Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and onto the Spanish Virgin Islands

Last few days of Dominican Republic

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John and I were very happy to arrive in Puerto Rico yesterday. Our passage overall, while not difficult was tedious as it turned into a motoring event. There was virtually no wind or the wind was on the nose for nearly all of the 170 miles and except for the last 6 miles when the land/sea effect kicked in when we were able to sail into Bahia De Mayaguez.

We had really enjoyed Dominican Republic and the local people there. The extra time there had been well used as we filled it catching up on chores and having fun too. The day after our auto pilot repair the

Puerto Bahia Marina had a regatta.

We could have entered but chose to watch. Many of the other sailboats from the marina did enter and did 2 laps out in the bay on a very calm afternoon, which was not characteristic of the weather in the bay as there is usually a brisk easterly wind blowing right down the bay.

We also, once again, hired a car and explore more of the

Samana peninsular.

Having just driven about 10 miles towards the north coast of the peninsular we had a fellow on a motorbike ride along side us telling us to “follow me to see waterfall very beautiful”. We followed him down the road, pulled into a parking lot where he proposed we get on horses and have a guide take us up the mountains to the

Cascada El Limon.

Surprisingly John agreed to the proposal and we were saddled up on some poor little ponies, not horses. Our guides, mine Hulea and John’s Raymond used sticks to whack the ponies to go faster and pulled on their tails to slow them down. They ran and walked alongside all the way up the mountain. What a trail it was, steep, rocky, muddy with twists and turns up and down. There were several other groups along the trail all headed the same way. At the head/top of the waterfall we followed a steep path down where we saw the huge beautiful Limon Waterfall. There were locals there climbing up the sides and jumping off, just crazy! After a hard climb back up we once again mounted our ponies and set off. My pony Paco was again not happy to move along and needed much encouragement; while John’s little stallion took off. He ended up trotting along most of the way with Raymond well behind. Back at the car we headed off to

Los Terrasses

to check out the coast. Again it was a lovely coastal town with beautiful beaches. We enjoyed walking around, checking out the cemetery and the beaches.

On returning to Samana we enjoyed sitting in the park on the town’s waterfront having a drink and watching everything going on around us.

Exploring a pathway

The day before we left we set out to explore a pathway that led to Samana from the marina. (We had only just heard about it as the marina is gated we thought there was no way to exit other than the main gates). The track took us along the shoreline, through a farm, over steep hills, through forested areas and out by the next resort. It was a very enjoyable hike, but hot. After refreshments in Samana we set off back again. Our intention was to cut through the resort to get back to the trail, but the rude, snotty personal from the resort would not allow this. So we had to do an extra mile hike around the resort property to cut onto the track back. On our way we met Samuel an older fellow who used to act as a guide but this same resort stopped his tours into the mountains. (The resort is too exclusive to the locals). He accompanied us part way back. We stopped at a beach where 2 guys were husking coconuts. John was relaxing under the trees in the shade when 1 of them ran up the coconut trees, hacked off the coconuts, which rained down and then slide down again. It was quite surprise for John. Meanwhile I was off walking alone the beach. Again it was a great hike and we saw a side of DR that many tourists don’t get to see.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is far more developed than DR which is definitely 3rd world. The mountains are not as high, the slopes not as lush and most people speak pretty good English. However checking in with US customs and immigration was quite an ordeal. As said we arrived in

Bahia De Mayaguez

had a good night’s sleep and set off to check in. We knew it was a port of entry and had been told and read how you have to go straight to US customs and Border control, not going anywhere else or you could get fined and such. We found a place to lock the dingy, a fishing dock. Asked a local where to go and walked to the

Customs and Immigration, Border control

building where we found everything locked up! Finally finding the guard at the gate, who let us in, listened to our story and tried to find the men in charge. After many phone calls he finally got through to someone in San Juan who got on the phone with me, started to tell me off for arriving in Puerto Rico on a weekend, as supposedly everyone knows you shouldn’t. Then demanded our particulars, over the phone, telling me I should have everything ready while I meanwhile am standing in a car park, with a guard in the blazing sun and have to frantically try to get out our passports and boats documents out of the bag, read off all the details to this nasty bully of a customs official who knows darn well I can’t say anything rude back as he holds all the power. After I finally relayed all our particulars he told me that we could then go to an ATM for money, get the phone set up and report back to him, by phone at or before 2:00pm. But he refused to give his name and just said he would be answering to that phone number. As we were about to set off the guard received another phone call, this time I spoke to a very nice customs official who explained that due to the cut backs there was not longer the staff in place at Mayaguez full time. He asked that we travel to Acropuerto de Aquadilla to check in and get our cruising permit then we could be free to go about our way. I explained about the previous San Juan customs prick and he asked for the number to reach him. It was then arranged that the guard would get us a taxi, it would take us to an ATM, on to the acropuerto, wait for us and drive us back. So off we went, it was a 45-minute drive and upon arriving at this tiny auropuerto we couldn’t find any customs people. The area was in darkness, they were not there, and it was like a bad comedy. I hunted down a lady who worked in animal control, explained what we needed and she finally was able to let us into the customs office and tracked down the customs officials from where ever they were, lunch maybe? As it turned out after that everything went really well. They apologized for everything, and processed us as fast as they could. Finally by 1:30 we were back in Mayaguez. There the afternoon showers had kicked in. We had a bite to eat in the fishing area, checked on the dingy and boat and purchased our provisions ready to set off the next day. We were amazed at the prices, everything is very inexpensive.

We set off early, 6:30am for

Boquerón,

just up the coast. Boquerón turned out to be a charming town. However we arrived on the weekend and it was party party party everywhere. Guess everyone leaves the city for the beach and a day of enjoyment. We walked about and enjoyed watching everyone having a fantastic time. Ashore in the evening for dinner we found it was just manic, streets clogged with partiers, families celebrating the weekend, stalls selling all sorts of foods from oysters to pastries and all types of beverages. Puerto Ricans really know how to enjoy a weekend. Monday morning we went ashore to do a few essentials and the streets were bare, shops closed and everywhere was quiet. We managed to get the gas station to call Raul the local taxi driver. He drove us to the mall. Well what a shock!! It was a genuine all American mall the first we had seen in 6 months. We managed to buy a card reader, an MP3 player, get the phone set up, other business and visit Old Navy, have lunch at Burger King and be back at the boat by 1:00 pm. Amazing what civilization brings, we had completely forgotten how easy basic things can be.

Then it was off around Capo Rojo, Cape Red,

called so as it leaves you red in the face trying to round it into the easterlies. Leaving again at 6:30, just after dawn we soon found that even then the wind was up. The experts that we follow advise leaving just before or after dawn as that is when the wind is the calmest. Well it was a hard slog around to the next anchorage 21 miles away; it took all of 5 hours. The anchorage was between the barrier reef and the mangroves of the mainland a place called

Puerto Quijano.

A very peaceful place to spend the rest of the day which we spent having a swim and a dingyride.

We then hopped up the coast to

Gilligan’s island

just a few hours away. Taking advantage of the early morning slack winds we find it makes travel nicer than beating into the east trade winds. Our anchorage was again very pleasant and we again explored in the dingy and had a swim.The next morning at 6am we set off for

Ponce

Ponce is one of the larger towns in Puerto Rico. Once there we anchored just off of the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club. We spent our time there getting well stocked, exploring the old town and doing chores while waiting for the latest front to abate. We also met up again with Georgie, Margarita and their son Boris. They are from Barcelona and on too and we first met each other in Luperon. One thing that has really stood out is that there are very few opportunities for healthy foods. As a result the majority of the population look to have severe weight issues. In DR it was all healthy food produce straight from the farm and you never saw any similar health problems.

After Ponce

at 5:00am we hopped up the coast to

Salinas

not staying near the town but in the large anchorage towards the east. The anchorage was very quiet and we enjoyed most of the day relaxing and having a swim. We were then ready to leave again at 1st light and hopped up to Puerto Patillis.

This anchorage was by a small fishing village. Here we went ashore for a walk, had a wonderful mango smoothie and a walk around. It was here that we saw the largest man either of us has ever seen. He was seated under a mango tree on a 3-seater couch, which he completely covered with his size. His ankles were the size of a normal person’s waist, he was gigantic. The neglected dogs and puppies also distressed me. One tiny, itzie, bitty black mother dog with 2 little, bitty pups 1 was black and 1 was gray and white. They had been left at a park/reserve area and the mother just begged to go with us. In fact she followed us way up the road leaving the pups way behind. John had to shoo her away. She looked so sad. It was very upsetting not being able to do anything but walk away. By then I had had it with Puerto Rico. We left at 1st light for Vieques.

Vieques

had been used by the US and NATO forces for land air and sea war games for many, many, years. Therefore much of the island had been left and not been developed. Some areas are also protected as nature reserves. However most of the closed areas have recently been made available for boats to visit. It is rumored that the US government is selling off its lands. Certain areas are still closed off due to unexplored devices. Our anchorage of choice was

Sun Bay, next to the town of Esperanza.

We lucked out at being the only boat in this very popular spot. It is a huge bay with a beautiful beach just a dingy ride away from the town of Esperanza. In Sun Bay we swam in the incredibly warm water and then checked out the town. Esperanza is a very small town which caterers to the few tourists that are lucky enough to visit.

We set off for Ensenada Honda.

This is an enormous anchorage that has mangroves, coves and beaches. Here we spent 2 nights. We found that we could get ashore to some tracks that lead through the island and along the coast to the different beaches. (There are still some restrictions due to the unexploded devices) So we spent one day just exploring. The beaches were amazing! Just unreal! We did see and speak to workers who were surveying and clearing tracks of land. We are sure that developers are on their way. To us the development of this land will be tragic as it is full of wildlife and would be a wonderful large reserve to preserve. We saw many many different types of birds, even hummingbirds. Giant iguanas that we sunning on the rocks and swimming on the shoreline. I saw an auburn, furry, weasel like animal scurry through the trees. The area was just alive with wildlife. Yes we were very impressed with Vieques.

Culebra was our next destination.

Culebra is another of the Spanish Virgin islands. It is known for its seclusion, natural beauty, wildlife reserves and beautiful beaches. We set off early and had a hard, rough, fast sail. The trades were blowing, the seas were high and there was a good chop on top too. Just off of the southeastern end of Vieques I saw what I thought was surge breaking on rocks. John said, “there are no rocks, it’s 2 miles deep here” then I saw a whale’s head followed by the whale breaching right before the boat. It was an awesome sight! We had eye-to-eye contact with the whale. There were also dolphins that were zooming back and forth racing us along, leaping out of the water and seabirds above swooping for the large scools of fish that were jumping and trying to escape the hunters.

Pulling into Culebra we were impressed with the beautiful Harbour. We saw Dulcinea anchored waved hello to Scott and Sam and Cally and Nicola came over and said hello from the dingy. We set off to explore the town, which proved to be quaint and small. All the buildings, sidewalks, trash bins, in fact most man made objects were painted brightly. Everywhere was clean and trash free!! We dinged under the drawbridge to the other side for a swim and then were invited to go to the Dinghy Dock Bar with the Dulcinea crew for evening drinks. There we had a great time catching up as we last spoke with them in Sumana.

The next 2 days were spent doing necessary chores and exploring. We rented a golf cart for a day and put, put, putted around the island. The steep hills are not for the faint of heart. I loved a hike we did to

Bravo Beach.

We met up with a small herd of horses along the trail, which was steep, rugged, and through shady trees. The beach that opened up before us was the most amazing beach ever. It was at least a mile long, very wide with palm trees and not a human in site. We had a terrific swim and a stroll down the beach after.

We also visited Flamenco Beach,

which is reputed to be one of the best beaches worldwide. And it really is!! What a stunning beach. I also loved the old tanks from the Nato forces that had been left behind and now decorate the beach.

The evening before we left we were very happy to meet up with Jill and Mark on Truant. They had just arrived on their way back to the US. We had a lovely catch up session on board Truant.

And we were off to Culbrita,

which is the neighbouring island to Culebra. This island is all national park and uninhabited and is just an amazingly beautiful place. We anchored on the south shore, set off to explore in the dingy. During a walk along a beach I was able to satisfy my addiction for beach combing and found a few nice shells. After lunch we hiked up the 300 feet the the top where we then climbed to the top of the old lighthouse. It is still operational but in poor shape. The steps were all rusted out and I must say it was not a sensible climb to make, but what a view we had! 360 degrees, the whole beauty of the island spread out below us. It was spectacular. However feeling the lighthouse sway under us was somewhat unnerving. The island has many goats living on it. They could be seen with their kids under the shrubs and trees below.

The following morning we had a pleasant snorkel around the reefs, it wasn’t as good as expected, quite a bit of dead coral. But there are signs of new life in the stag horn corals. We then moved anchorages to the north side

Tortuga Beach.

It is a large, nearly enclosed by reef, bay. So getting in was a bit tense to say the least. We had to roll through the rollers and sway through the huge waves that then broke on the reef just off our starboard side. We also had to share the anchorage with a number of other boats. We set off to hike the shoreline where we could see some interesting rugged rocks and cliff faces an area called

Punta Marc.

This proved to be an awesome hike. We were very impressed with the rugged shoreline. The rocks are volcanic and so shades of green, brown and black. There were wonderful cactus of differing types blooming with sea birds soaring above the azure sea that pounded the coast below us. Our walk took us along the cliff to the top of the hill over looking the anchorage. With so many cactus and thorny trees and shrubs a constant problem was thorns and although we were wearing our trusty crocs we still had to stop periodically to dethorn our crocs as the thorns would go right through, ouch! After our hike it was a relief to cool down with a swim at the bay.