Monday 18th February 2013 Ponce Puerto Rico

I decided to leave Boca Chica on Wednesday 13^th so arranged with the marina manager, on Tuesday, to clear out in the morning, to leave the country the boat has to be searched with a sniffer dog as well as customs and leave immediately, and got my exit stamp from immigration; the formalities were finally completed by 10am and so lines were let go and off we went again. The NE winds I was hoping for did not materialise so tacking was again necessary, although the winds were a pleasant 10-20 knots from the East to South Eastgiving me an easy ride at 3-4 knots, the only life around being the odd sea bird and briefly a pod of large black dolphins. On Friday the wind picked up blowing 20-25kn with a fairly short swell of about 3m and a cross swell to top it off, we finally got past Cabo Rojo, meaning we had crossed the channel between the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, early afternoon on Saturday 16^th After sunset the wind moderated to 10-15kn from the East, so an easy run should have resulted in arrival at Ponce on Sunday morning, however at about 3.15am on a clear night, there was a sudden jarring bump, first thought we had fallen off a steep wave, but checking the GPS we were off course and close to land, another bump, and could see cliffs around in the dark and breaking waves driving us closer, so started engine and tried to reverse off, more bumps and little progress, I moved to ahead and started turning the bow away from land, we managed to get about but made little progress away from the rocks; realising we were now aground and starting to get pounded into the rocks I put out a mayday and was answered by the US Coast guard immediately, who contacted SeaTow who said they would be out at first light (about 6.30am) the engine stopped after what felt like the propeller touching down and she started listing to starboard as the keel was hard aground, with waves lifting and pounding us down again, the forestay bracket came adrift and I managed to pull down and stow the jib and douse the main, after a while the forestay parted at the masthead and I secured the self furling along the starboard side, I also inflated the dingy as a way off if I needed it. SeaTow arrived in a rib and not being able to get close because of the breakers, swam a line over and tried to pull us off with no effect, so they sent for a bigger boat which would not arrive for a couple of hours, and they stood-by, the coast guard had deployed a helicopter, the seatow captain and the helicopter crew said they were worried for my safety aboard so I agreed to try for shore, a small pebble beach was now about 20yards away, so putting a few waterproof bags of essentials (ships documents, computers and clothes) into the dingy I rowed ashore not getting too wet.

 However having looked around the beach I could find no way up on to the cliff about 20 feet above, we were in a small cove carved out by the sea, after a while the seatow captain offered to try to float in a line to pull me out, and the helicopter said there was the option of a basket, I decided to try to row out, there were two lines of breaking waves one close to shore the other at the entrance to the cove, so after reloading and refloating the dingy I picked my time and rowed out fairly easily to board the rib. As the bigger boat was not due for aa while yet we headed for Ponce marina to await it, an officer from immigration turned up and went through the formalities, but kept all ships documents until Snow White could be seen and cleared-in. When the larger SeaTow boat arrived we went out to the cove , but the waves at the entrance were now much too big to allow a safe approach, after a number of phone calls to head office we returned to Ponce and a brief interview with the local marine police, then a taxi ride to a hotel to try to get some rest.

Wednesday 12th February Boca Chica Dominican Republic

I have been here a few days now, and had a walk around Boca Chica to the East, which is a tourist center with lots of hotels and tour vans (and seems to be the hooker capital of the Dominicas)

Local Art Boca Chica

Shell Shop Boca Chica

Main Square Boca Chica

 and Andres to the West, which is where the locals live and shop. 

Main Square Andres

Market street Andres

Fruit and vegetables Andres

Around the marina (marina Zar Par) the rich locals like to anchor a short way off in their power boats and wait until about 11pm and then play their really awful repetitive music at an increadible volume until 4 or 5am then return to shore?

On the up side, the chef in the marina restaurant after hungrily eating all he heaped on my plate (a local dish of rice beans and a spicy chicken, brought a sandwich out to the boat when I did not order supper, and then ( have been eating lunch there every day) on Sunday he said the were closed on Monday and presented me with a meal I could reheat at no cost, a really nice guy!

Marina Zar Par

If the customs and immigration let me I will move on tomorrow morning for Puerto Rico, hoping the sea will treat us kindly for the crossing.

Friday 8th February Boca Chica Dominican Republic

On Monday I decided I should find immigration since I had no entry stamp in my passport, and was told to go to the Coast Guard station, it’s not far just to the point (about 3miles) The commandant called immigration and after about an hour told me to come back at midday. After walking back and returning the immigration officer turned up on a motor bike and took me (after confirming I did not have a stamp) to the commercial docks, about 5miles in the opposite direction, where I finally became a legal alien.

Sunset over Las Salinas

Main Street

Bottle Garden

On Tuesday after a walk around town I returned to the boat when the wind picked up blowing 20-30 gusting 38knots, when the anchor started dragging, I spent about two hours re-anchoring only to be dragged across the bay again, finally it held with 60metres of chain out in 4m of water. I decided to leave on Thursday morning at 8am, so went down to the Coast Guard station on Wednesday afternoon, where the necessary form was filled in, whereupon the commandant closed the ledger and said I must return on Thursday morning at 8am!

Having collected the despacho, stowed the dingy on deck I finally raised the anchor at 9am and left in light airs, mostly there was enough to sail although I did have to tack some, the winds and seas were not nearly as bad as last time, the leg of 72 Nautical miles by direct route took nearly a day and a half tying up in the marina at 2pm having covered just short of 100Nm and using the engine for 10hours

Passing Santa Domingo at daybreak

Small fishing boat near Boca Chica

Sunday 3rd February 2013 Las Salinas Dominican Republic

We are here at last. We left Monte Cristi at the reasonable hour of 9am, after the anchor chain jammed on the gipsy, raising the main and jib in a light breeze on the aft port quarter, but being able to stop the engine every now and again until about 3am on Wednesday 23^rd when enough wind picked up to allow 2-5knots. During that first pleasant days sailing there were allot of flying fish about, I even saw a mahi-mahi chasing them, a massive turtle surfaced briefly, but nothing on my lures! 

Sunset over Haiti

We entered the windward passage, between Haiti and Cuba, the evening of Wednesday 23^rd sailing with only the odd time having to resort to the motor, and quite a bit of shipping, though not close. We rounded the Southern tip of Haiti at dawn on Friday 25^th having had a good sail down, into a South East wind (that’s the way we want to go) so headed off on a tack to the SSW as  being the closest to the wind we could sail. On Saturday 26^th something stole my lures, I did not put out any more as the swell and general comfort onboard did not allow it. From here on the wind was blowing from NE to SE at 20-30 knots with gusts even worse and swell from 1-2m close into shore to 2-4m offshore and various cross swells. At about midday on Monday 28^th I decided to reef down and took in two reefs on the main, but the jib refused to cooperate, tangling the sheets, pulling loose part of the starboard jib track and tearing part of the bolt rope, leaving me the only option of pulling it down, however the halyard had frayed at the masthead, however after a struggle I succeded and stuffed it into the fore hatch at last, I raised a storm sail on the inner stay, reducing our progress from 3-6knots to around 2knots. On Tuesday 29^th I found my last loaf of bread was mouldy, I had a couple of disheartened lethargic after that.

Just after sunrise on the Thursday 31^st January the wind died just after tacking out to sea again, so after starting the engine I went to work in the calm, re-bolting the jib track, raising a new jib halyard patching the and re-raising jib and stowing the storm jib. The wind picked up again and off we went at 3-6knots again. On Saturday 2^nd Feb the wind came round to the NE allowing me to ease the sheets, taking the wind more on the Starboard side and increasing our speed to over 7knots at times, it started to look possible we could get in just after sundown, this was not to be, in the event it was dark (the moon had no risen) when we rounded the entrance to Las Salinas, so creeping in slowly we anchored near where we wanted to be, made a cup of tea and something to eat and went to bed. Oh yes it looks like at least one of my water tanks has burst, most if not all the lockers have had water get into them and one of the pulleys on the furling rope has broken free; the distance from Monte Cristi to Las Salinas by planned route was about 560 nautical miles, we covered nearly 920 nautical miles in 11½ days, averaging 3.3knots and running the engine for 25½ hours.

Las Salinas at last

Mountains North of Las Salinas

Sunday 3^rd being a pleasant fairly still day I decided to start fixing and tidying, having just opened the hatch to the water tanks and found it full of brackish water the Coast guard turned up! Not armed this time, but sandy boots and no English, he took the despacho from Monte Cristi and told me when I was ready to leave to go to the office for the despacho to move on, then he and his drug enforcement mate started to look around looking into cupboards and lockers, then asked where was my drink, I explained being alone I do not have drink aboard, so after asking for a backhander they left, allowing me to continue my clean-up and repair. I think I have fixed everything at deck level and started cleaning the galley and saloon, emptied all the free water out of the water tank area, so will see if either tank continues leaking water.

At anchor off Las Salinas

Main Street Las Salinas

Working the Salt Pans