ILE A VACHE, HAITI

The view from our boat was tranquil.

Thanks to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we have extensive experience with “boat boys”.  However, the boat boys in the bay at Port Morgan, Ile a Vache were in a class all their own.  Instead of focusing on selling cruisers like us some useless tourist trinkets, these lads were primarily intent on selling their services to clean, polish, guide or do anything else a boater may need.  Before our anchor was lowered, three pirogues were quickly paddling toward Exit Strategy. These small canoes, carved out of mango wood, appear to leak profusely and are usually manned by two, so one person can keep baling.  We motioned for them to back off and allow us time to set the hook and they obliged. Creole is the official language of Haiti, so we were pleasantly surprised to find that many of the children speak English.  In school they either learn English or French as a second language.  In a blink, about a dozen other pirogues made their way out to greet us and each one politely explained their particular service. We were fatigued from our 140 mile trip and sounded like a broken record- “No, merci, nothing today.”  Another half dozen or so skiffs manned by adults greeted us during the next few hours and we booked dinner with two of them. One policeman came to collect a $5 US anchoring fee.  After a quiet meal, we drifted off to a sound sleep in the clear still waters of the bay.

This boat boy offered to sell us a puppy since we
had no work for him.  Another sang to us in Creole.

This pirogue was a delux model.

      

At sunrise, sweet birdsong harmonized with passing fishermen singing as they poled their goose-winged sailboats out of the bay. Later that morning, we bought a few hours of internet time using a Hotspot from one of the islands entrepreneurial teens. He gave us a price of $3 US/hr. and we bargained it down to $2.50/hr. (The exchange rate is 43 Gourdes: $1 US, but on Ile a Vache they use the rate of 40 Gourdes: $1 US.) We also made arrangements with another teen for him to go and buy some Haitian beer on the mainland and bring us the change in US dollars.  That afternoon we took a walk around the Port Morgan Hotel and down the dirt road (no pavement on island) into the village.  There were groups of locals and school children milling around various food/drink/snack stands during their lunch break, but no restaurants or stores were in sight.

Part of Port Morgan Hotel

   

That evening we dinghied across the bay to have dinner at Jean Jean’s. Our spoken menu choice was chicken or conch, so we ordered one of each the day before.  Mounds of food were served family style to just the two of us.  Six other patrons had dinner there that night and were served in a similar manner.  Our tab for the meal that included drinks was $26 US.

The main road to the village

These horses are small, but they pack a lot, including people.

     

There is a market twice a week in the village of Madame Bernard that is a few miles away from Port Morgan.  We had one teen guide us their via our dinghy, as we also wanted to drop off a donation of goods at St. Francois d’ Assises School and Orphanage.  We found the market loosely organized and found what we wanted to buy when our guide Cezar led us through the maze of stalls.  They sold much more than fresh fruit and vegetables there (average cost of a half dozen of anything was 25 Gourdes or about $.60 US). Some vendors had clothing, others had paper goods, and while still others sold drug store items like shampoos, lotions, and over the counter medication. We even saw a steer being hacked up on a large table in the full sun.

Recess!

I thought this little guy was sleeping, but he gave me a
huge sweet smile when I touched his arm and spoke to him.

    

Up the hill from the market is where one can find the Centre d’Accueil St. Francois d’Assises.  Sr. Flora, a petit Canadian nun, runs the orphanage that houses 70 children, 25 of which are severely handicapped.  We stopped to leave a donation of goods and to see the children, although we did not meet Sr. Flora because she was in New York seeking charitable contributions. 

 

That evening we had arranged for Dou Dou and his wife Vilna to prepare and bring us a traditional Haitian meal for $10 US per person. Dou Dou and Vilna are soft spoken individuals and handed us a flyer written in English to explain their dinner plan because they don’t know much English.  When they arrived in their pirogue, I took their Dutch oven-sized pot and three plastic containers below to transfer the food into our pots and pans.  While doing so, I saw there was way too much food for just Dan and me.  So I asked them in as much French as I could muster if they would like to eat dinner WITH us.  They looked surprised, but happily accepted.  We had the BEST time visiting with them and I think they enjoyed the multicultural and lingual experience as much as we did.  In fact, they invited us to come and eat at their home the next time we visit the island and we certainly will!

Notre amis, Dou Dou and Vilna

Prior to visiting Ile a Vache, we had the impression that the islanders were quite poor from what we had read in various publications.  However, after touring part of the island and interacting with some of the people, we found them far less needy than expected. The children and people were clean, smartly dressed, and appeared well-nourished.  Some of the teens had cell phones and IPods.  Yes, the boat boys want to earn money, but they do not beg for food or money.  There are no cars on Ile a Vache, but they do walk, and ride bikes or horses.  Electricity is not widespread because there is no power plant and it is not cabled over from the mainland.  They have access to good water, as we witnessed many youngsters carrying jugs home from the village well, but don’t have running water because it is not piped throughout the island.  We never once smelled sewage as often occurs in other more developed islands. Their land is fertile enough to grow fresh fruit and vegetables and raise livestock.  Circumstances on Ile a Vache allow them to live a simpler life than the average foreigner visitor.  And that is somewhat of a blessing.

Southern Coast of the Dominican Republic

El Toro sculpture in Santa Domingo's square

[PLEASE FORGIVE THIS LONG POST, BUT THE DR IS A VERY LONG ISLAND!]

So we took a “ride” to the Dominican Republic.  Actually, we did enjoy enough wind to sail once we reached the southeastern coast of this vast island.  This portion of our float plan was the first time we would be voyaging without paper charts.  No worries, though, as s/v Exit Strategy carries an assortment of new-fangled electronic charts, such as on our Raymarine chart plotter, both laptops, the IPad, the Tab 3, and the latest versions of Frank Virgintino’s FREE Cruising Guides for the Caribbean we would cover.

Marina Zar-Par in the background

The public beach is packed on weekends.

   
BOCA CHICA- We chose Boca Chica as our first port of call because it is located midway on the coast and we knew we could leave our boat safely and tour from there. At the Marina Zar-Par we experienced our first of many Customs & Immigration procedures AND the truly pleasant nature of the island’s people. Staff at the marina waved us to the fuel dock so the customs officer and his entourage could easily board our vessel. Four men, plus Rigo, the Dock Master (who spoke English), stepped into our cockpit.  Rigo translated for us as necessito, but they threw an awful lot of Espanol around before Rigo offered us a simple summary.  One agent conducted a rudimentary search of the vessel, looking in most all the stowage areas.  The paperwork was completed on board and then they escorted Dan off the boat to their office. Rigo said that I had to stay on the boat.  Dan returned shortly after paying the clearance fees which included  the customary “propinas” (tips) for each official.

We spoke at length with Frank Virgintino. (far back in center)

Ceiling of the DR's Government Mausoleum in Santo Domingo

     
We walked the coast just east of the marina passing first the public beach where care is taken  daily to attempt to clear the litter, with weak results as the breeze easily tosses paper and plastic about. Then you get to the sands in the resort section and what a difference, as there are trash cans to keep refuse in its place. We found throngs of beach vendors around the resorts, who do take a polite “No, gracias” for an answer.  One can get a massage, a pedicure or manicure, hats, sunglasses, fresh fruit, ice cream, inflatable beach toys, huge paintings, T-shirts, jewelry, cold drinks.  Along the streets in Boca Chica one can get more than a massage day or night. We also sighted our first whales of the season- sunburned, lounging in chairs and speaking a variety of tongues possibly from the Mediterranean region.

Rigo served as our shopping guide/translator.

Larimar (Google Image)

      
One day we joined another American cruising couple to tour Santo Domingo, the capitol city. We had a splendid time with Barbara and Ted (s/v Rosa Dos Ventos) shopping, lunching, and taking a historical walking tour.  The jewel of the Dominican Republic is a stone called Larimar that was discovered on a beach here a few hundred years ago and only began being sought as a gem in 1974. It is still mined today and crafted into some quite exquisite pieces.  The problem is- EVERYONE here wants to sell you some.  Having a multitude of shop keepers trying to entice you to purchase Larimar from their case can be a daunting task. (Been there….done that.)

Boys will be boys.

Guarding the Mausoleum

   
LA SALINAS- as the name implies, this port has some heavy duty salt ponds behind a few nice resorts.  Mr. Virgintino said that we could get a despacho from here to leave the DR, however, we quickly found out that you can’t get there from here. By the time we anchored in La Salinas, it was nearly six-thirty in the evening, so we thought we’d go into customs first thing in the morning. But Dan noticed a man was standing on the dock whistling and waving frantically at us.  So he hurried to lower the dinghy from the davits and attach the motor.  At the dock, the customs agent spoke no English but somehow made it clear that we could NOT get a despacho to leave the DR in La Salinas.  He would, however, give us a despacho to go get one in Barahona if Dan met him on that same dock at 8 AM the next morning.  

 

         
Dinner ashore was wonderfully filling, mainly because we mistakenly ordered three entrees. We thought the calamari was just an appetizer because it cost the equivalent of $8 US (350 RD), while the lobster platters were each priced at 700 RD (about $16 US).  Once again, the waitress kept looking at ME to translate for Dan because she didn’t speak English.  By this date, I had plenty of Duolingo lessons under my belt and had already muddled our way through one and a half Spanish speaking islands, so one would think I would have a better command of the language…

Barahona's waterfront was picturesque.

SANTA CRUZ DE BARAHONA- Although we were both annoyed to add another stop in the DR, Dan spotted a whale and her calf briefly while en route there. I suggested that sending us this way was a blessing in disguise.   Soon after we anchored, we heard a person calling to us from the shore who indicated that the officials were across the bay at a marina dock trying to get our attention. (Here we go again…)  We dinghied to the marina dock and four non-English speaking men climbed into the dinghy so we could take them back to the boat.  We asked for a despacho to leave at 5AM the next morning, hoping they would let us have one that evening.  But, NO-O-O.  Dan was told to come into the office at 6 AM the next morning.  He set the alarm and got there in plenty of time only to learn that the agent still needed to come back to the boat to inspect it!  This time only two men came and one attempted to speak English to us by s-l-o-w-l-y speaking Spanish! (So OK, I did get more meaning from some of the words as he employed that particular technique.)  He gave us a despacho and Dan gave them a generous propina before taking them back to the dock.  Upon his return, Dan commented to me about the unusual way Dominicans spell JAMAICA – "Allemane".  On closer inspection we saw that it was NOT our despacho!  Dan sped back to the custom’s office to secure the correct despacho and we managed to leave by around eight o’clock- a mere three hours later than we had liked.

ISLA BEATA-  Upon leaving Barahona it was necessary for us to dodge jug fishing lines for the first two hours. Spacing themselves about a quarter mile apart, we passed about thirty fishermen who stood in their small boats to watch for a moving jug that indicated a catch.  Many smiled and waved, but a few with larger outboards yelled at us and gestured a safe route around their lines.  We ran over two lines while working our way through the maze.  Later, when we set out our own pole, we snagged a colorful mahi mahi that jumped free about twenty feet off the stern.

 

Everyone said, “You’ve got to make a rest stop at Isla Beata.  It’s so beautiful!”    We were SO looking forward to a quiet, clear, unencumbered anchorage.  Imagine our utter surprise when we rounded the point to enter the anchorage only to see a fleet of small fishing boats lining the shore and as many shanties under the trees on the beach.  Once anchored, we both donned our snorkel gear as Dan needed to clear fishing line from the propeller and I needed to check the anchor.  Minutes later, we saw a boat with three men making its way toward us.  Two of them boarded our vessel and the only English they spoke was “Coca Cola” and “Passports”.  We were shocked that we would have to go through the clearance procedure again.  The cruising guide and those who recommended Isla Beata said NOTHING about this.  Dan was so shaken, he could barely speak.  I went below to get our despacho while he tried to explain that we were only stopping to fix the fouled prop and rest- two acceptable excuses to use when stopping somewhere without a specific despacho, according to Mr. Virgintino.  One official reviewed the despacho and made notes in his notebook and another kept saying something about pescado (fish).  Finally, they pointed to Dan and gestured that he had to go ashore with them and made it clear that I must remain on the boat.  As Dan gathered his official papers to leave, I handed him our Spanish-English Dictionary.  Less than an hour later, they brought Dan back. He was all smiles as he hoisted a large black plastic bag onto the deck and cordially bid the men farewell saying, “Gracias amigos, adios!”  The bag held eight pounds of fresh snapper.  It seems that they were not customs agents after all, but merely islanders who wanted to welcome us and sell us some fish at a great price.  That night we had a grilled snapper dinner, froze two other meals worth, and I minced up some for ceviche we could eat during the next 130 mile leg of our journey.

Full moon rising over Isla Beata

The Mona Passage

     We debated long and hard about including the Dominican Republic in this season’s itinerary.  We had read both good things and bad things about the requirements for cruising the island.  We’d talked with other cruisers and got reports that were extremely negative, as well as entirely positive.  After much consideration, we decided to go to the Dominican Republic and that meant we would have to cross the much dreaded MONA PASSAGE!       So early one morning, we hauled up anchor and left the perfect setting of Bahia Salinas, Puerto Rico. Within two minutes we were in the MONA PASSAGE*!  This area lies between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and the sea is most often tumultuous and unpredictable.  The fetch from the north sweeps down through the passage and stirs things up quite a bit.  If there are any significant weather fronts coming down from the any northern point, maneuvering through this area is like unto sailing in a giant washing machine- so we’ve been told.  We were expecting the worst.  I was wearing my day glow orange bikini and shirt ensemble, so I could be more easily retrieved incase I fell overboard.  (I’m not joking- I always put on bright colors when making a passage.)      But alas- there was very little wind!  We attached the whisker pole in an effort to make the most of what little breeze there was, motor-sailing wing on wing. It was no help and the sails flapped in a steady beat from the sway of the vessel upon the windless sea.  After a few hours, it occurred to me that people PRAY for these conditions while crossing the Mona.       About fifteen hours later near 11:30 PM, and along the Dominican Republic’s southern coast the winds were a steady 10-12 knots and we turned off the engine.  It was so much quieter then and at least one of us was able to enjoy a restful break off watch.  We arrived in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic just before noon the following day.

*In retrospect,  I suppose we didn’t actually pass THROUGH the Mona passage, as we skirted the very southern edge of it.

Puerto Rico’s Southern Coast

One view of Puerto Rico from one of its gorgeous cays

 
We had friends over the evening before we left Honeymoon Bay.  They innocently inquired if we’d be motor-sailing to Puerto Rico.  We’ve never cruised with them, so they weren’t aware that we prefer to SAIL our sailboat whenever possible.  Well- that innocent exchange must have jinxed us because we had very little wind for the first four days of our trip as we cruised the southern coast of Puerto Rico. Nevertheless, Exit Strategy arrived in Puerto Pastillas without incident to clear in and rest for the night. The Captain phoned in to utilize our LBO (Local Boaters Option) to clear customs, but was politely notified by the agent that our vessel should actually be anchored/moored/berthed in a port where Customs and Immigration were located to properly use the LBO.  The Captain apologized profusely and the agent was forgiving.  (You learn something new everyday.)

View from the lighthouse on Isla Caya de Muertes

 Puerto Rico' mountain range beyond s/v Exit Strategy

      
The next morning in the absence of wind, we motored for our next destination and hooked a tasty king mackerel en route that will provide five or so Lenten meals.  By midday, Exit Strategy was safely anchored off of one of Puerto Rico’s lovely National Parks- Isla Caya de Muertes. There are a number of stories that explain how this unspoiled island got its name and they all have to do with pirates, love, and a coffin.  Currently, the only inhabitants are NP employees who serve as caretakers and overseers of its use, as it gets quite an influx of PR party boaters each weekend and holiday.  We were there during the week and enjoyed its clear,calm waters and shady trails from tip to tip and up to the old lighthouse.  While walking one rocky shore, we found the largest whelks yet.

My brother Marty fashioned some killer lures for us.
(Note the barracuda teeth marks)

Ponce, Puerto Rico’s second largest city, was a short trip just northwest of Isla Caya de Muertes. We had two reasons to stop here. First, we needed to get an official paper dispacho from PR Customs to present to the officials when we’d arrive in the Dominican Republic. Second, the Captain wanted to shop at a marine chandlery that a cruiser friend had touted.  Ponce is very populated, commercial port situated on a huge bay; however much of the bay is unsuitable for anchoring cruising vessels such as ours.  The alternative is to anchor/moor in a small protected bay near the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club.  We anchored there and dinghied to the Y & F Club dock to learn what we could about the area. What we quickly learned was that we could indeed live without the guest services of the Y & F Club!  The clerk’s eyes gleamed brightly at me as she exclaimed that for only 10$/person/day I could use their laundry, take a bus to shop at the mall, use their showers/restrooms, leave the dinghy at their secured dock, use the gym, or use their restaurant. I knew immediately that my desire to do laundry or shop at the mall was not that significant. We left and found a small unsecured dock at the other end of the bay not far from the boat near restaurants on the boardwalk where we could lock the dinghy and rub elbows a bit with some friendly local fishermen.

Cool custom cleat, wouldn't you agree?

We had no problem finding Customs along the coast in Ponce, but couldn’t find a dock to leave the dinghy.  We finally tied up nearby at the US Coast Guard dock with permission. Getting the despacho paperwork was a relatively simple procedure, but the wait was unusually long- and there was no line in front of us. The official said that it was very good for us to request the despacho because the Dominican Republic officials would have charged us more to clear in without one. 
That afternoon, the Captain set off on his own to hunt for that recommended chandlery, namely Ponce Nautic. He returned about two hours later wagging his head and dripping with sweat- empty handed. It seems that he walked every nearby road that he could find, not once, but twice.  He even stopped to ask a number of people(which is SO out of character for him) and followed their gestured directions with no luck.  I tried to soothe him by suggesting maybe tomorrow…
Later we strolled the boardwalk to find a restaurant for dinner. Along the way we passed a ZUMBA class in full swing! (Perhaps I would have been made aware of that IF I paid my guest fee at the Y & F Club…)  We settled at a restaurant that was packed, figuring that the food must be good.  What we didn’t notice until it was too late was that the crowd all seemed to be Spring Breakers.
[IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE: I have been learning Spanish online through www.Duolingo.com to prepare for this portion of our voyage. I also bought a Spanish-English Dictionary AND downloaded a translation AP on my Tab 3, but keep forgetting to take them ashore.]
So at the restaurant, I told our young waitress that I wanted to practice my Spanish.  She smiled and admitted that her English was not good.  Then I ordered in Espanol and she proceeded to speak ONLY English to me.  She even came back to table several times to ask ME for clarification on the Captain’s order- like HE didn’t speak English.  The food was delicious and worth the wait, but I didn’t get much of a chance for my Spanish to shine as I had hoped.
The next morning, we set off for Day 2 of the search for Ponce Nautic with GPS on Tab 3 in hand and found it a short walk from our anchorage. As it turned out, though, it had nothing in stock that we needed to purchase, except a dry bag for the Tab 3. 

Next we set sail for a small group of cays just Southeast of Guanica, PR and FINALLY experienced some real wind that gusted at times to 22 knots.  It is often called “Gilligan’s Island”, so it is intriguing for our generation. On the charts it is called Cayos de Cana Gorda.   The island is all mangrove with some small paths, and the current is too strong to snorkel on the good side of the adjacent reef. Ferry boats bring resort guests hourly and I would skip it the next time we’re in the vicinity unless we need safe anchorage for the night.
Our last night in Puerto Rico was spent in Bahia de Salinas on the far southwestern coast. This bay is lined with a few resorts on the expansive sandy shore that ends at the rocky point called Punta Rojo.  A beautiful new lighthouse sits on the point to direct mariners away from the dangerous rocks.

Buenos noches, Puerto Rico! Hasta la vista!