On Thursday, 1/5/12 we went to a BBQ at a local marina on Provo, and met other cruisers anchored with us in Sopadilla Bay. The next day we set sail early to cross the Caicos bank, dodging coral heads the whole way. The banks of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos are littered with uncharted coral heads, and a vigilant watch is needed to avoid these dangerous hazards, which show as a black area in the water- they may be in otherwise 20ft of water and are only a couple of feet below the surface. We anchored at Big Ambergris island, along with Ken and Cindy from Brunswick, Georgia- a nice couple we met on Provo. They sail on their beautiful catamaran "Meant to Be". On Saturday morning we dinghied over to visit with them, and then went to explore Big Ambergris. We snorkeled on some reefs right in our anchorage area, and then sailed to Cockburn Harbor, South Caicos. Here, we met some new friends from Germany, Tom and Martin. They joined us for a BBQ on an island behind our anchorage. On Monday, 1/9/12 we jerried water and diesel to the boat and checked out of customs. The customs officials are very disorganized here; we had great difficulty with fees and communication. We sailed overnight, arriving at Luperon, Dominican Republic around 10:00 am. We were guided in by locals and directed to a mooring for the equivalent of US $2.00 a day(76 pesos). Customs here was again an adventure- every department seemed to need an additional fee- nothing concrete written on paper. Total cost was $103.00 arriving, and then another $20.00 for departure clearance. They searched the boat upon arrival and departure. On Wednesday, 1/11/12 our German friends arrived, aboard Tom's boat "Hoppetossa". We spent 8 days in Luperon, doing chores, getting provisions and more fuel, and checking out the DR. On Tuesday, 1/17/12 we rented a car with Martin and drove to Puerto Plata. We stopped at a fruit stand, had a cafeteria-style lunch, shopped at a large, all purpose store and went to the beach for coffee. After a rainy weather front moved through, we got a weather window and departed Luperon around 5:00pm on Wednesday, 1/18/12. We motor-sailed in high seas through the night and all day Thursday along the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. On Friday we had a great beam-reach sail south through the Mona Passage. Conditions became rough in the afternoon- 10ft seas and then we encountered lightning storms in the evening. We continued around the southwest corner of Puerto Rico and along the south side, until we arrived in daylight at Ponce, Puerto Rico around 8:30 am Saturday, 1/21/12. Total trip was 307 miles, 64 hours- averaging 4.8 Knots. On Sunday we took a long walk to Ponce. There are a lot of old, american-made vehicles here, Chevy and Ford. We walked to the Observation Cross- a replica of a mast used to hoist the flag of the nationality of ship entering the harbor, so merchants would know when their goods have arrived. On Monday we left before sunrise and motor-sailed east to Salinas, famous for their cockfights. Walking through town, you can see all the cocks penned up at private homes. On Tuesday we departed Salinas around 11:00 am motored east for 5 hours, anchoring at Puerto Patillas. Today we had a hard, wet beat for 9 hours, and we only went 30 miles. We are excited to arrive at our destination goal of St. Thomas during my parent's visit there. We are currently anchored on the Spanish Virgin island of Vieques. Next stop, St.Thomas! As I sit here writing this blog, Leiby is talking to old Sam, a fellow cruiser who happened to have buddy-boated with our German friends about a week before we met them. The cruising community is a very fluid web of personalities who run into the same people, looking out for each other and often reconnect down the road. Pictured: Gazebo in Sopadilla Bay; On a wreck in Sopadilla Bay; Underwater coral head; Posers on Big Ambergris; Funny pink bird; Cookout with Tom and Martin; Leiby at the grill; Main St., Luperon; Statue of General Gregorio Luperon; Martin and Leiby at the fruit stand; Posers at the beach in Puerto Plata; Abolition statue in Ponce, PR; Old Nova; Observation Cross, Ponce.
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