Life Aboard Kind of Magic

Report #15: April 10, 2014 to May 28, 2014; Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico and the USVI

Luperon pics:

De La France Pizzeria - George (Pelican) & Marlene (Spray) and Blair

motorcycles everywhere, here is the plantain (local - not gringo - bananas) delivery man

BBQs for sale - top quality rebar and wheel rim assembly!

double burner model
bet this make way outlasts anything from Cdn Tire!

JR's (owned by Gill, center whit shirt/cap)

Natasha and Stephen (Turning Points)

We took a trip to the south coast and visited Santo Domingo, roundtrip about $21 each. The journey was as entertaining as the destination. We got up early one morning and George (Pelican) dinghied us to the town dock. From there we walked up to the guagua parking lot and got in. 60 pesos each to Imbert, done that. The car, an old Toyota Corolla, had the driver and three passengers in the back (including Edi and I) and one passenger in front. OK. Over the next 16 miles or so to Imbert, lots of pickups and drop-offs, equilibrium being 4 passengers. Oh, oh. Two more passenger. OK, let’s see how we get 4 adults in the back and two in the front passenger seat! Right, let’s not forget the woman’s toddler! Thankfully someone had a can opener and we spilled out in Imbert! Next, small bus to Santiago 110 pesos each, and LOTS of elbow room and A/C even! Next, big bus to Santo Domingo two aside seating and A/C, what luxury at 240 pesos each. We spilled off in Santo Domingo and walked to the Zona Colonial ignoring the suggestions that we would be “Safer” going by taxi. Well it was sunny and mid-day and we had been sitting a lot so we had a nice 2 mile walk in and the neighbourhood really wasn’t bad at all.

Oops, or is this Spadina and Dundas?

We hit Chinatown – every City seems to have one – and passed through into the Zona Colonial. It was like hitting a town in southern Spain. We walked and finally settled on a hotel at $38/night – including a fridge and a/c. We unloaded the back pack and went out for dinner.

We spent 3 nights there and just strolled the Zona and the waterfront, taking in the sights and sounds of this HUGE City.

how many dogs?

The museum was a nice stop and this guy was the high-light (pavo real – aka peacock – we also have met a catamaran in Luperon called Pavo Real!)

1700s border marker - France

other way - Espaniola

The plaza is the heart of the old town and the Catedral Primada de America backstops it all. This is the oldest operating church in the Western Hemisphere (there was an earlier one in Mexico that was replaced) although the interior is a bit shabby what with hundreds of years of wars and occupations (the English privateer – or pirate depending what side you want to take – used it as headquarters looted it.)

The botanical gardens were a nice diversion and the private (unlicensed) taxi cost 300 pesos each way and entry was 100 pesos each. We visited on a Monday, apparently a sort of holiday, as the gardens were open and the little trolley ride was open but the restaurant etc were all closed. One of the trolley attendants ran out to get us some Cokes and water, very much appreciated. The Japanese gardens and the Orchid nursery were the highlights.

turtles and coi

This is a parkette we drove past and these are definitely the biggest "chi chi chia" pets ever!

if you go out in the woods tonight...

The Zona is the old colonial town at the waterfront and the modern City has spread all around it. Santo Domingo has everything and is the main centre for all medical tests – biopsies, xrays, blood tests, etc. The cruisers in Luperon get all their tests here and they say the cost is very inexpensive. Well, when a cruiser says it’s cheap, believe it! We found the main street with the labs and just about died laughing when we saw the same street was also the undertakers’ main digs too! Test results not so good? Let me show you some caskets!

Back to Luperon and time to get the boat ready to move. We called Pappo and got the diesel and gas topped and got 100 gallons of water (at 10 pesos a gallon reverse osmosis sealed in the blue jugs – DELIVERED! – that was about $22)

Luperon's baseball diamond - this house has prime "box seating"

George (Pelican) and Edi

The next day Pappo was organizing a run to the Gonzalo Waterfalls near Puerto Plata and we signed on with the company including Stephen and Natasha (Turning Points) and Marlene (Spray). The waterfalls are a series of waterfalls and rapids running down a very large hill (or very small mountain) and the tourists done helmets and lifejackets and walk up up for about 45 minutes. The full run of 21 falls starts at the top and half the group went up. Edi and Marlene only wanted to do the middle level starting at 12 (which the guide recommended) however we realized that the walk to 12 was almost all the way to the top for the 21! THEN, we walked DOWN to the start!

one way down - Blair's

another way - Edi's

The falls are fantastic, there are jumps and slides and stretches of just waling knee and waist deep in fresh – yes FRESH NOT SALT!! – water. The slide portions are actually quite smooth having been worn by a lot of water and quite a few bottoms!

Everyone had a great time and agreed it was a must do in the DR. Lunch was fine and the included cokes and rums flowed like, well, a river.

Our weather window was looking to open (winds of 20-25K from the east and 6-8 ft waves reducing to 10K and 3-4 ft seas) and early April 21 we set out. Two boats (including Turning Points) had left the previous night but we decided to wait a bit to let the seas calm. Ahead of us that morning were Lou and Beverley (Suzanne) who we would meet in Culebra and Kokomo who we met at customs in Mayaguez PR. The day was sunny and the wind and seas were calm enough as we motorsailed smack into them, making progress of about 3.5 knots. By later afternoon though that had reversed and we were getting the stuffing knocked out of us (a diurnal pattern wind as forecast was picking up.) Thankfully we were close enough to Rio San Juan to nip in there and drop anchor for a few of hours. After a 3 hour break from 6-9pm for BBQ, swim and rest, we were ready to go and the wind had dropped again and the seas were down to 2-3 feet. The stars were magnificent in a cloudless sky and we racked off the miles, rounding the magnificent Cabo Samana at day break.

Our despacho was for Samana but the sailing now was good, the seas acceptable and we pushed on crossing the gulf of Samana and making our way southeast along the coast to Punta Macao. We got in a little before nightfall and made anchor about 6:30 pm. The little cove there is well-protected from the prevailing winds and seas and we slept very well. After a swim the next morning the Commandante showed up at 7am in a commandeered fisherman’s skiff and examined our papers. We made it clear we skipped Samana and had stopped just for the night and were leaving in “dos hora” for Puerto Rico and that was that. We gave the fisherman some pesos for his trouble and the Armada waved goodbye. As we were readying, s/v DEE pulled in and called us as we were pushing off asking about paperwork and the fact that they (and we) never had our passports stamped out. We agreed Puerto Rico would not care and our despatch for Samana was all that was needed.

This resort complex is empty, a lot of construction incomplete. The golf course surrounding it is being watered. The entire complex is enormous and quite empty.

We set off on a close reach for Mayaguez Puerto Rico at 7 am and made it in about 1am. The wind had kept shifting south as we had to turn south and amazingly we stayed 60-70 degrees of the wind right into Mayaguez even after we turned south past hourglass shoals and Isla Desecheo. We finally got the rods working and had the right lure and caught a 28-30" barracuda but threw him back as we did not want to take a chance on getting ciguatera (a toxin without cure inducing malarial-like symptoms that some fish including larger - 30"+ - barracuda may carry.)

We also saw a hump back whale about 500 feet off our port, heading the opposite way. We did get hammered by one squall in the final 20 miles or so but we had seen the front coming and had everything reefed in plenty of time. Anchoring was just as easy as God (Bruce Van Sant) had set out in Passages and we dropped the hook smack in between R8 and R10 with Edi up on the bow illuminating the bouys with our trusty Maglite. We cracked a couple of cold beers and relaxed a bit before tucking in.

The next morning we dinghied over to the government dock and scaled the VERY high concrete wall using a much needed tire as a step. A worker there said there was no fee (despite the big official Port sign saying all boats and dinghies included must pay $25) and he unlocked the gate for us and then explained the customs building was about 2 miles away. We were carrying the raymarine radar scanner to have it shipped from UPS and so we decided a cab was the way to go as suggested. This fellow whipped out his cell phone and called one for us, chatted a minute more and said welcome to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican hospitality! The cab pulled up a few minutes later and took us to the Customs house where we presented our papers and passports and the Homeland Security / Border Protection / Customs (well that’s what the signage says) agent took everything and had us sit down. He explained we needed exactly $19 and directed us to a bank across the street for change. When we arrived back, the crew of Kokomo was arriving having anchored in Boqueron and taxied up. We finished up and piled back in the cab and took care of the raydome at UPS, stopping at Home Depot (boat stuff), K-Mart (clothes, beach chairs and umbrella) cellphone simm chip and plan from AT&T) and Pepboys (auto parts store – boat supplies.) WOW, just like being back in the “world”!

Back at the government dock we ran into the crew of sv Dee who had just arrived. Joao and Kumploy and 15 month old Maria had apparently left Punto Macao an hour after us and missed the wind shifts we had enjoyed causing them to tack all day and night long and they had the squall that we experienced not for a couple of hours but the whole night. They arrived 10 hours after us and were just exhausted. We filled them in on the clearing in process, directed them to the terminal worker and caught their stray dinghy oar. Back to the boat we squared things away and made for Puerto Real some 13 miles south getting in a late in the afternoon.

The next morning we made our way over the marine and checked out the neighbourhood. Puerto Real is very small, quiet and just lovely. The cove is very protected and the mouth is very shoal – following the private bouys is absolutely necessary. We stayed 2 nights, refueled and did the laundry. We met Brit and Sue (Halcyon, a 42 Fontaine Pajot) and again Joao, Kumploy and little sweetie Maria (sv Dee) and we all went out to the local restaurant – great seafood.

you never know what's going on at the laundry!

Joao is a writer for a sailing magazine in Macao, working for the Chinese government. He and his family are taking a year to celebrate the 500^th Anniversary of the Portguese opening of Macao. Joao and Kumploy bought a 45’ Gulfstar in Luperon and is coming to Ponce to have some work finished and then they are heading for Panama and Macao via Kumploy’s home port in Thailand. Check out their website at www.sailingdee.com. Dee is Maria’s middle name and means good. Oh, they also have their dog aboard. And we all think we are just so busy. Hmmm.

We pushed on to Boqueron, just around the corner and discovered this just amazing place. It is a little bit of Key West with a huge dollop of Wasage Beach with a Puerto Rico flavour. The beach goes on and on (it is a National Park) with speakers blaring music (latins love the music!) and the town is full of street food vendors, bars, restaurants, shops etc. Monday through Thursday it is pretty tame but come the weekend, the place rocks. The anchorage is huge, the holding is fantastic and the sights, well, are amazing.

We stayed for 3 days just enjoying the beach atmosphere and pushed on around the corner anchoring under the lighthouse at Cabo Rojo. Mistake, rock and roll and little to see or do.

April 29 we pulled into La Parguera. This town is something special. The town is sheltered from the ocean by a series of lovely mangrove cayos and then the mangrove cayos are sheltered in turn by a whole series of reefs and shallows. We anchored beside a mangrove cayo and enjoyed the cool winds of the trades with almost no rock and roll and the most amazing views around. The next day, Richard and Louise (sv Plume) arrived. We had crossed paths with them starting at South Side Marina in TCI and through Luperon and we had seen them briefly in Boqueron.

prettiest iggy so far

I really want to be a bus driver when I grow up!

La Parguera is sleepy Monday to Thursday and Friday throught Sunday it is this lively little seaside town. The town is sparkling, freshly painted, with a cute little downtown square and very clean washrooms. Live music Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and crafts stands and lots of people walking around from the little ones to the older couples to the teens holding hands. It is a really nice place.

Moving on we stopped at Punta Jacinto, a tiny little postage stamp town with a nice beach and resort hotel where we had dinner. Then we moved over the next day around the corner and anchored in front of “Gilligan’s Island.” This is a mangrove lined cayo with a tiny national park serviced by a little private ferry from Punta Jacinto. Very picturesque, especially as Plume sailed in. And we do mean sailed – Richard and Louise hate turning the engine on and they are real and true sailors.

We moved on to Ponce and tucked in between the other anchored boats in from of the Ponce Yacht Club. The harbour is now so chocked with private mooring balls that there is virtually no room to anchor. The guides are a bit out of date. The music indeed blares from the half dozen bars but again only on weekends. The rock and roll was fairly bad and we decided to push on after just the one night. We ran into Dee again and waved and hollered to Maria as we left.

Highlight of Ponce!

Next stop Salinas. Wow. This is an amazing little finger of completely protected harbour. The holding is super and there is still a lot of room around and between the private mooring balls. We stayed here for almost 2 weeks, enjoying the Marina de Salinas (water, diesel, laundry, bar and GREAT BBQ every Friday.) We met several cruisers including Dave and Jane from UK (on Greta May, a 45’ custom steel sloop) who gave us lots of tips for east and south and we filled them in on west and north. Little Playa de Salinas has the necessities – bars and restaurants and small groceria. Main town Salinas a couple of miles away has the big grocery store, gas stations and banks, a hardware store etc. Many cruisers spend hurricane season here for all the foregoing reasons and also because about 5 miles away around the corner to the east in the Bahia de Jobos are the Jobos hurricane holes, mangrove lined fingers where the boats can get 100% protection from any surge.

The harbour was so safe and the boat so secure that we rented a car and did some touring. Viejo (old) San Juan is beautiful and we spent 3 days there. The old Spanish forts are truly amazing, rivaling any that we have seen elsewhere. They are National Park monuments and are very well cared for.

GI Joe Iggy!

Flags: Puerto Rico, Old Spanish flag, Stars & Strips

maybe, maybe not but this place does make a great Pina Colada

We drove on to Fajardo and picked up an order at West Marine and also retrieved our repaired radar scanner (using West Marine as the ship to address.) We had intended to visit El Yunque national park, a rainforest, but unfortunately heavy rains closed the park during this period. This will be atop our list the next time we are passing.

Back to Salinas we used the car to get jerry cans of diesel and gas and of course to replenish the larder and beverage stores. We also used the calm of the harbour to get the radar scanner remounted, now off the appropriately named radar arch. Not only working well, looks pretty good too! Hey Frank (Just Desserts), I remembered the anti-drip loop! The cable clam is working just great, thanks again.

Water gets into the fuel tank mostly from condensation but sometimes also from purchased diesel (marina tanks etc also get condensation and as they sell less than service stations we try to buy from service stations if there is one very close to carry our jerry cans.) An algae grows at the layer where diesel sits on the water (water is heavier and sinks to the bottom. This algae plugs fuel filters and fouls fuel injectors in the engine. So, we use additives - Biobor JF for the algae and Stanadyne for the water and to help prevent corrosion of the fuel tank.

bottoms up!

We moved off May 19 across the Bahia de Jobos and past the hurricane holes anchoring off Punta Pozuelo where we saw 4 manatees. We got up late and headed out about 2300 through the Boca de Infierno. Interesting name, any idea what it means? Well, on our way over we had scouted it out and almost went through it, dropping GPS waypoints in preparation for our night passage. We made for Vieques and arrived at about 9am on the west coast and anchored off Green Beach, just south of Punta Arenas. We stayed for a full day and night before moving on to Culebra and enjoyed a great beam reach sail from Isobel Segunda across the channel to Ensenada Honda, Culebra. We anchored right in front of the town of Dewey in 15 feet and another great and well-protected harbour.

Culebra, together with neighbouring Culebrita and big Vieques, are the major components of the Spanish Virgin Islands. The islands are just lovely and what they don’t have (crowds and lots of Charter boats) are nicely matched by what they do have (lots of prime anchorages, sights, beaches, bars and restaurants.) We enjoyed strolling around Dewey and hit Zaco’s Tacos, Heather’s Pizza, Mamacita’s and the Dinghy Dock. There is garbage disposal, a supermarket (small but very adequate) and a government dock also. The anchorage is beautiful. We again met Plume who arrived a day after us and anchored beside us and we met Jim and Linda (sv Double Trouble, a 30’ Chrylser TMI.) Jim is a handy guy and he dropped off some of his homemade hot sauce (excellent!)

lift bridge no longer used

Zaco's Tacos - great Mexican

The Dinghy Dock

We had a beach holiday at Flamenco Beach, simply one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Some people camp here for months during the winter. There are washrooms and freshwater showers, kiosks selling food and beverage, and there are loungers, chairs, umbrellas, snorkel gear etc for rent. Of course, most people (and they are mostly Puerto Rican but tourists also) come for the day from Fajardo (which is only 45 minutes by car or bus to San Juan) on the main island via ferry ($2 each way) and then take a private bus ($3 each way) from the ferry dock to the beach.

We moved on to Culebrita, about 5 miles, and anchored May 24 off the northwest corner before moving into the main harbour at the end of the day. The next morning we were joined by two sailboats – including Plume! Then the conga line of motor boats started arrived to join the 25 or so that had spent the night. By early afternoon there were over 80 power boat ranging in size from 15’ inflatables to a 70’ motor yacht. The majority of the boats seemed to be Sport Fishers from about 25’-45’. It was quite a sight and very entertaining to watch. We walked the beach to get the other perspective.

Louise (Plume) and Edi

After a couple of days we were off, following Plume, for the US Virgin Islands arriving and anchoring in St. Thomas Harbour, between King’s Wharf and the Cruise Ship dock.

sv Plume - 33' Hans Christian

that's a boatload of boats

To everyone who got a video email from us around May 20, our apologies. It seems while using free wifi, probably at Marina de Salinas, some malware managed to copy all of our emails and then send out that infected email. We have changed our passwords and run several different anti-virus programmes and hope we are “clean” now. I am not sure but that may also have something to do with our Shiptrak position reports. Our latest position reports after Salinas do not seem to be recorded and there also seems to be many “garbage” position reports as well. Not sure how to correct this, but will start looking into it.

We are well and having fun and will be in the US Virgins for a little while. The we will be heading on to the BVIs before making the jump across the final challenge, the Anegada Passage, to St. Martin. Thanks for the emails, we enjoy hearing from everyone. We hear the sailing season is well underway up north, the ice have disappeared about last week? Ha-ha-ha! We mean that in the nicest way. At least it's been easy to get a cold beer, speaking of which... happy hour is starting and Edi is revving the outboard so we gotta go!

3500.3 NM / 4025.2 STM / 6594.2 KM under the hull

May 28, 2014: at anchor, St. Thomas Harbour, USVI; 9 ½ months out

Edi & Blair, s/v Kind of Magic, clear

Life Aboard Kind of Magic

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Friday, May 30, 2014

Where is Kind of Magic? Regular Position Reports

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Report #15 April 10, 2014 to May 28, 2014; Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico and the USVI

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