Mona passage and Luperon

 

The last few islands

 It’s always nice to see new things, experience different vibes that are particular to each island, new culinary delights and new discoveries but it is also great to return to old favorites. We had enjoyed Puerto Rico 2 years go and it was nice to return. It is a US territory and with its Spanish culture, it’s lovely.

Returning to known areas also gives us a small break. We know where the trash bins are, ATM machines, where we can replenish our water supply, groceries, laundry and restaurants. It might seem mundane to most but looking for these places at every anchorage can become tedious sometimes.

Puerto Rico was also great because our friend Anita was able to join Kurt and us for the last leg of the journey, but it was also nerve racking because we had to cross the Mona passage AGAIN.

Mike watched the weather like a hawk, check the wind speed and its direction, the height of the seas and the swells for days. Read all the navigation books about when to cross and not to cross. The passage can be a very turbulent body of water due to the fact that the flow of water from the Puerto Rican trench, which is the second deepest in the world, goes through a narrow channel into the Caribbean Sea.  

146 nautical miles, 27 hours and all hand steering because we have been unable to fix our autopilot. We lucked out. The sea was fairly calm, no wind, which meant that we had to motor across but this time we did the passage mostly in the daylight. Like our last night passage, we took turns at the wheel. 2 hours on watch, 2 hours of sleep during the night and finally arrived in Samana, Dominican Republic.

It was lovely so see Samana which we had missed on our way down because of some technical issues with the Armada, the local navy. 

Finally arrived in Luperon last Monday where we will stay on the boat for the hurricane season. They say it’s going to be a big year and will start earlier as well. Since this is our second time in Luperon, we are fairly confident of the safety of this harbor.

It’s also fantastic to see old friends that are still here, going to our favorite restaurant and grocery stores. It really is like coming home.

We will be doing lots of boat projects, repairs and cleaning and hopefully some sightseeing and motorcycle rides while we are here and maybe a short visit to Canada to visit family and friends.

Our 5th season is done. We have done 1040 nautical miles, from Grenada to Luperon with several detours in between. It’s been a great year .

Let’s see what the future holds for us next year.

Cheers

Mike and Pierrette

P.S. this will be the last blog for several months 

Our new home (anchorage) for the hurricane season, Luperon DR

Mike’s new best friend 

Gorgeous sunset Samana DR

Eco lodge, Samana DR

Anchorage Los Haitises national park, Samana

Los Haitises national park

Manatee swimming by our boat

Our friend Anita just joined us for the last leg

Our favorite margarita place 

Isla Caja de Muerto, Puerto Rico

Calm before the storm

Iguana sunning in the park

Such a primitive creature

Meeting old friends again from 3 years ago in Luperon. Anchorage in Salinas Puerto Rico

Mike having fun, Boqueron, Puerto Rico

Mangroves in Los Haitises national park

Eco Lodge, Los Haitises

Caves of Los Haitises 

Capitan Mike 

Moss cascading down the rock face, Los Haitises park

Sun rise at our last anchorage before arriving in Luperon 

Waterfall in Puerto Rico

Coffee bean plantation, Puerto Rico

Isla Caja de Muerto, Puerto Rico

Arriving at our anchorage in Samana , DR

Great bargain for limes…$2.32 🇨🇦 

Guy deserves an award to bring the eggs unbroken in this crazy traffic 😂 

Our favorite restaurant in the mountains of Puerto Rico

Dingy drift, Bioluminescence Bay, Puerto Rico

Captain Mike