Georgetown to DR – Then to PR -I’ve Never Been So Scared!

Back down in "The Hole"

After Cap worked and worked on our generator and seemed to get it going – albeit with duct tape – we decided to by-pass the Turks and Caicos and go straight to the DR (Dominican Republic) for some help with new parts for the generator. We didn’t need the generator when travelling on engine power – so if it acted up again we wouldn’t even know it.



breakfast on the aft deck while underway!

So we left Georgetown and traveled to Mayaguana as a sort of test run to see how things would go. They went well…. Calm seas! We anchored in Abrahams Bay next to three other sailboats and couldn’t get over the extreme clarity of this beautiful anchorage. It had much more surrounding reef – we had to look closely for reef entering the anchorage – and this reef supported so much beautiful sea life – Sea plants and fish and many, many starfish.  It was a good anchorage and our hook held tight despite the many rocks and questionable bottom.

12 ft deep water so clear!

Next morning we woke and raised the anchor and started motoring to the DR. We had heard a lot of negative stories about “greasing palms” and corruption in the DR. Everyone seems to be a self-nominated authority that will help you – for a price - and they push themselves on you. There are “boat boys” that attach themselves to you and you pay them to help with all manner of things. Because this is foreign to us, we decided not to go to Luperon and anchor – but rather go to Ocean World Marina – which does things more US style and with less “greasing of the palms” for the help. Besides – we needed a mechanic and the marina had that sort of help available.


My 1/2 pie - baked while underway!

So we carried on into that deep trench of the Atlantic Ocean, where depths of 6-12,000 feet were normal and settled into our 3 hour watch schedule. It started out very calm, so I decided to make a Key Lime Pie while we were underway! But shortly after I placed it in the oven to cook, the waves and wind picked up and we started getting quite a rock and roll and pitching. Oh no! The pie was spilling all over! I wanted to just throw it out – but Cap said we should try it out – so I kept it (or at least the half pie that was left after it slopped all over!)  The wind and waves steadily kept increasing. Our Kadey Krogen burgee began madly flapping back and forth and we stopped eating and drinking and started to hang on to all the rails when moving about. The seas seemed to keep building and it wasn’t long before we were battling 10-12 foot waves – with an occasional 15 footer to really scare me! It was exhausting and we were tired and anxious to get to port …..when….all of a sudden...de-de-de-de-CLUNK! The engine sputtered and stopped! NO ENGINE – AT ALL – IN THE MIDDLE OF 12,000 FEET DEEP WATER – WITH NO LAND IN SIGHT!!!

Poor Richard – I have no idea about the systems – or how to help. He was on his own in this nightmare – he was the only one capable of trying to figure out why the engine stopped. So in all the mad rocking around, with the waves bashing our boat – Cap climbed down into the hot engine room to troubleshoot. He poked and looked and did whatever – but wasn’t sure what the problem was. So he just tried to restart the engine and it chugged and chugged – but wouldn’t turn over. Was this process taking a hundred years? I’m thinking – because it sure felt like it! Then he flipped some switches and bingo! She started up again – but she continued on this stop and go path for most of the 40 hours of our trip. I know it stopped at least six times – then we both lost count.

This is NOT our boat -but an idea of the seas

Being at sea when it’s rough is bad enough. It’s like a super Pilates class –you are constantly working your core to fight the waves and keep your body balanced. It’s how we both lost 10 pounds during this voyage and it’s probably actually good for us!  But having engine failure in “the middle of nowhere” – with no one around is a true nightmare. Actually – this has been extremely difficult to write about all this, as I have to REMEMBER the actual events again – something I prefer not to do without alcohol!

The bottom line here is that we had recurrent problems with both our generator and our engine – to the point of exhaustion for both of us and great fear and worry.

Richard actually was a brick during it all and once we reached Ocean World in the Dominican Republic, we got immediate help to fix our generator. It needed new hoses (they were leaking at the connection and also wearing through the rubber). The dock master, Eddy found a fabulous worker that he nicknamed “Monkey”. Monkey knew everything about generators and in one day got the whole deal back to working order! Relief!

Captain went down to polish the fuel and found we had water and dirt in our fuel – the most likely reason for causing the engine to stop. So he cleaned it all up and we used the Baja filter to refuel with – although the fuel was totally clean at Ocean World Marina. Sufficiently satisfied that all was in working order – we cast off for the long, non-stop trip to Boquerón, Puerto Rico via the Mona Passage. When we left, we thought it was perfect timing. The weather window was perfect and our Genny had been fixed by a terrific staff. We had a great stay and everyone was so kind and friendly! We both really loved the Dominican Republic. 

So we cast off again for the difficult Mona Passage - where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea- where winds and currents, waves and navigating are notoriously difficult. Again - we looked to all our weather indicators - including Chris Parker - the weather gribs and such - and all pointed to a good time to cross. But, as we approached Punta Cabron, the seas began to steepen dramatically and the wind increased to 25 kts. It was beginning to get dark and there was a whole lot of rocking and rolling - something I should be used to by now!  But with the banging and crashing of all our cabinet contents, my nerves were getting frayed!  Cap and I discussed it - should we chance it and continue? Since we were "newbies" to this passage, we agreed to abort our crossing to PR and change course to return to the DR - to Samana and eventually Puerto Bahia Marina .

Now there’s so much explaining to do….. A trip is planned with weather (wind /waves/ conditions etc.) in mind and also the timing of the end point – our arrival time. Because this is the Caribbean- there are dangerous areas of reef and rocks and shoals to manage. For this reason we usually try to arrive at an anchorage or marina in daytime hours – preferably with the sun behind us – for best visibility upon entering a new area. There are lots of aids to navigation – Charts, E-Charts, chart books with advice and waypoints for tight areas and maps of depths and obstructions. But the human eye is also important and we must never forget our instincts.

So when we turned the corner for comfort at 3 am- it was the wrong time to enter a port. Cap and I looked to

our Nobletec chart to guide us into a protected anchorage -a perfect spot-near Samana, so that we could get a few hours sleep after the exhaustion of battling the sea conditions. Then, when daylight arrived we could resume our trek to Puerto Bahia Marina. 

Immigration bringing our "Despacho"

I could have kissed the water at that anchorage – I was so happy to have made it to safety! We got 4 hours sleep and awoke to the most beautiful vision of a natural tropical area!

We were near a little fishing village – early morning fishing boats motoring about us, getting their day’s catch.  It was peaceful and idyllic and gave us the inner strength to continue on – not knowing what to expect, since we had already checked out of the DR through Customs and Immigration. We arrived at the most beautiful marina we have yet encountered - Puerto Bahia Marina! It felt like Miami – or South Beach – very swank – but in a beautiful tropical and mountainous setting.

Customs and Immigration treated us very fairly, since we had bad weather - they only charged us a partial fee for returning to the DR after "checking out" for Puerto Rico. Things went very smoothly after that and we enjoyed our marina stay very much!  


                                                               This is where we met our friends

I was embarrassed - but it tasted good!

Ann at Puerto Bahia Marina

Bill and Ann from M/V Ann Louise – another Kadey Krogen! It turns out they were also headed for Trinidad! – And just like that we struck up a friendship with this wonderful couple from Roswell, Georgia and Isle of Palms, SC! Bill invited us on the Ann Louise for a vegan dinner and I brought some wine and the now famous " Sloppy Key Lime Pie"!

So for the next few days Cap worked on our engine, and we enjoyed a beautiful Easter in an idyllic location. We shared a rental car with Bill and Ann and motored from the marina to tour the environs of Samana, and even ventured to Las Terrenas – a terrific French/ Italian expat resort area that was really fun.



Easter Sunday we went to the Catholic Church service –which was all in Spanish – but very enjoyable nevertheless, and then enjoyed a barbeque of mixed grill and lobster at the marina poolside bistro with Bill and Ann. This was a big holiday weekend and the marina actually flew in a well known singer – Laura Corazon -with her band in for an evening concert. It was all good fun!



Mona Island

So the guys watched the weather, listening to Chris Parker daily (weather guru) and when a 2 day window came up, we both decided to leave the luxury of the marina and attempt to cross the dreaded and turbulent Mona Passage to Puerto Rico.  Bill and Ann "buddy boated" with us and it gave us some peace of mind, in case we had another breakdown that might be irreparable. It would be an overnight passage -14 hours if we went straight through -and the seas were normally 6-8 feet – on a good day.  We were hoping for a good day! Everything went well – at first – but then we started having the engine cut off again. The seas were heavier that predicted – and also the winds. For the next 5 hours we kept having the engine stop - Talk about stress! Cap went into "the hole" and found we had a problem with air in the system and finally worked some magic to keep the engine going - at last! We maintained our watches and prayed the boat would not stop again. But both captains decided the passage was rough and tiring and a plan to anchor at Mona Island (in the middle of the passage to PR) was struck. Getting into the anchorage on Mona is a bit tricky. Anchorages aren’t marked like in the USA and the island was surrounded by a reef – with just a narrow opening to get through to a channel close to the beach with 8ft of depth of crystal clear water and mooring balls to tie up to. That’s because it is part of the National Park System of PR. So Cap went first and very slowly meandered up the channel to a nice spot and we picked up the mooring ball and tied off and sat back and relaxed! Perfect! “Ann Louise” was right behind and we

M/V Ann Louise "Buddy Boating"

moored side-by-side. Everyone had something to eat and took a nap! After a 4 hour respite, we carried on – back out and towards PR.

Cap wanted to go to Salinas – as he’d read it was a great anchorage, but Bill and Ann thought they had to check-in with immigration in Mayaguez. We had a CBP (Customs & Border Patrol) sticker for the boat and had obtained an LOB (Local Boaters Option) from customs and immigration back in Sarasota. This is supposed to make clearing in and out of US and it territories much faster and easier – with only a phone call. So “Ann Louise” decided to join us and go to Salinas. The anchorage was calm and quiet and mostly flat – but with those fabulous trade winds to cool off the day. We called up the immigration number and – to make a long story short – they wanted to come to Salinas and see us face-to-face. There was another sailing boat also clearing in – and customs was so kind and got all the paperwork completed and said: “Welcome Home!” to us on leaving.

It’s often difficult to get a good internet connection and take the time to write all this on paper. We want to spend our spare time having fun and touring around. After being retired for over 7 months now, I am starting to adjust my morning rising time to 6:30 am and it feels natural. I’m hoping to get some of this writing done in the early am, before all the other stuff happens that keeps us so busy!

We had fun in Salinas with our boating friends. They rented a car and we shared it with them, and we toured around – seeing San Juan and Old San Juan, Ponce and a myriad of places in between. We enjoyed meeting many other boaters in that little community of Salinas, as well as reconnecting with some old friends…….Until next time, when I tell you more about “Isla del Encanto”……

Time to “Chat & Chill” - Georgetown, Great Exuma

We arrived in Georgetown right AFTER the sailing regatta had completed. They have an annual sailing regatta and it is a big deal and draws many people and over 500 cruisers. The day we cruised into the harbor there were still hundreds of sailing boats anchored, but the next day at least 50 boats left and each day thereafter – until our anchorage had only about 50 boats left there. 

No matter…. There were still a good amount of boats there and a strong cruising community. They use VHF channel 68 to communicate to each other, and every morning at 8:00am Herman from s/v “White Wing” goes on VHF channel 72 and reports the news for cruisers. He runs about 45 minutes to an hour and has a specific format he follows every day. He starts with the weather report from Chris Parker and NOAA and goes into boaters needs (emergencies), advertisements of local restaurants and things to do like Yoga or lectures, etc. Then he does a buy-and-sell spot (a boater’s garage sale –if you will.) Next -there’s any request for help fixing things on your boat, and then Herman asks for a “shout out” – a thank you to boaters who have helped other boaters. He wraps it up asking if there is anything else anybody wants to say and then signs off. Then VHF 68 is abuzz with boaters responding to all the needs from Herman’s news. I’ve never seen it this organized in the other anchorages we’d been to. Boaters usually pick a channel to talk to each other – but this is really widespread and most boaters depend on it. And Herman gives pointers – like when and where to take your garbage and how to get a water taxi or a pump-out or a doctor. He also gives safety tips and nice to know things –like –“use a lot of painter on your dinghy when you tie up to the dock and always use your kill switch for safety”. Some cruisers think it is too organized – but I thought it was amazing! I loved hearing the news and the local chatter. It’s like listening in on someone’s telephone conversation. You really get to know what’s going on pretty fast!

So when we got anchored and settled and got our dinghy down and tied to our stern, we did our usual exploring the island. We actually anchored at Stocking Island (so named because of its shape) – Which was a 1 mile dinghy ride to” downtown” (I say that loosely) Georgetown, and a 5 minute ride to Chat & Chill Beach (I say that with great exuberance!) Elizabeth Harbor is large and wide and choppy. It is famous for its wet dinghy rides. A lot of cruisers stand in their dinghy to keep dry. Others wear yellow rain gear to keep dry. We never worried – but some days we did get quite wet! Since I’d read about that before we left Sarasota – I had purchased several “dry bags” – waterproof bags to keep papers or computers in – or paper products you may buy at the store.

We decided that we would send for our U.S. mail – since it had been a month since we had last gotten any mail. We have a new address now – a post box made specifically for cruisers. We had the option of paying a little extra and having the mail scanned so we could decide if we wanted it forwarded or shredded. It’s quite expensive to forward the mail – we paid a simple $5 postage fee and then had it send by DHL – because to have it come regular mail to the Post Office would take 2-3 weeks! (See my previous photo of the Mail Boat!) So we paid some astronomical amount for DHL and Fredericka- at “Top to Bottom” general store – said they deliver every day – it should arrive in 3 days. That was Thursday…..okay….. So I went back to Pet’s Place (a restaurant and Wi-Fi Café – NOT a pet store!) and Richard told them via e-mail to forward the mail to Georgetown. Done.

Then all we had to do was relax and enjoy Georgetown- tour the island and get a few jobs done. We needed to look for the next weather window (3 days of good weather to cruise to the next island) and plan our route to the next stop on our way to Trinidad. I was all good. We headed into the free garbage dumpster for cruisers and ….uh oh…. It was gone. All full. So we took it over to the marina and paid the $2 for them to take it. Then we headed for the Batelco Phone Company. It’s always easy to spot these places because they are usually right next to the cell phone tower.

Now, you may remember from my previous entry – our friend Daisy – at the Staniel Cay BTE store. She was the one who sold us our phone plus phone and data package. She said they didn’t have a SIM card for my iPhone- so we bought a “flip” phone for $85 and some data and voice minutes. But neither of us could get the phone working after we’d returned to the boat – so we gave up and decided to wait for Georgetown (a metropolis compared!). This phone store was more like what we’re used to in the US. Still – it was the pretty blue and yellow color outside – but inside it had two saleswomen and about 15 models of various phones. If you’re wondering where all the Blackberry’s went after iPhones became the bomb – I’ll tell you – They’re all in the Bahamas! And I could have purchased one   $20 dollars more – had we waited. I sure do miss a key pad.

Well we got on line with all our receipts and our phone and box – ready for action. I’m afraid we arrived at the store on a Friday and 4:30pm and closing time was 5 pm. They were so nice there. The one girl giggled to the other girl when they read our charge receipt. It was like they had experienced previous dealings with Miss Daisy. They said the SIM card could have been cut to fit my iPhone – had Daisy known…….Anyway they completely reconfigured the flip phone and had it running with email and internet in 10 minutes! Yeah! I bought some extra phone time and we left – happy customers once again. These people at the BTE Store recommended J & K Electronics for Cap to get a dongle for his computer with a SIM card to get internet via the cell tower. Down we went to the "Computer Shack" run by Julius and Krystal. They were very nice and very knowledgeable and it didn't take long to get that done and up loaded.

Next we went into the Exuma Market to buy some fresh vegetables. The prices of everything in the Bahamas – food included – are astronomical. Just think of Beeronomy. You work out the price of beer in Florida- or wherever you live – then compare how many beers it takes to by – a lamp – or a dress – then do the same math with the price of a Bahamian beer and do the math. That’s the exchange rate – and it usually works out to about 2-3 times (or more) the cost of something in the USA. But that didn’t stop us spending $50 dollars for goodies – including a refill on Bryers Ice Cream! Cha-Ching!

Off to the dinghy –and back to the boat and time for a sundowner. Georgetown was the one island we seemed to eat out at a lot. We wanted to use the internet to connect with family and pay bills – and in order to do that we felt we should spend a decent amount of money patronizing the place – (you know -shop local) We had Snapper and Bahamian peas & rice, shrimp and salad, grouper fingers and even cheeseburgers and the Sunday Hog roast with cinnamon carrots, macaroni & cheese and garlic cole slaw (Bahamian staples!) at the Chat & Chill Beach Bar and Grill. Add to that tons of Kalik beer and now you have a mind’s eye picture of what we did there for the week!

The Chat & Chill is the local cruiser hangout. They have volleyball courts and teams to sign up for and they have the little Conch Shack – where they make fresh Conch Salad right there for you.  The sail boaters use the picnic tables to sew and repair their sails. Of course, Cap was at home in the bar – the closest thing to a pub that he’d seen in the Bahamas.

We were sitting at the bar and I said to Cap: “Doesn’t that guy look familiar? Is he someone from Bird Key, Fl?” and Cap quickly blurted out that it was Maury Povich. I was more amazed at Cap’s memory than the fact that a talk show host was next to us! Maury was very nice and asked us a lot about our cruising life. Of course that’s what he does and that’s what he’s good at – so it came easy for him – a non boater – to get the details on our adventure. He introduced us to all the people sitting with him – his wife Connie Chung and his children and some friends. It was fun and made us feel somewhat like celebs ourselves!

So after a few drinks and a great meal we dinghied back to “Partners” and vegged for a while, and then Cap decided to turn on the generator and…….WHOA!!!! Generator not working!  So here we go – lifting up all the floorboards and diving into the depths of our boat to check out the problem. There was black oil dripping from a hose and there was diesel dripping from somewhere we didn’t know. The suspect hose – when examined – showed a big hole in it where it had rested on a generator part and gradually worn through. The hose looked quite specialized and not something you could replace with new tubing. Uh Oh….. Well to make a very long story short – after getting on the cruiser net next morning to ask if anyone knew anything about our Gennie- we met a wonderful cruiser –Walter – from “M/V Summer of ‘42” who offered to come over and take a look. You see that’s what we do – help each other in times of stress and need – then get together for drinks and SG&T’s (Sundowner Gin & Tonics!) and enjoy the good parts.

Except the whole generator mess even stumped Walter. Nevertheless, I was happy that Cap had another “repair oriented” person aboard to consult with – I’m no good at that and apparently ask “stupid questions” that only seem to frustrate Cap more! Walter was suggesting glue, and Cap decided duct tape could work for the hose. After many, many stabs at repair, filter changes, duct taping, adjusting, and attempting to start her up numerous times – Cap somehow got her going!

Yeah! But it did sort of spoil the fun – because we knew it was a temporary fix and we would have to have a new part either flown in or made special – so now we wanted to get to the Dominican Republic – where they have more parts than Georgetown. We’d called and hunted at every possible place with no luck in finding the needed parts. So it was decided – we’re leaving – right after the mail comes tomorrow.

But tomorrow came and no mail – and the next day- and finally we started getting a little testy and pushing Frederika to call and find out the problem – Oh! The guy who picks up the mail from the local airport missed one bag in the corner! And – Voila! “You’ve got Mail!” So we had a breakfast at the local café and went through our month and a half of collected mail, and then zoomed back to our boat -pulled anchor and headed for the DR.



Repairing Sails at the Beach

Swimming in crystal clear water

Conch Shack at Chat & Chill