Go While the Going is Good

I will have to add pictures to this blog once I have internet.

The weather continued to keep us harbour bound. Our trips into Steve’s family restaurant became a daily event. The internet was free, the pool table was free. (I beat the boys). However the 100 peso meals added up along with the cervasas or vino. However it became a life line to talk to family and friends and helped me keep my spirits up.

The weather has not been in our favour until this Thursday morning. !0 boats escaped Luperon. It kept the navy busy and filled their wallets for at least one day.

The rules for entering and exiting harbours in the Dominican Republic are very interesting. You must go to the Comadancia (Navy), Harbour Authority and to wherever else they decide to send you. They generally will not let you leave a harbour before 0900 hr in the morning. This does not work for getting the best sea conditions. Therefore if you go in and pay a little towards their slush funds they give you the dispachio needed to get out of dodge. That’s the first pay off.  The DR has a problem with people trafficking;  Cubans trying to get to Puerto Rico and Haitians trying to get anywhere.  The navy must come to your boat when you arrive to inspect for human cargo and must come when you want to leave. This nominally would not pose a problem but the navy has no boats. Sometimes they get a fisherman to bring them out or they expect you to go get them then bring them back. This of course comes with a “Do you have something special for me?”  They don’t mean pops, more pesos in the form of American Dollars. Well it makes for blog info, so there you have it.

We departed Luperon at 0630 on Mar. 24^th and motored to Mayaguana, Bahamas past the Turks and Caicos. We stopped for lunch and to check fluid levels and continued on to Clarence Town, Bahamas where I sit and write this quickly. The water has been very pleasant.  It is the first time since leaving Grenada.  So, as the saying goes, “get going while the going is good.” You don’t have to tell me twice.

 We will fuel up have dinner then at 1900 hr Mar. 26 will continue on again overnight to the Cave Cays. This will bring us into the Exumas on the west side of the reefs allowing us to travel in any type of weather. We will no longer be in the Atlantic Ocean for awhile. We will have only 4 boating days after that, however we know what weather can do to a boater.

The water is beautiful colours and we are a little apprehensive about traveling in 6 – 12’ of water but that is what travelling the banks is all about.

Kenny finally landed a Dorado and a few other fish so he is one happy boy. I figure now that we are getting closer we will start catching fish because we will not be able to keep them to eat.

I am not sure what the plans are once we get to the Exumas tomorrow but I think we will slow down do some swimming, snorkelling and the boys want to try and catch lobsters with a handmade devise they have put together. Lets hope it works. A lobster dinner that doesn’t cost a fortune would be nice.

As many of you can tell I am itching to get to Port Everglades so that I do not have to worry about making it in time but I know it is important also to stop and smell the roses or fish or whatever I am to smell.

Luperon Dominican Republic

Typical Housing. Wooden homes with just bedrooms.  Motorcycles are the typical transportaion.

Wheres Waldo? Wheres the Iguana? Our Gecko has reappeared on the boat so I guess he didn't bail in Grenada. Poor guy must be freezing now.

A typical DR beach on the North Shore.

We all know that life has its bumps and potholes in the road but sometimes they feel more like craters and ditches.  What we worry about frequently never happens and if it is going to happen it just makes us unfit to deal with the problem at hand. Ken was the non worrier between us bringing me down to reality telling me not to worry. When he did worry he sure didn’t show me. Example the pirates.

This week I must thank many of you that have given me encouragement. As strong as you think I am I have a lot of moments when I am worried possible scarred.  I am not scarred of the sea more the time will pass and we do not make it to Florida in time. As one good friend said if you don’t make it in time it is just money. We can help you get it on the next boat. Immediately it reminded me of my grandfather saying the same thing. If money can fix the problem it is really not a problem.  I seem to have a lot of time these days to think of things in my past I have been shown and told.

So I find myself trying to realize if when you want something, don’t let yourself think what could go wrong. Be positive and think about the good things that could and will happen. Your attitude makes all the difference in the world. If I was negative Ken would just scowl and tell me to think positive. So now here I am doing mind games.

We are anchored in our last Dominican Republic anchorage before heading out across the Atlantic to Turks and Caicos then the Bahamas. We are and will be here probably until Wed. as the weather window slammed shut on us and so it is a waiting game.  We will not take any chances. Our weather guy said we could take a run yesterday but the seas would have been 12’ on the beam and the winds are howling at times here in the lagoon. SOOOOOOOOOO We wait.

The towns name is Luperon. It is a very poor town compared to what we have seen of the DR so far. The roads are made of dirt no concrete here. There are sidewalks. Most homes are made from wood that barely is standing. The homes have maybe one or two rooms for sleeping. The cooking is done outside generally using gathered wood. The towns people are so friendly non aggressive not trying to get dinero from the foreigners. Nice. The kids come running up to you with their holla and shaking your hand.

Luperon though a small rural town boasts markets and hardware stores, discos (can’t have enough of them), hospital, police, dentist and all the other amenities a civilized place needs. This town has everything you would want, including a gringo bar/restaurant with a pool and showers and free internet.

The anchorage is chock a block full of boats with depths of no more than 20’. It is in the mangroves keeping the winds and the water quite still.

There are now more American boats than any others  with Canadian boats following close behind. The flags of the world are less noticeable.  A shame really. We started to see this trend after St. Maarten when we headed into US waters. I do not believe this is a reflection on the Americans,  St Maarten  tends to be where boats leave from to head  to Europe.

The boating is changing as now talk is about heading home for so many of these boats. Most must be north of Hurricane Alley by Jun 1. So in a few weeks (2 – 3) one will see a real exodus from the Caribbean Islands. There are those that stick around going from Huricane hole to Huricane hole. Not unlike us in Mexico. 

We pass our time reading, playing Mexican Train and card games. The boys are doing a good job (most of the time) at keeping my mind occupied. Last night we had movie night on the Genesis which I think could have been the first since we started this trip. We may have had a movie one other night but it is not a common occurrence.

Ernie and I have just spent time going through charts to figure the route to Florida. It should be 8 more stops we think. That makes it seem much more manageable. Realistically doable.

Waiting for weather windows is always difficult but when you need to be somewhere by a certain time it naws at you a little.

We are taking walks surrounded by many butterflies to remind me to look at the beauty. I am sure once this trip is over I will have more time to reflect on the adventure we are having. Again thanks for all the encouragement.

The Catch Everyone Up to Speed.

Ernie, Me and Kenny with the Limon Falls Behind

The Anchorage in St. Maarten

The 3 of us on our very skinny horses going to the falls.

The last blog I wrote about Dominica and Guadeloupe. We were told by our weather router Herb that we should head to Antigua as this would give us a better angle for much of the rest of the trip. So off to Antigua we went. The seas were not kind again putting much tension on Genesis and her crew.

We however found a couple of nice anchorages, recovered and the following day headed on to St. Maarten/Martin.

FINALLY nice seas. I think we were all ready to abandon ship.

St Maarten/St Martin is a very unique island. It is all but 7 square miles. Half  being Dutch (I would say American) and the other side French. The French side very much retains it identity.

The whole island is a tax free haven thus to see mega yachts both power and sail is common. I would have to say there were at least 4000 boats in the small area. To add to this madness the Heinikien Regatta was on at the time. 1000's of drunken sailors having lots of fun. It was fun to watch.

We had a great meal on the french side then left in the early hours to continue on to the BVI's. Another wonderful calm crossing. Thankfully.

We stayed at an anchorage called The Bight on Norman Island. There were many other boats and now with the US flag.

We motored out of the anchorage at 0600 hr bypassing the US Virgin Islands and continuing on to Puerto Rico. We have traveled through many countries and now the joke begins.

The USA Border Security requires that you phone in as soon as you are in US waters. Unless you are American one tends not to have a US cell phone that works.

 We anchored in Bahia Honda for approximately an hour when the US navy came to tell us we must move as it was an abandoned navy base. We continued on for another 2 hrs to a beautiful bay. We left the next morning to get to Ponce. This is where the shit show began. Ponce is the 2nd largest city on Puerto Rico. It is where we would go to Immigration, Homeland Security and Customs. This is where we began to make mistakes. We took our garbage to land and disposed of it in the garbage bin. We walked up to Customs.

The Immigration guy asked right away if I had phoned in. I said no I had just gotten here and we came straight in. Wrong answer. You must phone before you come in. That would be a $3000 fine. Next he asked if I had garbage. I said yes and that we had disposed of it in the garbage reciprocal. That would be a $1000 fine. I send Kenny back to put it back into our dinghy. Then the insensitivity began and hit him back in the face. He looked at my registration papers and asked why I and not my husband was filling out the paperwork. I informed him that my husband had died, Kenny and Ernie were helping me get the boat back to the Florida to be shipped home. He had tears in his eyes then appologized told me that he would get things done quickly for me and if I needed anything I was to call him. The fines were dismissed.

We continued on to Cabo Rojo and went inland to phone Homeland Security then left at midnight to continue on to Dominica Rebublic.

The Mona Passage is reknowned for its adverse currents and winds. Well back to the aweful weather again. We arrived in Punta Cana where we thought we would rest for several hours get the engine working right again (air lock) and continue around midnight. The Navy had a different idea. The DR also wants to know where you are. The boys came aboard checked out that we were not smugglling either people or drugs then told us to continue on and say we did not stop there. We continued all night luckily to great weather. We arrived in Samana at 0900 hr. 35 hrs of steady cruising. We had maybe 10 mins. before the navy was on its way to check our dispachio and registration. We then headed into shore to do Customs and Immigratrion. No problems but very expensive.

 Arriving on shore I felt like we must have a bullseye on our foreheads. Instantly the dock boys are dragging you around to where you need to go. (Could have easily been done ourselves) It all comes at a price.

The next day we headed out on a tour that seem to be reasonable in price. No mention off all the extra costs. Anyways we toured a little of this penninsila. We took horses up to the headlands of a waterfall then had to climb further. We were in company of at least 100 people. No skinny dipping for Kenny this time.

We climbed over the mountain range to the beach area. Yep typical tourist area. Had a lunch on the beach then went to Sanchess were we visited with the local fishermen. This is not a tourist area and we paid real prices for the camarones. I bought 4 pounds and that will give us 5 meals.

We continued back into Samana and toured a church and a marine museum. This was very interesting. Just around the corner several ships from the 1700's are being recovered. A river has been running over the ships and much of the artifacts are intact.

So far, of the islands we have visited I like the DR. It seems to have a lot to offer. Eco, suntanning and it is Spanish. I am enjoying speaking the language again and I am sure that when I get home I will try and immerse myself in the language and do the ESL somewhere.

I would like to thank all those that have email or skyped me. My friends are helping me get through this.

I am trying really hard to focus on not what I have lost but what I gained from Ken in my life. When I see a butterfly I remind myself to look at the beauty and he tells me to keep being strong. It is all going to be fine and we are making good progress. Unfortunately the weather is changing and we will have to stay for a few days but I believe there is a reason. Catch up on sleep and get ready for the next step. Until next time.

Sanchess where the camarones are from.

Dominica and on

I am sending this blog through SSB radio so I will not be able to attach the beautiful pictures that I took of these areas that I am going to talk about until I get internet and I am not sure how long that will be.

We are currently motoring in CALM waters towards the BVI’s. We will anchor overnight at Norman Island, the setting for the book Treasure Island. It is said that the caves here held the Spanish treasures that the pirates looted. We however will not be looking for the loot as we will fly our quarantine flag and not get off the boat. This allows us to transit through a country without going to immigration and customs. Not that boaters don’t get off the boat anyways!

We arrived in Dominica late Friday night (after customs was closed) and left early Monday morning (before customs was open). Sat we washed the boat and Sun. we took a tour of ½ the island 9 hrs. total.

Shadow was our tour guide and was very informative.  Dominica is off the beaten tourist islands and for us it was a wonderful thing. It is as close as you will get in the Caribbean to what life should be; laid back, full of spirit, freedom and friendly.  Dominica is very mountainous with jungle covered foliage.  I couldn’t get over the tropical flowers that I paid big money for growing wild everywhere.

Dominica’s  original name was Kulbui meaning “Tall is her body “, for the mountains. The local grown beer carries this name. Columbas discovered Dominica on a Sunday in November 1493. Spanish for Sunday is Domingo hence the name Dominica.

The main source of income is in the banana crops. We learnt that a banana tree only produces 1 crop in its lifetime. It takes 9 mths to grow a tree and produce the bunch. Once the tree has been harvested they chop the tree down and let the seedlings continue to grow. This ensures there are bananas all year round. (This made the gift of bananas from our Panamanian family more special knowing they gave up a crop for Ken and I ).

Throughout the plantations you would see banana bunches with blue bags covering the bananas. This is to ensure that the insects and a special bird are not able to attack the fruit. The bananas in the blue bags go to Europe or the USA while ones without the blue bags traditionally stay on the island or boated to neighbouring islands. There are over 500 different species of bananas; sweet bananas and plantains (cooking bananas).

Dominica is the only island in the Caribbean that still has an indigenous presence. A reserve of 2000 hectares on the windward coast was set aside for the Caribs. There are still around 3000 surviving today however due to intermarriage with the import of slaves there are said to only be about 50 that are of pure breed. We could not see any difference between the indigenous and the non indigenous.

We continued to the town of Wesley where the population speaks its own language that is an African language and not Petois.

A highlight was hiking up to Spanny Falls. Deep in the rainforest water falls into an emerald pool that one can swim in. The other couple with us and Kenny decided to put on their birthday suits and take a dip. Since I am prudish (as Ken put it) I just took pictures and waded in the cool pool. Dominica has a total of 25 falls, many hot springs but its best nature wonder is the boiling Lake. The path takes you up through rain forest, then over a crest and down to the Trois Pitons River. You head further up the mountain then begin to descend into the Valley of Desolation. Steam comes out of the ground all around. You follow a hot river until you reach the boiling Lake. The total trip takes 9 hrs returned. SOOOOOOOOOOOO we didn’t go just heard about it. However I felt it worth mentioning in case someone wants to visit some day.

Continuing our voyage north our next destination was Deshaies Guadeloupe. The most northern anchorage in Guadelope .Deshaies is a picturesque fishing village. The only thing we saw being fished for was lobster. So far we have caught 1 fish. This anchorage is a deep, well protected bay, surrounded by hills and mountains.  I would like to say our journey was uneventful but I would have a nose a mile long. The seas again were 30-35 knots and confused. The right raw water again gave us grieve.  We were told to stay an extra day and head to Antigua instead of Montserrat. This would give us a more favourable angle for the rest of our trip with NE winds. So we took the advice and had but yet another horrid day in horrid conditions.

As there is a limit to the amount that can be sent through the SSB I will leave this blog at this point and will make a few entries this week unless I get internet and can update the whole week.

Stay tune.

Town Church

Looking out into the anchorage

Kenny Skinny Dipping