Our 2-day passage from Fajardo, PR to Puerto Plata, DR with Steve as crew was an interesting downwind trip. It started off in light winds under motor but by the afternoon of the first day, the wind filled in and we had some great downwind sailing. Seas became a bit lumpy as we passed the Mona Passage between PR and the DR, so the preventer lines came in handy to avoid accidental gybes. As we approached our destination the wind increased up to 29 knots so we were sailing under genoa alone for quite a while. The north coast of the DR has few harbors so we were a bit nervous as we approached our destination in onshore winds, hoping that the channel markers past the reefs on either side were still in place and that there wouldn’t be breaking waves across the entrance. As it turned out, the entrance was clearly marked and we found a rather empty modern Marina well protected by an impressive sea wall. There were lots of breaking waves both sides of the channel.
En route, we had an equipment failure. During Hope’s 6am – 9am watch the autopilot (which we fondly named Fred, as he is such a helpful ‘crew member’) started to complain, making horrible noises; so from then on, we had to steer by hand. The problem was diagnosed as the autopilot linear drive unit that attaches to the steering quadrant. Not much we could do about it while underway and in any case we were fortunate to have Steve onboard as an extra pair of hands for this trip. We learned that we will not plan any further 2-day passages with only 2 of us onboard until the autopilot is back in action again. We have ordered a replacement part, which hopefully will arrive in a few days …. You will be kept informed! Also, for those who are contemplating cruising these parts, we consider a 50 amp to 30 amp adapter (120/240 volt, NOT the 120 volt) an essential item for connecting to shore power.
Clearing in was straight-forward, officials were friendly and polite and the Marina did any necessary interpretation. Steve managed to arrange transportation across the island to Santiago almost as soon as the clearing in process had been completed to catch his flight back to Newark. Only time for a couple of quick rum drinks onboard to celebrate arriving in one piece, albeit with a few bruises here and there.
Looking forward to exploring the DR a bit…..
6 Comments
Jonathan
Will be interested in your views on the DR – Don’t normally hear much about it, unlike the other half of the island.
Jim Beynon
Just caught up with your blog. See you are still having an awful time cruising around! Makes our caravaning look rather tame. Best wishes, Jim
Howard and Hope
Good to hear from you, Jim. Yes, I have to keep pinching myself as I still cannot quite come to terms with the fact that this is not a vacation, but our new way of living. I’m sure caravaning has its challenges and rewards too. Take care, Hope & Howard.
Jonathan
Will be interested in your views on the DR – Don’t normally hear much about it, unlike the other half of the island.
Jim Beynon
Just caught up with your blog. See you are still having an awful time cruising around! Makes our caravaning look rather tame. Best wishes, Jim
Howard and Hope
Good to hear from you, Jim. Yes, I have to keep pinching myself as I still cannot quite come to terms with the fact that this is not a vacation, but our new way of living. I’m sure caravaning has its challenges and rewards too. Take care, Hope & Howard.