Vieques

Have just completed a trip around the island of Vieques and we are sitting at anchor on the west side waiting for the trades to fill in later this morning to take off to Fajardo on the mainland.

We arrived here last Monday and have spent the week visiting a couple of bays and the two settlements on the island.  Vieques is a beautiful island and very quiet.  It used to be used for gunnery practice by the US military and as such much of the island was off limits.  Not so long ago the military handed it back to PR and it has since been opened up.  There are still areas which you are not allowed onshore due to unexploded ordnance but that is mainly down the east and west ends.  There are tourists here but it is nowhere near as busy as other places.

We made landfall on the west side and then sailed clockwise around the island.  Generally we spent the week at anchor in peaceful bays, doing school and exploring where we could.  The first day we visited the Northern town called Isabel Segunda.  We anchored in a bay which had a bit of a roll going through it and went ashore for lunch.  The town itself is not much to look at.  There is one main street with the ferry dock coming off it and a couple bars and cafes, half of which were shut.  Behind the main street the land rises and houses are built on the hillside.  We did manage to find a supermarket and so stocked up on some essentials.  We had an average lunch in a bar overlooking the water and then headed back to the boat and pushed on to anchor at a quiet place called Bahia Icacos.  

Isabel Segunda Anchorage

Its good coming ashore

The bay here is fringed with three reef systems and a small island and so is quite protected from the northerly swell.  The beach is wide and studded with palm trees.  All in all an idyllic spot.  There was only Dulcinea and one sport fishing boat in the bay.  We spent two nights here.  On the second night we went ashore to a small cove and had a fire on the beach while the sun went down.  It was beautiful and the kids really enjoyed it.  There were some stunted palm trees at the cove and we managed to get a few green coconuts after a bit of exertion and some near misses with a knife and Sam on Scotts shoulders.

Beach Fire

Beth enjoying fresh coconut

We moved around to the south side of the island the next day near to the next town called Esperanza.  Nearby there are two small bays with bioluminescent plankton which we wanted to see.   At night we took the dingy into one of the bays called Puerto Mosquito.  We had to take the dingy out of the bay we were anchored in and then along the coast about a mile to reach the entrance to the bioluminescent bay which is very narrow.   Even though it was not that rough it is not that comfortable being in a dingy with a 15HP engine in the open sea at night.  We made the entrance to the bay in about 15 minutes and once inside it was like we had come indoors from a stormy day outside - everything was quiet and peaceful.  The contrast was startling.  

The bay is absolutely still and ringed by mangroves.  It was a full moon when we visited so could see the whole bay.  There were a few other visitors in kayaks just drifting around, each with a small red LED on.  We shut off the engine and paddled further into the bay.  At first we could not see much but then as we got further in someone noticed the oar glowing like a light saber every time it went into the water.  We just played around in the water with the oars and our hands watching the glow produced.  It is quite sureal.  At one time we put the outboard on to shift location and a trail of light flowed out the back of the dingy like a comet tail.  There are a few more of these bays around so we may get to see this again.  Wish we could have got some pictures but its impossible to photograph (by us anyway).

The following day we shifted closer to Esperanza and went ashore for lunch and so those so inclined could have a look at the few gift shops.  Esperanza was smaller than Isabel Segunda but was a more picturesque place better suited to visitors.  Got a fantastic lunch of Tapas with a glass of Sangria.  In the afternoon we sailed back to the west end to anchor for the night.

Esperanza Waterfront 

Tapas at Bili in Esperanza

West Coast Anchorage

Its been a real fun week.  I think the best thing is that we have not had to worry too much about the weather.  We can essentially go when we want as the wind is pretty constant.  It's usually calm in the early morning and then picks up late morning and in the afternoon before settling down at night.  We still monitor the daily forecasts but are now really looking out for the unusual weather which may be on the horizon.

Today we sail to Fajardo up the east coast of PR.  Should be a great sail.

En Route to Vieques

Have just left Ponce bound for Vieques (pronounced Vi-eck-es) Island - one of the what’s called Spanish Virgin Islands.  We will be doing short hops down the coast - 2 to 3 hrs max - and anchoring every night.  Will probably have to motor most of the way as we have easterlies forecast.

Last few days were spent in Ponce.  We are anchored off the yacht club which unfortunately is a bit of a taxi ride into town.  The taxis are not that efficient so it makes it a bit of a time consuming affair going anywhere.  Oh how we long for those Singapore taxis.  

We went ashore on Sunday (Scott’s 49th birthday) to have a look around but the town centre was pretty quiet.  It has a really nice central square with fountains and a huge cathedral and in the streets surrounding the square there are lots of interesting art deco style buildings.  We searched for a market which was supposed to be on but never found it.  Finally we had to retreat to a mall to placate everyone.  The mall is just like any other American mall with a lot of similar or the same shops as you find in the US.  After all Puerto Rico is as near as American as you can get without actually being American.  All the citizens here carry US passports.

In the evening we had a birthday cake for Scott which was a series of cup cakes with candles in them.  Seems to be a bit of a standard onboard now.

Scotts Birthday

Nic and Beth got the next day on their own at the mall while Scott and the kids stayed on the boat.  Scott had the enviable task of fixing the day head which had stopped evacuating.  Scott spent the afternoon on the day head and had pipes ripped out and the bilge full of particularly disgusting water at one point but luckily it was all cleaned up and smelled of bleach by the time Nic got back.  The problem was a build up of calcium in the pipes from the seawater leading to a complete blockage.  The bore of the pipe had been reduced from around 2 inches to about half an inch.  After a quick look at some books and a solid dose of diluted muretic acid it seems to be working again.

Turns out the hassle of getting to and from the shops mean’t we became eager to press on.  We had one more day where we went ashore to Wal-mart and got a few essentials including a couple of belated birthday presents for Sam. We tried to get to the cinema for the evening but when we went to buy the tickets we discovered the film which had been advertised as English was actually in Spanish so that was a bust.

On Wednesday we filled up with fuel and water and headed 6NM off the coast to an island called Isla de la Muretas or Coffin Island.  We anchored off a protected beach and were the only boat there.  This is a favourite day trip from Ponce and it gets busy at the weekends but today was OK.  There is a ferry which brings day trippers out but it and all its passengers had left by 4:00pm and then we had the island to ourselves.  Nic Sam and Scott went ashore and hiked up a trail to a lighthouse to see an amazing view over the island, the sound and to the mainland and the mountains beyond the coastal plains.  

Giant cacti on the hike to the lighthouse

View from the top - Dulcinea anchored in the bay at Coffin Island

We stayed at the island an additional day as it was so peaceful and then headed about 15NM east to the next stop at a place called Salinas.  The anchorage here is beautiful but its very shallow and so we have anchored pretty far out.  We have come to the conclusion that in most instances its better to stay further out as you do not get congestion problems and the motion is only marginally different.  Here though we are anchored amongst mangroves and it is absolutely still, so perfect for exploring with the kayak and paddleboard.  In the morning rays break the surface and jump slapping the surface as they land.  We had just told Calley that there is nothing to be scared of in the water when we herad a huge splash on one side of the boat which was an especially big ray - we think!  This morning we had our first sighting of manatees which graze around the anchorage.  We sat and watched them for about half an hour and Sam paddled over to get a close look.  

The anchorage at Salinas - as you can see we are away from the other boats

Had an issue with the freezer.  We went to defrost it but to cut a long story short ended up with a puncture in the freezer coils and lost all the gas.    There is a second compressor on the freezer but it is not sufficient to drag the temperature down to the required level.  So we now have no freezer but a decent sized fridge.  Luckily we will be in a place called Fajardo in about a week and we should be able to get it fixed there.  In addition there should be some shops where we can stock up en-route.  We had a bit of food in the freezer which will be lost but not too much.

We are into a bit of a groove with the school at the moment and are almost halfway through the syllabus.  Think it is a wee bit easier but still a bit of a slog.  I think one of the problems is the inability to get a routine going as we are constantly on the move.  Even if we do stop for a few days any routine would be ruined once we start sailing again or come to a place which we want to spend a few days visiting.  We do not seem to be able to get any school done during the sailing legs.  We will just hammer on.

The difference between travelling the southern Bahamas and the north coast of the DR to the south coast of PR is amazing.  Here we can sail short hops as there are lots of places to duck in for shelter.  In addition we are not exposed to the Atlantic swells.  As such we can take off any time during the day and only sail for a couple of hrs before dropping anchor and relaxing.  This is what it should be like for the remainder of the trip to Grenada.  We are still going into the prevailing trade winds which can kick up during the day but that will change around St Martin when we turn southwards.  The only sizeable sail we have left before Grenada is the Anegada Passage between the Virgin Islands and Anguilla, and Pete and Claire will be on to help us with that.  Even then its only a day sail of about 80NM.  Of course the next thing we need to start thinking about is the hurricane season which kicks off in May/June.  We need to formulate some kind off emergency response plan as we will be travelling during the first couple of months of the season and our insurers are a bit anxious.

We should get to Vieques the day after tomorrow and will then spend the rest of the week looking around.  It is supposed to be a beautiful island with gorgeous anchorages.  It will be a nice swansong for Beth who heads home after that.

Relaxing at Salinas anchorage

Goodbye to the D.R.

We arrived back in the Puerto Bahia Marina on Friday and relaxed in the marina facilities for the weekend with some schoolwork thrown in and made plans to visit a place called El Limon which is a spectacular waterfall in the middle of the Samana peninsula.  We got the marina to organise the trip for us and on Monday we were off.  We drove to the town of El Limon and then switched to horses for the 5km trek up the trail into the hills.  Scott prefers to hike it but we thought it would be fun for the kids.  It was a really nice trek up to the waterfall.  The land is extremely fertile and we saw coffee, and cocoa as well as all sorts of fruits.  Not much in the way of wildlife though.  We left the horses at a hilltop reststop and descended into the forest to the base of the falls.  

Four of the "Five Amigos"

The falls themselves must be about 60m high.  It is very impressive.  Everyone apart from Scott went for a swim in the pool below the falls.  Only disappointing thing was the number of other touristos around.  After an hour or so we returned to the town.  Scott had decided to walk instead of ride - something about an inherent distrust in a mode of transport with a mind of its own - and Calley joined him at the bottom of the trail.  We stopped in for lunch at a local restaurant and then returned to the boat.

The falls at El Limon

One of the lower falls

The base of the falls

For our final tourist day in the DR we hired a car and toured around the Samana peninsula heading for a place called Los Terranos which is a beach area on the north coast.  To get there we had to drive over a short but steep range of hills giving spectacular views across the tranquil Samana bay one way and the rough Atlantic ocean the other.  Los Terranos was a more touristy spot than Samana so we spent the best part of the day there on the beach and in the town exploring and buying up provisions for the trip.  It was a typical beachside area you could find in any number of countries but enjoyable and relaxing for us.

Colourful fruit and veg stand in Los Terranos

Beth relaxing at Los Terranos beach

We had been looking at the weather closely for the week.  We were talking with another cruising couple from Bermuda on a boat called Ayeesha regarding the weather as they were planning the same crossing and we both landed on the Thursday evening for a departure.  The winds have been good all week but a big swell was pushing down from storm activity in the Atlantic and we were waiting for this to subside which was supposed to be on Thursday/Friday.  There is a huge island lee effect here in that after sundown the trade winds subside near the coast.  As the winds subsides the seas calm down also.  We wanted to use this to get a good start across the Mona Passage.

The passage to Puerto Rico represents the last big push east for us.  It is a transit of about 170NM from Samana to Ponce.  After this it will all be shorter hops.  In fact there is only one more long leg (the Anageda Passage) which we will have to do before Grenada and that is only 80NM.  As you can imagine its a big milestone for us.  The Mona Passage can be tricky what with the easterly winds, a northerly swell and a patch of shoals extending off the DR coast.

We completed our clearance formalities and settled our marina bill in the afternoon and waited for the night lee effect to be felt.  At around 1830 we watched Ayeesha depart and within 30 minutes we were following them.  We caught up with Ayeesha just as the swells were making themselves felt at the mouth of the bay and pushed on.  We were motorsailing with the main up and making good progress with the boat pitching comfortably.  Nic and Scott stayed on deck while everyone else went below to sleep.  At around 2000 we got a call from Ayeesha that there was a problem with their auto pilot and they were turning back.  Unfortunately for them they will have to go back to Samana to try and get it fixed.

Last view of Puerto Bahia

Nic and Scott had a comfortable night on deck spelling each other on watch.  Certainly it was a lot more enjoyable than the last trip from Puerto Plata.  At daybreak we were halfway across the Mona Passage and adjusted our course SE to make for the SW corner of Puerto Rico.  The north east wind forecast only blew in for a few hours in the morning and for the rest of the time we had to motor sail in pretty calm conditions with following winds.  It was very pleasant and we watched the Puerto Rican coastline draw nearer.  As usual we had the fishing rod out and had had a couple of strikes during the day with no result to show.  At around 1500 we were about 5 miles from our landfall and about to get into shallower water.  Scott was ready to pull the rod when Sam saw a tuna jump and the next thing we had one on the line.  It was panic stations on deck with Scott grabbing the rod and doing battle with the fish, Beth taking the helm and steering and Sam and Nic getting ready to land the fish.  

The tuna had taken all the line off the reel and it was pretty strong so it took about 15minutes to land.  But it was all worth it when we saw the fish.  Our first tuna and I guess it was around 10 to 12Kg.  We got it on deck, stuffed rum down its gills to subdue it and then killed it and put it aside to clean once we were anchored.  Sam was overjoyed.

Sam and the tuna

A few more miles and we motored into a place called Bahia Salinas and anchored under the lighthouse on some cliffs which marks the SW corner of Puerto Rico in a very peaceful bay.  Sam and Scott cleaned the fish which took a while.  The amount of meat we got will keep us going for a while.

The lighthouse at Cabo Roja

The next day we made an early start and finished the trip dropping anchor in Ponce harbour around midday.  After a few of frustrating hours we managed to get cleared into Puerto Rico and then had a couple of beers on deck listening to the nearby music from the shoreside stalls.

Everyone is excited to be in Puerto Rico.  Scott is especially relieved to be here as it marks the end of the hard slog from Nassau.  We still have to go east against the prevailing trade winds until around St Martin but it will be in shorter hops from now on.  The girls and kids are happy to be here because there is a mall about 2 miles from the anchorage and that will be the first mall since Jacksonville.

All in all we really enjoyed the DR.  We had heard alot of negative things about it but we had had a very enjoyable time.  Even though the place is quite poor and the infrastructure is questionable there are lots of different things to do and see and most importantly the people are very friendly.

Puerto Rican Coastline

Los Haitises

Headed out into Samana Bay as scheduled on the Monday destined for Los Haitises National Park. The park area is only about 12 NM from Samana but we took all day to get there because we spent the day sailing on the bay looking for whales.  It was a really fun day and the humpback whales are awesome.  Did not see lots and lots but we did see enough.  First you usually see a spout as they break the surface to breath.  When they are close to the boat the sound of the spout can be unnerving.  They then glide past in twos and threes and you see the arched backs break the surface first followed by a small dorsel fin and then if lucky the huge dripping tail comes out of the water before the whale dives.  Occasionally you see a big fin or head on the surface.  The whales were also breaching which is when they propel most of their body out of the water and then crash back down.  It is a pretty amazing spectacle.  On the way back from the park a few days later we did the same but did not see any whales.  We will try again when we leave Samana.

Hard to do this justice

Beth takes a turn at the helm

We anchored in Los Haitises that night and spent the next few days exploring.  General routine was school in the morning and exploring in the afternoon.  The whole area is very sheltered and peaceful.  The scenery comprises of short sheer cliffs covered with dense forest plunging into the water.  The rock formations make spectacular cliffs and the shore line is a series of jagged short inlets.  Where there is any flat shoreline mangrove trees have taken over.  Onshore there are some famous big cave systems with ancient native paintings in them. Further down the bay the land flattens out and the mangroves dominate.  I never realised how big these mangroves grow - they are trees not just bushes.  Some of them here were easily 15m high.  The forests around the bay support a huge amount of bird life - pelicans continuously dive into the water after fish, hawks float high above the land riding the thermals, and other smaller white birds nest in the foliage.  It is a really peaceful and tranquil spot.

One of the cave systems

Los Haistises shoreline

Beth and Sam at Los Haitises

We took it pretty easy and got a fair amount of schooling done whilst still seeing the sights.  On the last day we took a trip to an eco resort they have built a few kilometers from where we were anchored.  To get there we had to take the dingy up a small winding river lined with mangroves on each side for about 2 kms.  When the river got to narrow a small jetty appeared.  This was at the point where the mangroves gave way to flat land leading to foothills just beyond.  The eco resort had been built just where the foothills started.  We got a lift from the jetty to the resort on the back of a motorbike.

The Mangrove swamps

Not the safest means of transport but better than walking

The resort was very rustic but beautiful.  It is built on a hillside and the mountain streams are diverted around and through the resort forming a number of pools for swimming in.  The architecture is all open and the buildings built out of rough stone and timber.  The rooms all look over the shorts plains and the bay to the mountains on the other side.  We had lunch and the kids played in the pool and then just relaxed.

The Cano Hondo Eco Resort

View from the resort

There were a few things we still wanted to do in Samana before we left the DR so the following day we recovered the anchor and headed back across the bay to Puerto Bahia Marina.  Even though we did not see any whales the sailing was fantastic - probably one of the best sailing days we have had.  The wind was around 12 to 15kts and coming from the north allowing us to reach up and down the bay.  It was great to get the sails set and then get a turn of speed on.  

Samana

Have spent the last few days in R&R mode and have managed to recover from the sail here.  We have all managed to spend time at the marina pools and everyone except Sam had a visit to the spa today for a much needed massage.

Dulcinea moored at the marina

Today is Sams 13th birthday so we took him over to the resort restaurant for breakfast.  Feel a bit sorry for him as we have not been anywhere with any significants shops since Florida and so for his birthday he had to be content with a couple of shirts we bought yesterday in Samana.  And to top it off Scott made him do a couple of school lessons today. But to our dear, fantastic, awesome Sam - Happy Birthday! Thanks to everyone who managed to get a birthday message through.

Our Teenager

This area of the DR is really nice.  We have had a trip into the local town of Samana which is about 15 mins drive away.  The town is a reasonable size but not particulaly attractive and kind of what you would expect.  The town centre is curled around a small bay where visiting yachts anchor.  Again the town could be in Indonesia apart from the afro caribbean population.  There are small ramshackle shops lining the streets selling the usual mass produced clothing and plasticware and tourist shops hawking the same gaudy trinkets.  We looked for a food market which we had read about but could not find it.  Best we could come up with was a small truck loaded down with pineapples.  There is quite a bit of rubbish around and most of the buildings are in need of anything from a lick of paint to complete demolition.  The people though are very friendly as soon as you approach them.  We did manage to try some street food from an Argentinian hawker which consisted of empanadas which are like a small tortilla wrap cooked in a genuine wood fired oven.  

Buying Pineapples

When we had to get back to the hotel we could not find a taxi and a helpful local guy managed to collar a Dominican version of a motorised rickshaw for us.  With five westerners in the back the litlle 100cc bike engine was having a really hard time pulling us up the steep DR hillside roads.  We had to disembark and walk the last small hill to the marina complex entrance as it proved just too steep a gradient for the now overheated and smoking bike.  The old guy driving it was very apologetic but we were just glad to have made it safely back and gave him a good tip.  

Its amazing how the feel of the town changes in the dark.  As the sun goes down, the heat of the day seeps away and  the temperature becomes very pleasant.  And as the light fades you do not notice the poverty as much.  The litter on the streets is not so apparent and the night is filled with amazing smells mingling with the ever present exhaust fumes drifting over from the roads and wood smoke.  There are no harsh street lights, and dwellings all seem to be running their lights on 50% power which produces a soft orange glow inside the homes.  Cars and motorbikes zip around everywhere and from a multitude of open air bars Spanish/Caribbean music blares out.  Over here as well it seems the people are very much night time orientated and families are just out for a wander.

Samana Town Harbour

Tomorrow we head out across Samana Bay to a national park called Los Haitises which everyone we have met and every guide book says is amazing.  The bay itself is very tranquil after the last couple of months of sailing and looks extremely serene.  Am sure the weather can blow up on it as well but the last few days have been pretty calm.  Enroute to Los Haitises we are going to try spend some time looking for whales.  Apparently Samana Bay is where a huge proportion of all humpback whales come to mate between mid Feb and mid March and we have met quite a few people who have already been out on tours and seen them.

A Rough Night in the DR

Have arrived in a place called Samana on the eastern side of the DR.  Pulled into a beautiful marina yesterday morning after a long overnight sail from Puerto Plata.

We stayed around Puerto Plata for a few more days.  We had a couple of things to do but also had to wait for a break in the ceaseless easterly trades.  While we still had the hire car we drove to out to the foothills behind Puerto Plata where there is a cable car station that takes you to the top of the mountain to around 2000m of elevation.  Needless to stay there were spectacular views of the surrounding area from the top.  There was also a small version of the “Christ the Redeemer” statue   associated with Rio - apparently a present from Brazil.  The next day was supposed to have been an excursion to the animal and adventure park which is next door to the marina but Nic had contracted some gastro bug and had been throwing up all night, so much to the distress of Calley we had to delay for a day.  This was the first time any one had been really sick on board.

Puerto Plata

The following day, with Nic recovered, everyone apart from Scott went to the park.  There is the usual animal shows involving seals and dolphins, a couple of tigers and some water rides but there is also the opportunity to interact with the dolphins.  Nic and Calley got to give a dolphin a hug and to feed them while Sam and Beth went into a bigger pool and swam with them getting rides from them also.  It was a real experience for everyone.  Scott enjoyed himself during the day stitching a leather wheel cover onto the port wheel - a job that has been on the list for about 6 months!

Calley was very brave

Nic getting a hug from a dolphin

Beth and Sam with their dolphins

Wednesday was the day we were due to leave - it is also Carnavale.  Shame we would miss seeing the celebrations but Puerto Plata is probably not the best place to experience it.  Everyone is ready to leave here.  Our dock lines have been chewed to pieces by the surge inside the marina.  The day was spent getting ready to sail and organising clearance with the authorities.  They have some strange rules here - even though we had cleared into the country you have to get clearance to move from port to port.  This is called a dispacho.  We went up to the marina to see the officials and obtained our dispacho.  However more concerning we were told that we had to leave by 1800 that evening and that night time departures were not allowed.  

Unless you have seen the weather patterns here its difficult to imagine the difference a few hours can make.  The easterly trades blow almost continuously somewhere around 15 to 25kts.  The wind is generally east but flickers SE and NE so you are always going against the weather.  In addition a swell is generated by the winter storm activity in the Atlantic and sweeps down uninterrupted for 100‘s of miles and generally runs NE along the coast.  All of the above makes it very uncomfortable trying to go east so the recognised strategy is to wait for a front to move SE from the US which interrupts the general flow of the trades.  This happens every 7 to 10 days at this time of year.  In addition, at night the effect of the cooling land calms the wind around the coast to less than 5 kts and also flattens the seas near shore.  

The trades had been particularly strong for the last few weeks and so they were hanging in until around 10:00 o’clock at night.  We had picked this time for our departure but now we were being forced to go earlier.  The swell was also still running a bit higher than was ideal but trying to get everything to line up is difficult.

We managed to stall our departure until 19:00.  Scott was not feeling particularly good about going early but we thought we may as well get it over and done with because conditions would only be marginally better the next night and we would lose a day.  We slipped the mooring and headed out of the marina.  The first half a mile through the marina entrance passage were always going to be wet as there is a funneling of the waves.  Sam and Nic were trying to get fenders and mooring lines in and got absolutely soaked by the water we were taking on.  We got past the channel and set a course east directly into the weather.  As feared the night time lee effect had not yet materialized.  We were motoring into 20kts with seas occasionally to 3 to 4m.  The boat was handling well but pitching quite a bit and slamming every now and then.  On the big waves the bow would submerge and the water would run the length of the bow, and then up over the dodger and break into the cockpit.  For the first time we had clear the cockpit of kids and Calley was pretty scared.  Nic and Scott stayed on deck while everyone else tried to hunker down somewhere and rest.  The sides of the deck were awash and Nic and Scott who were on deck had to don wet weather gear as there was nowhere to stay dry in the breaking waves.  For the first time we had to put the washboards in place and close the main hatch.  We had leaks through Sam’s cabin hatch and in Beth’s cabin.  The saloon had taken water through the main hatch before it had been closed.  It was a horrible.  

On deck everything was soaking.  Nic and Scott settled down and tried to get through the night.  One would stay awake on watch while the other would curl up on the cockpit seat and try and snooze but it was pretty uncomfortable as the cushions were below and we were wet.  To give you some idea, a coil of soggy rope made a pretty good pillow.  You would be lying down and get as comfortable as possible with one ear trying to listen to the boat and then a wave would break and water would pour over the dodger.  If you were quick enough you could pull back and squeeze yourself into the corner of the cockpit and avoid the initial deluge but regardless you get wet from the run off which pours over over the companionway and into the cockpit.  

This lasted for about three hours but then the night time effect started to make itself felt and the wind dropped, the seas flattened into a long period swell and the boat motion became a lot more easy.  We stopped taking on water over the cockpit and then could get comfortable to lie down on the bench cushions and get some sleep.  Nc and Scott alternated watches every 2 or 3 hrs.

The next morning saw us off the NE corner of the DR.  The scenery was spectacular.  Very Jurrasic Park’esque.  The soaring inland mountains roll green to the coastline where huge sheer cliffs plunge into the ocean.  The cliffs are lit by the morning sun and have rusty red streaks running through them.  Even from a couple of miles out you can see the swell pounding at the base of the cliffs and sending up clouds of white spray.  The sea is a beautiful blue and it is hard to imagine the contrast to the previous night.  We motored on with the weather calming all the time and arrived off the marina at Samana in flat calm conditions.

Unable to raise anyone on the radio we motored into the marina and were directed to tie up at a free berth.  We had heard from other cruisers that this marina was good.  It is relatively cheap and is part of a hotel complex.  We got moored although incurred a huge scratch down the boat side due to the line handlers onshore pulling our bow in to sharp.  This is the first real bad scratch on the hull.  It annoys you but there is not much you can do about it.  Once we sere secure we went through the entry formalities.  This time a representative from the Navy and the intelligence service (M2) came onboard.  We offered them a cold drink and the Navy guy looked at our dispacho to confirm everything was in order.  He declared us in compliance.  The guy from the intelligence service can check the boat out for contraband or illegals but in the end he felt it wasn’t necessary.    Some of the rules and regulations seem a bit perplexing but as is advised you just need to stay civil and go along with the requirements.  I think it also helps being in the marinas as the marina management want to ensure an efficient service.  If we went to anchor at the local town I'm sure the process would not be as streamlined.

The ever present schooling - Sam doing test lesson 60

The marina and hotel complex is pretty quiet but very picturesque.  It is nestled at the base of palm tree covered hills.  The layout of the buildings is very similar to Bali - very tropical - open plan with cooling breezes wafting over marble floors.  There are a couple of pools for the kids, a spa for Nic and Beth, a bar and a few restaurants.  It looks really relaxing and the staff are very friendly.  The first night Nic and Scott got invited to a get together at the marina.  There is a regatta here in two weeks and the get together was ostensibly to discuss that.  Turned out it was more of a meet and greet type affair.  We met a few cruisers but generally were too tired from the night before to really enjoy it and so after a quick dinner we collapsed into our bed onboard absolutely exhausted.

Beth enjoying the moment