Leg XIII Puerto Rico to Florida
(Logs are posted with the most recent entry first)
This is the end of Leg XIII and our 10-months saga in the Caribbean. We’ve covered a lot of miles, some 3,080 since we left Panama last September. It has been every bit the adventure we had expected. In many ways, it was much harder. The constant weather worries were the key factor here. The winds this season were much more consistent and stronger than any winter in recent local memory. To offset that disappointment, the diversity of the islands themselves, and the warm, friendly people we met all along the way were a true joy. Would we do it again? Probably not, only because there is so much else we want to see and do in our wonderful world and this always was to be a one way trip. Now we will be back in the “homeland” for the rest of the year and continuing our cruise up the Eastern Seaboard to Maine. Hope you will stay “on Board” for Leg XIV as the adventure continues…
Nassau to Fort Lauderdale, Florida
5/2 - 5/3 Saturday and Sunday - our last overnight passage
From: Latitude: 25:04.50 N Longitude: 77:19.10 W
To: Latitude: 26: 08.49 N Longitude: 080:06.56 W
Weather: partly cloudy Wind: 1100 at 15-20 kts. Sea: Beaufort: 2/3
Barometer: 1014 Passage time: 25 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 1829 Fuel used/on board: 4639/529
End Engine Hours: 1853 Fuel used/on board: 4693/475
Distance trip/to Date: 170/11,690
With reaching Latitude 26 N and Longitude 080 West, we are back in the USA! It feels great to be home, checked in through Homeland Security, and relaxed in the old familiar waterway of the ICW in Florida. As much fun as we had in Nassau, there was always the nagging feeling in the back of our minds that we were never going to get a weather window out of there. But it finally a opened up just wide enough on Saturday and Sunday for us to make the final break for home. Indeed, most of our new and old friends started leaving in droves on Friday morning. Rather than opt for their three-day, all daylight passage, your crew decided to get it all over with in one last 170-mile, overnight run non- stop (we hoped) to Fort Lauderdale.
And run we did…a deep water slice up to Chub Cay, then the exciting 70-mile crossing of the Great Bahama Bank where you have only 2 to 3 feet of water under the keel most of the way, and finally, the always challenging currents of the Gulf Stream. Our most exciting challenge came as usual in the dead of night. At 12-midnight we were approaching Cat Key and thankfully the end of a safe 10-hour passage over the very shallow bank when our radar showed three boats anchored directly on our course line in the only water deep enough for our passage.
It is hard to imagine how difficult it is to maneuver your now seemingly huge boat in the pitch dark around parked boats using only your radar to “see” all the while waiting for the bottom to scrape on the coral below - until you have tried it. Once past this obstacle course, we still had to brave sand bars and coral heads studded reefs, relying solely on our chart plotter, to clear the north end of Cat Cay and the freedom of deep water in the Gulf Stream beyond. The process took almost an hour of high anxiety maneuverings but WS made it unscathed and it was a much relaxed skipper who finally was relieved at one AM for a few hours of much needed rest.
The first hints of daybreak found me back at the helm as we approached the Florida coast. Crossing the gulf stream, while never a cakewalk, was passable tonight with 18 to 20 knots of wind, 8-knots more than forecast. Happily it was directly off our stern so what waves that developed were following and never got much over 3-4 feet in height. It is the strong current here that is so amazing, 1.5 to 2.5 knots of sometimes turbulent water heading north. I was able to pull back on the throttle to 1400 RPM, barely burn any fuel, and still do over 8-knots most of the way across.
By 0800, we were in the entrance channel and by 0900 waiting for our first bridge opening on the ICW heading north. Just before the second bridge, we could see Rose from Voyager and Cheryl, a friend and Selene owner with us on the FUBAR, at the bridge railing waving a welcome home. Within minutes, Les was helping with our dock lines as we secured WS in her first east coast slip at the very nice, Coral Ridge Yacht Club. Cheryl and Bob on Kasekuchen are members here and were good enough to make all the arrangements right down to a welcome brunch on the clubs waterside patio.
Then it was off to the always fun Homeland Security folks for the US check-in procedures in the Klein’s borrowed car followed by naps on board for a very tired but happy crew. Later, Les and Rose were back from family visits to join us all on Kasekuchen for delightful appetizers and Bob’s now Selene famous “sliders” - mini burgers of sirloin or fresh Mahi Mahi with all the trimmings. What a great day to be alive and home in America!
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Nassau
4/24 - 5/1 Friday to Friday
Vacation time at last! We’re taking a few days off here from boating just to relax and not think about what needs fixed, where we need to get to tomorrow, or what the weather is doing (in fact, the weather is crummy, high pressure has the trades gusting up to gale force so we wouldn’t be going anywhere anyways).
We moved WS over to the Atlantis Resort Marina for the weekend with all the mega-yachts and although it is expensive, we have the full use of this hotels magnificent facilities. These include several pools, water-slides, huge salt-water lagoons filled with fish, rays and sharks, a casino, golf course, multiple 5-star restaurants, shops, and even a movie theater. What’s more interesting, unlike the rest of the Caribbean, the place is packed - you would never know there is a recession on in the rest of the world. It is good to know decadence is still alive and well somewhere.
Back in our old slip at Yacht Haven Marina, Jo and I manage to take a short expedition from WS for a couple of nights to what must remain for now an undisclosed location. Once we are back on board, we spent the last few days getting WS ready to cross the Gulf Stream and waiting for the wind and waves to slow down at least. Nassau has been fun with nice people and just enough to do to make a week here interesting. But we are more than ready to move on across the Stream and back to the great old USA!
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Rose Island to downtown Nassau
4/23 Thursday
From: Latitude: 25:05.00 N Longitude: 77:13.08 W
To: Latitude: 25:04.50 N Longitude: 77:19.10 W
Weather: partly cloudy Wind: 900 at 15-20 kts. Sea: Beaufort: 2
Barometer: 1017 Passage time: 2 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 1826 Fuel used/on board: 4636/531
End Engine Hours: 1829 Fuel used/on board: 4639/529
Distance trip/to Date: 7.0/11,520
Winds began to howl during the night and shifted to the NE Trades as predicted. Even the anchor chain was twisted showing we had swung around several times during the restless night. We pulled up the Rocna at 0930 with about 20-knots of wind and moved off towards Yacht Haven Marina in Nassau. Naturally, this involved us moving southeast for a couple of miles so we could best experience a ½ hour of beam seas just to give us a taste of what it would have been like making a crossing today instead of yesterday. No thanks! Glad to be here for sure.
Once we made the turn around Porgy Rocks, it was a straight shot into the back side of Nassau Harbor with an always welcome following sea. We called Nassau Harbor Control to report our arrival as required just like we were the Queen Mary II and received their permission to enter which we would have done anyways. We then contacted Yacht Haven for our slip, battled a ferocious cross current and opposite wind but managed to stuff WS into a slip without incident.
We were secure and checked in just in time to make the “Cruisers Luncheon” at the Green Parrot so hustled off a mile up the street to get there. It turned out to be a very worthwhile event where we met some very nice people including Steve and Barb Sipe on Maerin - a 43′ SOLO #3 - an earlier version of our exact boat! We also connected with folks heading west who we could do the Gulf Stream crossing with next weekend.
Back on WS after lunch so I could give her a complete wash down to remove layers of salt acquired all the way from the Dominican Republic. As I merrily washed, Jo made some air travel plans for us for next week - we have some time to kill waiting for better weather to move west. Then it was up to the Poop deck bar with all the other old salts for happy hour with free conch fritter’s before heading back to WS for dinner and a couple episodes of Boston Legal.
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Staniel Cay to Rose Island, Nassau
4/22 Wednesday
From: Latitude: 24:10.37 N Longitude: 76:26.74 W
To: Latitude: 25:05.00 N Longitude: 77:13.08 W
Weather: partly cloudy Wind: 2750 at 6-10 kts. Sea: Beaufort: 2-3
Barometer: 1012 Passage time: 11 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 1819 Fuel used/on board: 4609/558
End Engine Hours: 1826 Fuel used/on board: 4636/531
Distance trip/to Date: 71/11,513
It didn’t take long to figure out that if we were going to make Nassau ahead of this cold front, we would need to make the entire crossing today. We left Staniel as planned at 7AM but by the time we were out on the smooth, flat, deep water for about 20-minutes it was a done deal. We upped the RPM’ s to 1500 and took off north - still for Highbourne Cay but with the intention of just passing it by, crossing the banks and heading straight to Nassau before it gets dark. This was all prompted by the latest forecast calling for tomorrow to get really windy and rough continuing on through the weekend. The last thing we want is to be stuck out on some remote Cay while a three-day or more front passes through.
We arrived at Highbourne and moved off the deep water by noon. Passing the marina where we had planned to overnight, we continued on across the 30-miles of shallow water banks towards Nassau. Crossing banks is a necessity when playing in the Bahamas. The problem is they are often only eight-feet or less deep and strewn with big ugly black coral heads hiding just below the surface. Getting around them is easy, the concern is just seeing them before it is too late. You need the sun high in the sky, the seas calm and the wind a soft zephyr.
Of course, we had none of this by the time we reached the treacherous “Yellow Banks.” The wind had piped up to 18-20knots whipping up wind waves that made anything hard to see beneath the surface. We did have a good sun angle though and with spray flying over the pilot house did manage to creep through the most coral head infested area unscathed. Jo was the lookout on the top deck directing me around dozens of the nasty brutes rising up from the bottom in a skinny 8-10 feet of water.
Once through a couple miles of this unnerving stress, we began to see depths of 19 to 23 feet - too deep for the boat eviscerating monsters. By the time we did reach Nassau the sun was too low and directly in our eyes for us to attempt the coral head garden that is the eastern entrance to the harbor so we opted for a small detour a couple miles to the east called Rose Island. Here we were much relieved to drop the hook in 16-feet, crack a beer and wait for D&K on Dreamweaver, about an hour behind.
Just a word on anchoring in the Bahamas. For the most part, it is some of the easiest anchoring we have done anywhere. All you need to do is find a nice sandy patch of bottom, usually in 8 to 10 feet of clear water, watch it drop to the sand, put the boat in reverse and back up 50-feet till it grabs and stops your momentum. You can watch the whole process over the side. And unless you are in grass or on a solid coral bottom you are set on the first try.
The only time anchoring gets tricky is when you have tidal current moving one direction on ebb and the opposite on flood. Then you run the risk of having your anchor pull loose when it resets in the opposite direction which it usually does. If you want to leave nothing to chance, you need to put out two anchors 180-degrees apart along the current flow line and swing off the bow in the middle. This arrangement is even called the Bahamian moor as it seemed to originate out of need in this area.
By 7PM Dreamweaver steamed up next to us after running at top spped most of the day to get here just before dark. Ken did manage to catch a nice Dorado on route so a fresh fish dinner was on the WS barbeque just minutes after they set the anchor and came over to toast surviving another day of cruising excitement and the glorious Bahamian sunset.
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George Town to Staniel Cay
4/21 Tuesday
From: Latitude: 23:30.79 N Longitude: 75:36.04 W
To: Latitude: 24:10.37 N Longitude: 76:26.74 W
Weather: partly cloudy Wind: 2000 at 16-20 kts. Sea: Beaufort: 3
Barometer: 1011 Passage time: 9 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 1805 Fuel used/on board: 4592/575
End Engine Hours: 1819 Fuel used/on board: 4609/558
Distance trip/to Date: 58/11,442
I was up before dawn getting WS ready for our departure at first light from George Town. Today’s run of 58-miles will take her half way up the Exuma’s to Staniel Cay, the only major settlement after GT. Once we up anchor, we clear the 5-miles to the entrance to Elizabeth Bay just as the sun is fully up and shining in the East. It is a beautiful day for our deep water passage as we stay about a mile or two off the continuous, north to south, pearl of islands that make up the Exuma chain.
The entrance to Staniel Cay through the Big Rock cut is fairly straight forward - an open pass between a port side reef and a chunk of Big Major Island, a left turn following close to the land to the marina with only a few obvious reefs along the couple mile channel. The Staniel Cay Yacht Club Marina approach is something else again. Our luck today would call for a strong, 18-20 knot wind across the docks and a stronger current that seems to constantly flow in either direction through their docks.
We got WS in position to tie up along side the high wooden platform without a problem but it did take the help of the one-arm dock-master (no kidding) and two able Bahamian security patrol seaman to get her snugly secured. Even after their best efforts it still was an hour before Jo and I were done adjusting the bumpers and lines to our satisfaction.
Between the wind waves and the current it is probably the roughest marina we have been in of the entire voyage. As it turned out, one of the most expensive too as they charge $50 flat rate for power, $.40 a gallon for water, $2.50 for each bag of garbage on top of the already high, $2.00/foot for the privilege of relentlessly being bounced against their docks. Needless to say, we’ll be anchoring out if we pass this way again.
The town of Staniel Cay is not much. A brisk twenty minute walk to do the whole thing - but the Yacht Club itself is the happening place. By 4:00PM the bar was full of both island hotel guests and a motley bunch of us cruisers interspersed with a good many colorful locals. By the time we were back from our town walk, Dottie & Ken had arrived and joined us for a drink as happy hour was winding down. Jo and I decided to give the highly recommend Yacht Club fresh fish dinner a try and it did not disappoint. It was far better than any fare we found in George Town but at higher, US prices of course.
Tomorrow, it’s off early to Highbounre Cay and the northern most end of the Exuma’s and after this morning’s early start, it was easy to turn in right after dinner.
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George Town = Camp Funtime
4/15 - 4/20 Wednesday to Sunday
Spring Break for Cruisers in the George Town anchorage… this is the place we have been looking for since we left Mexico! Perhaps, we did not even realize what we have been missing most on a conscious level - you get so caught up in the journey - moving the boat - getting to the next link toward our destination. George Town, while not much in ambiance or scenery, has the first solid “Cruisers community” we have seen since passing through Grenada or been a part of since Hualtulco. It is enhanced by an international flavor with yachts here from all over the world and heading most everywhere, even the Mediterranean based mega-yachts are here for the festivities.
These folks know how to have fun together. From the 8AM morning Cruisers Net on the radio that shares the day’s opportunities to a regular schedule of fun events you can take or leave as the mood strikes, this is what the boating lifestyle is really all about. Daily beach volleyball, fish fries, barbecues, Sailfish (a small, light sailing dingy) races, kids activities, native crafts and, of course, the usual snorkeling - diving in the crystal clear, turquoise water. There are games galore too - Texas-hold’em tournaments, bridge, Mexican Train, cocktails and dinners on the various fellow cruising boats.
Final preparations are under way for this weeks big Family Regatta. The makeshift stalls are finally done and the mail ferry has delivered twelve of the competing boats from all over the islands. It looks like two dozen will compete in this year’s race. The weather has stopped blowing 20-knots from the wrong direction so we won’t be able to stay for the actual races but it has been fun watching all the preparations. Who knows, perhaps we will return next year at a more leisurely pace. So far this has been the most congenial spot in the Caribbean.
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Long Island to George Town, Great Exuma Island
4/14 Tuesday - an early morning passage
From: Latitude 23:06.13 N Longitude: 074:56.96 W
To: Latitude: 23:30.79 N Longitude: 75:36.04 W
Weather: clear Wind: 900 at 10-16 kts. Sea: Beaufort: 2-3
Barometer: 1011 Passage time: 12hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 1793 Fuel used/on board: 4568/598
End Engine Hours: 1805 Fuel used/on board: 4592/575
Distance trip/to Date: 72/11,384
I set the alarm for 3AM but was up at one anxious to go. I left Jo sleep while I got WS ready for sea, started her up and then reeled in the 50′ of anchor chain to get her underway. The harbor has a broad, straightforward opening so heading out to sea in the dark was easy as daylight, especially with the accuracy of the charts in our chart-plotter.
Soon we were humming along up the coast of Long Island under the light of a three-quarter moon in a moderate swell and 15-20 knots of wind on the aft beam. By daybreak, we turned the corned around the west end of the island for the straight shoot across the Exuma Sound for George Town on Great Exuma Island.
Once you arrive at the channel entrance, the fun just begins as it another 5-miles of twists and turns around mine fields of mostly unmarked reefs to finally get the actual town anchorage. Next week is Family Regatta Week here, the singular most important annual event in the Exumas and the source of a year’s income for many. Yachts gather from all over the Caribbean for the week to watch the island families race their home made sailboats around the harbor course. Bragging rights for the year comes as the main prize and nuances of racing strategy keep the locals in heated conversation till next years race. Planks are used to hike 3 to 6 crew members out over water on the boat side for leverage just to keep the crafts upright with often hilarious results and a good time is had by all.
As soon as we were settled in and had the dinghy down, both crews went ashore to walk the streets of the first real town since leaving the Turks. While far from prosperous, George Town did support a well stocked market and plenty of liquor stores. The town itself is spread around the edge of an inner salt water lake accessed under a small bridge to the dinghy dock. Other boat services were basically nonexistent other than a rather run down marina at one end of town. Poor economic conditions were readily apparent everywhere with many closed restaurants and resort hotels. Even the internet was limited and expensive to access.
We did watch the locals build dozens of carnival stalls along the waterfront in preparations for next weeks big event before heading back to the dinghy and WS. Since there were no fun reasons to go ashore, our crew had a light dinner on board and watched some back episodes of Boston Legal before calling it an early night.
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Mayaguana Island to Long Island
4/11 - 4/12 Saturday to Easter Sunday - an overnight passage
From: Latitude 22:21.53 N Longitude: 072:59.03 W
To: : Latitude 23:06.13 N Longitude: 074:56.96 W
Weather: clear Wind: 900 at 10-16 kts. Sea: Beaufort: 2-3
Barometer: 1012 Passage time: 20hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 1773 Fuel used/on board: 4534/632
End Engine Hours: 1793 Fuel used/on board: 4568/598
Distance trip/to Date: 123/11,312
Spent the morning checking into the Bahamas. Thanks to a kindly local, we were lucky to even get a checked in at all. Winifred picked us up in her car just being nice as we were walking in from the concrete town dock only to discover everything was closed for the 4-day Easter weekend. Apparently everyone is related in this remote end of the island so a few phone calls and visits by her to family members in power…she even had to get her sister, the government clerk, out of the bush where she was off for the day hunting crabs - so we had the people we needed to get the job done. It cost $300 for a annual Bahamas Cruising Permit, plus we were glad to pay the $50 for overtime for the officials rather than wait here till Tuesday for regular business hours.
As soon as we were back on board, we had lunch and then it was up anchor for the 4.5-mile slow crawl across the shallow Abraham Lagoon to the much easier West end exit to deep water. By dark we were safely around the end of Mayaguana and heading across the open water channel. The full-moon was up by 10:30PM and the wind/waves continued to back down making for a most pleasant 123-mile journey indeed.
By sunrise our objective, the small town of Clarence on Long Island, was in view and by 10AM we had the anchor down temporarily in 8′ just inside bay. Flying Fish Marina was in the process of offloading fuel from a fuel boat so we needed to hang out in the outer anchorage untill 1:30PM till it was done before we could move into our slip. The rest of the day we will spend seeing the very small town of Clarence with its two beautiful churches all decked out for Easter. Both churches were built by the same preacher, the first was Anglican built in 1846 then he become a Catholic priest and built the Catholic Church on the other hill a few years later.
Our walk ended with a stop at our marina bar to meet other cruisers and connect with D&K also ashore for their walk so we could make our plans for Easter dinner on board WS. And a great dinner it was! Jo and Dottie whipped up some excellent Caribbean shrimp, coconut rice, pumpkin soup after several rounds of margaritas and appetizers. It was the perfect end to a very busy day.
Jo and I want to take an extra day here to do some maintenance, take on some water and wash down the crusted salt on WS after these many miles since San Juan. It’s a fun Monday of polish the metal and clean all the spots off the fiberglass on WS before we make ready for the next leg’s very early morning departure to George Town on Tuesday.
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Providenciales to Mayaguana Island, The Bahamas
4/10 Good Friday - my birthday!
From Latitude: 21:44.52 N Longitude: 072:17.41 W
To: 22:21.53 N Longitude: 072:59.03 W
Weather: sunny and clear Wind: 900 at16-20 kts. Sea: Beaufort: 4
Barometer: 1013 Passage time: 9.5 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 1764 Fuel used/on board: 4517/653
End Engine Hours: 1773 Fuel used/on board: 4534/632
Distance trip/to Date: 56/11,189
My birthday got started early. I was up at 4:30…wide awake for a planned 6:30 AM departure. The full moon was still up lighting the deck as I did my morning pre-departure routine and waited for the sunrise. It is a long way across very shallow water, 8′ to 10′ deep, to get to open sea from our snug anchorage and some day light was mandatory if only for appearances since we certainly couldn’t see anything in the water is the flat morning light.
The actual passage was uneventful. Not even another ship in the 55-mile deep water crossing with the now standard 4′-7′ beam seas to bounce us from side to side. Today’s drama is to get to our destination early enough to be able to see the reef and numerous coral heads that guard the Eastern approach to Abraham’s Bay at Mayaguana. Ideally you would want to pass through this reef with the sun high overhead so that the rocks and nasty coral heads that lurk just a few feet beneath the surface are clearly visible.
We finally get to the reef at 3:30 PM, just when the sun is far enough in the west to make seeing difficult. To make matters worse, the tide has all but gone out of the Bay so we are at minimum depths too. Not much choice now but to suck it up and go for it as there are no other options this late in the day. Mayaguana is also the southern most customs and immigration outpost for checking into the Bahamas too so a stop here is also a legal responsibility.
Of course, we have been closely studying our charts and the Southern Bahamas Guide by Pavlidis for the last several miles and have some idea what we are up against. The entrance consists of a narrow channel through a wave breaking barrier reef on both sides several hundred feet off the eastern end of the bay. Given the GPS position of an ugly rock that lies in the early mid-channel, we opt to hug the western reef and follow it around in only 6′ to8′ of water keeping its sharp coral edge close as we dare on the port side. This also avoids a middle reef notorious for detouring the unwary into a dead end coral trap off to the right and several other mid-channel low spots of 4′ or less.
With Jo perched on the bow as a lookout and me at the helm using all of the electronics WS has available, we sneak through the opening at 4.5 knots enduring 25-minutes of intense, nerve-racking concentration. Once passed the barrier reef and safely inside the fun does not stop. Abraham Bay is quite large, some 5-miles east to west by about 2-miles north to south yet only 8′ to 10′ deep or less.. We now need to find a sandy spot to drop the anchor and swing free for the night without hitting the bottom.
It is very hard for deep-water sailors to get used to moving a 54-ton boat that draws 5′ around over a rock strewn bottom only 3′ or less from the bottom of your keel. Thankfully we soon find a spot just off the eastern end of the bay with all the requirements for secure anchorage and a quiet nights sleep and drop the hook in seven feet of the crystal clear water for which the Bahamas are renowned You can see every rock and starfish…even see you anchor as it sets like looking through a window.
Soon the Dreamweaver crew has joined us for the necessary celebratory safe passage beers and a discussion of where we want to go from here as we explore the Bahamas together over the next several weeks. Then Jo and I have a quiet dinner and movie on board before calling an early end to a beautiful day and one of the most exciting birthdays I’ve had in a long, long time!
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Providenciales at Anchor
4/07 - 4/09 Tuesday through Thusday
Well in all honesty I must say the Turks and Caicos are a real disappointment…useful as a waypoint and rest between DR and the Bahamas but completely devoid of any original charm or character. Provisioning is adequate but expensive. Marinas are primitive at best. Restaurants and resorts are okay but certainly not at the level competitive with most we have seen “down Island.” Everything is so spread out it is impossible to get around without the added expense of a rental car. Add this to a general feeling of unhappiness among the natives and there it is not much of a reason to stop.
Of course, your crew is, as always, determined to make the most of this place regardless of the circumstances and the water is clear and beautiful, just too cold to enjoy. We spent the whole day Wednesday bashing about in our tiny Hertz compact seeing the island literally from one end to the other…looking in vain for something nice to report. The only bright spot was a final rendezvous with Les and Rose on Voyager in Turtle Marina before they depart Friday on their last, non-stop leg back to Georgia where they will end their voyage and return, for now, to the world of business and finance. Sure has been great cruising with them these past many miles and they will be sorely missed by us all on this final leg to the US.
Thursday was a chore day…checking back out thru customs, doing the provisioning and in general, getting ready for seafaring. The final step was to turn the rental car back in and then get a ride back out to the end of the island to the anchorage with a trunk load of food. Luckily, the Hertz people were nice enough to step up and offer a van with driver so we were back on board by sunset. Evening was a pre birthday party and sumptuous fresh fish dinner for me hosted by K&D on Dreamweaver. Rose had even baked me a Kahlua Chocolate cake just for the occasion and much rum was added on top just for good measure.
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Puerto Plata to Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands
4/06 - 4/07 Monday/Tuesday - a one night passage
From Latitude: 17:50.05 N Longitude: 070:43.65 W
To: Latitude: 21:44.52 N Longitude: 072:17.41 W
Weather: sunny and clear Wind: 450 at16-20 kts. Sea: Beaufort: 4
Barometer: 1010 Passage time: 23.5 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 1740 Fuel used/on board: 4470/700
End Engine Hours: 1764 Fuel used/on board: 4517/653
Distance trip/to Date: 150/11,133
Morning was spent finishing up some loose ends on the internet, checking out with the marina, customs, immigration, drug enforcement and the DR Navy then getting WS ready for sea again. A noon departure will get us into the shallow water surrounding the Turks & Caicos late on Tuesday morning so we have maximum visibility for the many coral heads that lie just under the surface there. At 6.5 knots we will cover the 145-miles in just under 22 hours.
Going out the channel from the marina got the trip off to a rough start. The swell for the northeast was running directly down the buoy path breaking on the reef on both sides and causing WS to pitch over each near breaking wave. Things didn’t calm down till we were well offshore and still remained much rougher than forecast till well into the evening. Happily by midnight, the wind had died down to a reasonable 12-14 knots, the whitecaps disappeared, and the full moon turned it into a magic night for a passage.
Morning finds us just a few miles off the shallow water of the Grand Caicos Bank. We skirt along the southern edge until we get to the northwestern freighter channel and the sun just overhead enough to spot the shoals and coral heads. From our turn into the channel, it is a short, 10-miles of shoal water until we reach our intended anchorage for the night at Sapodilla Bay.
The bay’s anchorage is basically an open roadstead with little protection from most directions except north and east, the direction of the prevailing trade. Today it is a light breeze from the south west so not a problem except for some chop. We drop the hook in only six feet and were lucky to find that. Apparently, the bottom depths have changed substantially since last charted in 2003 and low water depths were much less than promised. The good news is it is great holding soft sand so we don’t need much scope, just 50′ and we are secure.
Dreamweaver was already here from their different route and soon both captains are headed into the small commercial harbor for arrival formalities. Once done, we pick up the rest of our crew and head to the beach for a look around our latest country. A nice guy in a pickup truck sees us walking the long road to where we think the town is and gives us a lift in that direction. It is quickly discovered that there is no center “downtown” in Providenciales and that everything is spread out all over the tiny island. That along with outrageous taxi fares and we are soon looking for a rental car agency when Hertz comes to our rescues with a nice little compact.
After a quick drive around and stop at the local IGA supermarket, it’s back to WS for a BBQ dinner before both crews turn in for some catching-up on lost passage making sleep.
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Ocean World Marina, Puerto Plata
4/03 - 4/05 Friday - Sunday
It takes a day or two to get “normal” after a couple of nights at sea and this could not be a nicer place to hang out and catch up on our rest before the next overnight on Monday to the Turks and Caicos Islands 150-miles to the north.
We hired a guide and a taxi with Dottie & Ken for our all day exploration of the area on Saturday and what a grand time we had…seeing the oldest fort in the Caribbean, the Saturday locals open market, amber jewelry factory, hand made cigar factory, and that was all before lunch, which was at a locals lobster/fresh fish restaurant in the suburbs of Puerto Plata. Here the management delights in showing off the whole fish before they cook it so you know exactly how fresh and good it is going to be.
Then we hit the highway east to the internationally renowned windsurfer/kite boarding beach at Playa Cabarete. This mile long bay where the trade winds always blow is protected by a barrier reef and features a white sand beach with wall to wall beach bars as far as you can see in both directions. Making up your mind which one to stop at first is the toughest decision of the day but we opt for Pedro O’Shea’s Irish pub and were only sorry we couldn’t try them all. Evening found Jo and I at the very fancy Casino restaurant over looking our marina for a excellent lobster/prime rib, all-you-can-eat, buffet dinner started off by bottle of fine champagne…life is good!
Sunday was a much needed day of computer chores and then saying goodbye to Dreamweaver who departs tonight for Big Sand Key in the Turks to do some fishing before we meet up again in the Caicos Island of Providenciales on Tuesday.
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San Juan to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
4/01 - 4/03 Wednesday to Friday - a two day, two night passage
From Latitude: 18:27.61 N Longitude: 066:05.36 W
To : 17:50.05 N Longitude: 070:43.65 W
Weather: sunny some clouds becoming clear Wind: 900 at 14-16 kts. Sea: Beaufort: 3
Barometer: 1009 Passage time: 44 hrs.
Start Engine Hours: 1696 Fuel used/on board: 4398/770
End Engine Hours: 1740 Fuel used/on board: 4470/700
Distance trip/to Date: 275/10,913
It was not till noon that we finally dropped our dock lines after a month on shore leave. The planned noon departure for the 275-miles passage to the Dominican Republic gave us the morning free for last minute chores. This was necessary so that we would arrive in the new Ocean World Marina just west of Puerto Plata around 8AM on Friday morning. A clear, sunny day made El Morro all the more picturesque as we passed the San Juan entrance buoys and turned west for the open sea.
Dottie and Ken on Dreamweaver, by previous design, were just passing the entrance coming up coast from their marina on the east end of PR and soon we were in tandem again, just like the good old days in Alaska a couple of years ago. As if to celebrate this reunion, a huge humpback breached right between our two boats sending a tower of spay in all directions and excitement all around for both crews.
The short, steep, northeasterly seas, while not daunting, were certainly manageable from our stern quarter. From this direction, they mainly give the autopilot a workout and make life aboard relatively easy. Jo & I soon fell into our usual pattern of each taking three-hour watches and the afternoon passed quietly as we slid by the northern coast of Puerto Rico off our Port Beam.
Darkness fell about the time we reached the western end of the mainland and started across the dreaded Mona Passage, the channel between the two countries. Notorious for swirling currents and building seas, the only change to be noted by us were the slightly taller swells and wind now up to 20 knots. This is fine for us but not as nice for anyone coming from the opposite direction. A partial moon is up so the night begins without the sometimes ominous feeling that comes with boating in total darkness.
By morning, we are across the channel but still forty-miles off shore from the DR coast. Most of today will be spent gradually closing this gap as we head towards Cabo Samana before making a final turn along the north shore to our destination. By afternoon the waves have subsided to level not enjoyed for months - perhaps since we left the Pacific Ocean! This combined with the lighter wind and clear, sunny skies made it an ideal day for laying on deck in the sunshine just enjoying the whole experience.
Our noon 24-hour position report puts us 16.5 miles north of Cabo Samana, DR and 155-miles from San Juan at: 19:25.01/068:53.97. WS average speed was 6.2 knots using just 1.6 gallons/hour.
Sunset finds us just 35-miles from our only major course change as we round the cape called Cabo Francis Viejo and head for Puerto Plata. We are getting a substantial push from a very friendly current that has our speed up to 7-knots with the engine practically at idle. Normally this is a very welcome event but our arrival at the marina before sun-up is not possible either so we could use a little less help thank you all the same.
Sunrise positioned us just 5-miles from our objective…the new and posh Ocean World Marina. I don’t know where the money came from but none was spared to build this complex way beyond all rational expectations. Not only is there 104 yacht slips including 250′ docks for mega yachts with all the normal boating amenities one could hope for but there is also, on site, a very ornate casino much like the one in Avalon, (on California’s Catalina) many fine shops, nightclubs, pools, a follies type stage show, a disco, various bars and restaurants.
The topper is a Sea World style adventure park complete with huge swim-with-the-dolphins pools, a shark encounter pool and hourly water shows to rival any found stateside. All this apparently built for the handful of hearty tourists and boaters that have finally “discovered” the Dominican Republic. Truly amazing!
Once settled in one of the many empty slips, we started the rounds of official paperwork and government visits to WS to rival any we have experienced anywhere. No less than six smiling and gracious officers in uniform from the navy, drug enforcement, agriculture, and animal control came on board to inspect our boat. This was on top of the personal visits still required by your ships captain to the offices of customs and immigration for that clearance. Various official fees and taxes are attached, of course, totaling some $140US. Thankfully, leaving the country only requires that we clear out with the navy, customs, and immigration. Although we are not permitted to leave after 6PM or before 6AM for some mysterious drug control reasons.
Our first afternoon was spent at leisure walking around the marina complex, then a hilarious bus ride into the quaint town of Puerto Plata for a look around. This was followed by an equally funny time trying to find a bus home under the care of a self appointed singing “tour guide” who insisted that no money be paid but we could buy him a can of rather expensive baby formula for his small starving daughter at home. Trying not to be cynical, we are still sure it was traded back for a bottle of rum once we were safely out of the way.
To end this fine day, both crews (Dottie & Ken are here too) decided to spend our first evening in DR taking in the casino’s follies show entitled “Bravissimo…Magical Nights in the Caribbean.” Which turned out to be a pleasantly costumed dance review circa the 1950’s with some very pretty local ladies if you could get by the partially balding, charisma free, leading man. We had a couple of drinks and enjoyed the show, played the old coin operated slot machines in the casino and then tried the extra loud disco which was a really bad idea at our age and demeanor before calling it a night and wandering back to our boats.
Fuel Note: WS put on 208 Gallons of fuel before leaving San Juan at $2.05/gallon, engine hours 1696 making our total on board for departure: 770 gallons.
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