By leaving the British Virgins we also left behind what is best described as the Caribbean boating playground. From now on going west the number of yachts is decreasing and with it the facilities for yachties. For the first time since we started in July 2011 we also had no crew on board, except for Susanne of course. By now I guess she has become the ‘staple’. The boat felt kind of … life-less and deserted, but after a few hours – sorry, days - we got used to it and started to enjoy it.
The next stop was Cruz Bay on St. John in the US Virgin Islands; there we received a dress rehearsal by customs and immigration, a taste of what was in store for Puerto Rico. But to that later ……
Besides still searching for that extraordinary beach or anchorage our program focused now on jobs for the boat. Time had come to exchange our trustworthy Portuguese made Valiant dinghy for the more UV and tropical sun resistant type. Charlotte Amalie, the capitol of St. Thomas in the US Virgins seemed the best place. Not only did we manage to find the ‘Caribe’ dinghy we wanted and at a good price, but one of the mechanics in the dealership was prepared to buy our old one. Easy - first job done!
Second on the list was a sail maker - we found the iconic 72 year old, but still going strong German [of course, what else do you expect] Manfred Dittrich, hiding away on an island in Long Bay on St. Thomas. Down came the sail and off we went … with a few prudently placed seams he took the flapping out of our genoa. Thanks Manfred !!!
Hopefully it won’t end up looking like this.
The two bigger jobs were done and we continued on our merry way west, headed for Vieques in the Spanish Virgin Islands. I didn’t mind it, but Susanne didn’t appear too impressed …..
The next bay around though was perfect to give the new dinghy a ‘run for its money’ - meaning we dug out our water skies to fulfill Susanne’s birthday wish.
Then the theatre opened with the grand performance – we arrived in US almost proper, speak Puerto Rico and had an awesome display of the Department of Homeland Security’s subsidiary called ‘Customs and Border Protection’. I do not want to waste any more of my time [nor yours] by describing their procedures in detail, but the display of the ‘keep-our-borders-secure-phobia’ wasn’t even worth cashing in on our hard earned US visa – we should have stayed away. How lucky are we not needing to live in that country. Basta – no more of that ….
Puerto Rico itself is a nice enough island with ‘Old San Juan’ being worth the visit. The reason for stopping here in the first place was to inspect the Campofresco juice factory / bottling plant of our sailing companion August, who gave us an individual tour and stocked us up with juice lasting until the antipodes. The world’s largest radio telescope situated in Arecibo was also impressive, but for the rest PR was way too much like US.
We left Ponce yacht club on the south coast of Puerto Rico with destination Dominican Republic, distance 175 nm straight east. To get there we had to cross the Mona Passage, renown for its erratic swell and currents. To make things worse we had hardly any wind and as a result bounced around for most of the night. To get a break we made for Mona Island, located in the middle of the channel. But just as we searched for the passage through the reef to get to the beach the forecasted 20kn nor-easterly finally arrived and we decided to continue. After another 8 hours of steady sailing we dropped anchor at Saona Island off the south eastern tip of the Dominican republic. What a magnificent welcome.
Final destination was the marina Zar Par in Boca Chica. The plan was to finish the list of maintenance jobs on the boat and in between experience the island of Hispaniola by day trips.
After having been here now for almost three weeks I must say that the Dominican Republic is a clear ‘reality-check’ compared to most other Caribbean islands. Life is a daily struggle for survival for the larger part of its population as the country faces politically, socially and economically some serious challenges. Having been without colonial mentor for almost 200 years, determination provided this people with an early independence and a colourful history, which was not without problems. Despite the lack of money, infrastructure, resources and general basic education this determination still shows in the vigor and strong zest for living life in the here and now. In the buzzing capitol Santo Domingo and also throughout the rest of the country, cars and motorbikes deemed clearly un-roadworthy in many other countries are used very effectively as public transport and to bring produce to the consumer.
The rampant rate of new born babies is responsible for the average age of the population to be very low with 26.1 years. Non-existent long-term vision and planning result in very high unemployment and many people including a large number of Haitian refuges live in sub-human conditions in metropolitan slums and villages; forgotten and without future, a breeding ground for crime and prostitution. However, despite all that people are friendly, have a smile on their face and get on with life.
Perhaps a few last impressions of the wonderful Caribbean before heading for Central America - Colombia and Panama – and more adventures.
