Dominican Republic
















 
 

We left Turks and Caicos a few days shy of a month. It was time to go.

To be honest, we’d had a rough time since our arrival in the Bahamas and we were considering possibly calling it quits. 

Ever since crossing the Gulf Stream  the winds has been on our bow making it hard to sail especially with our limited experience so we did more motor sailing than we would have liked to. We also didn’t meet as many cruisers because most were staying in the popular areas of the Bahamas and we were heading further south in the less populated areas before heading for the Caribbean.

Turks and Caicos islands are for the wealthy. That’s how we felt. We didn’t encounter any other sailboat cruisers in our 3 plus weeks. They all sailed by without stopping or if they did, only for a overnight anchor for a rest. No wonder since the government charges exorbitant fees just for the privilege of entering their country. Not only is that not  enough, you must also pay a good sum to leave the country as well. If we didn’t have our great friend Andy living here and having a ton of boat parts of his on board our boat, we too would have avoided this chain of Islands.

Since this was our experience  so far, we seriously thought of throwing in the towel, putting the boat up for sale and returning to Canada.

We decided to get to the Dominican Republic before making such a big decision.

It was a brutal crossing. We left at 2 am and finally arrived in Luperon at 6 pm. Totally fried after being bashed in huge waves and winds for 16 hours, we got on the VHF radio for info and friends from our marina in Florida picked up to greet us and help us in. Then another friend that we met  in the Bahamas came to greet us in his dinghy. It was so welcoming after such a hard passage.

A few things among many that were  great to see were the mountains and the lush green on our arrival. What a refreshing change from the flat landscape and sandstone of the Bahamas and TCI .

It’s really beautiful here. We love to see the different culture, language and landscape. Yes poverty is high. Somethings you wish were different, more balanced  but ...

For now we are continuing our journey. This Island changed our minds and attitude.So looking forward to seeing more.

Cheers 

Mike and Pierrette 

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 5, 2021 at 7:58 AM

    Glad that you enjoy the place,and the peoples.have a good times,enjoy.xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. MarieMay 5, 2021 at 1:05 PM

    Glad you have found the DR so welcoming looking forward to lots more pics and blogs

    ReplyDelete
  3. Della RiouxMay 5, 2021 at 3:08 PM

    Happy to see you made it to DR same as my iniciales DR (Della Rioux) can’t go wrong Ha Ha seriously am glad DR is nice we’re been there many times, people are really nice I am sure you’re going to find out! Love you take care keep us posted 🥰

    ReplyDelete
  4. Della RiouxMay 5, 2021 at 3:09 PM

    Well you probably had it twice

    ReplyDelete
  5. Della RiouxMay 5, 2021 at 3:09 PM

    Well you probably had it twice

    ReplyDelete
  6. Della RiouxMay 5, 2021 at 3:10 PM

    Well you probably had it twice

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownMay 6, 2021 at 7:00 AM

    You will enjoy the DR - has so much diversity to offer. Don't miss Mont Isabela in Puerto Plata - it had a beautiful botanical garden on top. Accessible by cable cars.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Denis L.May 7, 2021 at 3:52 AM

    Bonjour Pierrette et Myke . a partir de maintenant votre voyage va devenir de plus en plus merveilleux, la République , Porto-Rico , les îles virges , etc etc . Oui il y a beaucoup de pauvreté mais ses gens sont heureux et ca se sent, j,ai bien aimé Luperon mais beaucoup de Barnakel après la coque du bateau , en parlant du bateau , vous vous êtes maintenant rendu compte que Honahlee est un excellent bateau a qui ont peu avoir confiance et ont ce sent en sècurité a son board, oui il y as des navigations plus difficille que d,autres mais plusieurs navigation sont vraiment super et voyagé en bateau , entré dans un nouveau pays par la mer c,est vraiment super Bonne continuation

    ReplyDelete
  9. MarieMay 7, 2021 at 5:02 PM

    Ha! Luperon quel dépaysement.Je ne sais pas si c’est encore comme ça,mais les chevaux dans la rue ,le linge qui sèche sur les clôtures barbelées,la bonne bière 🍺 dont j’oublie le nom ,la bouffe vraiment pas chère. J’ai hâte de voir des photos si je vais reconnaître.En tout cas j’ai reconnu l’autorité portuaire.. Profitez-en 😘

    ReplyDelete

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