Report #14: March 16 – April 9, 2014; Long Island, Bahamas via Turks & Caicos to Luperon, Dominican Republic

Report #14:  March 16 – April 9, 2014; Long Island, Bahamas to Turks & Caicos and on to Luperon, Dominican Republic

Thompson Bay / The Salt Pond is a great bay and town and protected from NNW to SE.  The winds shifted March 16 to S and so we moved some 10 miles north to Alligator Bay and tucked in close to shore in 7 feet with great protection from NNE all the way to SSW wind.  We dinghied in to Simms and while Edi held the dinghy off the wall, Blair scaled a 10 foot wall from the dinghy (no dinghy docks here, strictly business for the mailboat’s occasional stop) up a well-placed rope and some outcroppings in the cut limestone and concrete wall – garbage deposited, back down and to the boat.  After a restful night we proceeded on to Calash Bay at the north end of Long Island and picked our way into the anchorage between the reefs anchoring with one other boat (Destiny from Rochester.) 
 

The next morning with the wind from the SW we ran NW for 4 miles and then gybed for a single beam reach tack to Conception Island and had a great sail doing 6-7K in winds gusting to 20K.  Just beating us to the anchorage and joining the single sailboat already there was this motorboat (well, we beat the passengers who met the ship via its helicopter!)



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Conception Island is owned/managed by the Bahamian National Trust.  There are no buildings, people etc on the island and it is a preserve.  We anchored in the western anchorage and the reefs surrounding the anchorage broke up some of the swell.  As the winds dropped it was quite comfortable and we dinghied in and walked the beach.  What looked like rock turned into evidence of broken ships as we got closer – chain links, a huge hawsepipe and gypsy, even an engine block. 

The beaches are magnificent and there is a short path leading over to the north side where the coral reefs are a very short snorkel swim out.  We took our spears and hoped for lobster but the reefs are quite distressed now and we saw few fish and no lobsters at all.  Even so, the outing was refreshing and we needed the exercise after being aboard for 3 days.  2 days later and with the anchorage now full, it was time to push on to Rum Cay. 

We motor-sailed in light winds the 20 miles to Rum Cay and entered the Port Nelson anchorage in the early afternoon.  There entrance is marked but the many coral heads are easily visible in 10 feet – provided the light is good (sun ahead glints the water and obscures, sunny behind or overhead is best.)  We were the only boat anchored in the main harbour area and we had a swim before dinghying in to the beach (the government dock is commercial and not for inflatables but the beach is adjacent – and soft.) 

Japanese movie lost a critter???

Port Nelson is the only settlement on Rum Cay now, home to perhaps 100 people.  We bought some eggs and fruit at the Last Chance and wandered around before having a dinghy ride into the (closed) marina.  A couple of boats were slipped in (free at the moment but no power/water etc.)  There were lots of sharks in the channel and not nurse sharks but they didn’t stray anywhere near our boat so we had another (quick) swim before getting ready for bed.

The weather seemed good for a run further south with wind from the NE the next day slowly clocking towards SE.  We left the next day mid-morning for Mayaguana, a run of about 130 miles in 15-18K N winds and about 4-5 foot waves on top of 6-8 foot swells.  We sailed due east making good time.  Progressively the winds turned more and more south as we tried to hold east and finally with the wind 50 degrees off the nose we start a long lazy turn south.  We took turns on watch/reading and sleeping while Kind of Magic and Otto did the heavy lifting.  Night fell and as always the night passage was wonderful.  Blair loves the night, Edi too especially with a full moon.  That night it was stars starring in the sky, the moon taking the night off.  We passed 2 cruise ships and a freighter.  We hailed the freighter when it became obvious we were sailing into his path and stated we would adjust our heading and requested instructions.  The captain told us we were fine and to hold our heading and speed.  We looked around, check our AIS and thought we would be anything but fine and radioed back requesting he repeat.  Well, we followed instructions, nervously but a short while later saw the 700 ft freighter adjust his course 30 degrees to pass behind us and the turn back to his previous heading.  Freighter captains are even nicer in the Bahamas.  We radioed thanking him and wished a good evening.  That was the last ship we saw for the next 16 hours.  Out of sight of land, no other boats, just us and the stars. 

We made landfall about 3pm and watched Mayaguana grow on the horizon.  We anchored at Betsy Bay on the east side in the lee of the Island and watched as the day ended, the swells subsided and the waves just about disappeared.  We had a dip and went to sleep for 12 hours.  The next morning we moved around the corner to Start Bay, anchored and passed the afternoon reading and dozing.  About 10 pm we raised anchor (timing our passage to arrive late morning – so as to see the coral heads and reefs) we motored for Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in Providenciales (Provo).  That night there was no wind at all.  We motored on flat glass seas and 4 foot swells with about 12-14 sec freq.  Wow.  The passage was amazing.  We watched the stars in the sky and the bioluminescence twinkled in our wake like a reflection of the stars above.  These are tiny organisms by the billions that glow like fire flies in the wake of the boat.  We were spending so much time staring up and down it is a good thing we were the only boat out there!

We entered the Caicos Banks by the waypoints – although it would be impossible to miss the reefs on either side.  Strange to see crashing waves 10 miles from any land.  The GPS co-ordinates line up for the path in but the waypoints also take all the fun out of trying a patch that doesn’t have breaking wave and seeing what happens J   OK, Edi won and we punched in the waypoints and let Otto steer while we looked for coral heads.  A few adjustments and an hour later and we were anchored in Sapodilla Bay watching the turtles.  And having a beer.  Dinghy in and we went into the Government Dock to clear customs.  $50 to clear in for 7 days (and another $50 when clearing out to get the required “despatch”.)

Customs is located inside the Port and it is a working commercial port with container ships coming and going and huge fork lifts rigged to lift containers.  The people are very nice and are perhaps a bit more British that the Bahamians (TCI is still a British territory.)  Legally cleared we set the British Ensign up our starboard spreader and set out to look around.  We split a Krakan Burger at the Los Brisas on Neptune’s Cove to round out the day.  A Krackan burger (Sorry no picture, we were very hungry!) is perhaps the height of Burgerdom.  The top and bottom buns are formed by grill cheese sandwiches with bacon – one sandwich on top and one on bottom.  In the middle are 2 fresh ground beef patties, onion rings and a fried egg with the veg trimmings.  Fries on the side.  MMMMMM. 

We had been having trouble starting the engine since Long Island and while we suspected fuel issues we were worried we were having alternator or battery issues, maybe even the starter.  We decided to take a slip at the South Side Marina and investigate the issues.  $50/day and hydro, water, internet, laundry avail ($).  There with Ross’s help we decided bad fuel was the suspect and we tackled that, opening up the main tank, samples and got specialty fuel conditioners, biocides etc from the local NAPA to supplement our onboard basic conditioner.  Seems that we got some very dirty fuel in George Town, polished the fuel, changed the filters in GT before leaving and let some gunk through into the injectors.  Well, we started working all that through and the problem seems to be resolving itself.

South Side is a great little place (holds maybe 10-12 boats) and Bob the owner has built the place up slowly over the past 30+ years.  The recent addition of “Bob’s Bar” is literally the crowning glory up on the rocks overlooking the harbour and boats.  Bob’s friend Cam was spending the winter (he’s from BC near Penticton) and helping Bob.  Bob has 2 employees – Julian runs the marina day-to-day (fuel, water, etc.) and Navard does secretarial and bartending in the evening.  Julian is Haitian and travels home twice a year to see his family.  Navard (with the beautiful smile) is a “Belonger.”  In the 1830s a slave ship sunk off the shores of Caicos and some 150 made it to land and survived.  To their good fortune they had made landfall in British Territory where slavery had been abolished.  They were free men and women.  The descendents of those survivors in the TCI are called “Belongers.” South Side Marina - great people, great place, well worth the money.  Bob and Cam also offer free lifts in to various stores etc. 

 
 
 

We left after 3 days to get staged and spent another night in Sapodilla Bay waiting for the tail end of the cold front to pass and to make good a 36 hour window to cross the Banks and on to Luperon.  Then it was off across the Banks with the seas calming to Six Hill Cays for the night and the next morning on to Big Sand Cay.  Dolphins joined us, of course.

 Big Sand is the southern-most point of Turks and Caicos.  It is a national park and protected with no permanent dwellings.  As the name suggests there is a lot of sand and the anchorage is just beautiful.  We stopped for 3 hours, had a swim and BBQ and a walk on the beach.  We saw the tracks of a turtle that had come in the previous night at high tide and walked up and down having laid her eggs in several scooped holes she then covered over.  We met Go Habs who noticed our TML flag and they came over for a chat.  Then about 5 pm we upped anchor and set out to cross the 79 NM due SSE for Luperon. 

We took 19 hours to cross and the weather was all over the map.  The wind was from the ENE and clocked to the SSE.  We had a thunderstorm cell in front and caught some of the rain.  The seas were some 3-4 feet and not too rough.  The wind gusted and then died.  We had been motoring when the engine alarm went on and stayed on.  We had been suspecting the alternator of overheating and shut down the engine and sailed a southerly path a bit west of Luperon and let the engine cool.  Finally about noon we were within landfall and motored into Luperon Harbour.  Wow.  Land higher than our decks.  Higher than our mast.  Mountains in fact.  We were met by, of course, a pod of dolphins determined to distract us from navigating our course.  Well, they put on such a show they almost succeeded!

We picked our way into the harbour and followed Bruce van Sant’s instructions– a local well-known cruiser whose guide A Gentleman’s Guide to Passages South is common material to the cruiser crowd, us too. Except for one spot at about 5 feet there was plenty of water but the winds do pick up after 9-10 am.  We picked around looking for a spot to anchor when Handy Andy helped us to a mooring ball (we picked a very new looking one and later found it had been a cruiser’s private ball.)   Pappo came by the next day to collect - $3/day short term and $60/mth for 3 months pay in advance.  Well, we took short term and with the boats packed in have no regrets being on the ball (especially this one.)  We looked around and saw we were beside Pelican (George) who we had met in George Town. 

We had been told at South Side Marina by a north bound boater that Luperon was deserted and was in disrepair and the boats were mostly derelict.  We were told go to Ocean World 7 miles east, Luperon isn’t safe, Luperon is off the cruiser tour, the Navy Commandante is corrupt.  Go to Ocean World.  Well we had read so much over the years about Luperon that we could not give up on the stop and we just had to have the Luperon experience.  Thank goodness we don’t believe everything we read and hear.  We love Luperon.  Yes there are derelict boats, abandoned boats, even a couple of sunk boats.  They are everywhere including on the ICW. 

The clear in process was “interesting.”  We are supposed to stay on the boat and wait for the Navy to come out to the boat.  We didn’t and dinghied in to the main dock which has a dinghy finger.  We walked down to the “offices” and started clearing in.  4 different office, 4 different people, 3 fees.  4 sets of forms, some with a form and some blank paper just listing some details.  Immigration $43 for the boat and $10 each.  Customs $20.  Tourist / Municipality $10 for 1 week (to use harbour and garbage.)  We were told to hand onto all our papers and that we would not have to pay again in the DR except local Municipality of $10/week (the charge is much less for longer stays.)  This all took about 1 hour as we shuttled from one trailer to the next to a container converted to an office and back to the trailer we started in but on the other side.  Then we asked what about the Navy.  Surprise that we had not seen the navy we were pointed to cross the street, cross the bridge and go up the hill.  We did and started having a form filled out.  We thought we had beaten the boat visit but that came next. 

We had three guys come out in our dinghy to the boat where they started filling out more forms.  Edi offered cokes and they asked for cookies.  This is pretty much what we had expected and frankly these guys are supposed to check nothing and nobody are being smuggled in to their country.  They are also curious as the cruiser boats are a view into North America and they kept asking what is this, what is this?  With an understanding of their curiosity, their jobs and that the Commandante does keep the harbour and dock safe for us this is not a big deal and we were not upset with the visit.  There was a request for a donation which we passed on but later when we met them on the dock we gave them $20 for “coffees” on us thanking them for their professionalism.    

Luperon is one of those cruiser places.  It has the reputation of being the best hurricane harbour in the Caribbean, nice locals and cheap living.  Many cruisers have been here for years and many come and go.  Some cruisers sell their boats and move ashore and build on “Gringo Hill.”  Population is maybe 10,000 and the cruisers are a boon to the economy especially since resort on the Atlantic has closed down (it was an all-inclusive Decameron resort until about 4 years ago.)  Apparently employee severance wages were not paid and about $3 million is owing and any buyer has to pay that.  The place is lovely but falling down now having been broken into and stripped.  It’s the economy, North America gets a cold and the Bahamas down to at least the DR has pneumonia.

JRs is a cruiser-owned bar/restaurant, Wendy’s and Putula’s too (internet free!)  There are other restaurants, money changers, a bank with and ATM that sometimes works.  Laundry, a hardware store, schools, a dentist, a clinic and dogs, dogs, dogs.  People are friendly and “holas” “Buenos dias/tardes/noches” if offered by us are always returned with a smile.  $10 a day seems to be the average income.  Cruisers here are living on $1000-1500 a month well with meals out daily.  The cruisers here for a long time are often the scallywags, pirates, grifters, con artists etc. and they are awfully entertaining.

Luperon is an easy and inexpensive trip to Santiago.  We decided that part of our problems has been venting the engine compartment.  The blower take-off is on the floor and as the temps rise, both ambient and water, as we head south the compartment has been hotter.  So, we decided to move the take-off from the floor beside the engine to up and over the engine.  We took the gua-gua (small compact cars and some vans) that run from Luperon to the next town Imbert like a conveyer belt – 6 Dominicans plus the driver, fair is 60 pesos ($1.25) for 14 mile run.  We and George bought the car paying double and then another guy jumped in for the free ride! 

In Imbert we transferred to a small bus and Edi got a regular seat, George a jump seat in the middle and Blair a jump seat beside the driver with his legs pulled up in front of him!  45 minutes, about 50 KM and cost was $2.50 each.  We had shopping to do and the Ochoa was the place – the Grand Ochoa por favor. We entered the biggest store bar none we had seen since Stuart, FL.  Ochoa is a Home Depot type hardware store and the main Ochoa is a combo Canadian Tire / Home Depot.  We stocked up on some things but the store was out of stock of the aluminum dryer flex hose we needed for the bilge blower.  On to the next Ochoa where we got everything we needed.  We had ½ a chicken lunches with plantains and cokes for 190 pesos (about $5) and then found the local gua-gua compact cars with numbers and letters (they run like a grid) and people hop on and off at 30 pesos each.  15 minutes later for $0.70 each we were at the bus depot for the return ride.  Oh, wrong bus terminal.  No problem, a boy took us across and down the street and got us to the right one, a few pesos tip worth it as he stopped traffic for us!



Well, we’ve been in Luperon a week and we will be here at least another week.  The living is good, the beer ice cold – El Presidente and Bohemian and the bars only stock the grande size – go big or go home apparently (quarts at 100 pesos - $2.20.)  R/O (reverse osmosis) water delivered to the boat in sealed blue plastic jugs (kind like at home) is $0.20/gal - $1 for the 5 gal jug delivered (1/2 that if you want to pickup yourself and lug it to dinghy)!!  Water delivered, Beer delivered, diesel delivered, gas delivered.  What else could you need?

Pappo runs the mooring balls and offers all the services, bottom scraping etc.  Handy Andy is the competition and he does all this too but the mooring balls are collected by Pappo.  We try to give both business.  There is a local cruiser net Wed and Sun on VHF 72 at 8am, fairly quick, but nothing like the organized adult winter camp at GT.  Yoga M-W-F at Luperon Y.C., Sunday swap and sell and BBQ at Puerto Blanco Marina.  There is a boatyard and sailboats on the hard, they get hauled out on a trailer and guys tie lines to the mast at the spreaders and hold either side for stabilizing!  No insurance for the yard, hopefully all goes well or your own insurance if you have covers if not.  We will take pictures if we are around next time. 

Lots of couples: single cruiser (mostly male some female) and local Dominican making couples.  Everything is easy-going except last month on a Friday night with the locals spilling out of the bar on chairs into the street a pickup truck nudged a table, a gun was drawn and the driver got shot.  That is frowned on, even by the locals, and doesn’t happen often apparently.  Well, that’s good.  Saturdays is softball at the local ballpark, Gringos vs. Dominicans and gringos always buy the locals cervecas after.  I think Gringos always loose, the Dominicans know baseball.  Pizza boxes for gloves!

We want to go to Santo Domingo, the capital and do a couple of day trips.  At some point, maybe, we will get moving east and see if the revised venting in the engine has done the trick and the alternator is happy and the fuel is clean.  Maybe we’ll think about that, but not today as we’re heading in to JR’s, so maybe manana, but we may be a Putula’s.  Or not.  Un Presidente y dos vasso por favor.  Of course, there is the possibility we may be part of the next crop of gringo pirates and scalliwags, they are recruiting!

3074.9 NM / 3535.9 STM / 5810.9 KM  under the hull

April 9, 2014:   mooring ball, Luperon Harbour, Dominican Republic; 8 months out

Edi & Blair, s/v Kind of Magic, clear