Moving Again....

Hey all !!

We decided last night to leave La Pas and head to Ponce, P.R. early this morning.   We had a weather window with light trade winds to make a quick 25 mile passage to  Ponce. (second largest city on the island). We are low on  most supplies and necessities, so we need a city to reprovision and get stocked up.    Florida type supermarkets, big box stores (Sam's Club), Wal;Mart, and marine supply stores are all available in Ponce. We have not done a major reprovisioning since we were in Florida in mid-December.  The freezer and pantry are looking pretty empty....so it's time.

 In addition, we have to do some major preventative maintenance on Persephone....oil changes on both the main engine, and the generator,  check batteries, clean the bilges,  check the rigging, washing/waxing etc.   All boring, but very important chores will get done in the upcoming week.

AND, we have to stock up because we heard from Mike that he is coming down for 10 days to hang out with us.  Mike arrives next Sunday (May 9th) and will be accompanying us to the Spanish Virgin Islands.

That's all for now.....we have internet service this week through the Ponce Yacht Club, so we will be posting regularly, and get caught up with posting our pictures....more to follow.....

THE CREW

TWILIGHT ZONE........

WARNING: “You are about to enter the Twilight Zone”… is the sign that should be posted outside La Parguera ! Time Warp ? Blackhole?  Fourth Dimension ?   Maybe just plain strange….



La Par is a good sized town which, as we mentioned, has it’s own “code of conduct”….saying you can’t do this and that. What appears to have happened is that everyone got up and left or more accurately escaped. It is a ghost town !! Think of a movie set where the buildings exist, but that’s it. There are several very large restaurants, stores and a mall….all closed. Even the Post Office was closed and relocated (mailed itself?) out of town !! We have seen only a couple of old men walking around the empty streets devoid of cars; pretty much in a daze. We would love to know what happened to this place….but there is no one to ask. The only rational explanation is that aliens landed and abducted the entire population, and there was no one left with a cell phone to call in gone.


THE CREW is very happy that Persephone is completely self sufficient; as there are NO support services here. So, we had to make our own fun….Last nite, THE CREW and the crew of Dancing Dolphin hopped in the dinghies and headed off into the dark to find the bioluminescent lagoon. We found the lagoon about 2+ miles up the coast. It was pretty neat….every slash caused the water to light up and glow. The dinghy motor agitated the water making it look like we had a star trail behind us. We shut down the motor and listened to the night sounds of the mangrove forest….the only manmade sound was the “gusssshhh” of a coldie being opened  (from our dinghy, of course). The moon was nearly full, so the effect of the luminescence was somewhat diminished; but it was such a warm, beautiful night none of us cared.


As we dinghied passed La Pa on our way back to Persephone, the lights were still on, but no one was home……


THE CREW

Tropical Morning

Good morning from the tropics....
Summer has arrived in P.R. The days are near (or slightly above) 90 degrees and the nights mid to high 70s. We are still getting acclimated to tropical weather. The fans are going 24/7 keeping the boat livable. The trade winds have kicked back in and are acting as nature's air conditioner. The water is 88 degrees, and daily swims are a must. We are loving the tropical, cruising life style.
We left Boqueron yesterday morning at 7 AM for a trip "around the corner". Boqueron is located on the southern side of the west coast of Puerto Rico. So, we motored to the south side of the island to a little town called La Parguera. The waterfront homes are built on stilts and brightly painted with pastel colors. This is the antithesis of Boqueron...here it is quite, and lazy, a fishing/SCUBA diving village with no street carts, no crowds, no pulse; and the people here want it that way. There are several signs reminding everyone that there is a "Code of Conduct" in this town, and if you want partying etc, get out....simple.
Persephone is the only cruising boat in the anchorage. It is very nice to be alone after the crowds of Luperon, Mayaguez and Boqueron. We are going to hang in this area for a while before moving on. There are several reefs and small (one coconut tree type) islands which we need to explore. There is a bioluminescent lagoon lying just east of us. Here, microscopic plankton light up the surrounding water when disturbed. We are planning on taking the dinghy to the lagoon tonight to check it out.
Our position is 17 58.18 N 067 02.95 W
THE CREW

Fairwell D.R.....

This is the harbor in Lupeon.  Trudie took this picture from the Yacht Club which is perched high above the harbor:

The D. R. is very rural and lush.  If you blink, you would swear that you are in Vermont in the summertime.  Farming, pastures, cows surrounded by mountains.  As you can tell,  T and I fell in love with the D.R.  Although we just left, we can't wait to return......

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Above are the "cuatro amigoes" (Crystal and Mike on ""Dancing Dolphin" and THE CREW) on a field trip to Puerto Plata for the day.

Puerto Plata is a good sized city, which is modern, clean and upscale:

We took a cable car up a mountain which overlooks Puerto Plata.  Atop the mountain there is a botanical garden which is huge.  Every house plant I have ever seen is growing in the garden.  We were actually in the clouds on top of the mountain.  There is a HUGE statue of Jesus which was shrouded in the clouds...just a bit errie for me !!  Thought I was either dead, or had one too many rum punches when I saw Jesus, arms spread,  coming out of the clouds !!

Catching up on pictures...

This is the interection of the two main streets in Luperon.  The street on the right is one-way going away from you.  Note the cars on the right driving the "wrong" way....in the D.R. "one-way" signs are optional.  No ones seems to get to upset. But, I got real confused as to which way to look while crossing the street !!





Here is the local drop off laundromat.  Your clothes get hand washed in the big barrels of water, and then hung out to dry next to the dirt street.  We actually had leaves in the sheet when we unfolded them. Gotta say that our clothes came back clean, and fresh.  But, it is "interesting" to see your underware hanging in the street for the world to see.  (T's got more attention than mind  :)   )

Here is a herd of goats wandering the main street.  One morning there was a cattle drive (25-30 steer) down the main street in front of the municipal building.  In typical D.R. style, the cowboys on horseback turned the herd left one street to soon....they had to back up the herd and head 'em up down the main street to the proper turn for the buther.  We had steaks from the butcher the day before we left....the steaks were walking around the day before....they were terrific.  Have some in the freezer for tonight .

Boqueron, PR

We need to catch up on our blogging....so much has happened in the last week. We are looking for internet access so we can post pictures we have been promising, Luperon, Puerto Plata, etc. We haven't forgotten....

Well, here we are in Boqueron...sort of Key West, Latin style. This is a beach community/hangout for southwestern PR on weekends. It is wall to wall bars, restaurants and food carts; and did I mention bars ? One of our cruising guides describes it as follows: "If you never did sophomore year in college, or you did, and you miss it, you'll love Boqueron" ! T and I had to leave one bar during happy hour ($1 beers) because the music was too loud....and this is after 2 weeks in Luperon where the speakers are bigger than BMW Mini-Coopers !! We thought the music was loud in Luperon...WRONG...Boqueron wins. We intentionally anchored nearly a mile off of town so there is a possibility of getting some sleep....at 2 AM the local are just getting started ! We got a sample last nite, and were told this morning, that was nothing....wait for the weekend !! OK, we are ready (I think).

So, we are going exploring today, and look forward to sampling the local foods....tacos, empanadas, quesadillas, and carrucho (conch salad)...and a bunch more goodies which I don't know what they are as the signs are all in Spanish....but our Spanish is getting better by the day....the word for all of you today is "Mojito" (Moe-HE-toe). We practiced saying it a lot last night....(You won't find mojito in Rosetta Stone, so, you will have to stick with Persephone to learning essential cruising Spanish !)

Adios, EL TRIPULANTRES (THE CREW)

Arrived.....

We safely arrived at Mayaguez, PR at about 8 AM. Got the anchor down and spent half the day clearing customs/immigration. Hanging out and relaxing tonight enjoying frozen Pina Colatas to celebrate crossing the Mona. Going to bed real early, as we are both beat.....

On an unfortunate note, we Blogged about the group of three boats that left Samana yesterday. We spoke with them on the radio, including a boat ("Drifter") which had jointed their group for the passage. We spoke with Drifter briefly yesterday during the crossing discussing which harbor to go to; Boqueron or Mayaguez. They opted for Boqueron, and while approaching Boqueron this morning, Drifter hit an outlying reef and went right up on it. Just as we were anchoring we heard their Mayday. There was nothing we could do but sit and listen, as we were too far away. The boat was hard aground on the reef, and they were afraid it would break up as the swells were pounding it into the reef. The Coast Guard (something we haven't heard in months) was coordinating the rescue, and hopeful salvage of the boat. To come so far and run your boat onto a reef is very sad. We will hear the details tomorrow, hopefully they were able to save their boat.

THE CREW

HOLA PUERTO RICO !!!!

GOOD MORNING PUERTO RICO !!!!

Persephone is loping along through the Mona Passage without so much as a care. We really have had an idyllic passage. (after all the horror stories, we consider ourselves very fortunate...) Recall the boat that left Luperon and had to turn back I mentioned in a prior blog; well he left with 3 other boats. We heard them on the radio yesterday, and spoke with them. Seems they beat (literally)their way against the trade winds from Luperon to Samana, DR, where they have been holed up for a week waiting for "better" weather before going on...apparently, a hard lesson learned. We will hear all the gory details when we hook up with them in Boqueron.

We are just passing Isla Desecheo ("the discarded one"....gotta love that name) which is just off the coast of Mayagueez, PR. We have approximately 20 miles to go to the harbor enterance. We have slowed down significantly to time our arrival for sunup. (Nav computer says arrival time is right at 7 AM...perfect) I really don't like going into a new harbor in the dark; although this is a commercial harbor supposedly well lit. Still, I don't want to take any unnecessary risks...and it is a beautiful night for drifting down the coast.

At the watch change at 2 AM, T said "I have something for you"...."yeah, what"? (I have been craving something sweet since we left Luperon). We are out of cookies, crackers, munchies, etc. ("Pride" always had pudding cups, and tootsie roll pops on overnight passages...what was I thinking about ??) Anyway, T pulled out a chocolate bar that Ian had brought down when he visited at Christmas. What a treat !! Thanks, Ian !!

We are coming up to our last waypoint and will be turning toward the harbor. Gotta get back to my watch (although I am watching the radar while I'm blogging). Boy, do I need a shower !!

THE CREW

Second Nite at Sea.....

We are having a great day...finally we got several hours of wind. Not always in the best direction, but enough for us to do some sailing and shut down the engine....peace finally !! We got about 25 miles under the keel sailing, so we are pretty confident that we have enough diesel fuel to motor the remaining distance if necessary.

We are entering the infamous "Mona Passage". This is the dreaded pass between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. It is notorious for gusty trade winds, thunderstorms and nasty currents. The trades blow from the East/southeast; exactly the direction of travel from the D. R. to P. R. The trades kick up big seas which makes for a miserable if not impossible crossing. BUT, the crew waited for the perfect weather window...and we got it. No seas, no squalls, no problems....this almost never happens in the Mona. Dancing Dolphin and I were just chatting on the radio, talking about our good fortune.

We are less than 15 hours from P.R. We have changed our plans and have set a course to go to Mayaguez instead of Boqueron. Mayaguez is about 10 miles shorter in distance, and we can clear customs there. After clearing customs, we will hop down to Boqueron. We really don't want to push the fuel situation, and 10 extra miles could make a difference. So, we want to play it smart and not push on to Boqueron.

T made a great dinner of eggplant parm....delicious !! We sure do eat well while making a passage. Think we may have to install a gym ! We just started our evening watch schedule, with T having the first off watch tonite. I am on watch until around 10 pm.

All is turning and burning.....AOK aboard. Warm, beautiful, tropical evening...going into the cockpit for my watch to enjoy it.

Later.....THE CREW

POSITION: At 19:20 18 51.31 N 068 12.26 W 134 mag @ 5.5 SOG

We're Still Here....

Good morning.....

There was a watch change aboard Persephone at 10am. I got 3 good hours of rack time...and feel rested. We are appx 20 miles south and east of Samana, D.R. heading toward the Mona Passage. During the night, the winds came up a bit...just enough for us to sail (without the motor) for about 20 miles...every little bit helps !! But, now, we are back to motoring as the wind has dropped off to about 3 knots. In addition, that pesky counter-current continues at about 1 knot against us. So, we are motoring through the water at 6.7 knots but doing only 5.7 +/- over the ground...very frustrating. Simply, over 10 hours we lose 10 miles and 2 gallons of fuel. I've darn near worn out the calculator doing time / mileage / fuel computations...every way I do it, we arrive in Boqueron, P.R. on fumes (or less !).

However, all is well aboard. All I can say is Persephone is one reliable, rugged little vessel taking great care of us. We couldn't ask more from her.

Our current position: At 10:55 am Tuesday 19 08.74 N 068 46.98 W 135Mag at 5.5 SOG.

Change of Watch

We just had a change of watch aboard. I coming on, and T has hit the bunk. Warm, humid night with light ship traffic and still no wind. We are "buddy boating" with Dancing Dolphin which is about 1/2 mile ahead. Coming up on 4 bells, (2 AM) and all is well.

Position: 19 30.30 N 069 28.76 W Appx 10 miles off Cayo Limon, D.R.

Motor-sailing into the night......

We are still motorsailing; hoping the wind will come up a bit. The wind has been dead all day, and now is blowing only 3 knots. We need 10+ kts of wind to even think about shutting down the engine. Our engine "ole reliable" is purring away without so much as a complaint....hope it stays that way. The only concern aboard is fuel consumption...We knew we would JUST have enough if we were forced to motor the entire trip. BUT, we have been fighting a one knot current for the past several hours. (This means we are motoring through the water at 6.7 knts, but only going 5.7 knts over the bottom....sort of like swimming upstream, but not going anywhere.) This is really taking its toll of our fuel. Hopefully during the night, the current will reverse and push us along at 1 knot; to even things out.

Our "bail out" plan would be to go into Samana, which is on the eastern tip of the D. R. We really DON'T want to divert to Samana. We don't have any pesos left, so we would have to find a bank/ATM...good luck. In addition, we may have to clear back into the country and pay all the fees all over again. No Thanks ! So, stretching the fuel, and hoping for wind is the plan. We don't have to make a decision to divert until 4 AM.

All for now....going back to my watch. Trudie is sleeping in the cockpit, as it is pretty hot down below with the motor running.

Our position at 22:00 19 39.23 N 069 47.97 W

More later....The Crew

Adios to Luperon...

We spoke with Chris (our weather router) this morning and got the green light to start our journey east to Puerto Rico. We were not able to leave Luperon until 11 AM, as we had to wait for our clearance papers. Seems that the Commandante and his men had a tough weekend, and didn't show up for work on time. (The office is supposed to open at 8 AM). We had two officials, including one in full uniform (yes, polished boots and all) come out to inspect the boat; apparently checking for Haitians. Luperon is only 40+/- miles from the border with Haiti; and smuggling people out has become a lucrative cottage industry. No thanks, I can't imagine spending years in a jail in the D.R. !! We will very much miss the beauty and the people of the D.R. I think this has been our favorite stop so far, and THE CREW is eager to return....BUT we have lots of miles to put under the keel before heading back to the D.R.

We have just started our longest leg of the trip to date. Our course will take us along the north coast of the D.R., across the dreaded Mona Passage (the water that separates the D. R. from P. R.) and on to Boqueron, Puerto Rico. The passage is nearly 250 miles, and will take 48 +/- hours (including 2 over nights) Trudie and I have never done two consecutive over nights... so this will be another first. That is why the weather window is SO important for this leg of the trip...We had to wait for the trade winds to subside (actually be suppressed) so we can go east....it would be suicide to attempt to cross the Mona bucking into the prevailing easterlies. One boat left Luperon last week trying to go east without a weather window...after a day of crashing into the trades, he got only 15 miles and had to turn back for Luperon. He damaged his drive train, and now has some major (and expensive) work to have done to his boat. He is thinking about leaving the boat in Luperon and returning after hurricane season (December !!) Simply, his trip is finished, at least for now. So, THE CREW didn't want to repeat that mistake, so we waited for a good wx opportunity.

Will keep you updated on our progress. At 14:50 local time we are at 19 51.34 N 070 32.50 W appx 5 miles east of Puerto Plata, DR.

All is well aboard, motorsailing and watching our fuel consumption....Pray for wind !!

THE CREW

Shaggy's

Yesterday, the amigos cuatro (the crews of Persephone and Dancing Dolphin) trekked to the nearby city of Puerto Plata for a day of sightseeing. Guaguas, [“Gwah-Gwahs”…. vehicles where you buy only a seat], cityscape, bustle, cable car up a mountain, serene botanical gardens, Jesus, angry cabby, policia…what a day!! (this will be the next blog) Upon our return to Luperon, we needed to settle our jangled nerves, so what do we do? Easy, we immediately retreated to Shaggy’s “Barstool Sailor”. (I just call it “B-S” for short….seems apropos).

 

The Barstool Sailor is “cruiser central” located in the middle of downtown Luperon. Shaggy touts his bar as “Luperon’s living room”, and he is right. The Stool is the place we go to meet friends, other cruisers, get our fill of pub grub, cold cervezas (beers), theme nights, and most of all to hang out. More importantly, this is THE place to exchange information….where is the ATM, where do you exchange money, best shopping, weather, laundry, post office, and transportation ?? These are just some of the questions that were answered at Shaggy’s over a coldie. As new cruisers in the harbor, we saved hours of aimless roaming by just dropping in at the “B-S”.

As for Shaggy, he is quintessential Luperon…just like the town, you either like him, or not. It really is that simple. (Frankly, Trudie is the one that likes the guy, whereas, I am ambivalent) Shaggy IS the Bar Stool Sailor: x-pat, singlehanded cruiser, barman, cook, entertainer, conversationalist, irreverent philosopher, and self-appointed resident psychologist. Think of Shaggy as an energetic, golden retriever just trying to please his customers, especially cruisers….and, if that doesn’t work, he might just drop the F-Bomb on you. (I’ve been bombed myself a couple of times….I can’t understand why…go figure. Trudie insists that we keep going back, and I grudgingly go along).

This is by no means an ad for (or suck up to) the B-S sailor, but it is a recommendation from full time cruisers who have found Shaggy’s to be a significant resource and home while transiting Luperon. We wish Shaggy and his B-S well.


THE CREW

Fish and Emerald Clouds.....

Here is Trudie and her dolphin fish (mahi-mahi)  Note the hook still in it's mouth:

This fish weighs about 12-15 pounds.  We filleted it  immediately and it provided several delicious meals.

We mentioned in a previous post that we sailed south from the Caicos Islands over the shallow banks which extend move than 20 miles south of the islands. There is an underwater wall where the banks plunge into the deep ocean waters dropping from 12 feet to several thousand feet.  The water on the banks is bright turquoise and on bright,  sunny days the water reflects on the clouds turning the clouds green i.e. "emerald clouds".  The emerald cloud phenomena occured where the banks water joined the deep ocean waters  in the following photo.  The clouds on the left are green as they are over the bank water, and the clouds on the right are white as they are situated over the cobalt ocean waters:

We are currently in Luperon, DR and I really don't know how to describe it...   It is VERY third world, dirty, dusty, smells good and bad, loud, busy, latin music, horns, rapid-fire spanish, motorcycles, raw sewerage in the streets, vendors, corn-cookers on the "sidewalks", goats roaming the city,  flys, chickens (running around and being grilled) dominoes, card games, x-pats, and of course yachties.  AND, there are pasty, american tourists from a local resort thrown into the mix....mouths open, cameras around the neck,  with of course their "cruise clothes" and their mouths wide open. We LOVE this place !!  As Mark on "Liahona" observed, "this place has a pulse"...and, boy, is he right "

We are working hard on our "Spanglish"...trying to talk like Tonto in the old Lone Ranger TV show..."Ugh, me need'em beer..."  We are histerical trying to order dinner, or buying something in a store....then there is the money exchange....dollores -> peso   "Cuanto cuesta?"  (how much does it cost ?)  Now try and bargain someone down.....keep the numbers straight, and do the currency conversion !  It's a blast....  Trudie and I were bargaining for a shell neckless for Trudie, when a Cuban-American tourist came to our rescue....we got the neckless for half the listed price.....

Only pictures can tell the story of Luperon....next time......

Trudie here.....

Hi all.this is Trudie

We arrived in Luperon, Dominican Republic Easter morning. We left Provo in the Turks & Caicos on Saturday morning around 9am, and sailed all night. After we left the harbor at Provo, we did not see another boat on the water until 2:00 in the morning. I was on watch, and saw some lights in the distance. After not seeing anything else around for hours, it certainly woke me up and caught my attention. David was sleeping, and I knew when I saw the second set of lights that the AIS would sound off and alert us that ships were close by. There were two large barges that were within ½ to one mile away from us, which is a small distance for ships so large. One can never tell if the crew on board are awake and can see our sailboat near them. Earlier in the evening when I was sleeping, David radioed a barge that came very close to us and made sure the captain of that ship was awake and saw us. All was well.

I had prepared food ahead of time so that we could grab something to eat without having to use the stove for cooking. The waves and swells were large, so it took our appetites away. We didn't eat very much, not even the package of cookies and bag of chips that we had bought for the trip.

As the sun was rising, David went back to sleep, and I was on watch. The landscape of the Dominican Republic was in the distance. Not used to seeing hills and mountains, it looked as though the hills were dark clouds in the distance. Not so. As we got closer, it became clear that the DR was very hilly and mountainous. The scenery looked ominous to me. Not being able to see any detail, the hills looked very dark and eerie, with dark clouds dropping rain on land in the distance. As the sun rose higher, I could see detail of the land, and the lush green of the hills and mountains, and waves breaking on shore. As David awoke, I told him it looked as though we were heading into a squall or storm, as it was dark ahead, and the clouds threatened to pass over the rising sun. But everything cleared, and we could feel the heat of the sun and more humidity in the air than we had felt for a long time.

I am now sitting outside on the boat this Monday morning in this serene anchorage in Luperon. There are probably 75 or so boats anchored here, but it is very quiet and everyone seems to be taking life very easy and relaxing. I feel more relaxed here and finally feel like we are cruisers.

There is internet available in Luperon and we plan to post some pictures on the blog. We will be telling you more about Luperon too, which is very third world. This place does not compare to anything else I have seen in my lifetime. One has to see it to believe it, and we intend to take pictures of the town and people living here to post.

We checked into immigration yesterday, and today we will be checking in with customs so that we can fly the DR flag.

All for now.. T&D

HOLA ! FROM HISPANIOIA

Buenos tardes from the Dominican Republic !! Persephone is in the Caribbean !! We arrived just as planned.at 9 AM we dropped the sails just outside the entrance to the harbor. The entrance to Luperon is notoriously difficult, threading through the reefs, with two dog leg turns. We negotiated the entrance without a problem (noting that the entrance to Rum Cay is far more difficult) and dropped the anchor at 10 AM. The first thing we noticed about the DR are the mountains. The Bahamas and Caicos are very flat, but the DR has high mountains you can see 15 miles out to sea. Second, is the humidity.you can immediately feel the change in climate from the arid atmosphere of the Bahamas and Caicos to the sultry, humid weather of the DR. The mountains are covered in a deep green fauna of the tropical rainforest reflecting the wetter, more humid environment.
Upon arrival, we had our Easter Sunday Brunch with a couple of Presendentes (the label says it's made with corn grits, so it MUST be a breakfast beer !!) Trudie is taking a nap, and I am puttering around transforming Persephone from sailboat, into raised ranch; as we plan on staying a "while" (whatever that is...just glad to be out of the T + Cs). Must say that Persephone came through the past two journeys is great shape..not a single thing broke, or needs repair (other than ordinary maintenance)..couldn't be happier with the quality Sabre built into this boat. (Also, thanks to Mike and Ian for all their help getting the boat ready to head south)
We are waiting for the customs, immigration, and of course the navy (the NAVY ???) to show up and process the paperwork granting us clearance into the DR. No one seems to know if they are working today. So, we must stay on the boat, flying our yellow Q flag, and wait for the officials to come out and do the paperwork and of course collect the fees. In the DR, representatives of the various agencies actually come out and inspect the boat..polished boots and all. (We haven't had this happen in the Bahamas or T +Cs). Will let you know how that goes...
Later...THE CREW
Bob and Lori....we are anchored in the middle of the bay in front of the yacht club...will certainly be having some libations there, will toast you, Lori, and of course "Pride"...BTW, forgot to mention, the "powers" on St. Croix put moorings all over Christensted Harbor, and have banned anchoring. Of course the local scooped all the moorings up, so there is no place for cruisers to go in the harbor. Additional moorings have been placed off St. Croix Marine, but due to the swell, they are untenable. Cruisers are now forced to bypass STX....Also, the Golden Rail has changed hands....gotten fancier, now serving upscale dinners in the evenings. Why can't STX leave well enough alone ?? First they drive away the cruise ships, and now the cruisers....go figure !! (Got info from northbound cruisers earlier this week) D + T

Easter Morning.....

Happy Easter to all.....

We are only 17 miles from Luperon harbor. We have slowed the boat considerably to make sure we don't arrive to early...i.e.. before the sun is high enough in the sky to pick out the reefs. It is our understanding the customs, immigration etc is a "big deal" in the DR with lots of pomp and circumstance. Only hope the officials are working on Easter morning (I'm thinking good luck !!)

All is well aboard, couldn't ask for a better sail. Put up the sails just after pulling up the anchor, and have been sailing since....haven't touched the engine.

We should be at the harbor entrance just before 9am. Will let you know when we arrive.

Position: 20 08.00N 07106.86W at 0540.

Sat Night

Underway to Luperon, DR. We have reduced sails to slow the boat down. We were doing 7.5 kts+ and if we kept up that speed, we would arrive Luperon at 5AM. So, we are sailing under just a reefed main. Wind is abeam at 19-20 kts with 6' seas. We were more comfortable with more sail, but don't want to arrive too early....

Position: 20 43.65N 071 37.94 @20:52 Sat night.

Boat rolling a lot ....gotta go !!

Underway (again)....

We left the Caicos Islands at 9 AM heading for Luperion in the Dominican Republic. We had to wait for 9 AM so we would have sufficient sunlight over the banks to spot the reefs, rocks and coral heads lurking just below the surface. Remember, NOTHING is marked in the islands....no bouys, no nav aids, no nothing....so, it is all eyeball navigation. If it is dark, you go around it (sort of like eating rice pudding in the school cafeteria). Some of the rocks and coral heads are very close together, (often 25') so you have to thread the keel between them.

We sailed south from Sappodilla Bay 15 to French Cay; a tiny, uninhabited island which sits on the edge of the banks. At French Cay the water drops from 12 feet deep to 3000+ feet in a matter of a boat length or so. There is a distinct line of color change in the water marking the drop off. On one side of the line the water is turquoise and the other cobalt blue. So, out came the trusty fishing pole at the drop off, to see if we can haul out dinner.

Perfect day for sailing...sunny, with a light breeze (10-14 kts) from the northeast. Persephone loves playing in the ocean, galloping along at 6.5-6.8 kts....As for the crew, we are getting more accustomed to over night passages in the ocean. If the wind speed and direction holds, we will be off of the DR by morning. We are watching our speed, as we don't want to arrive too early; as we can't enter Luperon until well after sunup, again so we can see the outlying reefs. (Usually, we are trying to make the best time possible, today we don't want to sail too fast and arrive too early !!)

All is well aboard, with everything functioning perfectly. Knock on wood it stays that way...

Our position at 12:10 is 21 266N 072 11.66 W Or 3.5 miles south of French Cay (18 kn miles south of Provo).

More later.....THE CREW)

Turks and Caicos Islands

Good morning from the Turks and Caicos Islands..

We are in the Caicos Island chain and specifically on the island of Providenciales. ("just call it 'Provo' mon, don't wanna hurt your tongue") Provo is where most tourists come when visiting from the states. The tourist areas are on the north coast of the island, and we are anchored in the "cheap seats" on the south side. The south side of Provo is a very busy, commercial/industrial and an EXPENSIVE region; a complete shock from the rural, lush, laid back Bahamas. In addition, Provo is very arid, so blowing dust is a significant issue. Simply, this is not a pretty place to hang out..it is a place to refuel, take on water, and move on. This, also, appears to be the attitude of the government as it relates to cruisers. Cruisers are given a visa for only seven days and if you want to stay longer, you have to apply for a cruising permit ($75.00) for an additional week...and then the prices go up steeply for each additional period. No thanks...

Yesterday, we spent the day straightening/cleaning up the boat, (we had no repairs from the overnite sail, thank god), clearing customs, and relaxing. Last night, South Side Marina hosted its weekly "bring your own barbeque". You bring your grill food (we brought the mahi-mahi we caught to share with the crew of Dancing Dolphin) a side dish to share, and the marina supplies the grill, condiments, and ICE CREAM SUNDAES. First time we have been able to get ice cream in months !! We had a blast with friends, got reacquainted with cruisers we met last fall on the waterway, and met cruisers sailing north who shared current info of places we are planning to visit.

We have decided not to spend time here..and immediately head for the Dominican Republic. We will finish our reprovisioning today, clear out of customs, and leave for the DR in the morning. We have an excellent forecast for the overnight hop to Luperon, DR. Luperon is approximately 125 miles south of us, so it will be an overnight sail; arriving in the DR on Sunday morning. (We probably will have difficulty clearing customs because of the Easter Weekend, which includes Monday in Spanish countries.

Lastly, our main computer on the boat died; and was replaced with a new laptop. However, our password for posting to our blog via ham radio got lost. That is why there were minimal postings during our last overnight sail, and the ones that got posted were out of order. (We have no internet, and, therefore, no ability to see the Blog itself.so we don't know if what we send from the boat via radio actually makes it on the Blog.) We think we have the password issue solved. Now, we have to address the issue of our position reports on ShipTrak...

Will let you know when we leave...THE CREW