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Ahoy, Everyone, We hope that this blog finds you all happy and healthy!
We would like to dedicate this Blog Entry to all of our wonderful travel mates from Dance Aweigh, Sabatticus, Sol Mate and Southern Bella for being so supportive and watching out for us when our engine was misbehaving on our crossing to Puerto Rico and then our detour into Samana, DR. We know that it cost them extra expense and a change in their cruising plan to stay behind with us and we appreciate each one of them with all of our hearts! We cannot say enough what a wonderful sight it was, in the dead of night, that the sailing spirit among our fleet was so very strong. We know that is cost each boat money... clearing back into the Dominican Republic and out again, then $45.00 per day in a 5 star marina, plus electricity, beer and 3 star meals, and 5 infinity pools. Furthermore, to miss the only weather window for several days.. We know every boat is on a very strict dollar budget, so it meant a great deal to us to have their fellowship and support. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful travel mates!
A Big thank you to our Family, Friends and all of you Blog Followers for your well wishes for uand your support while we are chasing our sailing dreams!
Sincerely and Cheers!
Bill, JoAnne & Sailor Kitty : )
December 8, 2010
Anchored in Lake Sylvia: 26.43.077N, 80.13.596W
We made our way down to Ft .Lauderdale. We had a fantastic sail on the outside from West Palm Beach. We anchored in Lake Sylvia. We had phoned Coral Ridge Yacht Club, but they were booked due to the Christmas Boat Lane Parade Participants. We made our way to the anchorage at Lake Sylvia. We saw several boats that we recognized, and even M/Y White Star. That was the yacht that we met back in Cambridge Cay, Exumas long ago that had the 100+ Westport. The owner, Bob, lives on Lake Sylvia. What a small world. He was not home at the time, so we were unable to say Hi. We got a call from Sabbaticus. They were anchored just up the ICW from us near Coral Ridge Yacht Club. We spent one night in Lake Sylvia and then we were off to Miami. We all had a great sail down and we all made it through the 17th Street Causeway Bridge with Ultra bringing up the rear and the bridge holding the bridge 10 minutes longer for us. If not , we would have had to wait 45 minutes for the next opening.
December 8, 2010
DINNER KEY Mooring Ball #196
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| MIAMI BEACH |
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| CRUISING PASSED FISHER ISLAND IN MIAMI |
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| FISHER ISLAND FERRY |
We arrived in Dinner Key in the Miami Area and picked up a ball number #196. We are just seconds from the famous Coconut Grove. We had a great time walking around The Grove and then back to the boat. They have a shuttle boat service that is part of the mooring ball fee and we have been happy to be picked up since the weather some of the days has been quite windy out in the mooring field for dink ride. Once you got to shore, you would be drenched. We had a great time in Dinner Key. We met the other boats, Sol Mate (Brandon, Carryn, and their Portuguese Water Dog, Bella) hail from our favorite state, Texas and Southern Bella from Colorado (Paul, Ela, and their GoldenDoodle, Gus). We also got to meet up with Sol Mates (Chuck and Patty) and Lightheart (Peter and Martha).
December 9, 2010
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| CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS IN COCONUT GROVE |
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| OLD PHOTO OF PAN AMERICAN HEADQUARTERS AT DINNER |
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| FAMOUS PAN AM CLIPPER |
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| BILL KICKING BACK AT COCONUT GROVE |
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| HAPPY HOUR ON THE KEY BY DINNER KEY |
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| PAELLA SERVED UP AT ONE OF THE BOOTHS AT THE TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY |
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| JOANNE AND ALEX WHOSE WIFE, CHRISSY WORKS FOR CITY HALL |
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| WOW, IS THAT A PILE OF SHRIMP PAELLA! |
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| THE PAELLA CREW AND JOANNE |
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| WONDERFUL PHOTOS FROM CITY HALL OF THE OLD PAN AMERICAN HEADQUARTERS |
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DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY AT THE LOCAL PUB IN DINNER KEY
JOANNE, ELA, CARRYN, AND DENA |
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| PAN AM AIRPLANES |
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SABBATICUS MOORED WITH COCONUT GROVE IN THE BACKGROUND
TAKE THE PHOTO ALREADY! |
We walked around Key Biscayne and then took the city bus around for 25 to 50 cents. What a bargain!
December 10, 2010
We worked on boat projects, did laundry ashore, and then headed to town. They were having the Christmas Tree Lighting at the City Hall and we all went to join in the festivities. Many of the councilman had booths there and were serving food and drinks for free. That is right up our alley. We then headed over to the local pub to listen to some live music and dance.
December 11, 2010 We worked on boat projects and then we had a great Happy Hour with everyone on the beach and then headed to town with Sabatticus, Sol Mate, Double Exposure and Southern Bella. We took the rail to the mall to look around atthe sites and then to get some cheap Chinese.
December 12, 2010
We are still waiting for the weather window to cross to the Bahamas.
December 13, 2010
We worked on various projects aboard and then to shore to look at the sites.
December 14, 2010
We worked on various projects aboard and then to shore to look at the sites.
December 15, 2010
We have been on a mooring by Sabbaticus and today while they went to get fuel and water, another boat came up and was trying to pick up their mooring ball. We hailed the boat on the PA system and told them our friends would be right back and that was their ball. They said ok and headed to pick up another ball We got organized for our early morning departure for a 32 hour run to Nassau. We all departed at around 3:00 a.m. and Ultra sounded on the PA system the Disney tune of “When I Wish Upon A Star” Steel Drum Music as we all departed the Mooring Field.
December 16, 2010
We departed at 3:00 a.m. this morning for Nassau.
December 17, 2010
ANCHORED NASSAU HARBOUR 25'04.526N, 72'18.515W We arrived this morning and had a great crossing.
After several hours underway, we arrived in Nassau. We were so happy to arrive and checked into Customs at the Nassau Yacht Haven. We passed the same Disney Cruise Ship “Wonder” that we had seen in
Upon arrival in Nassau we checked in with Customs and then off to the anchorage. We tried to do the anchorage by Elvis’ old home, but changed our minds due to the weather conditions in the harbour we anchored on the other side of the harbour. We headed to shore and went to Radio Shack to activate our Bahamas cell phone and then to Starbuck’s to split a small coffee and use the internet. We then headed to the grocery market to get some veggies and then to the liquor store to get some Gosling Rum. We had happy hour aboard Sol Mate tonight.
DECEMBER 20, 2010
ANCHORED NORMAN'S CAY
We departed the next day from Nassau for Norman Cay. As you remember, this is where we were last year when the Tsunami Warning was issued over the VHF radio, due to the earthquake in Haiti. This is a beautiful place. We arrived and just took a quick swim in the water and then onto hunt for conch and lobsters. This is where our French Canadian friends, S/V Shaka and S/V Virage, last year speared several nice sized lobsters. The wind was kicking again and the water was not too warm either. With wetsuits on, we headed to collect the conch instead. Sabbaticus, Sol Mate and Southern Bella headed to spear lobsters and fish. We quickly got our quota of nice sized conch and then along the way spotted more larger ones, so we traded up. We arrived aboard and invited everyone aboard Ultra for Happy Hour. We made conch fritters, conch salad and Bill made his famous Purple Onion Onion Rings. We prepared for our departure the next day for Pipe Creek. This is still one of our favorite places to go. We enjoyed it last year. We anchored in The Mice anchorage. We immediately jumped in the water and started hunting for creatures. We spotted nice sized conch and then also lots of fish and then speared the terrible lion fish that are taking over the local fish population.
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| GROUP PHOTO AT THE PIPE CREEK YACHT CLUB |
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GETTING READY FOR OUR BEACH PARTY
AT THE PIPE CREEK YACHT CLUB |
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| BRANDON, KEVIN, AND ELA |
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| THE HORS' TABLE |
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| BRANDON, BELLA, CARRYN, ELA AND PAUL |
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| DENA AND JOANNE |
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| EATING ROASTED MARSHMELLOWS |
DECEMBER 21, 2010
PIPE CREEK, EXUMAS 24'13.747N,76'29.413W
We scheduled a beach party at the Pipe Creek Yacht Club. What fun. This is where we left the flag last time with our names on and also the bamboo sign with our names carved in it. We had a bonfire complete with hors’, freshly speared grilled lobster tacos, conch salad, and roasted marshmellows.
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ULTRA AND SABBATICUS CREWS AT THE YACHT CLUB
SABBATICUS SIGNED THE FLAG WE LEFT LAST YEAR, SO THEY ARE NOW OFFICIAL MEMBERS! |
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ISLES OF PALMS, SC CAP LEFT BY A SAILOR AT THE PIPE CREEK YACHT CLUB
(Pretty Cool, huh, Alfred! You took us there for your FUN family reunion! |
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| AUTOGRAPHED GUITAR LEFT AT PIPE CREEK YACHT CLUB FOR DECORATION |
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| BILL READY FOR OUR LOBSTER HUNT! |
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| OUR FAMOUS LOOKIE BUCKET (TOM D. & BOBBY WE TOLD YOU WE WOULD USE THOSE BUCKETS YOU GAVE US FOR SOMETHING GREAT) WE HAVE FOUND MANY A CONCH AND OTHER GREAT FINDS WITH THIS BUCKET! |
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| JOANNE IS READY FOR HER SPEAR! |
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| LOBSTER #1 |
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| LOBSTER #2 |
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JOANNE SEARCHING FOR A FEW MORE
CONCH FOR CONCH SALAD |
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| LOBSTER ANYONE |
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| SAILOR'S NEW PLAYMATE |
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ANOTHER PLAYMATE FOR SAILOR.
THIS WOULD KEEP HIM BUSY ALL DAY LONG! |
We took a hike the next day to the other side to see the great view. WOW! After the hike, we decided to then go for a snorkel. Great snorkeling. We are here waiting for the next weather window. We all decided to go out and spear lobsters. We set off and were not finding much. We had to head back to the boat asap, due to the deflation of our dink. A few pumps of air and pump in tow, we headed back out. We decided to go and find conch, since we were not having much luck with lobsters today. Well…wouldn’t you know it. Bill was in the dink and JoAnne jumped in and had Bill tow her with the line. Within a few minutes, JoAnne spotted, not one, not two, but three lobsters. WOW! The jackpot. JoAnne displayed the international lobster symbol of pointer fingers on either side of your head and then sign language of 1, 2, 3. Bill put the boat in neutral and got geared up. With no spear or gloves and no fins, JoAnne was not ready for this catch. Bill is definitely the professional at this and makes it look so easy! He jumped in with the gear and we proceeded to spear all three within minutes!. WHAT A GREAT HUNTER! WOW! Last year zero and this year right off the bat Three. Pretty exciting. We also found our quota of conch, so it was a great day!
December 22, 2010
Anchored Leaf Cay, Exuma 23'47.034N, 76'07.606W
We arrived with Sabbaticus and dropped the hook. We had a great sail today. We are celebrating tonight. This is where it all started almost a year ago. This is where we first met Sabbaticus while we came ashore to clean conch on the beach and they were checking out the iquanas that we were feeding conch pieces to. We have had lots of fun with them since then. Sabbaticus invited us for Happy Hour and dinner aboard. What fun. After that, we played a card game called, Kings Crowns. We stayed until 2:00 a.m. Where does the time go.
December 23, 2010
Anchored at Sanddollar Beach, Georgetown, Exuma
We headed for Georgetown and anchored at Kidd Cove. On our way to the anchorage, we were greeted by Rodger of Rolls Doc in his skiff. We look forward to seeing them ashore. We headed to shore to get some diesel, water and some groceries at Exuma Markets. We then departed and headed to Sanddollar Beach to drop the hook. Darlene from Rolls Doc is the queen of organizing all of the great social events that go on in Georgetown. She VHF'd and assigned JoAnne as a Chairman of a Table. We quickly filled up a table of 12 people with our bunch. Everyone brings a dish to share at their table.
December 24, 2010
Today we headed to shore to go for a hike and to see KB at his Chat and Chill Restaurant-Bar to say hi and have a beer. We also asked KB if it was okay if we showed a movie on Christmas Day on the beach at Chat and Chill. He said no problem and the double feature was “Santa Clause 3” and “A Christmas Story”.
December 25, 2010
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SAILOR KITTY SANTA
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| CHRISTMAS CRUISERS' LUNCHEON |
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| ULTRA MOVIE NIGHT AT KB's IN GEORGETOWN |
Merry Christmas everyone! Today we are all getting our favorite recipes to serve up to our table at the great Christmas luncheon on the beach. We brought boiled Georgia Shrimp and Butternut Squash Rissotto, Sabbaticus brought a smoked turkey, famous mashed potatoes and tray of stuffing, Dance Aweigh made Jamaican Rice and Peas and roasted veggie tray, Southern Bella brought a spiral ham and made an excellent coconut cake, and Sol Mate made stuffing and cauliflower casserole. The weather was perfectly sunny and not a cloud in the sky. After the luncheon, we headed back to Ultra to collect the movie equipment. We set it all up and had a great time watching the double feature.
December 26, 2010
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| ELA, DENA, JOANNE, & KATHLEEN PARTICIPATING |
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| MORE COWBELL PLAYING, PLEASE! |
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| WHAT A LITTLE CARDBOARD AND SOME PAINT CAN CREATE! |
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| BABY JUNKANOO PARTICIPANT |
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| THE GIRLS ARE GETTIN' DOWN! |
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EDDIE'S EDGEWATER GRILL FOR A LITTLE BAHAMIAN RAKE AND SCRAPE MUSIC & DANCING
ELA, KATHLEEN, DENA, JOANNE, & MIA |
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| DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY |
Tonight we are ready for the Junkanoo Festival. This is like Mardi Gras or Carnivale where there are great costumes, floats and music played in a parade through the streets. We headed over to Eddie's Edgewater Grill for a quick bite of $5.00 grouper finger plate and then we were ready to dance to the live Bahamian Rake & Scrape.
December 27, 2010
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| CONNOR'S LION FISH ABOUT TO BE LUNCH |
We had to move the boats to Master's Harbour due to the bad weather that is on the way. We went spearing and conch hunting out by the Sound. Connor speared a lion fish on the first shot. We did not have much luck finding anything else. Some of you remember that we speared a lion fish on Bill's birthday last year and Bill cleaned it and cooked it up for us. It is only the spines that are poisonous, not the meat of the fish. Bill cooked it up so that Connor could try out his catch. He has the same favorite fish as we do, grouper, and he said the lion fish tasted better than grouper.
December 28, 2010 Anchored Salt Pond, Long Island, Exuma
23'20.289N, 75'07.539W
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| THIS CHURCH HAS BEEN ABANDONED SINCE THE 1970's |
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THE CHURCH THAT WE WERE TOLD TO
TAKE A LEFT AT ON THE ROAD TO GO TO THE GROTTO |
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| THE GROUP AT THE GROTTO |
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| JUMPING THROUGH THE HOLE IN THE CAVE |
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| JOANNE IN THE GROTTO |
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DOGGIE BELLA LOOKS LIKE SHE IS PRAYING AT THE ALTER
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From Georgetown, we departed for Salt Pond, Long Island. This is where our great friends Emile and Cameron that we bought the grouper and lobsters from last year are from. We dropped the hook in the harbour and headed to shore. We bought fuel and got some details of the settlement. There is so much history throughout all of these islands. The next day we headed to shore to explore the island. We took a hike to the other side of the island and found lots and lots of seabeans. The next day we headed to the Grotto. This is a great place in that it is a cave that has enough head room so that you can swim inside of it. With our mask and snorkels, we could see the pool was filled with hundreds and hundreds of bright red shrimp along with lots of bats in the ceiling, too. Brandon, Connor and JoAnne took turns climbing to the top of the cave and then jumping down into the pool below through the opening in the top. What fun! The water was glowing ice blue with the sunlight shining through the hole. BEAUTIFUL!
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| OUR TEACHER OF BAHAMIAN DANCE TECHNIQUES |
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| WOW! ULTRA BROUGHT SOME OF THEIR CHARTER TOYS ALONG |
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| ENJOYING SOME GREAT MUSIC |
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| JOANNE WITH MIKE AND JACKIE, THE OWNERS OF THE LONG ISLAND BREEZE |
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THE FOUR DIVAS
OOPS. WE WERE NOT QUITE READY FOR THIS PHOTO. |
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| THE PRE-PARTY HAT CONTEST |
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| DENA'S IMPRESSION OF MRS. HAWIGGINS FROM THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW |
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THIS IS WHAT THE LOCALS CALL A MOTH BAT
THEY ARE GIGANTIC. THIS PHOTO DOES NOT DO IT JUSTICE. |
We spent New Year’s Eve at the Long Island Breeze Bar and Restaurant. What a great time with live Bahamian Music and dancing for all. One owner is from Georgia by way of Louisiana and the other is from Australia. Great people and such a fun place.
January 1, 2011
Today we laid low and are preparing for our departure to Calabash Bay. We did a little bit of produce shopping at Hardings grocery store.
January 2, 2011
Anchored Calabash Bay, Long Island 23'39.251N, 75'20.178W
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| BRANDON'S PRIZE CATCH AND CONNOR SPEARED HIS FIRST LOBSTER TODAY |
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| CONNOR AND BELLA RIDING ON THE BOW WITH BRANDON AND CARRYN |
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| JOANNE COMING UP FROM SEARCHING FOR LOBSTERS |
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| WOW! THOSE ARE ALOT OF LOBSTAS! FROM THE SEA TO THE PLATE |
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BRANDON PREPARING THE BBQ LOBSTER AND KEVIN SUPERVISING AND
SAILOR KITTY IS READY FOR ANOTHER PIECE OF LOBSTER
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We are taking advantage of the good weather window and are departed for Calabash Bay, Long Island today. We had a lobster taco night aboard Ultra tonight. The 3 that we had speared, 2 that Sol Mate speared, 1 Connor speared and 2 that Southern Bella speared. WOW! What fun.
January 3, 2011
We snorkeled today and then headed to the Happy Hour at the Calabash Bay Resort. FREE CONCH FRITTERS! We ordered Yellow Birds and got the conch fritters. The guys took a taxi to the airport this morning and tried to get a permit extension and to clear the Bahamas.
January 4, 2011
We arrived in Mayaguana from Calabash Bay, Long Island, Bahamas. What a beautiful place. We took a quick dip in the ocean and then showered and the guys headed to shore to get fuel from Papa Charlie. What an experience. Loaded up in a pick up truck and then headed to the North end of the island. Ela and JoAnne loaded up in the dink and headed to shore to clear immigration/customs for our departure to Dominican Republic. The head official was not available to help us, so we had to come back a few hours later. We then went for a walk around the town. We picked up some eggs and apples. On the way back from the walk, we heard a truck coming. It was the guys loaded up in a police truck. We all piled in. JoAnne sat on Bill’s lap for the bumpy, lumpy pot-hole ride back to the dink dock. Ela and JoAnne headed back to the boats to begin preparing meals and the guys waited for Papa Charlie to get the fuel delivered. Loaded up on a Toyota Land Cruiser was a 55 gallon drum of diesel and also additional 5 gallon buckets. The fuel had sloshed around all over the back of the Land Cruiser. Yikes! Papa Charlie and company began filling ours as well as everyone else’s diesel jugs. What a mess. We did not know if we were getting fuel, water, dirt, rust or all of the above in the jugs. It was $5.00 a gallon, so it was not a rip off in that regard. We cleared customs and are bound for the DR from the Bahamas.
January 5, 2011
Today we worked on boat projects and then went snorkeling. We did not find much, but had a great time!
January 6, 2011
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| OUR NICE SIZED YELLOW FIN TUNA! |
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| BILL FILLETING THE YELLOW FIN TUNA WITH HIS ASSISTANT SAILOR KITTY ON DECK |
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ON THE WAY TO THE D R WE GOT INTO A POD OF AT 50 DOLPHINS!
WHAT A TREAT! OUR OWN DOLPHIN SHOW! |
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| WOW! SOL MATE HAD THIS GUY CROSS RIGHT OFF OF THEIR BOW! |
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| THE GUYS GETTING THEIR FUEL FROM PAPA CHARLIE BEFORE WE DEPART MAYAGUANA |
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| BRANDON, CARRYN AND BELLA SWIM OVER TO SAY HELLO AT MAYAGUANA |
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WE CAUGHT A FLYING FISH BECAUSE IT FLEW AND HIT OUR WINDOW.
BILL FILLETED IT AND FED IT TO SAILOR. |
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WOW! WE ARE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE!
CHECK OUT THE MOUNTAINS OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC!THIS WAS VIEW UPON
ARRIVAL IN THE D.R. |
We decided due to the great weather window we would sail from Mayaguana, Bahamas. skip the Turks & Caicos and head straight for the D.R. On the way to the D.R., we caught a large yellow fin tuna. Bill filleted him up right away and of course Sailor got his share. Even in the rolliest and roughest of seas, Sailor is right there at the fillet table with Bill punching him in the bottom and chirping for more for more yummy pieces of fish to be placed on the deck for him. Amazing. Like no cat we have ever seen before. We will be making regular and spicy tuna sushi rolls with the tuna when we all get to a great place to have a sushi party aboard Ultra.
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| DONKEYS & TOURISTS ON THE BEACH IN LUPERON HARBOUR |
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WENDY'S BAR IN LUPERON, DR
BILL, JOANNE AND OUR GOOD FRIEND GLADYS FROM AGRICULTURE |
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IT IS DEFINITELY HAPPY HOUR AGAIN
KEVIN AND DENA ENJOYING THE LOCAL BOHEMIA BEER |
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| THE STREETS OF LUPERON |
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| ALL OF THE CREW AT STEVE'S FAMILY BAR AND CAFE |
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| STEVE AND ANNIE'S BABY GIRL, CORAL, ENJOYING AN ICE CREAM CONE |
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| BILL AND CONNOR THE POOL SHARKS |
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| DENA AND KEVIN WATCHING A GOAT CHILLING OUT IN A FOUNTAIN WITHOUT ANY WATER |
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| FUN ISLAND GAME OF TIRE ROLLING |
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OUR NEW ADORABLE LITTLE FRIENDS, SO CUTE
WE GAVE THEM SOME ORANGE HALVES |
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JUST BEFORE WE CROSSED THE GATE AFTER OUR CHECK INTO THE DR
THE SPANISH BIlLL & JOANNE TOOK IN SCHOOL AND FROM ANGELES, JOANNE'S WONDERFUL TUTOR FROM ENRON, IS COMING IN EXTREMELY HANDY HERE
"NO HABLA INGLES"
ROXANA Q.: JOANNE IS DEFINITELY GETTING TO PRACTICE HER ESPANOL!!! : ) |
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| LUPERON YACHT CLUB |
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| HAPPY HOUR ABOARD CAPTAIN MIKE AND SANDY'S BOAT, S/V MAGIC |
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| HAPPY HOUR ABOARD S/V MAGIC |
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| SABBITICUS AND ULTRA RAFTED UP AGAIN |
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| VIEW OF LUPERON HARBOUR FROM LUPERON YACHT CLUB |
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| SAILOR WITH HIS NEW FRIENDS WE TRADED FISHING TACKLE FOR |
Today, we arrived in Luperon. What a beautiful site. Land, yea!! We loved seeing the majestic mountains. The Bahamas are beautifully flat, but it is sure great to the coconut palm covered mountains. We made our way through the harbour around 10:00 a.m. Southern Bella had an issue with their engine, so we and Sol Mate were near them, so we offered to stay behind and help them, while Sabbiticus, Magic and Dance Aweigh scoped out the entrance to the harbour. We offered to tow Southern Bella in and have Sol Mate pilot our way in. After about 2 hours of working on the engine, Southern Bella got their engine rigged enough to get into the harbour. We dropped our hook and then Sabbaticus rafted up to us. So fun. Papo and Handy Andy came up right away and offered their services, water, fuel, repairs. You name it, they were there to help. We loaded up in the dinghies and headed to shore to check in with Customs, Immigration, Navy and Agriculture. It was quite the process, but it was good for us to learn not to be in a hurry and to be patient with the process. We also got to practice our spanish speaking skills.
While rafted up to Sabbaticus, we enjoyed just walking across the decks from one boat to the other for happy hours. Dena made an excellent dinner for us of Mahi Mahi in white wine sauce, roasted beets and butternut squash and quinoa. Yum!
January 7, 2011
Today we explored the town by foot. We bought some fantastic produce. Pineapples, lettuce, cabbages, tomatoes, papayas. You name it, they have got it, since this is a farming mecca. Everywhere you look, there are fields and fields of wonderful things growing. The local beer here is called either Bohemia or Presidente. The bottles are gigantic, so 2 people share one and then you buy another. If not, it is hot before you finish drinking it. We can buy a beer for about $2.00 each, which is a change from the Bahamas since beers there for a 12 ounce were sometimes as much as $5.00 each.
January 8, 2011
Today we worked on some boat projects and then headed to walk around town and then off for a hike and a snorkel.
January 9, 2011
Today we had a great time. We participated in the Local Boaters Fleamarket that they hold on Sunday mornings at Puerto Blanco Marina. We sold all kinds of things that we needed to unload, so we were happy to find homes for it other than our boat. They had a lot of Larimar and Amber for sale. Larimar comes from the DR and it is the only place that you can find it. It is a beautiful blue stone and the color is amazing. The amber mines here are the largest in the southern hemisphere.
We met the author Bruce Van Sant. He wrote a cruising guide called “A Gentleman’s Guide to Passages South”. This offers a safe way for cruisers to travel south and offers a lot of info on currents and wind effects along the way. The mountains of this area cause changes in the weather patterns here.
We also met lots of nice people. We met the lovely Rosa Van Sant, which is Bruce's wife. Rosa is tour guide and organizes great adventures. We have scheduled to the waterfall tours with her tomorrow.
January 10, 2011
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| BILL'S FACE IS PAINTED TOO, BUT WE CANNOT SEE HIS FIG LEAF BELOW. |
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| BILL TAKING A PHOTO OF JOANNE FROM THE WATERFALL ABOVE |
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| DELVI PAINTED JOANNE'S FACE DR STYLE. MUD FROM THE RAINFOREST. |
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| JOANNE, CONNOR AND DENA SUITED UP FOR THE FALLS |
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| WOW! HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN YOU FIT INTO A WATERFALL! |
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| DENA IS THE NEXT VICTIM |
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| HIKING IT UP THE FALLS |
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| READY TO JUMP INTO THE LAST WATERFALL |
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| BILL AND JOANNE AT BASE OF WATERFALL #1 |
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| DENA, JOANNE, CARRYN, RICH AND GUIDE, DELVI |
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| BILL AFTER HE JUMPED FROM THE TOP OF THE WATERFALL |
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| BUS RIDE TO THE VILLAGE AND TO THE 11 WATERFALLS |
We took a spectacular tour of the waterfalls and some of the villages of DR.
January 12, 2011
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| ULTRA MOVIE NIGHT AT STEVE'S CAFE |
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| DENA HOLDING CHIQUITA KITTY THAT BELONGS TO THE OWNER OF THE LOCAL MINI MART. |
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| THE LOCAL CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS AT MOVIE NIGHT IN LUPERON |
Today we laid low and worked on boat projects. We decided to show a movie tonight at Steve's Family restaurant. The movie is Iron Man 2. We put together bags of MMs and we are making popcorn. We positioned the movie screen where it could be easily seen by the cruisers inside the open air restaurant and the locals outside. All of the locals lined up on the curb and had a great view. We took the MMs and the popcorn outside to give out to everyone. It was alot of fun.
January 14, 2011
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| MILES, CONNOR, JEROME AND KEVIN CRUISING FROM THE DINK DOCK |
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| MILES SHOWING OFF WITH THE PRINGLES |
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CHILLING OUT ON THE BEACH IN LUPERON
JEFF, JOANNE, BILL, BELLA, CARRYN, BRANDON, ELA, PAUL, KEVIN |
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| ONE OF THE LUPERON BEACHES |
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BILL PLAYING ONE OF OUR FAVORITE GAMES
THE BIMINI RING GAME |
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| BRANDON LEARNING TO PLAY THE GAME |
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CHILLING OUT AT THE PUERTO BLANCO MARINA
WITH A BOHEMIA, THE LOCAL BREW
THEY ALWAYS SERVE THE BOTTLE IN THE BAMBOO HOLDER TO KEEP IT COLDER |
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| SALVADOR AND HIS FIRST MATE BRING US A GIANT LOBSTER AND A SNAPPER |
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| BILL PREPARING TO CLEAN THE LOSTER |
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| SOL MATE AND EL VALLE ESCONDIDO |
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| DENA CHECKING OUT THE WATER TEMP, IT IS CHILLY SINCE IT COMES FROM THE MOUNTAINS. |
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| JOANNE MAKING A WISH ON A FULL MOON |
We headed to shore to go for a great hike and then off to the beach for a dip in the ocean and a snorkel. Connor, Jerome and Miles surfed their hearts out.
January 17, 2011
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| THE 18 PASSENGERS IN THE BUS THAT BILL SAID THAT HE WAS WAITING FOR THE CIRCUS MUSIC TO PLAY WHEN WE ALL DISEMBARKED THIS MOST INTERESTING OF RIDES. GOOD THING WAS NO LIVESTOCK WAS ON THIS TRIP. |
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| SOME AMAZING STONE SCULPTURES |
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THIS IS SIMILIAR TO THE TANGERINE SUBMARINE
WE ARE NOW ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS, BECAUSE THE DRIVER DROPPED US AT THE INCORRECT BUS STOP THAT WE HAD REQUESTED. |
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| CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS PARK |
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| THE GARDENER ASKED JOANNE TO TAKE HIS PHOTO. HE SAID HE WAS "MUY LINDO". THAT MEANS HE SAID WAS CUTE OR GOOD LOOKING AND TO TAKE A PHOTO. |
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| NICE ARCHITECTURE |
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| BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS IN THE PARK |
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| BILL AND HIS BIG CANNON AT THE LOCATION THAT ONCE WAS AN AMERICAN FORT IN SANTIAGO |
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| PHOTOS OF THE FORT WHEN THE AMERICAN TROOPS FLEW THE AMERICAN FLAG THERE |
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| BILL IN THE AREA WHERE THE PRIEST OR SOLDIERS MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT IF NEED BE. THE ROOM BEHIND HIM WITH THE CROSS HAS EXCELLENT ACOUSTICS. |
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| SWORDS USED DURING THE WAR |
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| SAND IN THE CASE FROM THE GULF WAR |
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| CARNIVALE LADY, BUT SHE IS NOT REALLY A LADY. SHE REPRESENTS A MAN THAT ONCE POSED AS A WOMAN AND PUT CHICKENS UNDER HIS SKIRT FOR MORE JUNK IN THE TRUNK. THE LOCALS LATER FOUND OUT AND HE WAS SHUNNED BY ALL. HOWEVER, THE LEGEND STILL LIVES ON AND NOW THIS IS A FAMOUS CHARACTER IN THE PUERTO RICAN CARNIVALE CELEBRATION. |
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| THE AWARD WINNING CIGARS OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC |
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WOW! FRESH PRODUCE HER GARDEN THAT DOES NOT COST AN
ARM AND A LEG LIKE THE BAHAMAS. |
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| A CARTLOAD OF CABBAGE ANYONE! |
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| THIS WAS ONCE THE FORT'S JAIL AND ELA IS STANDING WHERE THE PRISONERS WERE LINED UP AND SHOT. VERY HAUNTING TO SEE THE AMOUNT OF BULLET HOLES IN THE WALL. |
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| CANNON FROM THE WAR |
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| BILL, JOANNE AND BRANDON IN THE STREETS OF SANTIAGO |
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| BILL AND JOANNE ON CALLE DE SOL IN SANTIAGO |
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| THE FORT |
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| NOT THAT WE NEED ANYTHING, BUT CHECK OUT ALL OF THE BARGAINS TO BE HAD! |
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| THESE PRICES ARE IN PESOS, 35 CENTS EQUALS ONE US DOLLAR |
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| PARROTFISH, WHICH WE ARE NOT RECOMMENDED TO EAT, BUT DID IN LUPERON BY ACCIDENT IN A RESTAURANT. THEY ARE KNOWN AS REEF FISH AND CARRY THE SIGNATURA DISEASE. |
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| CONCH IS CALLED LAMBI IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC |
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| SPOTTED GROUPER |
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| BRANDON ORDERING STREET FOOD |
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IN TOWN AND IN THE VAN ON THE WAY HOME, WE WERE PASSING OUT
STICKERS TO ALL OF THE CHILDREN. |
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| NARROW ROADS AND A LITTLE CRAZY ON THE DRIVING |
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| WE ARE WHIZZING BY THE SUGAR CANE FIELDS AND BANANA PLANTATIONS |
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| WOW! THAT IS A NARROW AND RICKETY BRIDGE, AND IT IS THE NEW BRIDGE! |
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| BILL AND JOANNE IN THE FRONT SEAT IN ONE SEAT! |
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| COUNTRY SIDE ON THE WAY TO LUPERON |
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| LOTS AND LOTS OF CHICKENS AROUND |
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| EVERYONE IS ALWAYS SELLING SOMETHING OUT OF THEIR HOME, PRODUCE, BREAD, EVEN FUEL IN COKE BOTTLES FOR THE MOTORCYCLES WHEN THEY RUN OUT OF GAS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. EVERYONE HAS THEIR NICHE. |
January 20, 2011
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| BILL AND THE BLOWHOLES OF LUPERON |
Today was town day and then to Southern Bella for a great Tapas party aboard their boat.
January 21, 2011
We checked out with Customs, Navy and Immigration today.
We had Tex Mex and Sangria Wine night aboard the Ultra tonight. Sol Mate made 2 pans of chicken enchiladas, Ultra made a pan of Georgia Shrimp enchiladas, Dance Aweigh made their famous Jamaican Rice and Peas, Eclipse made great salsa and chocolate cake, Southern Bella made a great rice pudding and cornbread, and Sabbaticus brought great guacamole and chips. WOW! What fun to have real Tex Mex. We haven’t had that in forever!
Dena is still under the weather, so we missed seeing her tonight. After dinner, Southern Bella, Sol Mate and Connor stayed to watch The Birdcage.
January 22, 2011
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| BEACH AT EL VALLE ESCONDIDO |
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| SABBATICUS ANCHORED IN EL VALLE ESCONDIDO |
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| ENTRANCE TO SAMANA HARBOUR |
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| THE ISLANDS AT THE ENTRANCE OF SAMANA HARBOUR |
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THIS GUY IS FISHING. HE IS PADDLING A HALF-SUNKEN JET SKI
THAT HAS NO ENGINE. WOW! WHAT A WORK OUT.
January 24, 2011 Anchored Samana: 19.11.953N, 069.19.574W
Dance Aweigh, Sol Mate and Southern Bella were headed to the marina. That is out of Sabbaticus and Ultra's budget so we headed for the Los Haites Park until the next weather window and then we would all cross together as planned.
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| SABBATICUS SAILING TO LOS HAITISES NATIONAL PARK |
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| ENTRANCE TO THE BAY AT LOS HAITISES NATIONAL PARK |
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| SABBATICUS ANCHORED AT LOS HAITISES NATIONAL PARK |
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| SPECTACULAR ROCK FORMATIONS WITH PASS THROUGHS AND CAVES |
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CONNOR SWAM OVER TO TELL US HE WAS DONE
WITH SCHOOL AND WE ARE NOW READY TO GO TO EXPLORE |
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| DENA ROLLING TUNA SUSHI ROLLS |
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| DENA AND NOE |
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| LILA WEARING JOANNE'S HAT |
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| TWO LOVEBIRDS AND A HEART! |
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| A BAT STICKING HIS HEAD OUT OF THE HOLE HE JUST FLEW INTO |
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| PICTOGRAPHS INSIDE THE CAVE |
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| ULTRA ANCHORED AT THE PARK |
January 25, 2011
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| HIKING IT TO THE ECOLODGE |
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| THE BEAUTIFUL ECOLODGE |
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| ONE OF THE VILLAS AT THE ECOLODGE |
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| ONE OF THE ZIP LINES WE ALL RODE |
We had been spending the last fews days in the Los Haitises National Park. This looks like it could be Bora Bora, French Polynesia. The mountain area amazing and all you can see are miles and miles of coconut palms. We have taken the dinghies into the caves and through the rivers that go deep into the mangroves. These are unlike any mangroves we have seen before. The mangroves are more like forests and they are not shrubs, they are big, tall trees. The cost to be in the park is $3.00 per person, per day. We got up early and headed for shore along with our new friends we met from Switzerland. They are from the French part of Switzerland, so they speak French. Frank and Fabienne and their son, Noe’, and daughter, Lila’. Very nice family. They joined us and Sabitticus on our tour of the park. We saw the tour boats showing up, so we quickly headed to shore. The park ranger told us that it was okay to join the tour so we could learn about the petroglyphs and pictographs left behind by the Tieno Indians. Amazing how long they have been, 100 years before Christopher Columbus arrived. When the Spaniards did arrive, they wanted the Indians to be Christians and we could see the change in the petroglyphs and pictographs that reflect a cross. The photos you will see attach show the petroglyphs (carvings in the walls of the caves or stone) and pictographs (sketches or markings on the walls of the caves) and then the one photo shows the meaning of them. The story goes that children born into the tribe that had six fingers were considered to be gift from the gods and in turn were granted the privilege of becoming the next sharman. They were trained by the current sharman until it was time for him to take over. You will see the pictures reflect the six fingers. During this time of year, the whales are here. We have not seen any, but are waiting to see them. Frank and his family saw them the other day while they were sailing in the bay, but the officials asked them to stay away and only the tour boats were allowed to get close. After that, we headed to see more caves. WOW! They had spectacular cathedral ceilings like the ones that we saw in Eleuthera. There were natural pools of water in the caves and lots of bats. The bats were not swooping down upon us, so that was a good thing. We made our to many caves by dink. One of the caves that we saw was called “Iglesia de Dio” or “Church of God”. The carvings in the cave were so well preserved and the stalactities and stalagmites were something out of a movie. It looked a set of a movie, but it was real with all of the dramatic boulder and rock formations and colors of the minerals. After a fun day, we decided to do a sushi, grilled fish and pizza party aboard Ultra. The large yellow fin tuna that we had caught was rolled up so professionally by Dena, the wasabi mixed up and Dena made one of her famous pizzas and Bill grilled the best fish ever, snapper and tuna. We learned to play a wonderful game that Frank and his family bought in Africa. Just picture this, they purchased their 40+ foot Fontaine Pijout catamaran in France, sailed it from Europe to West Africa to the Dominican Republic and they left in June 2010. Hard to believe it! We were still in Annapolis, MD. That is some serious sailing. Frank is a Physics Scientist and a professional sailor and has sailed in the America’s Cup and is part of the project of the solar powered boat that is circumnavigating. Check out this boat on Google. We have seen it in several boat magazines and you can’t believe your eyes. Fabienne, the wife, is an actress in dinner theaters and also works as clown and tours different hospitals to entertain the patients. Hence, the wonderful juggling that we have photos of when they performed aboard our boat that night.
We have had a lot of opportunity to practice our Spanish here. The dialect in some parts is muy differente, but we get by with sounds like, looks like, and lots of hand gestures to describe something. That is part of the adventure.
We headed to see the ecolodge today that is located in the park. We arrived at the dock and then walked our way down the roads filled with chickens, cattle, and burros. We were surrounded by brilliantly green meadows covered in snow white egrets. We made our way to the ecolodge and what a sight. They have used all of the natural materials and etched it into the mountainside. We were granted a tour and then had some drinks and lunch there. As we were having lunch, we saw a guy go zipping by on a zip line. WOW! We have done that several times before, and we were ready to do it again. We scheduled the zip line and waited and waited for lunch. We had some cervezas while we waited, and an hour later our food arrived. That is one thing that we always have to remember, no one is ever in a hurry and we should relax and enjoy the conversation and dining experience the Latin American way. We will definitely live longer if we relax. The zip line was only $200 pesos per person, or $6.00 USD. WOW! What a deal. We had 6 guides for 9 people. They suited us up and we were ready for flight. We all had our turns and what a great view. One of the zip lines took us flying over the many cascading pools that we later swam in. We had the resort all to ourselves. You can stay at this ecolodge for $60 USD per person per night.
Tonight we had dinner aboard Sabatticus. Kevin grilled pot roast and butternut squash and we brought green beans and Japanese mushrooms and mashed potatoes. Connor made his famous chocolate pudding. Tomorrow we get ready for an early morning departure. We must do this, due to the Depacho (departure) required for us to check out of DR to Puerto Rico. The rest of the fleet has been in a marina while we were in the park. It is quite a process to check out here. You must check out with immigration and then the navy comes aboard the boat when you arrive and when you depart to search your boat, with automatic weapons in hand. We have decided since we are so close to the drug capital of the world and that Haiti shares the island of Hispanola with the DR, it is a must for them to do this. It is part of life. A big thank you to Dance Aweigh and Sol Mate for taking such good care of the details and making sure that we could check out of here instead of having to go to town. The owner of the Puerto Bahia Marina is Dominican and the manager is American, they were so gracious to offer us half priced rates for coming into the marina and enjoying the property and water is USD $3 per day to wash down the boat. WOW! We are not marina people, but for the ease of the depacho and knowing that the fees that we are paying do not have extra fees included that cannot be explained as we had the experience in town, this was a better choice. We had happy hour and dinner aboard Ultra tonight. It is funny how things work out. We were so bummed when our engine problems happened, but in the end, it was the best thing. We all got to enjoy the best that DR has to offer and then some. Now we are ready for our departure tonight for our 38 hour sail to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. There we will make a run to Sam’s Club there to provision and then see some of the great sites and then onto St. Thomas and the rest of the USVIs and then onto the British Virgin Islands.
January 26, 2011
Today we explored more of the sites of the park.
January 27, 2011
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| PIZZA PARTY FOR 15 ABOARD ECLIPSE |
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| BAR AT THE PUERTO BAHIA |
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| LOUNGING AREA BY THE INFINITY POOL |
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| ULTRA AND SABBATICUS TIED UP AT THE DOCK |
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| HAPPY HOUR AND DINNER ABOARD ULTRA AT PUERTO BAHIA MARINA, D.R. |
We departed the Park for the Puerto Bahia Marina. Dance Aweigh and Sol Mate had organized a half price rate for us and Sabbaticus. We will get to use the facilites and then depart tonight around 6:00 p.m. when the wind lays down. We enjoyed the pools today and touring the property.
January 28, 2011
The wind never laid down, so therefore, we all could not depart. So therefore, it was another night for our travel mates. We enjoyed the property again today and then at 6:00 p.m. we departed for Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
January 29, 2011
We arrived at around midnight in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. On our way to Puerto Rico we all saw a double green flash of the sunset and we caught a mahi-mahi. We dropped the hook.
January 30, 2011
Anchored in Boqueron, Puerto Rico 18'01.208N, 67'10.680W
YEA! Today is Connor's 13th birthday! We VHF'd them asap and played Beatles "Happy Birthday, they say it's your birthday" song for him on the VHF. Kevin had offered for us to use their telephone to check back in to the US with Immigration and we took him up on it, since we put our cell phones on suspension when we left the US Mainland. We took our gifts over to Connor and then Dena made breakfast and coffee. We had a great visit, checked in and then back to the boat for our departure to Boqueron. We headed to shore to check out the sites. This village is a very popular vacation spot for locals. We had some drinks with everyone at Galloway's and then onto birthday dinner for Connor at the hotel restaurant across the street.
February 1, 2011
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| DINGHY DOCK BOQUERON |
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| HOW DO YOU REACH THIS DOOR? |
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| GRILLED SHARK (TIBURON) ANYONE? |
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| UNUSUAL NAME FOR A FUEL STATION |
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THE GENTLEMAN FROM JAMAICA THAT RECOGNIZED RICH'S ACCENT
HE PRACTICED WITH HIS FATHER IN MEDICAL SCHOOL |
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| OUR SCULPTURE WE BOUGHT ON OUR WATERFALL TOUR |
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| Bill, CeeCee, Bobby, and JoAnne |
We slept in this morning after lack of sleep from all of these overnight crossings. Dance Aweigh came by and asked if we wanted to go to check out the town with them and then grab a slice of pizza. We headed out and Sabatticus was coming, too. The pizzaria was closed, so Galloway's again. We had a great visit, but nothing moves fast around here. We did not leave the restaurant until 3:30 p.m. WOW! It took them from noon until then to get it together and for us to eat and leave. Oh well, it was a great visit. Brandon and Carryn also came to join in. Sabatticus ended up getting Connor his first hair cut, since Annapolis. While in the restaurant, a gentlemen came over to Rich and Margaret to tell them he recognized their Jamaican accent. He introduced himself and turns out, his father went to medical school with Rich. What a small world. They know alot of the same people in Jamaica, too. This is the one time every year that he visits Puerto Rico from Florida for a cycling race. Earlier JoAnne was looking for Sabbiticus in town, and ran into a nice couple by the dock. They introduced themselves and are building a home on a nearby island. They are Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Mrs.McGee, like the Janis Joplin song. So we took a photo with them. We have forgotten the eye in the sky. In this are of Puerto Rico there are the DEA balloons like have in South Texas on the border between Mexico. They only bring it down in high winds because it is on a tether.
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| SABBATICUS WITH A DEA BALLOON LOWERED DOWN BEHIND IT DUE TO BAD WEATHER. |
We departed at our 6:30 a.m. and made our way here. We have to leave early, due to the fact the winds and seas pick up starting around 10 a.m. around the tip of the capes (Cabos). We worked on the boat today and then Kevin came over with some help on some parts. We then said we all have to escape and go to shore. We walked around town and then had some empanadillas, they are just like what we call empanadas at home.
We hope that you enjoyed this blog entry!
Cheers!
Bill, JoAnne, & Sailor Kitty : )
