On our first night, we had supper at a little restaurant suggested to us by Karine and Stephen: Chez Mimosa. I had calamaris and Heiner had dorado, both dishes tasteful and elegantly served. And we loved the green bananas fritters! On our second night, however, we went out the zona colonial and wandered around the Gazcue neighbourhood and the avenues Independencia and Bolivar. We arrived too late for our restaurants in our neighbourhood – they seemed to close around 7h30pm.., very unlike the other Spanish countries that we know, where dinner is not served before 10pm! It was fun, however, to stroll in less touristic areas, and never felt unsafe; on the contrary, we were always welcome and people went out of their ways to help us when we had questions.

One really neat place was La Casa del Dulces (or something like that…). They had an amazing variety of sweets, especially Dulce de leche, honeys, cakes, jams, …and rums and cigars (all good things for our health.?). We felt like big kids in a candy store! PIX 3076

Santo Domingo has many “firsts” in terms of cathedrals, hospitals, monasteries…all erected on the American continent in the 16th century. This city was growing on us and we preferred it to Old San Juan (Puerto Rico): although the restoration of the buildings was far from being as exhaustive, the zona colonial was full of day-to-day life and still home to Dominicans…

While the part was being shipped from NY, we felt like escaping repairs, associated worries and Luperon to see something from the country! We planned a visit to the capital, Santo Domingo! Early morning in Luperon is hot, humid and windless…the perfect day to drive around in air conditioned busses! Gaby of s/v SuAn brought us to the dinghy dock so that our dingy can safely remain on La Buena Vida during our absence. First, we walked to the town’s guagua terminal and take one to the mini buses to Imbert, a larger town where busses stop en route to major destinations such as Puerto Plata, Santiago etc…We buy our tickets at Javilla Tours and within 20 minutes, we are sitting in an ‘expreso bus’ to Santiago. This bus (20 passengers or so) is very comfortable, with AC, TV screen, and heavy curtains to keep the sunlight from getting in – it makes sense – but no view of the passing landscape!!!!! The TV shows some Spanish croonie singing soft ballades – well, all well entertaining?! – but alas no meringue or salsa here! It’s totally relaxing and difficult to stay awake! We are let out on some main avenue in Santiago and must buy two further tickets at the Aetra Bus booth for the final run to Santo Domingo: again, fast service! Within 20 minutes, we are on board and open the ever closed curtains to view the final stretch of the trip across the island. Unfortunately, due to the haze, the views of the mountains are not great. But we noticed the large amount of garbage rolling down the hills behind each house along the road. People actually throw everything out of their doors or windows …and it stays there, looking from the road like a like lava flow of plastics flowing down the hill. Anyhow, different country and different ways …bastante on that topic.

Around mid-afternoon, we arrive in Santo Domingo. The streets are full of people, merchants selling empanadas, shoes, watches…like a giant outdoor market! We have no problem finding our way to the “zona colonial” where our hotel is located (Merci Karin and Stephen for the city map!)….Very soon after we enter the historic are where we are intercepted by one of the many Tourist Bureau Guides who offers his help; very nice person but very clingy…although we tell him that we already have an hotel … he insists on accompanying us to the lobby of the Hotel La Colonia, on Calle Isabel La Catolica. We are wondering if these Tourist Bureau guides get paid for every tourist they bring to a restaurant or a hotel…anyhow, impossible to get lost or bored here! Our room is very cold (18C) with AC running full blast…and we reset it to a cool 25C - which still feels cold to us as the outside temperature is probably 32C! No real windows in this room, but we are connected to a large and pretty balcony overlooking the street. DomRep is a tobacco and rum country – accordingly we bought our supplies!!!! And what a joy it was to sit on our private little terrasse with a glass of Dominican rum and a great cigar, listening to meringue music from the neighbouring little bars!

We don’t loose any time: after a refreshing shower, we go to the Parque Colon, a wonderful historic plaza with huge shade trees, in front of the Cathedral Primada de Americas(first cathedral of the Americas). The lovely terrace of the Hotel Conde de Penalba was to become our preferred spot for breakfast, a cool cerveza or a flavourful café …Always animated with strollers, shoe shiners , dogs, newspaper sellers, and domino players, it felt awesome to be relaxing in this beautiful surrounding. We felt so immersed in this place that at times we scratched our heads, thinking: Are we having a boat? Are we really doing this???? It is often puzzling how difficult it is to reconciliate such different worlds!!!

As soon as we put our dinghy together …(after a long passages, we unfold it completely so we can make use of our stay sail), we noticed that the right side was not holding air anymore…and it took a while before we find the leak. We were not at all excited when we discovered where it was either…It took several patches to fix the leak and thank God, Stephen form s/v/ Jemangia had an excellent glue (from France) that he graciously offered us…in addition to their dinghy while they were away in Santo Domingo. Very generous people, Karine and Stephen…merci beaucoup! PIX STEPHEN ET KARINE.

During the same period, we found out that fuel was leaking out of the fuel pomp…so began the saga of having to find a part for our old Volvo MD 11 AND have it it shipped to us in Dominican Republic! Stephen had met a French speaking group of cruisers who had spent quite a bit of time in Luperon and so, we made use their input and experinces. Nathalie on board P’tit Louis, a huge 53’ steel boat, had been in Luperon since June. She gave us a couple of suggestions as to how to go about the problem, i.e. using the services of a local Mail Service linking the USA and the DomRep: CPS Mail. While investigating the shipping avenue, Heiner had found out that the French Creek Marina of Clayton on Lake Ontario (yep! Just across our home port on the US side) had the part ! Wilburt, the owner, did a great job and sent us the part right after Heiner’s call.

Luperon people are used to cruisers, integrate them easily and spot the new ones really fast...on the second day of our stay, a woman came to me and asked how I liked Luperon and the Dominican republic...she has seen me and Heiner yesterday at the local bar. Yaquelina had a list of services that she offered, hair cuts, massages, laundry, and even tried to get a bottom cleaning job for her brother. She sized me up, and I had to agree with her that I did need a hair cut..she took me by the hand, and brought me to her home. This was reminiscent of my cuban experience...people have to survive and are not shy to tell you so! Anyhow, here I was sitting on her veranda, being the object of curiosity for the neighbours, being looked at by all the ninos around...it was fun and my haircut was refreshed!

We met our French friends on Jemangia, Stephen, Karine, and Morgann and the little Juliette! We spent time with them on their boat, Karine had made nice pizzas! Nathalie, a long time Luperon cruiser (since June) on s/v Ptit Louis joined us and gave us precious knowledge on Luperon and the DR! We needed to order a fuel pump and she gave us a couple of tips how and where to order.

Life is good in Republica Dominicana...Brugal rum, great pineapples, and friendships!

After our night in Boqueron, we left the anchorage at 4h30am under a stars lighted sky...the Mona Passage was quite smooth, as the wave action had considerably subsided from the days before (according to our fellow cruisers who had very disturbed seas) and we got to Luperon, as planned, early on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, there were so many grey skies that we did not have a great view of the island when sailing. Upon arrival, however, we were enchanted by the greenery the hills and the vistas of the large island. The anchorage is not as packed as anticipated and the Luperon people are very kind and warm. So far so good...trips to Puerto Plata, and Santo domingo are planned for the next week. Heiner is fixing the dinghy...its tow years are over and it is slowy loosing strength!!!

As we got to Luperon, we found the surroundings very pleasing. The hills, the mangrove coves and its loud white herons (nesting season…) make it a really lovely place to anchor. Depending if one anchors closer to the city dock or further away, there is possibility to swim ..the water is not clear due to the muddy bottom but it is fit for swimming.

Life was pleasant in Luperon: although we stayed barely 2 weeks, we had our little routine. Not having Internet on board, almost all cruisers congregated to Steve’s Place, a local restaurant owned by Steve (ex-cruiser) and his Dominican wife (Annie). The price and quality of the meals this place offered made it very attractive to have breaksfast or lunch there while being connected to the Internet. Specials were 100 pesos (2.25$) ! It was also a daily routine to go to the Panaderia (bakery) and buy bread instead of baking it on board: with the high humidity and heat of the lagoon, this was the logical thing to do! On Saturday mornings, the street was very animated with different merchants offering their specialties: barbecued pork and chicken were cheap but flavourful and so convenient for quick meals!

Sailing along the south coast of Puerto Rico was different than we anticipated; the N-NE winds were much weaker than expected but the landscape was interesting to look at...with cliffs, caves, and the profile of the mountain chain in the background. The lighthouse of Capo Roja Our german friends on s/v SuAn sailed by and took pictures of us...while we did the same thing ! The games that cruisers play...

Before leaving Boqueron, we had a stroll in town, tasting all the delicacies such as empanadillas, oyesters, clams, and pinchons!!! The atmosphere was a fun one, with all locals and tourists mixing and enjoying the sights.

Hasta luego!

Another passage is coming up...along the Puerto Rican south shore, first to Gilligan’s Island (!) and then to Boqueron, from where we should sail over to Dominican Republic! So today was spent with the typical chores such as filling up the water tanks (free water here at the Marina des Salinas), doing laundry (very cheap at $1.50 US…compared to the 10 Euros we paid in Martinique), baking bread and making granola cereals…

Our little mascot witch, Annette, has well looked after us so far...and she will continue to do so across the Mona Passage!

Adios Puerto Rico! Hispaniola here we come!!!

We arrived at Ponce at 16h30…thinking that the town would be full activity of happy hours around Plaza de las Delicias …hum! The town emptied itself as we arrived! The trolley stopped in front of the black and red fire station Parque de la Bomba, and the stores were closing (Friday afternoon!) ..we managed to buy a locally made sorbet and strolled through the street to admire the architecture of the renovated buildings.

Although we would have like to spend much more time in San Juan tyo visit its numerous museums, the second rental car day was dedicated to the mountains and the coffee growing regions of the island. The drive was wonderful, different from what we saw so far as the island does not have a volcanic origin…on several parts of the stretch, the bamboos were forming a dome like roof over the road. We had intended to visit the caves of the Rio Camuy in the northwest of the island…we had to change our plan however as the drive too much more time than anticipated! The road #10 from Ponce to Utuado was amazing, especially the stretch from Adjuntas to Utuado! Narrow and curves non stop…with big trucks honking to announce their presence and rolling down the hills! We therefore decided to stop at Caguana, an indigenous ceremonial park dedicated to the first inhabitants of the Caribbean, the Tainos Indians. The Tainos inhabited the Caguana region for about 300 years from about 1200 to 1500 AD, when it was abandoned after the Spanish conquest and colonization. We were impressed by the site, the largest insite in the Caribbean . There were numerous plazas where the Tainos attended their religious activities: the areito (ritual dance) and the ball game (batey). We saw petroglyphs – engraved on cemis or three-pointed stones - portraying animals and humans, with one of the most known the Mujer de Caguana…It was a magical place, with huge trees, and a backdrop of majestuous mountains (la Cordillera central). After this inspiring visit, we went back to Utuado to take part in a fair organized by the community for the high school graduation! We were the only tourists, of course and were welcomed by the local population. We got to taste their delicacies, and of course the local coffee! The region has numerous coffee haciendas and we got to taste the wonderful café con leche of Gran Café El Batey, a familial enterprise of Utuado. The taste was amazing...

As planned earlier, we decided to rent a car to visit San Juan and the mountains…we use Herz (Aponte Collision Center) as it was suggested to us by so many cruisers…Sydney Gonzales has a reputation among the cruising community!

Our first day is dedicated to San Juan and it is incredibly pleasant to be surrounded by great architecture and city life! Old San Juan is indeed a gem and our first day is simply filled with strolling through the streets, tasting local delicacies such as mofongo, and admiring the wonderful buildings to the point that we feel like in a European city!!! As we are marvelling at the ocean from the San Felipe del Morro castle, it feels a bit like being in Rio de Janeiro…the poor neighbourhood beneath the castle is called La Perla together with the cemetery and the old stone walls, the place has an incredible feel to it…The garitas or sentry boxes are emblems of San Juan and each one of the 40 towers is unique! They were built at different times (beginning between the 17th and the 19th century) so their architectural styles do differ…

Easter Monday.. Marleyne, armed with her dictionary, makes a first incursion in little community of Playa Salinas…the streets are deserted but the panaderia is open: locals play video poker (usual in the panaderias) and eat sandwiches. I buy a loaf, very long and very white of the local bread for $2.00…many restaurants in that small place but all closed! Later on that day, we walked to the larger supermercado…and we discover a side of the Puertorican culture that was unknown to us! Is it such a dangerous place to be?

Or is it the love of the once popular Spanish wrought iron gates and ornamentation? It just feels very strange..as if people were living in a cage!

We waited for decent sunlight in order to leave the anchorage and sailed towards Salinas, the anchorage where we planned to stay for a while in order to visit Puerto Rico. Upon arrival to Salinas, we are surprised to see the (large) size of the anchorage ! Locals party in the mangroves! Several cruisers are anchored here…from Belfast, Canada, Germany, US, and we easily find a spot in this large “hurricane hole”..also home to manatees! That evening we hear a lound thump on the hull…Bienvenidos marineros!

Northerly winds of the cold front are still present but not as strong as the day before…they actually are quitting on us in the passage between Vieques and the mainland of Puerto Rico…after one hour or so of using the engine, onshore winds come up and bring us to Punta Patilla, our first anchorage on mainland Puerto Rico. The locals are on the beach, or speeding through the anchorage on jet skis or in small motor boats…they come close by and find it great that a Canadian boat is called La Buena Vida. A German boat s/v SuAn with Gaby and Lutz arrives in the anchorage and visits with us shortly after their arrival. We go onshore together to explore the small village…the park grounds are very animated and we get to taste our first pastellitos (turnovers filled with fish or meat)! Delicious! We are very disappointed by the prices of rum, however…liquor is highly taxed here! We love the mountains in the background…and the royal palms lined beaches: the place has a different feel to it…

It is Easter Saturday and we slipped quietly out of the Dakity anchorage in Culebra in direction of Punto Ferro, on the southern shore of the island of Vieques, the largest of the Spanish islands. Punto Ferro is a bioluminescent bay lined by mangroves and we were only few boats anchored there…a contrast to the Spanish armada anchored in Culebra ! Very possibly due to the strong and cold winds of that period, but there was very very little bioluminescence that night…and we left next day, quite disappointed! Yes, we are noticing more and more the coolness of the nights …reminding us that we are 600 miles north of Grenada!

April 1, Culebra, Puerto Rico

We have now been here for a couple of days. We were happy to meet our friends Ulrike and Thomas of the s/v Toriba who have been spending their winter here in the Virgin Islands. Marleyne has been reopening her Spanish books although everybody here on Culebra is bilingual. The little town is colourful but the beaches are what make this island famous. It was a great coincidence that Thomas and Ulrike celebrated their anniversary on April 1...OUR anniversary date! What a good excuse to drink ceremonial sparkling wine in the turquoise waters of Dakity Beach...Maria and Konrad of s/v Katamaria II joined us for the special occasion.