We left Provo (Turks and Caicos) on February 6th at 12:40 and didn't have to turn on our engine until we were half way to French Cay (21,6NM) where we spent the night. We would decide in the morning whether to head straight for Luperon or go over the bank to Big Sand Cay and spend the night there. When we arrived at French Cay we saw Black Terns for the first time in our life's. While Kari and I slept like logs until the clock awoke us just before dawn, poor Jeannie and Bob (Island Dreamin') hardly got any sleep during the night in the rolling anchorage. It was decided to head for Big Sand Cay and we were on our way at 6:15, there was considerable wind but right on the nose, hence we could not use our sails and we were surprised at how bad the ocean was on the shallow waters over the bank. We were happy once we were over the bank and could put up our main sail in order to make the boat somewhat steadier. Just as we were coming into deep waters after the bank we heard and then saw KopyKat who were on their way straight to Luperon. We managed to get our anchors down half an hour after sunset, we'd motored all the 63NM and appreciated the warm welcoming we got from the nine boats that were already at the anchorage at Big Sand Cay. We slept well and in the morning we made water until our tanks were full, apparently it is not feasible to make water at Luperon harbour. At 9:30 we were on our way, we took off on sails and didn't turn on our engine until after sunset. The day was thoroughly enjoyable, the ocean was calm, the wind was comfortable, we caught one Dolphin fish/Dorado (who appeared to have worms, so we froze him before we will dry him) and about an hour before sunset three Humpbacks whales came and played with our boat for more than an hour. It was just as they knew how much pleasure they were giving us when they put on a fantastic show. We called Island Dreamin' who came fairly close to us and they managed to get quite a few good pictures, just as we did. The wind went completely down with the sun, so we turned on the engine and sailed through the night on engine on a very calm ocean. The moon was about three quarters and gave us good light, hence it was delightful to take the night watch and see the stars and other boats. All of us i.e. the eleven boats from Big Sand Cay were at Luperon harbour at sun rise and we greatly appreciated the help that Mike gave us when he directed the lot into the harbour. Thanks to him none of us grounded which apparently very many boats do when entering this harbour. People were joking when they saw us come that it looked like Luperon was being invaded. Kari found amicable anchorage fairly soon in the crowded area, but didn't like the idea of leaving the boat immediately for immigration. We therefore waited until Island Dreamin' had anchored and were ready to go ashore. They gave me a lift while Kari kept an eye on both boats. Understandably the immigration office was quite busy, but they were professional and everything was done quickly and effectively. Jeannie, Bob and I went for a quick look at town before returning to our boats to wait for the Agriculture officers to come and inspect our boats. Kari, Kata and I went ashore when the Agriculture officers had come and gone. We walked around the town center fascinated by our surroundings, we met a herd of goats and couldn't but laugh at the look the leading goat gave Kata, it was obvious that the goat had never seen anything like this and didn't have a clue as to how to react or whether to react at all. There were chickens walking around with cute young ones around, there were dogs everywhere, one was doing his business on the middle of the road while two were making sure the breed would not die out in front of the supermarket. I saw a look of despair on Kari's face when he watched in horror as a two year old was hammering at a cabbage head with a knife the size of the babies arm. What we have seen of the country so far is absolutely beautiful and reminds us quite a bit of Cuba. Most of us newcomers accepted the fair offer of a free beer from Marina Yacht Club, but after a meal there we were to tired to stay on into the night. This anchorage is the most peaceful anchorage Kari and I have been in for a very long time, hence we slept like logs until almost eight in the morning and had no energy to attend the yoga class we'd been invited to at eight. We enjoyed a cup of coffee and took Kata for a lovely walk around a quiet neighbourhood close to our anchorage, there are a lot of very quiet and nice roads there which we intend to explore jogging when we've recouperated from our journey. After our walk we left Kata in the boat while we went to town in order to upgrade our web site and do a little shopping. We stopped at Roselina Pizza and thoroughly enjoyed the food and service there. Prices here are favourable, the people are very friendly, as far as I know the crime rate is very low here and the country is beautiful. We could easily spent a year or more here exploring and learning. Kari bought himself a big box of Cohiba cigars and spent last night on deck with Peter where they looked like cats with cream smoking cigars and drinking Malt while they watched the sun set. We keep a good stock aboard of oranges who are so juicy that it's impossible to eat them - we press them and drink the juice - yes, we are lucky!
There is a nice little market at Puerto Blanco every week, where boaters can exchange things, buy new things (courtesy flags, books, cloths, jewelry etc.) and just meet one another. And there are some hills around the anchorage that offer a wonderful view over the harbour and surroundings.
We visited Puerto Plata by Guagua with the couples from V ger, Island Dreamin' and KopyKat and spent quite an enjoyable day there although it poured down with rain the better half of the day.
I reckon small motorbikes as just as common here as in Rome/Italy, but people seem rather more relaxed here as to security and when we saw a man on a bike with a woman holding a two or three month old infant rolled into a blanket at the back of the bike we took a deep breath and looked elsewhere.
We rented some bikes and went exploring with our friends from KopyKat and Island Dreamin'. We rode around Luperon practically from sunrise to sunset. Went to Isabela where we walked around ruins from a settlement that Columbus left here, we visited a church, a beautiful hotel and a restaurant that had been especially recommended to us for its good seafood. When we'd placed our orders there, the chef showed us the fresh fish and then it was cooked right in front of us, so that we could see that we were actually getting what we did order. Peter hung around the chef while she cooked and learned a few useful tips as to how to cook local vegetables that we've been seeing on the stands here. And while we ate, he made sure that we all learned the useful hints that he'd picket up in the kitchen. It was a fantastic day and so much fun to ride those bikes everywhere.
The dogs that rome around the town are rather thin and therefore I decided to opt for a halo by taking some of Kata's dry food and give them. As soon as I came close to any of those dogs they shied away from me, then they looked at me pouring from the bag onto the pavement and investigated what I'd left behind. None of the dogs tasted one bite of Kata's privileged food, they're obviously used to human-food-leftovers and much prefer that to any "proper dog food".
We found dentists here that have hopefully repaired my teeth well enough to keep me from mentioning a dentist on this page for the rest of this year. They are really good and in my case, she worked for an hour during three days and repaired eight or nine teeth. All this at a less price than I was charged for the five minutes it took the dentist at Turks and Caicos to glue my bridge.
The weather here is beautiful, when the sun has shone for a while and things are starting to get a little hot we normally get a good wind and about the same time as the sun sets the wind goes down.
The anchorage here seems to be packed all the time and the water is so muggy that no one dreams of swimming anywhere near here, nor do we dare make water. We are not interested to buy water here and put in our tanks, hence we are now in water saving mode and have come quite accustomed to carry a small bottle of disinfectant with us everywhere and use it unsparingly on our hands - especially when we've been handling the dinghy lines etc.
It seems to be customary here (like we've seen in other warm counties) to put washing to dry on fences, stones etc. We see clothes drying this way even in the center of town here, and to our delight we had our camera with us when we came upon a T-shirt from Iceland laying among other clothes to dry.
We have been surprised to see huge mansions next to not all that expensive looking houses and sometimes wonder how the neighbours get on. Maybe this is preferable to having posh areas and ghettos?