Dominican Republic - Entry 1 of 2

Our week’s stay at Ocean World Marina, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, has afforded us the time to explore the country somewhat. Arriving Sunday evening, we checked in with Immigration, Customs, the Navy Department, Agriculture, Animal Control, and the DR version of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Seven different officials representing these various Government Bureaus came aboard, all collecting their various fees. They were very cordial, as were we, offering one and all a cold drink of their choice. Some chose beer, others chose Coca Cola. On Monday, we rested, explored the Marina area, washed our clothes, and especially enjoyed having our air conditioning on aboard the boat! We also were able to start catching up on email, since the Marina offers free internet service as part of our dockage fees. We also reserved a rental car for Tuesday morning, so we could do a few road trips. Tuesday morning, we picked up our rental car around 10 am, and decided to drive to Samana Bay, which is on the Eastern end of the island. We were told it would only be a two and a half-hour drive, that the beaches were spectacular, and that a new resort hotel had opened there that would be a great place to have lunch before starting back here. Well, we drove like mad for three and a half hours, and were still more than 65 kilometers from Samana. Since we were starving, we finally gave up and stopped for lunch at a “typico” DR version of the roadside diner. The food was adequate, but nothing special. We thought it was on the expensive side, as well. When I say “we drove like mad”, it is quite literally true! The people here are really quite lovely – handsome, hospitable, reasonable, and kind – UNTIL THEY GET INTO A MOTOR VEHICLE! Then they appear to lose their minds completely! After driving a while, I had to make a radical Paradigm Shift – instead of assuming everyone would follow the rules of the road, I began to assume NO ONE was following the normal rules of the road. After that, I was not nearly as disturbed when scooters would dart out in front of our speeding car, or that other drivers would pass us on uphill grades with no possible visibility ahead, or large oncoming trucks drifted over into our lane, etc. etc. The road to Samana, for instance is a two lane road, with many curves, grades, and bridges. It winds around the coast, over the mountains, and through lots of small villages and a few larger towns. To say that the road is pot-holed in the extreme would be an understatement. So everyone using the road is constantly weaving back and forth to avoid destroying their vehicle’s suspension, or disappearing altogether. We shared the road with pigs, burros, horses, goats, cows, trucks, buses, cars of every vintage, size and shape, and several gazillion scooter drivers. Scooters – a topic in and of itself. In this country, the motor scooter is the pickup truck, family car, station wagon, mini-van, and thrill-ride, all rolled into one vehicle. It was remarkable how many people ride them. In fact, we saw only a very few bicycles. I suppose it is a sign of the relative wealth and health of the economy here, that people who might once have been able to only afford a bicycle, can now own and operate a scooter. On average two or three people are aboard any given scooter at any time. The record we saw was six – a man and his five children. But we noted scooter-equipped painters carrying up to six 5-gallon buckets, men and women hauling several hundred-pound bags of rice – you name it – they can carry it on the back of a scooter! We were lucky enough to be here during the final week of the Presidential Election Campaign. Our fist clue was the incredible number of signs posted on every conceivable upright surface, each bearing the countenance of one or another of the Presidential candidates. By far, most of them were promoting the incumbent, Leonel Fernandez, who was seeking re-election for his third 4-year term. Voting was on Friday, a national holiday, and by Saturday morning, we learned that he had won 52% of the popular vote, avoiding a run-off. During our Tuesday road trip, we became enmeshed in two of the many vehicular parades, sponsored by the party faithful. These folks were flying the party colors from banners, pom-poms, flags, T-shirts, hats, and posters. Cars, trucks, vans and scooters were overloaded with people singing, chanting, and shouting good-naturedly at each other that Leonel (or the other guy) should be the people’s choice on Friday! In every little village, every town the road was lined with people of every age, no one is immune to democracy here, it is heartening. In the midst of these road-rally parades, the two-lane road suddenly bore five lanes of traffic – four headed toward whatever rally the supporters were attending, and one poor pathetic stream of cars heading in the opposite direction, while trying to keep from falling off the shoulder of the road into the ditch. Occasionally a huge bus or truck would bull its way forward through the chaos, clearing a path for the hapless travelers behind it for a little way - something like a lineman clearing the way for a halfback to run a few yards before being tackled. We recovered from the Samana trip, after finding a great restaurant close to home for dinner. We dined al fresco, perched high on a hill overlooking the inlet east of the marina. This time, the food and service was excellent! It was also reasonably priced, considering our lovely view and upscale ambience.

Wednesday, we drove westward from the marina, having been told there was good snorkeling to be found in that direction. Unfortunately we discovered that the bay access and beach were completely restricted by three all-inclusive resorts. We would be expected to pay a daily rate upwards of $80 apiece just to get our feet wet. Maybe it would have been a good deal had we spent the entire day – since the day rate included meals. But we declined the opportunity, and instead we found another lovely resort, brand-new, having just been open two weeks. The staff there was more than happy to have us dine in their bar and grille. This was the “Social” restaurant, where I had a real, authentic Reuben Sandwich for the first time since leaving the US. Susan ordered her favorite dish AGAIN – Ceviche! She declared it to be excellent, but Susan has never met a raw fish she didn’t like.

Walt and Gayle at "Social" - the restaurant




















Thursday we prepared for our trek over the mountains to Santo Domingo, packing our bags, making hotel reservations online, generally goofing around, and playing a cut throat game of Scrabble. We stopped for a late lunch at a nearby beachside joint that advertised steaks and RIBS! Up to that point, we had been trying to ignore this sign as we passed, but finally succumbed to its lure. The ribs were excellent, and the local “Presidente” Beer was cold. The bartender, “Charlie”, was a charming young man who spoke excellent English, including idiom and slang. He really wanted to go to Miami with Gayle!

KINGDOM at rest in the marina - prepared for the long haul to Puerto Rico



















I’ve gotta stop now and get this posted. Dinner is ready. We will post our pix and a narrative of our road trip to Santo Domingo once we get to Puerto Rico. Tomorrow morning (Tuesday, May 20th) at 7:00 am we are setting out for our first overnight passage; from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico - a voyage of some 214 miles. We estimate that we will be underway for 32 hours, arriving around 3:00pm on Wednesday.

Looking eastward toward Puerto Rico - 214 miles distant
















Anchors Aweigh Mateys!

Love,
Walt and Susan

From Sapodillo Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos to the Dominican Republic

A friend of ours from Phoenix, Gayle Danner, flew into Providenciales to spend a couple of weeks aboard, arriving on Saturday, May 3rd. She is an avid Scuba Diver, so we booked a “wall dive” for Monday. The dive boat took us to the west side of West Caicos Island, where we made two dives that day. We were happy with the sea life and corals in the area, but were not happy with the dive master’s instruction or the way the dives were conducted. There were 20 divers on this trip, and only two crew members aboard to manage this large group. There should always be at least one dive master or crew in the water for every five or six divers. In this case only one professional was in the water with 20 people. Anchored in Sapodillo Bay, waiting for the weather to settle a bit, we explored Provo, did boat chores, and made preparations to depart for Grand Turk. On Wednesday, May7th, we crossed the Caicos Banks using the Gingerbread Channel to Long Cay, in the company of "Egide" and "Yankee Zephyr". The passage across the banks was tricky, requiring much “eyeball navigation” to avoid the many coral heads, and shallow sandbars. For much of this route we had only a few feet of water (or less) under the keel, which makes the Captain VERY NERVOUS! The anchorage at Long Cay was okay, but the boat was rolling a bit due to the swell coming around the island. The next day, Thursday, May 8th, we crossed the channel to Grand Turk, (21'30.42N 71'10.00W) in fair conditions (4-6' seas), and anchored in the lee of the island off Town Dock, Cockburn Town. We splashed the dinghy and went into the town to look for a Dive Shop and some dinner. This may be our favorite place so far. We enjoyed fabulous diving with Grand Turk Divers. Smitty, the owner, has all our votes for best dive master in the world! Early Friday morning we participated in a reef relocation project, harvesting healthy corals from a reef near the new pier where ship traffic is damaging the reef. Later the coral will be “planted” on a metallic grid where electrolysis furthers acclimation after transplantation and speeds the growth of the relocated corals, and new ones join the man made reef. There are about 200 projects like this being conducted around the world, and we felt honored to be invited to participate. In the afternoon, we enjoyed two more dives, and have now braved depths to 90 feet! We saw a sea horse!!! A rare site indeed and we are proud to have bragging rights to share with other divers who have not been so fortunate in their many years of diving. Of course we saw magnificent sights; sharks, rays, eels, and the poor pathetic ugliest fish in the sea; a Batfish. OMG, it looks like a plucked Cornish game hen with duck feet and a face like a pit bull, alone, with no other fish around, go figure… We strolled around the tiny town of Cockburn Harbour, gawking at all the quaint architecture, and stumbled on the “Sandbar”, the perfect open air watering hole, for fresh cracked conch, fries and rum punch.

Walt and Gayle, walking a quaint and peaceful street of Cockburn Town, Grand Turk Island.



















The following day, Saturday, May 10th, we made a short 25 mi. run to anchor overnight off Big Sand Cay. This was our last landfall in the Turks and Caicos Islands before making the passage to the Dominican Republic. Big Sand Cay(21'10.70N 72'30.00W) is a deserted island and wild life sanctuary, possessing a lovely little bay and a white powder sand beach. Gayle enjoyed a solitary walk on the beach at sunset while we did a few chores. She came back with a little bag of perfect shells, but decided to leave the huge conchs she found at the southern tip of the island. Not many people can say they’ve had a sunset walk on an island without another living soul (except for a gazillion birds). The easterlies held, and we had great holding and relatively calm seas on the lee side in about 25’ of crystal clear water. Tough way to enjoy a evening, but somebody’s got to do it! At 4:30am the next morning, Sunday May 11th, we hoisted the anchor, and made the 88-mile passage to Dominican Republic in ideal conditions, arriving about 4:30pm at Ocean World Marina (19'50.1.N 70'43.60W)near Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The marina has FREE INTERNET, which we can access directly aboard our boat! Check out their site on the internet, what a place: casino, dancing, fine dining, Ocean Adventure Park, and all the cruiser amenities. So, we are treating ourselves to a first class marina stay while waiting for our next weather window to cross the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico. D.R. is a beautiful country, with actual mountains, streams, rivers, and tropical jungle vegetation. There is a lot to see and do here, so we've rented a car for a week to explore, maybe play golf, see museums, etc. It is such a welcome change from the flat sandbars of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.

The rugged North Coast of the Dominican Republic



















KINGDOM at the Ocean World Marina



















The poolside bar and grille at Ocean World Marina
























The harbour entrance at Sunset


















Our friend Gayle flies back to Phoenix on Saturday, May 17th, so we are planning to drive over the mountains to Santo Domingo on Friday, stay overnight, and get her to the airport Saturday morning. At least they drive on the "correct" side of the road here...We hope to see some of the sights, especially the "old colonial district" of Santo Domingo.

The wind has picked up, and is from the North. The forecast calls for higher winds and waves along the northern coast until Monday, when we plan to head on over toward Puerto Rico.

Our favorite stop prior to here was the anchorage off Cockburn Town, Grand Turk Island. We really enjoyed the friendly and helpful people of this small island. We also had three great scuba diving experiences with the premiere divemaster of all time! We learned soooo much from him! The reefs, wall dives and coral heads were amazing. If you ever get a chance to see a BATFISH, you will know what we mean....look it up online, maybe...

That's it for now.
Love to you all!
Walt and Susan King
M/V KINGDOM

BUSTED!!

Like pirates and dragons of the deep, it was inevitable we would one day meet with the forces of Law and Order as wanderers upon the sea often do. I would have told you this tale if I had the presence of mind to do so earlier, but words escaped me, so today I face the task of telling you about our encounter with the Providenciales, TCI Marine Police.

It occurred on the second morning in Caicos Ship Yard. Skies were slightly overcast and breezes were still, uneventful and quite a lazy morning we enjoyed, as we waited for the tide to rise and make our escape from the otherwise treacherous reefs and sand bars guarding the entrance of the harbour. As you recall, the original purpose of this sojourn was a fuel stop at my Captain’s insistence, where we paid a robbers ransom for diesel, and were required to smile and show gratitude for the privilege. We should have smoked in the afterglow, but I digress…

We had cleared with the Harbour Master, and made the necessary preparations, stowing this and that, securing anything that would move about in the cabin during our northern trek back to Cooper Jack Yacht Basin. All was ready, except the tide, which was slowly rising to allow depth enough for our keel to pass the shallows. From the galley I heard a loud shout, and looked up to see a large vessel approaching on starboard, with several well built men forward, looking official in capacity, and ready to throw lines aboard Kingdom...I shouted to my Captain, “We are being hailed by the Police!” To which he took immediate notice, scrambling forward to assess the situation. We had yet to be initiated with “boarding” by Customs, Immigration and definitely not Police, so without experience, we are somewhat ignorant of the proper etiquette required.

As it turns out, we were fortunate that they were amused by my lack of modesty and propriety, dressed in my nightgown as I was, cheerfully ogling their handsome physiques, and by the camera which I felt was needed to record this interesting and unusual circumstance. My Captain, with far more appropriate demeanor, allowed them to board Kingdom without so much as a search warrant, and assisted them lashing their lines to our bow. Much feverish activity took place in a short amount of time; hoses were going over and under railings and deck boxes on our bow, and before I realized what was happening, they had begun to fill their tanks with the Shipyards’ very expensive diesel, just like the rest of us, from the same pump at the same price.

Overjoyed by the fact that they only needed access to the fuel dock, and weren’t going to arrest us, we traded chit chat and goodwill. However, as fast friends they soon departed for their tasks at hand, and we made way on the rising tide.

So fear not, dear friends, we have now been initiated in the official capacity, Boarded by the Marine Police, and are not the worse for wear, but have perfected our etiquette, and are ready for our next comeuppance. Whatever shall I wear?

(Captain’s Note: Kingdom was tied up to the dock near the fuel pumps, taking up so much space that the poor lads on the police boat had to tie up with their stern angled into the dock, and their bow lashed to our bow. But we simply cannot let the facts interfere with a good yarn by the FIRST MATE!)

Love to you all,
Susan & the Captain

P.S.
Here in this little archipelago occurs a very cool monthly phenomenon. Three to five days after each full moon, the effervescent effects of the marine glow worms are visible. We were enchanted by their mating dance in the dark waters surrounding us like little fireflies. We were entertaining our friends Charlyn and Simon, from Southside Marina. Surely it wasn’t the cocktails, or the delectable ‘Drunken Sweet Georgia Shrimp’ which I prepared for an appetizer, that so delighted us, or rendered the spectacle so amazing. We were four adults, hanging over the rails, eagerly spotting glowing dots in the sea; as happy as children finding hidden treasures. I can honestly say, at that moment I missed my dear departed Mom so poignantly, as we had always shared these brief moments of the seasons; first firefly, snowfall, and autumn leaf, with such excitement. I wished we could have shared the lovely effervescent effect, as well.

See what you all are missing? We can’t imagine why you haven’t booked your reservation!! What are you waiting for?

OXOXOX S&W

Playtime at Cooper Jack Boat Basin

Our chores done, we thought it might be fun to take a few pictures of this unique anchorage, and its approach channel, just to give you a sense of where we are spending some time. This basin is designed to eventually become a full-service marina, with lots of dock space for boats of all kinds. At the moment, all that is here is the dredged basin, lined ¾ around with concrete bulwarks. Docks will eventually be attached jutting out into the basin. With no buildings or plantings of any kind, the place looks more like a barren moonscape. But a more protected small harbour one could not find anywhere.

View of Cooper Jack Rock from the entrance channel to the marina basin.




















View just inside the entrance channel from the bay. KINGDOM is tucked away in the harbour.



















Nobody here but KINGDOM




















At the moment, we are the only boat in the basin, so I decided to take the Zodiac for a high-speed run, so Susan could get a few shots of it and what it can do. This thing can fly! Believe it or not, I’m only running at about half-throttle, and it is up on plane and skipping over the water with only the last quarter of the boat actually touching the water’s surface. With its 25-horse Yamaha outboard motor, the boat will still plane nicely fully loaded with gear and four people aboard.

Spending Time in the Caicos Islands

My last entry was just before our Wedding Anniversary. I’m happy to report that we had a wonderful time! We rented a car April 17th, and toured the Island of North Caicos end-to-end. On the Northwest coastal road, we found a really quaint establishment on the beach, “The Conch Shack & Rum Bar”. As it was lunchtime, we stopped at this unique little grouping of thatch-covered shacks. Obviously, we ordered rum punches and perused the menu, while watching two islanders cleaning conch directly from their shells on the beach. Susan decided to have their conch salad, while I opted for fried shrimp (as conch makes me deathly ill). We sat in the open air at a picnic table amongst the other diners, sipping and devouring. Susan was somewhat disappointed, that the conch salad, while clearly fresh, did not measure up to the dish made by Berkley, the bartender/chef at Orchid Bay! My disappointment came when I paid our bill! It was $43, plus tip, for two small meals and three drinks! That place must be a gold mine!


















After lunch, we drove along the Northeastern shore, inspecting the resorts and marinas there, selected our dinner venue, and made reservations for the evening at Hemingway’s, a lovely beachside restaurant at one of the major resort hotels. We then returned to the boat to bathe, dress, and get ready for a sumptuous dinner. Dinner at Hemingway’s was fabulous! We started with cocktails, of course, accompanied by the best escargot we have ever eaten. It was served in a creamy garlic sauce, and was piled high in a ramekin, with an excellent toasted baguette slice on the side. And, it was only $10! For our main course, we both ordered rack of lamb, which was accompanied by vegetables steamed to perfection. It was one of the best meals we have encountered on our journey to date. Service was friendly and prompt, and the view of the Caicos banks from our table was spectacular. The moon rose nearly full over the water, the music was light jazz, and we were in heaven! The next day,

Friday, we returned to our quiet anchorage at Cooper Jack Marina Basin, and have been here since then. It is now Wednesday, April 23rd and we have been busy with a number of maintenance tasks.

I have changed the oil, oil filters and fuel filters in the small generator. I’ve cleaned all of the raw water strainers leading to the main engines, both generators, and air conditioning systems. Our big generator was overheating, and I found the cause to be a combination of plastic bag and aluminum foil that had been sucked up into the strainer. While Susan concentrated on washing and polishing topside, I finally took on the task of cleaning the bilges. Then we both washed down the engine room. Finally, I placed “diapers” under both main engines. These are actually oil-absorbent pads that lie under the engines against the hull. They are white as snow, and are intended to absorb any drops of oil that may come from the engines above, and alerting the captain/engineer of any immanent problems with oil leakage. This was my first opportunity to replace the old ones that came with the boat.

While at Caicos Marina and Boatyard, we took on 913 gallons of Diesel fuel, topping up all our fuel tanks. Armed with this data, plus the number of hours on each engine and generator, we are finally able to accurately calculate our fuel usage. Our main engines use 6.1 gallons of diesel per hour underway, running at an average of 1350 RPM. This yields an average speed of 7.5 knots per hour. Since we have logged 667 nautical miles, we calculated that we are using roughly 1.2 gallons of diesel per mile.

Our 12 KW generator is rated to use 1.2 gallons per hour under full load. We’ve calculated that it actually uses .57 gallon per hour, since it seldom is running under full load. This generator produces 80 amps, and will run everything by itself – house lights, battery charger, watermaker, and air conditioning. When we make water (using our desalinator), we have to use the big generator, since the watermaker requires 220 volts of power.

Our 6KW generator is rated to use .54 gallons per hour, at full load. Since it does usually run at nearly full load when it is started, we believe it is using fuel at that rate. This smaller generator produces 40 amps, and is adequate to recharge the house batteries and run house lights (110 watt systems), but cannot at the same time run air conditioners or our watermaker.

Our friends, Tom and Leslie Pawley, aboard S/V “KOBBE”, left us on Tuesday morning, headed for the USA, via Nassau in the Bahamas. We thoroughly enjoyed their company, and traded cocktail hour hosting duty aboard their boat and ours. We will miss them, their wonderful stories of the “down island” life, their sense of humor, and expert advice!

Captain Walt with Captain Tom Pawley, with his sailing yacht KOBBE in the background.


















Tom and Leslie Pawley on their day of departure for the USA.

















The climate here remains dry and warm, with daytime temperature about 80 F (degrees Fahrenheit). The water temperature today is 77 F. Susan’s favorite onboard instrument is the sea temperature gauge. She was ecstatic the day it reached 79 F. The breeze has been nearly non-existent since we arrived here.

Rather than use our air conditioners (which freeze us to death at this temperature) we opted to purchase several portable fans. Placed around the boat, the air movement alone is enough to keep us comfortable in conditions of no wind and moderate temperatures, such as we’ve been having. Humidity has been low as well. All in all, perfect conditions for diving, snorkeling and swimming!

This evening we are hosting Simon and Sharlynn, who manage the nearby Southside Marina, for sunset cocktails. They have been wonderful to us, as well as other cruisers passing through the area. They have allowed us to dinghy over to their marina, use their WiFi network to access the internet, drop off bags of trash for disposal, and have even driven us to town for groceries and parts, as well as to the post office!! Each morning, at 7:30am, Simon hosts the “Southside Cruisers Net” on VHF Channel 18, where he provides extensive and accurate weather information to cruisers in the area, and as far as the Dominican north coast and southern Bahamas. He also provides a forum for exchange of information and general announcements. He and Sharlynn also host a Thursday evening BBQ and potluck at their marina for cruisers in the area! Obviously, all of these services are good for their business and reputation, since word-of-mouth advertising among cruisers is the best you can get. But these folks go above and beyond, and are loved and respected by everyone we have met here.

Royal Harbour to Caicos

March 30th, after our beautiful calm crossing from Little Harbour, Abacos, we spent the night in Royal Harbour, Royal Island, Eleuthera. It is a small keyhole harbour with great protection in all directions. This picture is of the ruins of an old estate at Royal Harbour.


















The following day we shot the treacherous “Current Cut” to Eluthera Sound. In the Sound, we faced 25 knot winds, spray over the bow, and bumpy ride all day in moderate seas. That afternoon, we entered Rock Sound Harbour, a nice big 3 mile wide bay, and found 34 other boats, (all sailboats) awaiting good weather to move north. We were outnumbered! But we were accepted into the fleet at the impromptu happy hour at the abandoned Tiki Hut bar on the second evening. We always pick up good tips from meeting and mingling with other cruisers. We were unable to depart Rock Sound until a week later, due to high winds and rolling seas. Fair Weather Sailors are we!!!

On April 5th, we departed for Half Moon Bay, Little San Salvador Island, a private island owned by Holland America Cruise Lines, where we found only one other yacht anchored, and a Carnival Cruise ship with all their passengers ashore for a day of beachie-beachie…We had a marvelous swim off the boat after their departure, and watched Holland America’s herd of horses gallop down the beach from the corral to their barn for dinner. Beautiful sight! The bay is not large, or well-protected, so unfortunately, we had a lousy nights’ sleep with rollers knocking us to and fro. So we were not disappointed to leave this spot at first light. (Photo)Hawks Nest Creek Marina on Cat Island was our overnight stop on April 6th. Complete with hawk parents in the nest feeding babies, and screeching loudly, it was almost perfect, except for the shallow water in the entrance channel upon arrival. I believe we must now say we have “run aground”, but no harm done, we were able to back off the sand bar and make another approach, and docked with no further ado.

Carnival Cruise line ship at Half-Moon Bay - It's leaving, thank goodness!!!














Beach at Half Moon Bay -














Sunset at Half Moon Bay, Little San Salvador Island, Bahamas.













Hawks Nest Creek Marina on Cat Island was our overnight stop on April 6th. Complete with hawk parents in the nest feeding babies, and screeching loudly, it was almost perfect, except for the shallow water in the entrance channel upon arrival. I believe we must now say we have “run aground”, but no harm done, we were able to back off the sand bar and make another approach, and docked with no further ado.

On April 7th, after a perfect day of calm seas, sunny skies, and light breezes, we found an ideal anchorage in Clarence Town Harbour, Long Island, Bahamas; crystal clear water, surrounded by little white sand coves, palm trees, church steeples and twinkling lights from the few homes ashore, and nobody else around. We enjoyed views of the waves crashing over the submerged coral reefs directly ahead of us, views out to sea, and perfectly flat water. The stars were magnificent from the deck that evening, the Milky Way in all its glory overhead; I think Clarence Town is my favorite anchorage so far.













After our first cruising experience with flat, glassy seas, no wind, and no incidents, we dropped our anchor in Atwood Harbour, Crooked Island, Bahamas on April 8th. The area was largely uninhabited, and gorgeous.
OK, now is a time to mention my ever improving navigational skills. Unfortunately, I sometimes learn by my mistakes. We maneuvered into Abrahams Bay, Mayaguana, Bahamas in good light, with good charts, and yet I insisted to my Captain that we approach a particularly scenic area, in too little water! Coral heads, sea fans, anemones, and grasses all visible to the naked eye should have been my first clue! I wasn’t demoted, but I have since stopped being so outspoken about where to drop the hook! Captain likes a little water under the keel, go figure!

Leaving the Bahamas behind, we ventured ever farther south to Providenciales, Caicos, British West Indies. Here we are honing our skills in "eyeball navigation". Our charts note “Visual Piloting Rules” required, as the coral heads here are numerous and deadly, and the light must be right to spot them. We dropped the hook in Sapadillo Bay, Caicos Island late on Friday April 10th. We flew our quarantine flag until my Captain was able to secure our clearance through Customs the following day. Saturday morning, Walt was told that the Customs Officer would be available at Government Dock (aka South Dock) for clearance, and he had made arrangement with another Captain to go ashore together. As is not uncommon, the Customs Officer was not there, so the two of them shared a taxi to the Airport for clearance, only to be told they couldn’t clear cruisers there, and that they needed to return to Government Dock for Clearance!!!

By this time, a bond had been forged, and we became friends with the most wonderful British couple, Tom and Leslie Pawley. They have shared their 8 years of cruising experience with us over evening cocktails in the ensuing days, plus baked us some delicious bread, and in turn enjoyed iced drinks from Kingdom, which was a treat for them. Tom hand-built their Ferro-cement hulled, gaff rigged, Norwegian designed beauty, over the course of 10 years, in Exeter, England. They intended to cruise for about a year, but they are still at it 8 years later. They're now heading to the States for the first time. Believe it or not, they sailed from England down the coast of Africa, and then directly across the Atlantic to Barbados. And, they are prepared to make the crossing again!
Sapadillo Bay was lovely, with huge homes surrounding the bay. However, the protection is iffy at best, so we decided with Tom and Leslie to head to Cooper Jack Yacht Basin, a beautifully cut marina wanna-be, without docks or anything else, but a wonderfully secure and protected anchorage. Best of all; it’s free! Around the bend from there is South Side Marina, with internet available on the Dock Master’s boat, which he allows cruisers to access, and access to an IGA grocery store to rival the ones stateside. We stocked up on almost everything…I wish I’d had a list because I’m still without horseradish for Bloodies (OMG) and Ice Cream for the Captain.
This morning (April 16th) we moved reluctantly to Caicos Marina & Ship Yard to fuel up our tanks. My Captain wanted to top off, and is doing the math on fuel and hours so he is more comfortable with our planning and usage. At $5.20 a gallon for diesel I wish he’d do the math in Venezuela where it is about $ .30 per gallon, but he’s the Boss of this ship! So we are here, with free internet and a great connection until Friday morning when they kick us out for some other incoming “big boat”. Perhaps we’ll go back to Cooper Jack and hang with Tom, Leslie and their cat, “Roti”.
Tomorrow night we celebrate our 4th Anniversary, and will go to the Grace Bay side of the island for dinner and sightseeing. It’s amazing to us that 4 years have passed already, and the way our life is unfolding. Daily we are overwhelmed with gratitude and awe for the experiences and blessings that enrich our life. There is new meaning to “over the horizon”, for it literally holds so many surprises for us. We miss you all and wish you were here!
With Love,
Susan & Walt

Bahamas to the British West Indies

It has been quite a while since our last post, not because we haven’t experienced anything of note, but because of difficulties accessing the internet. We've been to some rather remote places... As soon as we had a conducive weather window, we plowed our way south rather quickly, covering about 70 nautical miles a day, eventually arriving in Providenciales, aka “Provo”. It is the largest of the islands in the Turks and Caicos Island group, British West Indies. It is one of the places that Columbus was said to have made his first landfall on his historic voyage to the New World.

On our way from Marsh Harbor to Little Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas, we ran into sizable thunderstorms. One of these contained a microburst, which hit us with a spate of 100mph winds, like a small tornado… It damaged our Bimini Top Canvas, but didn’t blow it off the boat, thank goodness! We were able to have it re-sewn when we reached Rock Sound, a few days later.

Departing Little Harbor, Abaco on March 29th, we had a beautiful calm crossing to the Elutheras, which is the next chain of Bahamian Islands on the eastern side. We opted to skip Nassau, and the Exumas, not in need of the hustle and bustle of big city life, or the over crowded cruisers ports. Also, we are anxious to get to the Caribbean!

Leaving Little Harbor, Abacos, Bahamas - Heading out to sea.

Have you ever seen such deep blue water in your life?!!