Four Countries in One Week!

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What a crazy week for us, the Rum Runner took advantage of this totally amazing weather window and booked it on down to Puerto Rico- holy cow! That is a 900 mile trip going from Georgetown in the Bahamas to Provo in the Turks and Caicos, to Puerto Plata in the Dominica Republic, and across the Mona Passage to Mayaguez in Puerto Rico. Just so that you can understand what we accomplished keep in mind that we can only travel at the pace of 8-10 miles an hour if conditions are good. And in order to make this distance we had to do 3 overnighters this week (that’s more than we ever did, even in college during finals). So the trip breaks down into 3 long legs; 32 hours of sailing to Provo, a 28 hour trip to D.R., and finally a 30 hour trip to P.R. At each country we had to pull into a marina, check in and out of customs and immigration (typically a 4-5 hour process), refuel the Rum Runner, and rest up a bit for the trip the next day. In order to push on to Puerto Rico we only spent an average of 24 hours in each country and had to set sail again the next day at first light. Also keep in mind that while we are sailing these long trips, Jay and I take 3 hour shifts at the helm. Someone always has to be awake and at the wheel, trimming the sails, following our course, and watching the radar for passing freighters and other boats. It is exhausting and being out in the elements day and night can really wear you out. We consider this trip to be akin to the Iron Man competition for cruisers. We really pushed ourselves and our boat, man oh man can Rum Runner run! Needless to say, we are exhausted but totally psyched to be here in the Caribbean!!!

Last I left the faithful reader we had just arrived in Provo, aka Providenciales, and were having sundowners at anchor. The next day we woke early to move the boat to Turtle Cove Marina on the northern shore of Provo where we could get fuel and clear customs/immigration. We loved what little we saw of the Turks and Caicos and vowed to stop here on the way back up and stay for at least a week or two. Enjoy the sights, the restaurants, and the great snorkeling. While I am on the subject of snorkeling, let me just tell you a little something about the Turks and Caicos. I have never seen so many coral reefs in my life, they are literally everywhere you look! And as much as we like snorkeling and fishing the reefs, it is no place for a boat to be. Many ships have sunk in this area and the reef system is quite dangerous. In fact, there are only a handful of places we could visit in the Turks and Caicos with the Rum Runner. Luckily the marina provides a much needed guide boat to help you in because the entrance is covered with coral that you have to zig and zag to pass thru (a bit nerve-racking). But we got into Turtle Cove safe and sound and absolutely loved it there. There are many turtles and fish swimming amongst the boats and plenty of good restaurants and bars within walking distance of the marina (we thoroughly enjoyed the food at Sharkbites- yum). We actually liked it there so much that we considered staying and exploring the island for a bit and had doubts about continuing our trek to the Caribbean. But the weather was so perfect for traveling and we knew we had to take advantage of it, so we pushed on. We left at first light and had a great sail around the banks, seeing many humpback whales along the way. Over 3,000 whales migrate thru this area in February and March making their way north for summer. Very cool!

Once we rounded the banks and the last little islands of the Turks and Caicos we had a choice. We could either keep heading to the Dominica Republic or continue for another 36 hours and head straight for Puerto Rico (making it a solid 2 day sail). Even though we really wanted to go straight to Puerto Rico we decided to stay on course for D.R. Not only did we need to pick up more fuel (don’t want to run out in the middle of the Mona Passage- that would be bad) but we were also getting tired and wanted a rest and Kona needed to go ashore as well. So we sailed thru the night and made landfall in the Dominica Republic at dawn. And let me tell you, what a sight! The coast of D.R. is mountainous with cliffs that meet the ocean and rolling hills that are like layers of varying shades of blue, absolutely stunning. We certainly weren’t in the Bahamas anymore! We had decided to pull into Ocean World Marina for the night; we had heard from other cruisers that this new facility is a great place to clear customs/immigration. Checking into the Dominica Republic is notoriously difficult and not just because of the language barrier (we thought the customs agent was saying fax machine but he was really asking if we had firearms on board- oops! But in the end we figured it out. We kept nodding our head yes and handing him a photo copy of our documentation and he kept nodding his head no. Then he mimed a gun and we got it all sorted out- how funny). But not only do you have to clear in with Customs and Immigration, but also the Navy, the Police, The Department of Agriculture, and the Narcotic agency (and we think that maybe even the Ministry of Magic showed up too- just kidding). Whew!!! The whole process took hours and we had multiple people coming on and off the boat, searching the boat, and asking all sorts of questions. Then you have to declare how long you will stay in port and where you will go next. It is probably the only country where you not only have to check in and out of every port/anchorage along the way but also have to pay to enter as well as to leave every port/anchorage. Very complicated. But we made it to the D.R. and celebrated with a couple of margaritas- which were muy delicioso!

So we left early the next morning, after receiving our dispacio papers and paying our $20 of course, and set sail along the coast of D.R. In order to get to Puerto Rico from here we had to cross the treacherous Mona Passage. This is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea, and these two massive bodies of water unite in a narrow pass (only 60 miles wide) creating hazardous seas. There are also fluky currents in the Mona due to the water from the North Equatorial Current falling into the deep Puerto Rican trench. Combine that with the squalls that develop every day and the Hourglass Shoal on the western edge of the Mona and it can get tricky. But we were lucky and had a great crossing. There were times when the winds would pick up and it was a little lumpy when we traversed the shoal, but all in all we can’t complain. The weather was great and Chris Parker, our weather guru, said that this was the best he has ever seen for crossing the Mona. And after the Mona Passage we pulled into Puerto Rico and officially have made it to the Caribbean- yohoo! But first things first, we had to clear customs and immigration again. So we set the anchor in Mayaguez (an industrial city) and went ashore with all of our paperwork. Good thing we are a U.S. flagged vessel and Puerto Rico is a U.S. Territory, it was relatively easy. It just took a while standing in line, unfortunately we arrived after the ferry boat and had to be processed after that whole crowd. But we cleared in and decided to move the boat to Boqueron for the night, just 10 miles south, which is a beautiful and very popular anchorage. After we set the hook, took Kona to shore, and had a bite to eat we totally crashed, exhausted from all the traveling. But it sure feels good to be here in Puerto Rico- we made it!

So that is how the Rum Runner has visited four countries in one week- holy cow! That is a lot of traveling, which could not have been accomplished if the weather had not co-operated. The trade winds typically blow 25-30 knots dead on the nose if you are traveling from the Bahamas to the Caribbean, an uphill battle all the way. And to have the trades knock down to less than 10 knots for an entire week is incredible; actually it hasn’t happened since 2 years ago. Get this… the reason why we had such good weather and the trade winds died down all week was that a giant storm developed off Bermuda with hurricane force winds. Sound familiar, a hurricane in March off Bermuda, 2 years ago. Yep, that’s right. That dreadful storm which Jay went thru 2 years ago while bringing a boat from Bermuda to Charleston is the same event that got us down to the Caribbean. Life is funny that way, isn’t it?!?!

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Photos

One Tired Puppy
Kona, zonked out after all of our traveling.

Turks and Caicos
Leaving Turtle Cove Marina in Provo, love the houses built on the island here.

First Sight of D.R.
Pulling into the marina in Dominica Republic, our first view of the mountains there. Certainly not in the Bahamas anymore!

Ocean World Marina
The new marina in Puerta Plata- great new facility and casino.

Rum Runner
The Rum Runner, with Jen and Kona hanging out in the cockpit, in D.R. The furthest south we have made it so far.

Beautiful Coastline
Sailing along the coast of Dominica Republic, where the layers of blue mountains meet the sea- stunning!

Jay at the Helm
Jay sailing on the northern coast of D.R. taking in the natural beauty and looking out for tiny fishing boats.

Sunrise in the Mona
Sailing across the Mona Passage, watching a beautiful sonrise. If you look in the distance to the left of the frame you will see Puerto Rico.

Boqueron
Our first night in Puerto Rico, anchored out in Boqueron. Unfortunately we didn't see much of this fun town because we had to continue on to La Paguerra on the southern coast of PR.

Cabo Rojo
Rounding the tip of Puerto Rico and the lighthouse in Cabo Rojo, placing us safely on the southern shore of PR.

Comments

[Margie]

Having fun again
Congrats on getting so far so fast!You sound great.We will be thinking of you on Sat, Isabelle's day of remberance.