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

Saturday 19th Monte Christi Dominican Republic

Thursday 17^th Cockburn Grand Turk

Well I have had a relaxing time here, except for the odd time at night in gusty winds worried about the anchor dragging. The town of Cockburn is sprawled over a large area with allot of building going on and abandoned, most unused land is covered with a thorn scrub with a number of wild ponies and donkeys wandering about. Swimming around the boat in the crystal clear water is lovely, with lots of fish about, I went over to a buoy about 100m away (used by dive boats) and found the wall, it drops off from 5m to 255m!

Cockburn at sunset

Cockburn town

Coral Head nead anchorage

Turks Head Cactus possible that islands named after it

View of Cockburn from 'highlands'

Saturday 19^th Monte Christi Dominican Republic

 

Having checked the forecast I signed out of Grand Turk on Thursday 17^th and lifted the anchor on Friday morning at first light, expecting to take about 30hours in winds of 10 to 15 knots; in fact once I got out the winds were blowing 15 to 20 gusting 25, so we arrived at the entrance to the bay of Monte Christi in 19 hours anchoring at 2am (averaging a little over 5knots) fortunately the bay is open and depth is a useful 4-6m well in. Having set the anchor, stowed the sails and raised the Dominican Republic’s flag and yellow flag for clearance, I went to sleep. On waking I had breakfast and washed and shaved, then inflated the dingy and was about to mount the engine when I saw a boat approaching with one guy in uniform and another with an AK47 since I was half expecting a visit from the powers that be I was not worried and sure enough they were from the Marina de Guerre (Coast Guard) and Drug Enforcement, having got the necessary form filled and my wallet lightened they went on their way and I fitted the dingy engine and went ashore in search of Customs and Immigration. I was met at the Sports Fishing Club dock by a useful guy who after tying the dingy up, took me on his scooter to his house where he called immigration and a friend to interpret, I did not need to get clearance from immigration as long as I had my passport with me at all times; he then took me to the local supermarket, returning to his house where his sister showed me where I could get wifi, and back to the dingy. On board the wind picked up in the afternoon, so redid the connection for the bow navigation lights, hopefully they will work now.

At Anchor off Monte Christi

Coming ashore