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…
Buy My Sailing Memoir "Plunge" Here (affiliate link):
New Blog: Roaming About - A Life Less Ordinary
Since November 2015, Mark and I have a new website to chronicle our current house and pet sitting adventures, camper van travels and alternative lifestyle. Check it out here.
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, a name she didn't like. From the moment she received her new name, she became a happy girl again, feeling healthy and almost as good as new. Just like everybody else she has her own problems and we keep working on that never ending project list. After sailing thousands of miles, we are still very happy with her and wouldn't want any other boat. For over seven years now, she performed as our house, transportation device and office! But, as of November 2014, Mark and I are ready for new adventures, so Irie can be yours! We have put her up for sale. For more information, check out my blog about our decision or the full listing.
"Irie" means "all good" in Jamaican (Creole). "Irie, mon!" We hope our lives remain irie, and yours as well.
It's Liesbet
Liesbet is a freelance writer and lifetime adventurer from Belgium. Her biggest passion is traveling, and... trying new things. That's how she ended up with Mark, and on this boat. She's 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 adored Kali and Darwin, and actually likes all animals, except mosquitoes, the only creatures she can kill. There's not much that she really hates, other than cruelty, hypocrisy, helplessness and injustice in general. She's still excited about seeing new places, writing about them and hanging out with dolphins, and other wildlife.
Living on a tight budget has been her lifetime commitment in order to travel "forever". To create that budget, she writes, translates (Dutch-English), proofreads, and -if really really really needed- does manual labor.
For more info about Liesbet's articles, click here.
It's Mark
Mark 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 it wasn't his thing. After meeting Liesbet in December 2004, he started to travel indefinitely, first by camper, then by sailboat.
He hates ignorance, traffic, and bad customer service. The things he likes are being single-focused, hiking, listening to good music, and just chilling. His biggest passion is sailing, and that's what he is doing right now, full time.
Just so he would never have a spare moment of time anymore, he came up with a great idea to provide WiFi on boats in April 2009. With the help of Liesbet, he invented and developed The Wirie, a marine WiFi system, which grew to be a real business with a partner in the United States and is still expanding with Tim's help.
After a year of full time commitment and very hard work in 2014, he developed a new line of The Wirie products, combining WiFi and cell technologies. The Wirie pro was released in January 2015.
It's Kali
Our girl was an Australian Shepherd mix, with a fluffy tail and a cute face. She survived an awful disease as a puppy, and used that strength throughout her whole life.
Kali was obsessed with tennis balls. She loved human food, but was not allowed to have any. Except on her birthday, when a deliciously cooked steak awaited her. She liked to sniff and stroll around, doing her thing, knowing that we were around. She loved rolling in the grass, but what she liked most was being in the water. She could literally wade 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 liked doing this. She was terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks, or everything producing a loud boom. She also didn't like fake grass.
Kali and her unrelated "brother" Darwin were 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! While cruising on Irie, they loved the Bahamas the most.
Tragedy struck just when we were ready to explore and have fun in the "real Caribbean". Kali died unexpectedly in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, on December 26th, 2008. To understand what happened, read the blog "Goodbye, Sweet Girl" of January 2009 (http://www.itsirie.com/2009/01/goodbye-sweet-girl.html). We still miss her very much and think about our special girl every day.
It's Darwin
Darwin was also an Australian Shepherd mix, with a pretty tail, and handsome face. He was very playful, a little dumb sometimes (in a doggie way), but knew darn well how to steal your heart. He was so funny, rolling over in the grass, being eager to do tricks, making funny noises and looking very innocent. He had a way of getting comfortable wherever he laid down, ideally resting his head on one thing or another, from somebody's lap to the table.
Darwin hated to get his toes wet, especially after it rained on the grass. He also didn't like to be rinsed off, have his nails clipped or get a brushing. He loved to annoy his sister Kali, nipping her or grabbing her leg to get her to play. He liked 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 loved to be with us, whatever we did or wherever we were. He was a happy boy!
On December 1st, 2010, not even two years after we lost Kali, disaster struck again in our small, but happy family. Darwin had been diagnosed with malignant tumors in the US and died two days later. We were just heading back to our life on Irie in the Caribbean after a three month break. A boat and life without dogs. We still cannot grasp or belief it. Our hearts will always ache because of this tremendous loss. For the story about Darwin's last days, read the blog "Darwin: Our Bestest Boy"of December 2010 (http://www.itsirie.com/2010/12/darwin-our-bestest-boy.html).
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 
No comments:
Post a Comment