March 1st 2020 

Arriving into Luperon harbour at 7.30am, we would have liked to catch up on some sleep after our overnight passage.  I know that I had much more sleep than Craig - he very kindly let me sleep way more than I was meant to, but first we have to check in.

Popo the local, I guess you could call him the harbour master was great he guided us through the entrance channel, settled us onto a mooring ball (at $2.00 per day we are happy to use one) then while we had quick showers and tidied up he delivered 50 litres of diesel as a top up, and a Dominican Republic courtesy flag all from his little low sided fiberglass runaround, he will deliver diesel, water, take your rubbish or organize for your washing to be done basically he will source anything you need for a small fee.

He pointed us in the right direction  to get to the town, first we had to find an atm to pay him and to pay for the check in. 

Taking a quick walk up the street, it was quite an explosion of sights smells and sounds making much more of an impact because we had been out at sea for three days.  

Out at sea it is blue all around you, the water and the sky, maybe an island in the distance or the occasional white or gray cloud, but really it’s all blue, the only sound is the water rushing past, the wind in the sails or the monotonous drone of the engine, there are no smells, only the sharp tang of a newly caught fish if you are lucky.  

So hitting the street, all of a sudden there are noisy motor bikes and cars, people talking and in this town there is loud music coming from what seems like every open doorway.  Everywhere food is being cooked,  in restaurants and on BBQ’s out in the street and it all smells delicious.

It’s all so foreign and bright and colorful and an exciting assault to my senses.

Eventually we stumbled across the mini mart type supermarket with an atm outside, then we walk back to the 3 check in buildings, the ministry of agriculture, immigration, and what we think was the port authority   4535.00 pesos Au $150 paid to the different departments and then we were off across a bare sided bridge and up the hill to the Navy office where they asked us to return at 2pm I think the officer had had a busy morning and needed his siesta.  So back down the hill and back up the street looking for a SIM card, turns out the 2 mobile supply shops are already closed for the day, well it is a Saturday.  We made a detour down a side street when we spotted a fruit stall, it all looks very organic potatoes, yams lettuce, tomato’s fresh eggs, huge avocados and branches and branches of bananas, we pick up 2 avocados and 2 oranges for 100 pesos $2. We will wait to stock up once we are checked in.

We stumbled upon an open air bar, (The Patio) full of gringos and decided to call in for a drink we were delighted to discover the local beer, El presidenti , big enough for us to have a large glass each (served in icy cold glasses) and only 125 pesos $2.50.  As we walked in everyone turned to say hello and when I spotted a notice board I was like woah,  “is this a club?” but no it’s a great bar run by an ex cruiser, where all the people on boats out in the harbour and all the expats congregate, we had stumbled into the best place to eat, drink and gain information.

After quenching our thirst with a couple of El presidenties we walked back up the hill to the Navy office, the boys there were all sitting around playing on their phones or watching the tv perched on the wall of their outside office - it was just a giant gazebo.  They were not in any hurry to help us so we sat where indicated and waited patiently.  But that was ok there was the cutest DR coconut hound just lying around waiting on some attention. 

There are Dominican Republic dogs everywhere they are mostly cream in colour many of them mangy and unloved looking but all of them seem to be super friendly, a lot of them have collars so do belong and are looked after by someone.  

When she comes to DR each year Heather from Wiarton works as a volunteer, helping look after street dogs.  Working with local vets and dog lovers, searching the streets seeking out strays and assisting with giving them flea and worming tablets .  She also helps with an adoption program accompanying unwanted street dogs back into Canada where they will be placed in new forever homes. This year she managed to fill 3 suitcases full of donated vet supplies from home including a suitcase of mine I felt we no longer needed.

Heather and Todd spend 4 months of the year here in DR escaping the cold Canadian winters and we are hoping to catch up with them.  Its going to be a bit of an adventure getting the 50 km to Sosua from Luperon.  

We did not use our big camera while we were in Luperon the village is very basic and we didn’t want to be flashy.  I had removed my good jewelry while we were in USA replacing my diamond earrings and ring with plain silver hoops and plain silver band. 

Luperon is definitely not a tourist destination the only visitors they get are cruisers arriving on boats who take moorings or anchor in the harbour .  The local expat community is very active with a morning cruisers net over the vhs radio, giving out community announcements helping to promote local businesses.  The locals have created employment for them selves people like popo guiding boats into the harbour then delivering anything you need (there were a few guys doing this) there were 2 sail repair shops, a metal work shop,  a second hand marine shop, a large hardware store with marine supplies, and a number of great cheap restaurants. All very rustic and basic.

After being in The Bahamas where everything was so expensive it’s a treat to be able to get more for your buck, although by the time we left all of friends were in agreement that we had spent way more money than we should have, with an egg and bacon breakfasts at $3.50, burgers with fries for $5, plates of fruit with the local creamy yoghurt $2 we found it was not worth cooking onboard Adriana.  

They had poker nights at Wendy’s bar and $3 lunch specials at the adjacent marina, the French establishment had pizzas that everyone was raving about, we did go there for lunch one day and some friends leaving recommended the soup of the day it was a curry chicken and meat soup it looked revolting but apparently it tasted delicious.  One comment was “watch out for the sheep’s eye in the soup”

So we wanted to visit Todd and Heather we were actually really excited that we were going see them again, the first 4 days we were in Luperon it rained very heavily and constantly, so much so that the town flooded.  The first night we were there we had checked in then had a few beers and as we had just completed a 2 night passage we were zonked, we collapsed into bed not remembering that we had left our companion way hatch open with front window panel lifted to let in the breeze, we woke up at 3 in the morning with rain pouring down the entrance stairs, pouring onto our bed, and over our couches, who knows how long it had been raining for, I’m sure we slept through a good half hour of heavy rain.

Adriana was sopping wet inside all our rugs were saturated, then it didn’t stop for another 3 days so we couldn’t get anything dry, that stopped us getting over to Sasoua for a few days plus we had been advised that there may be thieves around who would steal your dingy engine, so we wanted to be 100% sure Adriana was safe.  

By the Friday we were all feeling restless with the oppressive heat and constant rain, new friends Sam and Scott  - Americans on their boat Fruit Bat asked if we would like to chip in and go with them and Breakaway to Porta Plada a town halfway to Sosua, we jumped  at the chance to get off the boat and explore the countryside.  Plus it gave us a way to check out the roads, traffic and distances so we could work out how to get to Todd & Heathers.

Six of us squashed into a sedan and we took off along the pot holed, corroded muddy roads, made much worse by the heavy rain, stopping for bbq sweet corn from a roadside stall along the way, then we had lunch in seafood restaurant set in a cavernous barn it really wasn’t very nice, lots of fried chicken and rice, later we walked around the old part of town/tourist area, stopped for ice cream before heading to a large Walmart type supermarket, it was a fun day but the trip home was scary with the non stop rain and the flooded roads.  Scott did an awesome job negotiating his way around the foreign streets.  

On the Saturday morning the skies cleared and the sun came out, we asked Dan and Nawal from Breakaway,  as well as Nat and Brian from Timmies Run to keep an eye on Adriana and we set off for Sasoua.  

We still did not have a SIM card so even though Todd and Heather were expecting us they didn’t know we were actually on our way. 

There is a guy in Luperon called Joel  who accosts all the new arrivals, he hovers near the check in buildings then walks the streets with you giving you advice and showing you around, but as usual there is a catch, he wants to sell you his T-shirts, they are actually quite nice,  fruit of the loom brand with an airbrushed pic of a yacht or a map of Dominican Republic.  Craig had told Joel that he would buy a T-shirt, so on our way to catch the local bus to Sasoua Joel stepped into line with us we told him where we were going and he helped us so much, the local buses are called gwa gwas and we were looking for a mini bus or something similar, Joel led us to a little beat up old Corolla and said “yes this is the bus” it’s not a bus at all, we would never have worked that out without his help, we would probably still be at the side of the road looking for a bus. 

We squeezed in the back seat Craig and I and 2 ladies in the back one with a child on her knee, the driver plus  a young guy and Joel in the front, that’s 8 bodies crammed into the car, and off we went at breakneck speed, only slowing down for the hideous speed bumps that will rip out your exhaust if you don’t come to a complete stop AND take the hump on an angle, but we couldn’t complain at only 120 pesos  $2.40 for the two of us.  

Joel got out after about 15 minutes but asked one of the ladies to help us she was going to Porta Plada, the town that was the halfway stop.  Actually we had to change cars at Imbert, a small town along the way and the lovely girl who didn’t speak a word of English motioned for us to follow her, into another car that crossed the busy road, then we got out and into another just as delapitated Camry. 

Craig had left his back pack open with our camera sticking out and then placed it in the boot of the car, I was so worried about it, as I watched all these guys put things in and out of the boot, eventually I jumped out and grabbed it, I’m sure they were trying to work out how to steal it.

Another change Of cars at Porta Plada, this time we were led to a private taxi where they wanted to charge us equivalent of US$25 but we managed to negotiate it down to $10 which was way more than the gwa gwas but a lot more comfortable, the driver was not happy we got the price so low.

It’s fun watching the world go by in a new country the landscape is hilly very green dotted with palm trees with lots of banana and mango trees visible in gardens, the houses are all mostly single story but painted gorgeous bright colors with elaborate wrought iron work window grills, gates and fences, there are a few tethered ponies along the side of the road and chickens everywhere. 

Entering Sasoua we can see it’s a busy beach resort town.

We were dropped off at a supermarket where we bought a SIM card and messaged Todd and Heather, we decided to try and find The Jolly Roger a cafe/bar we knew they frequented, it wasn’t so hard to find, we ordered some lunch a burger for Craig and BLT for me, eventually they answered, they were at the beach but had just ordered food could we go to them, so with vague directions we headed off .  They said they were at beach hut 141 we asked directions to the beach, as we descended some white painted steps we were looking at a huge bay with small huts hosting, souvenirs, artists, bars, beach restaurants all n numbered so that made it easy for us.

All the beach restaurants fly flags from a myriad of countries, tourists seem to be drawn to bars full of other tourists and eating similar food to home. 

And there they were, 3 familiar faces on the crowded beach waving frantically at us, Sue another friend was there too, staying with Todd and Heather, Bill her husband had  left to go home the day before, we had just missed him.  But there was Sue, Heather and Todd welcoming us with open arms it was so good to see them we are so excited to spend a few days catching up and exploring Sasoua.

We had lugged a bag of dirty laundry with us I don’t think anyone can easily understand how much we appreciated that we could wash our towels, Craig’s shorts and a few T-shirt.  

Todd and Heather rent a house each year, this one has a swimming pool and is in a great position an easy walking distance to the main restaurant shopping area and beach.

We had a lovely room on the ground floor with a big comfy bed that didn’t rock and sway a huge en-suite opposite the pool, it was lovely to be on land in a proper house, the first time we have experienced that since we left them in June.

We were taken to all their favorite restaurants, met all their friends and shown an exceptionally fun time, a highlight was a walk just up the hill from their condo to visit Castillo Mundo King ...it’s part museum, art gallery and UFO space port.  

Our pictures don’t do this crazy eclectic castle justice it was built by an eccentric German called Rolf Schulz he believed he had been abducted and injected by aliens and spent from 1990 until he passed away a couple of years ago creating this labyrinth of rooms, hallways, stairs and even an unlit crypt below ground to display over 800 unique stone and wood carvings and painting of many subjects but mostly UFOs and religious icons, there were even 4 life size (if anyone knows what size they should be) metal UFOs.  He also believed there was an alien conspiracy causing the droughts in the Dominican Republic.  A truly amazing place.

Our time in Sousa was certainly not long enough but we were worried about Adriana, Luperon has a bad reputation for theft,  even though we had left her in good hands we felt we needled to get back. 

Plus the days before we left had been raining so hard and everything had been damp so we were concerned about mold.

Todd was heading to Porta Plada to play golf so we hitched a ride with his friends who dropped us off outside the front of the golf course and I don’t know how they knew but we were immediately picked up by a gwa  gwa, this time it was a high ace van, my seat was a plank of wood placed between the single seat and the double seat over the walkway so I had to get up and out the van every time someone needed to get off the bus, I was a bit scared to look around and count how many people were squished into this van but there were 3 in the front not counting the driver and a guy hanging out the door who collected the money. 

We made it back in one piece and Dan from Breakaway picked us up from the Patio where we stopped to get breakfast that turned into lunch then beers, as more friends joined us. there is another cold/wet front coming through so we were glad to be home. And Adriana was just as we had left her.

The low pressure front turned out not to be so bad,  we filled our days exploring Luperon walking to and from the supermarket and taking the many uneven side streets just to see what we would find, the boys played poker a couple of times, they turned out to be big nights, the standard rum drink was automatically a double shot for only $2  inc mixer, not that there was much room in the plastic cup for the soda. 

We had the 150 pesos lunch at the marina, $3 for a chicken curry with rice and salad, it was delicious we heard after they had been so busy with all of us  that they increased the price to $5 

Yellowbird and ourselves hired a car and visited the Damajagua Cascades or the 27Waterfalls, just outside Puerto Plada , it seemed to take us all day to get organized, we started off going to hire motorcycles but they turned out to be more expensive than we had been told so we headed back into town and hired a car through Joel, eventually we reached the waterfalls, we were so late in the afternoon we could only do 7 out of the 12 that were open. When the conditions are right there are 27 waterfalls altogether.

Wow the topography is stunning, after renting water shoes, and being supplied with life jackets and helmets we followed the guide up through the tropical forest path that got steeper the closer we came to the waterfalls the final ascent was up a tight timber staircase where the land then plateaued out and led us to the first falls, there were two choices to get down the first waterfall, cross your arms and pin dive in or descend another set of steep timber stairs and launch swimming into the river, that’s what I did, there was a local family with us so there were a few of us who chose the easy option.  

The rock walls that formed the path that the river follows were the most amazing shades of green with delicate maiden hair ferns and (what’s that fern used behind the rose for a wedding pin) bobbing in the spray from the rush of water, swimming through the narrow rock channels was surreal, then while standing in the water we had to jump down about 4mt and at the bottom a guide grabbed your life jacket and pulled you up quickly as the waterfall would hold you down, then we bobbed along past more stunning rock formations, the river then opened out to a natural resting area for a short stop before we took the next jump slide or climb, the water was icy cold at first but once my core had cooled down, the river water was refreshing but certainly not too cold, the scenery was absolutely amazing and I’m so glad we managed to get there.

Our next stop is Samaná 60 nm on the southern tip of DR but we have been waiting for the right  weather window, we have to avoid a northern swell as this makes the seas huge and dangerous, the trade winds come from a easterly direction and there needs to be a bit of Southeast direction in there to make the passage comfortable. 

Thursday 12th March 2014 

And as usual we are all of a sudden leaving, now, this morning, no hanging around to celebrate Craig’s birthday tomorrow with friends, luckily we are all heading in the same direction so our planned night out will just happen in a different location a few days later.

We up anchor around midday, along the way we are hoping to be able to divert and visit Todd and Heather in Sasoua, we plan to come in close to shore, drop the anchor and launch the dingy so we can go ashore to one of the little beach hut restaurants where we can still keep a watch on our dingy and Adriana.

But no - there is no way we will be going close to shore, just as we pass Sasoua a squall kicks up with high winds, rain and lightning we had been cruising along with full main and foresail up, looking through the binoculars trying to pick out the castle we had visited, next minute we are running around pulling in sails and ducking under the dodger to stay dry, the sea state had been bearable big waves but far apart,  Adriana just glides through them but the squall picked up the swell and made it dangerous to even think about changing our course and heading inland.

We sped on through the night, with rain and lightning on the horizon but not actually experiencing another squall, we agree to take 2 hour watches, but Craig is always kind and lets me sleep only waking me if he is struggling to stay awake.

I think we managed to sail 80% of the way, just as we rounded cape     the seas grew huge and we had to punch into them for a short while until we got further round the point. 

We had our Canadian friends Nat and Brian on Timmies Run sail the whole way with us, chatting and comparing notes over the vhs radio having a buddy boat is a huge plus.  Yellowbird had departed earlier the previous day and we did pass them approaching the cape, we didn’t see Breakaway at all but they were on the same course too. Another 2 boats Little Martha and Fruit Bat are all meeting up with everyone in Samaná.

Once we rounded the cape things calmed down, and once we entered Samaná Bay it was lovely smooth sailing. The scenery is not much different maybe steeper hills, the hills are very angular, sort of like mountains viewed from an airplane.  

I was on whale watch, constantly scanning the horizon in all directions but to no avail, I always have that feeling that they appear just when I’m not looking. 

Samaná Bay is one of  2 mating and birthing waters for humpback whales, thousands gather here from mid January through until mid March apparently early in the season the boisterous males are very active breaching and showing off for the females, after giving birth here the whales migrate back to the colder waters of the North Atlantic from Massachusetts Bay to Greenland and Iceland.

We decided to go to the Marina, “Marina Puerto Bahia” for a couple of nights, our last marina berth was on New Years Eve  and that had just been a quick overnighter and it was Craig’s birthday after all. We had read the marina was $1.00 per foot per night and among other things there was a knife edge swimming pool looking over the sea.  Turns out it was $1:25 per foot plus 18% tax.  But it was very swish and the pool was  beautiful.  What a treat, in the Bahamas we were always in the water could swim off the boat or from the beach, Luperon’s waters had been disgustingly dirty especially with all the rain washing down the rubbish and so much plastic into the harbour so being able to go for a swim in the oppressive heat was a real treat.  

I just have to mention the dock was fixed concrete and it was really stressful tying  up , at first we had to move the fenders around as the tide changed until we were happy Adriana was secure.

Our first night we had Tommy and Emilie from Little Martha onboard for a drink they had arrived a few hours before us and after we had a nap and a shower they called over bringing a nice bottle of local rum that we shared to celebrate Craig’s birthday.

Tommy is able to work from his boat, he creates decals and signs with inspirational messages that get made overseas, then sold on Amazon he says it’s taken a few years but he now has an income from it and is grateful he can work remotely, Emilie  had her own law practice and admits she is happy to leave it all behind and take up a cruising lifestyle.

Little Martha hired a car and we picked up Yellowbird for a drive around, Samaná is a lot bigger and busier than Luperon so we were glad to drive away and out of the chaos.

We drove through the crowded streets, along the windy coconut lined tropical roads to a beach resort stopping at a few roadside stalls along the way, to grab delicious coconut cookies and thick sweet coffee, then we partook of a couple of  El presidente at the beach where the boys stopped and chatter to a local fisherman asking about what fish he catches and what equipment he uses, trying to get fishing hints

lunch was shared in a small café after we had a quick walk around the town, everything seemed to be quiet I’m not sure if it’s their off season, or maybe everything livens up in the evening.  
On the way back we made plans to catch up with Timmies Run, Breakaway and Yellowbird, who were all anchored in the pretty Samaná harbour. So we went straight into party mode. 

What a night,  we ended up partying and dancing in the street, we chose an outside bar that happened to make the best mojitos, Yellowbird gifted Craig some Dominican cigars that he shared around, which added to the fun.  The music was loud and Latin with a few reggae tracks thrown in.  We danced and partied with our own little group.

Thank goodness Yellowbird ordered pizza for us on the way home we were all a bit merry, a local guy had set up shop platting hair even I was sucked in to forking out a few dollars, but I looked  a grandma spice girl in the morning, all I can add is we are  lucky he wasn’t doing tattoos

That was a birthday to remember. 

Little Martha had hired the car for 2 days but i think we were all a bit seedy to do anything until late in the day on the second day.

Oh that’s right Fruit Bat had their dingy stolen from behind their boat and Little Martha had taken an old, not really working very well motor over to them, that’s why we were so late in jumping in the car.

Fruit bats dingy was locked to the back of their boat with a wire cord, the thieves cut the cord with bolt cutters and snuck away, the dingy was found in the morning intact but minus the engine hence why little Martha gave them their old one.

Being a Sunday and Election Day everything was closed and we could not find a supermarket or even a stall selling fruit, they were everywhere the day before.

Craig Emilie and Kyra decided to find a proper supermarket leaving early the next morning so Emily could return the hire car by 10am.

Kyra spent the night in our spare room sneaking up to have a shower and accepting a new toothbrush from me.  Did I mention how glamorous the hotel was that the marina is attached to it was very swish, with 2 restaurants and another 2 bars as well.

It was about now we were starting to take news of the corona19 virus seriously, the day after our party in the street we had fleeting concerns that gee I bet that little bar doesn’t have a good hygienic glass washing facilities and maybe standing in line to use the ATM behind a group of girls who looked like they were off a cruise ship probably was not safe and a day later we hear about Italy shutting down and countries closing their borders.

We contact family to let them know where we are and that we are safe. Everyone at home is having different reactions Steven my brother had already had a senior staff member at his work prove positive to corona19.

In the DR we have to get despachos each time we leave a town and hand it in at the new destination, so we received one from Luperon to Samaná we were now looking to get one from Samaná to Los Haiti’s National park figuring this will be a nice place to hang out away from the crime in Samana harbour and free not like the marina but all the armada would give us was the standard 2 night pass.  

We paid our bill and left the marina managing to sail at 3 - 4 knots all the way across to the park.  

Dropping the anchor amongst the most amazing scenery, they filmed parts of Jurassic Park here and we can see why, with heavy tropical forests sitting atop ginormous exposed rock cliffs that crash into the sea, there are a huge range of birds flying around, eagles frigates and grey pelicans constantly circling the tops of the mountainous cliffs, dark grey pelicans dive bombing into the sea as they catch fish, wood pigeons cooing onshore giving a familiar serenade.  White Herons nesting high in the foliage looking like big white blossoms. 

There was one other yacht in the bay when we arrived but they departed early the next morning.

Once we were sure our anchor was firmly embedded we lowered the dingy and set off to explore, our first stop we pulled up to a small sandy beach that was serviced by a timber dock that had too many barnacles to risk tying our dingy to.
 A local guy in a parks uniform greeted us and even though he only spoke Spanish he was happy to show us around.  He led us over a small timber bridge into  a large green cave  where he pointed out some amazing carvings,  quite distinctive in the rock, he led us further in but all we could see was how sad it was people have etched their names in the rock, the stalagmites growing from the cave ceiling that should be reaching the ground but instead have been broken off. We were treated to a fresh coconut and were able to open a cacao pod, but I think the one we opened had been in the sea as it was all mushy and smelt sour.

Back in the dingy we continued around a rocky outcrop, past this Easter island head, looking rock formation we can see this one from the boat, I hope it’s a good spirit.

Past the remains of a large dilapidated dock that was used to load timber into ships in the 60’s and around into a sheltered mangrove lined trail.  There are more caves but we leave them for another day when the others are with us.

There ends up being 7 boats including us, Yellowbird, Timmies Run, Breakaway, Little Martha, Fruit Bat and Lorrie and Tom on Imaloa,  they had all helped celebrate Craig’s birthday the other night, we name our group  “Quaran-tilla” and luckily we all have cell reception so communicate via Instagram.  Timmies Run do a Cruisers net each morning, complete with segments such as - treasures of the bilge and joke of the day. 

We are anchored in the park waters while chaos reigns all around us, borders are being closed whole cities are shut down, people are getting sick and dying.

None of us can go home, we can’t just leave our boats the DR has too high a crime rate and is in the middle of the hurricane zone.

We can’t afford any of the Marinas here, The Bahamas have closed their border, so has the US and really we don’t want to go back there.  

We all decide to sit for a few days to take stock and once a weather window opens we will aim to get to Puerto Rico as soon as possible.  Puerto Rico is a USA owned island.  

On one of the first days ourselves, little Martha and Yellowbird go for a dingy ride through the amazing mangroves, I had read there was an unusual hotel so we knew to walk up the only path out of where we stopped and tied up the dinghies, it actually looked like a destination for the boat tours that would normally be going daily through the park.  

Around a corner and up a slight hill, we come across the most unusual “EcoResort”.  Caño Hondo, there are numerous natural pools all fed by river water flowing down the mountain side, the hotel rooms are all timber and built higgledy piggly into the hillside, it’s very unique.

They had a couple of guests sitting by the pool so they were still open, they allowed us to buy some lunch and an El presidente but charged US$20 per couple to use their pools.  We sat in lowest pool in front of the restaurant and cooled off,  again the water where we are anchored is not very nice it’s not at all clear it’s very brackish from the mangroves so swimming in the river fed pools was a lovely treat. It didn’t take long to dry off in the hot sun, we had a walk around the all the different pools and hopped in a different one for a second swim afterwards laying on the sun loungers for a little nap enjoying the stillness and the different sounds coming from the tropical forrest. 

We spend our time social isolating on our boats, reading, doing boat jobs, watching movies, after a week we felt we were ok to mingle with each other, we did a hard drive swap, we did meet on each other’s boats a couple of nights, a party on Fruit Bat, a white wine night on Timmies Run.  When Brian and Nat were in  Bahamas north island they volunteered helping with the clean up after Hurricane Dorian, they came across stacks of wine bottles in the water, they collected what they could carry, no one seemed to want them. There had been a bar there that was completely wiped out, there was nothing on land to show it had been there. So they very kindly shared their treasure with us 11 bottles were drunk that night.

One night we had a fire on the beach the one that we visited the first day, the one with the caves, the Spanish speaking ranger built the fire for us and we shared our food and some drinks with him, he had also paddled his kyack out to chat to us. 

On the walls of the cave here we saw Taíno paintings that show humans, shamans, gods, sharks and even humpback whales. The Taino tribe are the original occupants of this land and used these caves to shelter out of the way of hurricanes and bad storms. 

Jack and Kyra took Timmies Run’s fold up bikes into the closest town it was 9 km there 9km back they wore face masks and protective gloves, they said the supermarket was letting people in and out two at a time.  Yellowbird  being the smallest boat they have the least storage and they don’t have a fridge so they needed to restock, they very kindly picked up bananas and fresh eggs for us.  They said it was quite a strange town and they were happy to get back to Yellowbird.  

The park is stunning we dinged through the largest healthiest mangroves, googling later we find out they are the largest collection of this type of mangrove in the world.

My favorite day was our treck through the tropical forest, after a lengthy ride in the dinghies over the open anchorage and then through the quiet mangroves we were able to tie up to a wooden landing dock, normally there would be tourists boats coming and going all the time but we were the only ones there.  
The forest is nothing like I have experienced before, it’s so tall so thick and luscious the soil is a deep red with layer upon layer of decomposed leaves.  There was a well defined undulating path we took that ended close to the hotel we had visited earlier in the week.
It was obviously where the tourist guides stopped and handed out fresh coconuts, Scott from Fruit Bat had brought his machete and was able to climb up and dislodge a few coconuts for us to drink then scrape out the mushy pulp from the young ones, Jack from Yellowbird saved the fresh coconut flesh from an older one and later grated it and incorporated it into a delicious chocolate slice.  I think we spent about 6 hours hiking, we saw frogs, cocoa trees, saw lots of colorful butterflies and heard plenty of unusual birds a truly magical day but the best part was sharing it with our Quaran-tilla friends.

We are safe on our boats from infection by outsiders as long as non of us already have the virus, we come to terms with the realisation that if someone at home gets sick we cannot go home to help or even to attend a funeral.  What if we do get sick we are in a 3rd world country (they say developing country) English is not so common in the non tourist places. We have no health care, I doubt we could claim a hospital visit for Coronavirus19 on our travel insurance, there’s a good chance  the hospital might be full and over run and we don’t speak Spanish, I know we have a few Panadol onboard but certainly not enough for even a mild case.  Crime is rife, there were already cases of boat boarding in Luperon Harbour, one cruiser had money stolen off the boat while he was on land doing his check in, and Fruit Bat had their dingy motor stolen off the back of their boat, it was locked on and the thieves cut through the padlocked wire.

There is a chance if someone is to get Ill we could maybe tie up in the marina we recently left.

We called the Navy every few days and they granted us permission to stay in the park another 2 days then another 2 days, I think they were happy not to have to deal with us.

Day 8 we decided to head back out into Samana Bay where the water is clearer, the water in the National Park is murky with silt, nutrients from the mangroves and we need to make water, I had to pull Craig up he was in his happy place with Adriana heeled over, adjusting the sails like we were in a race, he was heading back to the marina and planned to anchor outside and turn on the watermaker.  I didn’t want to get too close to town where the water would be dirty, I didn’t want to be seen from the Marina in case the Navy called us in and in going further out to the entrance of Samana Bay where we knew the water was going to be the cleanest we would be in full sight of both navy stations the one in the marina and the one in Samana harbour.

So we pulled down the foresail and the middle sail, leaving the mainsail up, we turned into the wind and heaved to.  We sat there from 11am to 4pm Running the watermaker and filling all our tanks.

A lovely way to spend the day.

Yellowbird and Little Martha departed the park, heading to the Marina Puerto Bahia they wanted to fuel up and be ready to leave for PR in the morning. We received word through Little Martha that the Navy wanted us to return to the marina, the park was closing and none of us were able to stay there. That ended our idyllic quarantine period in los Haiti’s National Park, Samana. 

We spent one night in the Marina Puerto Bahia, fueled up had a swim and long hot showers, and departed around 10am, our destination Puerto Royal, Puerto Rico.

Marina Pecaderia, in Puerto Royal had sent out notice that they were still open and as they were a port of entry we would be able to check in there. We called and checked this was the correct information and made our intentions known.

It’s all a bit irrelevant now but we had a beautiful sail across the Mona Passage a notoriously rough patch of water, Craig had done his research and we were using a good weather window, we followed the instructions of Van Sant as described in his book “The Thornless Passage” where he advises to travel close to shore after 7pm when the trade winds die down and the night lees kick in, that’s where the warm air off the land comes down and pushes air out to sea giving a steady breeze, there was little swell for most of the way and we actually sailed under big red our spinnaker for about 6 hours on the second day.  

As we sailed out through the mouth of Samana Bay we were so excited be treated to the sight of humpback whales swimming off our starboard side, we passed 3 different families blowing, or proposing, flashing their tails as they dived deep. 

We trawled the fishing lure off the back but nothing, not even a nibble.

The sea state picked up around 7pm and our last 2 hours were a motor through a big swell with pretty big waves crashing over our bow but they were far apart and not too uncomfortable.

We sailed into Puerto Royal’s well marked harbour around 9.30pm.  

On our way in we were approached by the local Police boat, under stealth mode, we hadn’t seen it on our approach as it was sitting there in total darkness the first thing we knew was it’s high beam spotlight shining in our eyes, they came alongside and nearly crashed into us, Craig was very upset but managed to keep his cool, they backed off so they were not touching us, asked us what we were doing, we explained where we had come from and that we were going to anchor in the harbour, they were happy with that and let us past.

We dropped the anchor close to Little Martha who had arrived an hour or so earlier.

Yellowbird, Timmies Run and Breakaway all arrived at different hours during the night, it was a huge relief to see them all safely anchored when we woke up the next morning especially after the huge swell we had had to endure at he end, they were all out there in much smaller boats for a lot longer than us.

Saturday morning we headed into shore with all our paperwork we had previously checked in online via the ROAM app/ visa waiver program between Australia and the US called esta.  

Jose at the Marina was great the good news was the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) were coming to the Marina at 3pm so we wouldn’t have to take a taxi to the airport to see them.

The town is in lockdown only essential services were open we could not walk in the street more than 2 people, we could only walk to the mini mart or chemist, there were larger supermarkets, he could organize a taxi if needed. We donned scarves around our mouths and did the 10 minute walk to the mini mart, just like everywhere everyone was masked and gloved, we felt we were the aliens, potentially carrying the disease so we had to be very respectful keep away from everyone,not touching anything we were not buying, we smiled and tried to be polite.  All we really need are a few bits of  fruit and some vegetables there was not a huge choice we picked up a couple of avocados, a few oranges and a couple of red capsicum, not really buying too much as we planned to return with shopping bags.

Once we were back on Adriana, after some lunch and a cup of tea Craig was called into the Marina, to take a phone call from customs, he came back to get me just before 3pm.

Luckily the tropical downpour that had come through had eased.  I had collected the rainwater and done some hand washing in Craig’s absence.

There is a problem we are checking in with estas they won’t accept an esta !!

At the marina dingy dock we were safe distancing with the crews from Yellowbird and Breakaway who both  needed cruising permits, they had not required one coming from Canada down the US coast but Puerto Rico required one, there is Dutch couple  (Christa) in the same boat as us, our friends on Timmies Run had a working SIM card when they were crossing and had registered online and had been accepted.

The CBP guy told us we could not check in no matter what paperwork we had, ALL OF US the borders were now closed and we had to leave.....

We can’t just leave we tried to explain Kyra on Yellowbird cried " we are on a 30ft boat, it has to be the right weather we can’t leave now!!"

The CBP guy went away to talk to his superiors on the phone, when he returned he asked us all to return to our boats sit tight and he would let us know tomorrow what we could do, he was actually very nice and reassuring, there was a number to call if we got sick, Jose at the Marina could organize anything we needed “please don’t panic” he said.

As we were about to jump back in the dingy Emilie and Tommy from Little Martha pulled up in a taxi, Emile had just been to the local hospital to have an X-ray on her elbow, she had slipped and fell on it out on the street she was using an umbrella at the time and her elbow had taken the full impact. 

The X-ray showed her elbow was broken so the boys helped Tommy bring Little Martha into the Marina.

As we were helping tie her up Jose from the marina came over to tell us he had had a call from CBP and we definitely would have to leave but to give us time he would pretend he had not seen us to pass on the information.  

Sitting on anchor was quite pleasant the water was not clear enough to make water or swim in but there were plenty of pelicans diving for fish and rays swimming around, it was warm and pleasant we passed the Sunday just lazing around reading and watching movies.  The whole town including the marina was in total lockdown.

Emilie and Tommy are US citizens so a totally different ball game regarding paperwork.  Emilie said the hospital had been relatively empty and very very clean she had to return on Monday and they would determine if she needed to get her elbow pinned or not.  
Jose from the marina also told us he was getting a hard time from the local police and from the local residents as they were afraid we would be bringing the virus to their town which is totally understandable. 

On the Sunday while we were at anchor the police boat cruised in and did a round checking on all the boats.

Jack from Yellowbird was on our boat, we panicked and sent him downstairs to hide, he had borrowed our dingy to go pick up a spare sim card from LM, when j and k arrived they had discovered a tear the bottom of their dingy, they had been without internet or phone access and Little Martha had a spare to give them, Craig had picked jack up, jack brought Craig back then took off to marina, he had just returned, Craig was on the phone to Timmies Run so jack came onboard, sitting at a safe distance to wait for Craig to take him back then the police showed up!!  Jack had to go below.

I sat on deck pretending to do washing, they cruised through the harbour checking on all the boats, whew !! they exited without stopping, Craig quickly dropped Jack back to Yellowbird.

Monday morning we still had not heard from CBP but the seas had calmed down outside and there was only a slight breeze forecast so ourselves Yellowbird and Breakaway decided to move on, apparently US Virgin Islands are still open, the Australian government doesn’t have a consulate here but being Australia we come under the same consultant service as the Canadians so we were happy to stick with our friends.

Timmies Run found out later that day that even though they thought they had checked in they were not welcome to stay out on anchor in the harbour and they too had to leave.

We sailed and motor-sailed 30 nautical miles to a little calm bay behind a small island with the name “Gilligans Island”. We caught 2 fish along the way an approx, 10kg mutton snapper, then we estimated a 7kg mackerel, as usual it was carnage with blood everywhere but after all the money we have spent on lures I’m happy to eat the fish.

There were 2 catamarans already anchored when we arrived both with children onboard.  Christa the Dutch boat had arrived a few minutes before us, one of the boat’s evicted from Puerto Royal, then us, Breakaway followed by Yellowbird.

We had maintained vhs radio silence using insta messenger to communicate.

Sure enough 10 minutes after we were all settled in a police boat appeared with 5 armed men onboard, they were all very nice and friendly -- we were not allowed to go ashore we said “we knew that” “we didn’t want to go ashore” and we assured them “we didn’t need to go ashore” Craig mentioned we were having a rest and waiting for the sea state to calm down and would probably leave at 4am, they visited all the boats then headed off.

Jack and Kyra swam over and had a cold beer and took home some fresh fish with some quick instructions on how to cook the fish 2 ways. Jack swam back holding the bag of fish in the air.

We had a lovely snapper fillet with a lemon butter, mashed potatoes and salad, watched an episode of Below Deck and then just as we were dozing off the police returned with flashing blue lights.
Craig got up to see what was going on to be told you have to leave, you have to leave NOW they were under direct orders from the president herself, 
"shit the seas are huge out there and the wind is blowing 20 plus knots", we watched as the police approached all the other boats, the 2 catamarans just switched their lights off, and everyone else pretended to be asleep.

Craig rang the US coast guard and explained it would be the coastguards problem if we were made to go out to sea, they said they would see what they could do.  The coastguard must have called the police because the police boat took itself over to the mangroves and turned off their lights, no one moved so we went below and turned off our lights, not that we got much sleep.  The police stayed watching us the whole night.

Craig on the phone talking to the coastguard about our location being “Gilligan’s Island" would have been funny If it hadn’t been so scary.

We felt we were obliged to depart at 4am as that’s what we had told the police, so Breakaway, ourselves and Yellowbird all lifted anchor and headed out, Christa followed not long after, we had picked out a more secluded anchorage for our next stop so headed in that direction, Yellowbird could not move forward in the biggish seas with the strong headwind so decided to backtrack to another small bay we had passed.

We think there must have been someone very influential who lived in one of the big houses overlooking the bay.

We sailed and motored until we reached a small sheltered spot next to a power plant so no houses around to complain about us. Even though we could see the chimneys and buildings the surrounding mangroves and hills vert very luscious and pretty.

We had a very quiet undisturbed night but headed out early just in case, as we were leaving an open topped power boat came past with “vigilantes” written on the side, we were concerned they were going to approach us but they just waved and flew past.

We are heading East directly into the trade winds so no sailing, it’s hot and the diesel engine is smelly and noisy the chart plotter keeps malfunctioning and dying, we have to turn it off at the mains and then do a whole new reset each time, and doing that turns off the auto pilot so lots of fun and games. 

Yesterday as we were heading into the anchorage there was a huge bang and a bolt and hinge from the top of the staysail (the little one in the middle) landed on the deck. We had to lower the mast that holds the sail up and strap it to the deck, a cutter pin holding the bolt that holds the sail in place had somehow come out. but we keep going and pull in to Charlotte Amile Harbour, St Thomas US Virgin Islands around 8pm.

Our friends on Timmies Run had been stopped by the police in a large motor boat with 4 huge engines off the back, when they approached the island but as Canadians they had checked in using their Roam app and were waved through, we on the other hand were trying to submit our application on the Roam app but it just said pending so felt relieved we were not stopped by any roaming police boats, we maneuvered into the harbour just after the sun had set and managed to find a quiet spot to drop the anchor, it was a bit rolly but not too uncomfortable.

Our Passage from Puerto Rico to Us Virgin Islands was about the same distance as Phillip Island to Wilson’s Prom by boat (not by car) we had crossed through the Puerto Rico Shelf where the depth went from 18 Mt to 80,000 Mt a drop the same distance as driving by car from Cowes to the beach at Ventnor. 

April 1st 2020

Up early showered and tidied up our roam app still said pending, then around 8am an email came through saying “entry denied”

Our first desperate phone call was to the Australian consulate in Washington, we gave our details and were informed that USVI’s come under the New York jurisdiction and they would send an email and we should expect a phone call.

We waited until 11am then called the local Customs and Border Protection here in St Thomas, we spoke to officer Rovler who politely informed us that we could not enter US waters without the correct paperwork - a visa that we still could not find any information on. Turns out it’s a B1 &B2 visa we hadn’t required one flying in and out of the states and we actually should have had one checking back in in Gloucester and all the other US states we had checked into but no one had ever mentioned or picked up on the fact we didn’t have it. 

We asked if we could provision and fuel up, NO we need to “leave now” or face being arrested and fined,  and have our boat impounded, this shit is getting really serious. Officer Rovler was aggressive to say the least. 

We then call Australian Consulate in New York and have to leave a message !!!!! 

We decide we need to go, we can’t hang around to be boarded or more to the point arrested we were in US waters illegally.  Our big concern was once we were out of US waters we would also be out of telephone range!!

The British Virgin Islands are right next door, I have a British Passport surely we could get in there.  I had emailed the embassy a couple of days before with no reply.  I tried calling the consulate but there was no answer the BVI’s had closed their border to everyone a week earlier we were wondering what would happen if we sailed into Tortola harbour.

We did not have much to do to get organised, just as we are lifting the anchor Craig’s phone rings Craig is actually on deck starting to lift the anchor we have the engine running, I grab the phone and there is a lovely Australian accent on the other end, I yell for Craig to come,  I turn off the engine, her name is Mailiay and she is answering our message.  

We explain our predicament with visas and estas, we explain we have been quarantined onboard and the distance we have travelled and that we have run out of options, she is very calm and helpful and says she will try to help us, she will call us back.

So we sit and wait it is the longest 4 hours !! But eventually she does call us back she had been on the phone the whole time going up the chain of command eventually talking to the chief of Border Protection and he had given Mailaiy permission for us to call him she also gave us the second in commands contact number.  We thanked her profusely and quickly hung up desperate to make the calls.

The head of Border Protection listened to our plight asking a few questions then asked us to call his second in command we did so, having to relay the story again and answer more questions such as our last few ports of call, and duration of stay, did we feel unwell, did we have adequate food onboard, what was our future plan, were we planning to abandon the boat and fly home, we explained we wanted to stay with our boat and wanted to get to Granada before hurricane season - if it opens up it borders again,  we had been asked to leave the Dominican Republic and had been denied entry to Puerto Rico, missing the border closing by a couple of hours.  Landing here was our only option. We pleaded our case as clearly and precisely as we could but at one stage Craig needed a minute to compose himself we were terrified of being denied access and being escorted out to sea, the fear was quite justified after the way we had been treated in Puerto Rico.

The second in command said she would call us back and when could we come in to the harbour, it was at this point we had to admit we were already anchored.

The second in command called us back within the hour, could we make our way to the customs office  “WE COULD STAY”

We still could not celebrate as we had no idea how long the permit would be for and if there would be any restrictions or conditions attached.

Having decided to have showers before we headed out to sea, we were ready to drop the dingy and find the customs office.

It was a bit surreal we were escorted into the ferry customs area and asked to fill in some forms (similar to the ones we completed to get our cruising permit)we had our passport scanned, photos taken, given copies of our visa waiver and let out back into the street, just like that we were in and to our delight we have approval to stay until October we were expecting just 2 weeks.

Back to Adriana to let our family and friends know we were safe and to stop Emilie our friend off Little Martha summoning up all her lawyer friends to help.  Emilie had had to have an operation to put pins in her broken elbow and they are on their way to join the Quaran-Tilla again.

That evening we had a couple of stiff drinks to celebrate and once we heard the Yellowbird had arrived safely we could relax.

We are safe for now and have no issues or problems only worried about Our family back home.