The area between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico is called the Mona Passage.It is a body of water getting squeezed between the two countries.All of a sudden the CaribbeanOcean narrows down into the Atlantic or visa versa.That’s a lot of turbulent water.Add some current and many shallow areas that need avoidance and that influence the surrounding water and you get interesting seas, only to be battled in times of decent weather conditions: low swells (waves) and little wind (less then 15 knots).
The day Irie left Punta Macao, our last stop in the Dominican Republic, the weather forecast was a little iffy.Once we were “out there”, the ocean and wind felt much better than the previous day.The water was still pretty choppy, but we decided to keep on going.Some people in Luperon had checked the weather online and this information got relayed to us by our friends Al and Gail from Chickadee.They were still in the anchorage and would leave around midnight.The wind came out of the North East, pretty rare and quite bothersome the first 9 hours, since we had to motor straight into it.After midnight, the hardest part was over.We heard later that Chicadee had to leave earlier because the anchorage in Punta Macao became dangerous in winds with a Northerly component.When Irie changed direction, the wind became our friend once again.It had been a long time!An almost full moon guided us through the passage and we managed to sail from here on, all the way past Isla Desechio, dodging a few rain clouds.
Once we passed this island, we decided to head for Boqueron.We read that you have to check into Puerto Rico in person, in the customs building of Mayaguez.This is a big and uncomfortable industrial harbour, where we didn’t want to stay or rest up.So we risked it and moved on, hoping we could check in by phone since we are both “Americans” and we had heard from others doing this and succeeding.We were sailing along and all of a sudden a police boat hovered over us.Mark had already talked to the Coast Guard who flew over us by plane before.The police were checking us out and following us.After a while, they made radio contact and we gave them all our information.For another 15 minutes, they followed us, close by.Then, they sped off, putting those four huge outboard engines to good use!
About three hours later, when we came closer to shore, another police boat showed up.Same scenario, but this one didn’t like using the radio, so the conversation happened with screaming voices in Spanish, while we were alongside each other.Luckily, this was the extend of it.Al and Gail arrived at night and they had a police boat sneak up behind them, all of a sudden shining a huge beam of light into their cockpit.Over the next few days, we had several boats checking us out in different anchorages.Once, we woke up from a light entering Irie.We ignored their presence and never had any other conversations with them anymore.
Around 1 pm, after 20 hours on the water, we arrived at our destination.The bay in Boqueron looked really nice.There were quite a few boats, but no other cruisers.A huge beach lined with palm trees took up part of the shoreline.From the moment we were settled, Mark got off and called US Customs.No luck…We had to go to Mayaguez in person.Now.All we wanted to do was take a nap, but we knew about the risk involved.Our bad.First, we did “sneak” the dogs ashore, though, to let them go potty.Kali has been really good about peeing on the trampoline, but Darwin still refuses if he can hold it.
There is a guy in Boqueron that can bring you to the Customs building and back fro $15 a person.The other options to get to Mayaguez are to wait around for one of the infrequent publicos or to hitch hike.We ended up using a combination of the two.We were hitch hiking, when a publico showed up and for $3 the two of us reached the next town.From there, a friendly mum and her crazy (literally!) son dropped us off at the pink Customs building.The formalities didn’t take very long (hey, I have a greencard now), the wait for a lift back unfortunately did.We had to walk a fair amount, before another crazy driver stopped and actually brought us all the way back to the harbour of Boqueron.That was very nice of him, so we paid him some money.By the time we arrived back on Irie, it was too late for a nap, so we just went to sleep…
Irie is a Fountaine Pajot Tobago, a 35 foot catamaran with a beam of about 19 feet. She was born in France in 1998, and spent her childhood in the Caribbean, before arriving in Maryland, USA.
Irie used to be called Big Trouble, when she belonged to her previous owner. This guy neglected her and she sat idle for almost five years. She also didn't like her name, which we experienced the minute she became ours. From the moment we cut her old name in half, by removing the first part, she behaved a little bit nicer, but it wasn't until the "Trouble" left the transom that our problems started to disappear.
When she received her new name, she became a happy girl again, feeling healthy and almost as good as new. She got a lot of new, improved and fixed body parts, and is ready to perform as our house, transportation device and toy!
Oh yeah, "Irie" means "(It's) all good/all right" in Jamaican (Creole). "Irie, man!" We hope our lives will be Irie, and yours too.
It's Mark
Mark is in his mid thirties and was born in Connecticut, but grew up in upstate New York. He lived in Massachusetts, before moving to California, his favorite state. After living "the American dream" for ten years, he decided that wasn't his thing. Becoming a wise, and adventurous man over the last couple of years, he gained a lot of travel experiences and great insights.
He hates ignorance, traffic, and Johnnies*. The things he loves are being single-focused and working on our boat. Both occupations can last forever... He also likes hiking, listening to good music, and just chilling. His biggest passion is sailing, and that's what he is doing right now. For this exciting trip south, he is accompanied by his two beloved dogs Kali and Darwin, and his wonderful girlfriend Liesbet.
*A Johnny is a macho wannabe, revving his engine, and trying to attract attention with a modified car and/or loud music. If this person is Latino, Johnny is pronounced in Spanish.
It's Liesbet
Liesbet is from Belgium and still speaks English with a little bit of an accent. Her name is pronounced "Leezbett", but since a lot of people don't really get that, they call her all kinds of things. Americans like their abbreviations, so it's way easier to just call her Lb (also meaning lazy butt).
Her biggest passion is traveling, and... trying new things. That's how she ended up with Mark, and on this boat. She's pretty flexible, adventurous and easy-going; a must for her kind of life. Some people call her "crazy", but let's just stick with "different".
She adores Kali and Darwin, and actually likes all animals, except mosquitoes, the only living creatures she purposefully kills. There's not much that she really hates, other than rudeness, cruelty, hypocrisy, and helplessness. Oh, and sometimes Mark's single-focusness.
She's all excited about the prospect of seeing new places from another perspective (the water), and hanging out with dolphins, and other wildlife. Although, she does miss living in a camper, but that's part of her laziness.
It's Darwin
Darwin is an Australian Shepherd mix, with a pretty tail, and handsome face. He's eight years old, but behaves like he's one. This "pup" is still very playful, a little dumb sometimes (in a doggie way), but knows darn well how to steal your heart. He can be so funny, rolling over in the grass, being eager to do tricks, making funny noises and looking very innocent.
Darwin hates to get his toes wet, especially after it rained on the grass. He also doesn't like to be rinsed off, have his nails cut or get a brushing.
He loves to annoy his sister Kali, nipping her or grabbing her leg to get her to play. Or sometimes just chewing on her. He also likes being chased by other dogs, retrieving toys from the air, water, and floor, digging holes in the sand, swimming, hipping you with his wet butt, licking good smelling air, eating treats, and wagging his tail. But, most of all he loves to be with us, whatever we do. He's a happy boy!
It's Kali
Our special girl is also an Australian Shepherd mix, with a fluffy tail. We think she is part Collie, since she's pretty tall, and white with brown spots. Her face is very cute. She survived an awful disease as a puppy, and used that strength through her whole life. Kali is already ten years old now, but she covers that up very well. She still appeases Darwin once in a while by giving him some playtime, but is getting slower every day.
Kali is obsessed with balls, sometimes a little too much. She loves human food, but is not allowed to have any. Except on her birthday, when a deliciously cooked steak awaits her. She likes to sniff and stroll around, doing her thing, knowing that we're around. Rolling around in the grass is one of her favorite things, but what she likes the most is being in the water. She can literally wake in it for hours, wagging her tail, pawing rocks or digging for imaginary things, occasionally sticking her whole face under the water surface, and telling us how much she likes doing this. That high pitch bark gets old after a while, though. She is terrified by thunderstorms and fireworks, or everything producing a loud boom. She also doesn't like fake grass.
Kali and her unrelated "brother" Darwin are well-traveled puppies, and of all the Central American countries, they liked Mexico , Belize, and Costa Rica the best. Why? There are lots of beaches, calm water, and no leash law!
Disaster struck in our happy family, just when we were ready to explore and have fun in the "real Caribbean". Kali died in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, on December 26th, 2008. To understand what happened, read the blog "Goodbye, Sweet Girl" of January 2009. We all miss her very very much.
The day Irie left Punta 
After midnight, the hardest part was over. We heard later that Chicadee had to leave earlier because the anchorage in Punta 
About three hours later, when we came closer to shore, another police boat showed up. Same scenario, but this one didn’t like using the radio, so the conversation happened with screaming voices in Spanish, while we were alongside each other. Luckily, this was the extend of it. Al and Gail arrived at night and they had a police boat sneak up behind them, all of a sudden shining a huge beam of light into their cockpit. Over the next few days, we had several boats checking us out in different anchorages. Once, we woke up from a light entering Irie. We ignored their presence and never had any other conversations with them anymore.
Around 1 pm, after 20 hours on the water, we arrived at our destination. The bay in Boqueron looked really nice. There were quite a few boats, but no other cruisers. A huge beach lined with palm trees took up part of the shoreline. From the moment we were settled, Mark got off and called US Customs. No luck… We had to go to 
0 comments:
Post a Comment