Marco and Ann, off the coast of Dominican Republic
KINGDOM slowly overtakes Marco and Ann's catamaran, OLGA II
6:30am, Saturday, March 13 - We hoisted our anchor in Samana at first light for our cruise "around the corner" of DR, bound for the small fishing village of Rio San Juan, on DR's north shore.
The day was splendid. With seas following at only 3' to 4', and the trade wind behind us, we made excellent speed. Marco and Ann had departed Samana an hour ahead of us, but we soon overtook them, and were able to photograph them on their boat underway. They were heading directly for Big Sand Cay, at the southeast corner of the Turks and Caicos island group. This would require an all-night sail for them, but Susan and I wanted to make our crossing so that we would arrive at Big Sand in daylight.
We arrived in Rio San Juan at 4:00pm and dropped the hook in 20 feet of very clear water. Several other cruising sailboats arrived shortly thereafter. After about an hour, the port authorities came out in a small boat to check our papers. Thank goodness we had cleared out of Samana properly. Incredibly, no money changed hands this time! In their broken English, they wished us Bon Voyage and Good Luck!
We enjoyed an early dinner, and went to bed at 8:00 pm, for a few hours sleep. We departed at midnight for the long 113-mile crossing to Turks and Caicos' Big Sand Cay.
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