing the end of the towed barge, started to get closer and closer. I radioed Elaine, did you say that the barge was being towed or being pushed? Roger came back (everyone was up now): being towed they radioed back. Dale was totally confused. If it was crossing right to left and I had passed to the right behind the barge, what was I seeing that made me think that it was now bearing down on us. "That red light! The one getting closer to us. The one right dead center of our boat!" So now he gets that "tone" in his voice. "You watched it. You made the right move to go behind it. Why are you second guessing yourself". Well . . . , obviously . . . , cuz it's a red light!
Right about then the radio crackles; its Rick and Connie: "Did you guys see that big boat? We had to change course to get out of its way.
On my next watch, another big boat approaches with both red and green showing (collision course). I watch it for a while. Then the radio hails: "Sailboat directly in front of me, do you want to pass red to red or green to green." You know what I suggested: "green to green, please".
As I started out, 3 little sailboats are sitting alone here in the middle of nowhere, miles from the nearby town. We're all tired from a long night. We're keeping to ourselves. We wish each other good tidings over the radio. It's Christmas Eve and I have a huge lump in my throat. I miss my kids. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss the parties and the music and church choirs singing at the top of their voices. Dale tries to comfort me by reading the Christmas story from the Bible. It does help. There's a very high price to pay to live in paradise. We're paying it right now.
22.19.576N
73.01.816W
We are literally sitting in the middle of nowhere tonight. If you were to approach this island from east, west or south, you'd see three little sailboats, apparently anchored way out in the ocean. What you can't see is that we are surrounded by a reef that breaks the waves and forms an unseen protected anchorage. So here we sit waiting for the weather to either form into a front or dissipate and go away. Definitely a Christmas Eve unlike any we've ever had before.
Last night's transit was generally uneventful, it was black as pitch with no moon and partly cloudy. So, we had the Christmas game of 'do you see what I see'. The women on each of the boats were on watch at the same time, which made the game even more interesting. I started the game when I saw a search light and radioed Doc-No-More (ahead of me) to see if they could see where it was coming from, at first, Elaine couldn't see it. Then Connie thought perhaps I was seeing her foredeck light. I relayed that what I was seeing was ahead of me (she was behind me). Then Elaine radioed back, yes she could see a light but couldn't identify it. Connie thought perhaps it was the moon. I told her that I would feel pretty silly if what I saw was the moon (the light was coming from the south.) Then we all saw it pan across the ocean; clearly a search light but where was it coming from? About 30 minutes later, Doc-No-More radioed that they had just played a game of dodge boat with a tug towing a barge and that I was next in line and oh, by the way, there's another big boat approaching from the west I might want to keep an eye out for.
Since I was about an hour behind them I had plenty of time to get ready to panic. Actually, I started off fine. Since the tug and barge were crossing my path, I could see that I was going to miss the tug but I would have to alter course to miss the towed barge. There were red and white lights all over the place indicating that something was being towed, the direction they were going and the end of the procession. (Fred, you remember how well I do with red lights.) (For everyone else: unless the red light steers a course across mine, I can't tell what it's doing. It could be 5 yards from me or 5 miles; it can be coming towards me or traveling away, I can't tell). Thank heavens the other big boat I had been warned about, was showing a green light; at least I could see that one. It was already passing me and Connie would have to tango with it. My concern were those red lights.
I turned on the engine and altered course to pass behind the barge, I thought. By changing course I was suddenly doing over 7 kts.; I pulled back on the throttle to idle, I was still doing over 6.5 kts. By this time, Dale was awake and clambering up the stairs to see what was going on. Wow, red lights everywhere; what's going on? I told him what I had seen and what I had done. That's when it happened. Suddenly what I thought was the red light showing the end of the towed barge, started to get closer and closer. I radioed Elaine, did you say that the barge was being towed or being pushed? Roger came back (everyone was up now): being towed they radioed back. Dale was totally confused. If it was crossing right to left and I had passed to the right behind the barge, what was I seeing that made me think that it was now bearing down on us. "That red light! The one getting closer to us. The one right dead center of our boat!" So now he gets that "tone" in his voice. "You watched it. You made the right move to go behind it. Why are you second guessing yourself". Well . . . , obviously . . . , cuz it's a red light!
Right about then the radio crackles; its Rick and Connie: "Did you guys see that big boat? We had to change course to get out of its way.
On my next watch, another big boat approaches with both red and green showing (collision course). I watch it for a while. Then the radio hails: "Sailboat directly in front of me, do you want to pass red to red or green to green." You know what I suggested: "green to green, please".
As I started out, 3 little sailboats are sitting alone here in the middle of nowhere, miles from the nearby town. We're all tired from a long night. We're keeping to ourselves. We wish each other good tidings over the radio. It's Christmas Eve and I have a huge lump in my throat. I miss my kids. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss the parties and the music and church choirs singing at the top of their voices. Dale tries to comfort me by reading the Christmas story from the Bible. It does help. There's a very high price to pay to live in paradise. We're paying it right now.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Atlantic Ocean
23.20.472N
74.21.422W
Another first! After much consideration, we decided to make a break for Mayaguana. We figured that we could either motorsail before the front in calm seas or motorsail after the front in confused seas. Obviously, we elected the former and it has been a wonderful experience.
First, we're sailing!! Once we cleared the island of Rum Cay, the winds picked up, we turned off the engine, put up those white flappy things and kept moving. In the direction we intended no less; the entire way thus far; with no tacking (zig-zagging back and forth). Of course, the catamaran took off and left Calaloo and us in the proverbial dust. Although Calaloo has a shorter water line than we, it is a ketch rig (more sails) so we are fairly well matched for speed. Secondly, we're sailing at 5-7 kts; we're actually getting someplace (in sailboat terms).
The first for us is the actual sailing where we want to go on an overnight transit in the Atlantic Ocean. Wow! Sleeping should be a whole lot easier without an engine droning loudly in your bedroom.
We hoisted anchor at noon and anticipate anchors down sometime between 10am - 2pm tomorrow in Mayaguana. At the rate we're going, it'll be closer to 10am than 2. Needless to say, our day has consisted of reading for me and fishing for Dale. He had a hit early in the day that bent his hook but since then, the only thing he caught was his other line. What a mess. He took him about an hour and a half to detangle the knot. I thought about the fact that prior to this trip, he probably would have just cut the tangle out, salvaged the lures and retied them to more line. But with all the time in the world, he sat and straightened out the jumbled web. Interesting, don't you think?
23.20.472N
74.21.422W
Another first! After much consideration, we decided to make a break for Mayaguana. We figured that we could either motorsail before the front in calm seas or motorsail after the front in confused seas. Obviously, we elected the former and it has been a wonderful experience.
First, we're sailing!! Once we cleared the island of Rum Cay, the winds picked up, we turned off the engine, put up those white flappy things and kept moving. In the direction we intended no less; the entire way thus far; with no tacking (zig-zagging back and forth). Of course, the catamaran took off and left Calaloo and us in the proverbial dust. Although Calaloo has a shorter water line than we, it is a ketch rig (more sails) so we are fairly well matched for speed. Secondly, we're sailing at 5-7 kts; we're actually getting someplace (in sailboat terms).
The first for us is the actual sailing where we want to go on an overnight transit in the Atlantic Ocean. Wow! Sleeping should be a whole lot easier without an engine droning loudly in your bedroom.
We hoisted anchor at noon and anticipate anchors down sometime between 10am - 2pm tomorrow in Mayaguana. At the rate we're going, it'll be closer to 10am than 2. Needless to say, our day has consisted of reading for me and fishing for Dale. He had a hit early in the day that bent his hook but since then, the only thing he caught was his other line. What a mess. He took him about an hour and a half to detangle the knot. I thought about the fact that prior to this trip, he probably would have just cut the tangle out, salvaged the lures and retied them to more line. But with all the time in the world, he sat and straightened out the jumbled web. Interesting, don't you think?
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Rum Cay, Bahamas
23.38.425N
74.50.553W
We left Conception Island at 9:15 am and motorsailed to Rum Cay anchoring about 1:30pm. Although there were rain clouds all around us, we never were rained on. The winds were between 4 - 8 kts, enough to hold the jib open but not enough to sail with.
We met up with Rick & Connie off Calaloo who left the same time as we did from Georgetown but went to Long Island instead of Conception Island as a transit point. Doc-No-More came in a couple of hours later. When we went into town to explore, Doc-No-More came by to pick us up in their dinghy and we headed to the government dock to off load. At first we were going to take the dinghy up onto the beach, but some kids on the dock encouraged Roger to tie to the dock near some steps. Roger wasn't happy with the way the dinghy was riding and was trying to throw out a stern anchor to adjust the position while Elaine and I took off looking for a restaurant to have dinner. I guess while we weren't looking, the guys decided to revert back to the original plan and anchored on the beach.
In approaching this harbor, the charts had warned not to anchor in the mail boat channel. Unfortunately, just where that channel was located was anybody's guess, so we all watched when the mail boat arrived. It took the same zig-zag route we had entered on and passed behind all of our boats then tied up to the dock exactly where those kids had suggested we leave the dinghy. They must have bust a gut thinking that they were going to see a snow bird's dinghy get smooshed by that mail boat. Kids are kids no matter where you go.
Later on, when the six of us (Roger & Elaine, Rick & Connie, and Dale and I) went for dinner at the Ocean View, Dale hung out several extra lights, besides the anchor light and all of our little solar lights, just to make sure we were well lit should the mail boat decide to leave after dark.
The big conversation at dinner was the weather. A front is due to pass through Saturday or Sunday. So the dilemma is, do we want to spend the next 4 or 5 days here or try to make the 20 hour passage to Mayaguana before the front passes through. The only thing of interest in the town that we've found so far were some stone carvings. There is a very talented stone mason here that is taking the local limestone and carving sculptures with it and placing them throughout the marina area, the area around his mother's home and some of the streets between the two. We didn't meet him, but we did meet his mother. Another item of interest here was an area of spear fishing but with unsettled weather approaching, Dale said that he probably wouldn't be doing any spear fishing anyway.
Mayaguana is another uncertainty. It does offer some protection but nothing better, or worse, than here. It's an overnight trip there if we don't stop in Samana. We'd all like to sail this leg. The predicted winds are between 15-20 kts with an unknown factor in the possible squalls of the front. Calaloo is taking off tomorrow come hell or high water. Doc-No-More is more inclined to wait until Monday or Tuesday after the front passes through. Dale and I are leaning towards taking off tomorrow as well, just not at the crack of dawn since we don't want have to stand off for long periods of time waiting for good sun to enter into the harbor.
So tonight, we go to bed not knowing just exactly what we're going to do. We'll get up tomorrow and listen to the various weather forecasts and go from there. I guess this is where the adventure really does become the adventure.
23.38.425N
74.50.553W
We left Conception Island at 9:15 am and motorsailed to Rum Cay anchoring about 1:30pm. Although there were rain clouds all around us, we never were rained on. The winds were between 4 - 8 kts, enough to hold the jib open but not enough to sail with.
We met up with Rick & Connie off Calaloo who left the same time as we did from Georgetown but went to Long Island instead of Conception Island as a transit point. Doc-No-More came in a couple of hours later. When we went into town to explore, Doc-No-More came by to pick us up in their dinghy and we headed to the government dock to off load. At first we were going to take the dinghy up onto the beach, but some kids on the dock encouraged Roger to tie to the dock near some steps. Roger wasn't happy with the way the dinghy was riding and was trying to throw out a stern anchor to adjust the position while Elaine and I took off looking for a restaurant to have dinner. I guess while we weren't looking, the guys decided to revert back to the original plan and anchored on the beach.
In approaching this harbor, the charts had warned not to anchor in the mail boat channel. Unfortunately, just where that channel was located was anybody's guess, so we all watched when the mail boat arrived. It took the same zig-zag route we had entered on and passed behind all of our boats then tied up to the dock exactly where those kids had suggested we leave the dinghy. They must have bust a gut thinking that they were going to see a snow bird's dinghy get smooshed by that mail boat. Kids are kids no matter where you go.
Later on, when the six of us (Roger & Elaine, Rick & Connie, and Dale and I) went for dinner at the Ocean View, Dale hung out several extra lights, besides the anchor light and all of our little solar lights, just to make sure we were well lit should the mail boat decide to leave after dark.
The big conversation at dinner was the weather. A front is due to pass through Saturday or Sunday. So the dilemma is, do we want to spend the next 4 or 5 days here or try to make the 20 hour passage to Mayaguana before the front passes through. The only thing of interest in the town that we've found so far were some stone carvings. There is a very talented stone mason here that is taking the local limestone and carving sculptures with it and placing them throughout the marina area, the area around his mother's home and some of the streets between the two. We didn't meet him, but we did meet his mother. Another item of interest here was an area of spear fishing but with unsettled weather approaching, Dale said that he probably wouldn't be doing any spear fishing anyway.
Mayaguana is another uncertainty. It does offer some protection but nothing better, or worse, than here. It's an overnight trip there if we don't stop in Samana. We'd all like to sail this leg. The predicted winds are between 15-20 kts with an unknown factor in the possible squalls of the front. Calaloo is taking off tomorrow come hell or high water. Doc-No-More is more inclined to wait until Monday or Tuesday after the front passes through. Dale and I are leaning towards taking off tomorrow as well, just not at the crack of dawn since we don't want have to stand off for long periods of time waiting for good sun to enter into the harbor.
So tonight, we go to bed not knowing just exactly what we're going to do. We'll get up tomorrow and listen to the various weather forecasts and go from there. I guess this is where the adventure really does become the adventure.
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