by chris ayres | Mar 2016 | UK to New Zealand
Spent my last day in BVI at Sopers Hole, checking over the boat and getting some supplies. Someone once said that cruising is about fixing your boat in exotic locations and there is truth in this. I overhauled the bilge pump as I discovered it to be leaking at the flange and dripping salt water over the engine, not good. A new diaphragm dug out of the boson’s stores was fitted to cure this.
I slipped the mooring early on the 25th and clear of the harbour since it was quite windy hoisted the staysail only to run down the Narrows between Tortola and St Johns, part of the American Virgins. I could then turn towards the Windward Passage, so with the wind more on the beam up went the reefed mainsail and I passed through the Durloe Cays between Rata Cay and Henley Cay. Passing in between Cruz bay and Steven Cay I carefully avoided Skipper Jacob Rock, a more wicked looking rock I have rarely seen, sharp and pointed and I wondered on the unfortunate skipper who it was named after. The last obstacle in threading my way through the islands was the Dog rocks and then I could set a course to pass south of the Isla de Vieques, one of the so called Spanish Virgin Islands. I reached here late afternoon, I am sure they would be a delight to visit but they belong to Puerto Rica and you need an American Visa, which I don’t have.
Our first night at sea sunset at 6.30 and dark shortly after but around nine thirty a nice 3/4 moon arose to shine us on our way and off to the NW I could see a light high on Puerto Rica. Coasting westwards about 8 miles offshore shore lights could be seen clearly but it was a quiet night, no ships at all in sight or on the AIS. The Puerto Rican’s do however seem to use AIS extensively as a navigation aid for there were lots of AIS targets showing as leading lights and beacons.
Morning came with little change although the wind had dropped some and the swell which cause that troublesome rolling, eased a little. Later I rigged the genoa pole with uphaul, downhaul and two guys so I could pole out the yankee, its not a job i relish singlehanded but with a light wind and from directly aft, necessary to maintain some progress. All day spent passing Puerto Rica and in the late afternoon a pod of dolphins came to visit, playing around the boat and staying with me a long time, very nice.
And so into the second night for which I put a precautionary reef in the main and rolled away the yankee as the wind had gone around a little. Midnight saw me past Cabo Rojo and the red light of the buoy which marks the SW corner of Puerto Rica so I was starting to cross the Mona Passage and altered course a little towards the Dominican Republic. Another quiet night so plenty of cat naps, some curled up in a corner of the cockpit behind the spray hood and some stretched out below with the alarm religiously set.
Not long after dawn after I had reset the poled out yankee I could just make out the low shape of Mona Island to the NW and not long after a big black dolphin came to pay a visit. So past another day, towards eve I saw 3 ships in fairly close succession so I must be crossing the shipping lane for the Mona passage. With sunset the wind seemed to shift more abeam so I de-rigged the yankee pole, wishing I had done it an hour before while there was more light. The chart showed a nasty area of shoal and reefs extending a way south from the Isla Saona at the SE tip of Dominican Republic so I made sure I kept well off shore here though I could see the loom of the lights. Later I was past these hazards and could alter course towards Boca Chica.
Came the dawn and with the by now very light wind more abeam I could hoist the staysail so all plain sail set. Shortly before midday I was just about becalmed and concerned that I may not make port before dark resorted to the engine, fortunately after about an hour the wind returned.
Approach to Marina Zar Par
I handed the sails as I approached the buoyed channel which led through the reef and behind the small island and into the Marina Zar Par. I was soon tied up alongside to be greeted by a welcoming committee of the marina manager, the coast guard and M2, the drug enforcement agency. After a cursory search of the boat all was OK, it being Sunday Immigration can wait until the morning.
It had been a fairly slow passage of 300 miles due to light winds but a fairly stress free one so I was happy to settle for that.
Dark clouds over Zar Par
by chris ayres | Mar 2016 | UK to New Zealand
If you wanted one word to describe the Dominican Republic it would be loud!. Music is played everywhere at full volume, even little general shops have a speaker the size of a fridge balanced on the counter cranked up to full volume. Its a lively place to be sure here, a beach to one side of the marina with lots of wooden shacks In town the other way its a crazy place, music , teaching salsa dancing in the courtyard of a hairdressing saloon, a couple dancing on the shop floor of an off-licence, bars with people outside filling the pavement.
Music here is more latin american – sort of salsa music and the buildings too very different from the rest of the Caribbean islands .
Dominican art
I went into Santa Domingo by bus. It is a very big bustling city and felt a little overwhelming specially when I got of the bus and had no clue whereabouts in the city I was. I got my bearings after a bit and wandered around the old colonial district. Its like another place altogether, very quiet and peaceful tidy and clean, some lovely buildings and streets, found the statue to Christopher Columbus. The rest of the city is mad by contrast, traffic with no rules street sellers street stalls noisy and busy and chaotic.
Had some lovely pineapple – the fruit and veg here is about the best I have seen in the Caribbean and the cheapest.
I was ready to leave Boac Chica but the weather forecast was for very strong winds 35 -40 knots at the next cape and at Capo Beata around which I have to pass so stayed.
I spent an eve sitting on a crate on the pavement outside a store drinking cheap rose wine from an ice filled plastic cup with the manager from the marina. He asked me if I wanted to join him and visit his home, said he would meet me outside the office at 6 but if I wasn’t there he understand that I didn’t want to go. Well of course I wanted to go and he was pleased when I turned up and he took me on the back of his little motorbike to his house and then through some streets and alley to the store where he bought the wine and we sat and talked. His house was down some mud yard and the back yard was all earth and rocks with some assorted bits and pieces around and the living space tiny. I am sure it would horrify most westerners how they live. He said that they live like rabbits, the street are pretty crowded, most life is lived outside it seems, cheek by jowl as it were. He seem to be at work from 8 till 6 and only gets 1 day off a week, it must be a pretty tough life. Later he ran me back on his bike, getting dark, no lights, no crash hats of course and in flip flops. The roads are potholed and with open drains across them and no traffic rules it seems.
Felt a bit privileged to get some insight into life here.
Eventually the winds eased a little and after receiving my dispatchio I made an overnight passage to Salinas.
leaving Boca Chica through the reefs
A lovely bay where they have extensive salt pans to get sea salt.
salt pans
Shortly after I arrived had 30 knots of wind and suffered a dragging anchor, the holding wasn’t so good so had an anxious and unpleasant time for a while. After a day or so I moved just around the corner as it were to Palmars de Ocoa, just another lovely beach with a little fishing town backed by mountains.
Palmar de Ocoa
On then across the bay to Santa Cruz de Barahona, quite a busy town, a sheltered anchorage but not so scenic. I had thought I might stay here, perhaps visit the mountains and a big lake inland where they have crocodiles but the only place to leave a dinghy seemed to be a rough concrete wharf and there was a bad surge so decided to move on. Perhaps I was getting fed up of DR, to go from port to port you need a dispathcio from the coast guard and although official they should be free once you have paid your entrance fee for the boat, the officials ask for 20$, a bribe basically. Here they made a bit of a fuss but I just stonewalled them, said I had no dollars and eventually although they were not happy they gave me a dispatchio and exit stamped my passport.
I left at first light and sailed down the coast for about 40 miles to Capo Beata, I judged that if I rounded the cape it would be dark so I gybed and took the passage Canal de Beata between the Ilas Beata and the mainland. As soon as I gybed the boat accelerated, there must be quite a current running through here and the swell which had been troubling me all day disappeared and the depth dropped to around 4.5 to 5 metres. It was dark before I passed Cabo Falso so I could not stop at the Bay of Eagles, which would have been my last anchorage in DR, instead I carried on another 150 miles past the coast of Haiti towards Il a’ Vache.
by chris ayres | Mar 2016 | UK to New Zealand
During my second night at sea I estimated that I would arrive at Il a’ Vache whilst it was still dark so I reduced sail to slow down but at 4am after I had spotted the light on Il a’ Vache still some 8 miles away I hove to for a while so I would not arrive before the dawn.
Later turning north to run up between the island and the mainland I caught sight of the first of many of the traditional sailing fishing boats of the area and a bit later the first of the dugout canoes that they still use.
Turning in to Baie Feret I had a welcoming committee of boat boys in dugout canoes all offering their services for this and that, a bit distracting when all you want is to find a spot to anchor. Safely anchored and the boat snugged down, sail covers on I pursued then to leave me alone for a bit because I need to sleep a bit.
Here already at anchor where the young Norwegians in their boat and Rene (French) and Rod (SA) who had left Boca Chica a few days before me. Hearing their tales made me glad that I had waited for the strong winds to pass. The Norwegians had suffered a knock down with their mast in the water in big rough seas, smashing their autopilot and solar panel, and bending the pushpit and some stanchions whilst the French boat had suffered damage to a sail, their gooseneck fitting and had lost a dinghy.
Il a’ Vache is a beautiful place, around the shores of the bay is a simple village Cai Coch, no electricity (although now they do have a few solar powered lights), no running water. There are no roads, no cars, some little motorbikes only. The people walk mostly sometimes ride horses to get about and live by plot farming and fishing from wooden sailing boats or dugout canoes.
I walked over to the market at the village of Madame Bertram, pigs, goats, chickens, fish, vegetables, soap, rice all for sale spread out in chaotic fashion on rickety stalls amongst the mud and the garbage with sailing boats that have bought in the goods in the bay and women arriving with a basket of sweet potatoes or coconuts or breadfruit balanced on their heads to sell. No pictures I am afraid as they get a little touchy about having pictures taken but it’s a scene that could have been hundreds of years ago.
by chris ayres | Mar 2016 | UK to New Zealand
After a few more days at Ile a’ Vache it was time to move on once more, so after a quick trip ashore to buy bread I made ready to sail and finally bid goodbye to Marc and Jeff the boys who had been my almost constant companions these past few days.
Out of the bay I hoisted sail and ran out down the wide channel between the mainland and the island. Rounding Point l’ Abacou I could set my course to run parallel to the coast and with 2 reefs in the main and staysail set progress with the strongish winds quite rapid and the swell not too troubling. There certainly are some big mountains in Haiti so the scenery was quite spectacular. The wind was not too last though and shortly after sunset it was dropping so contrary to my usual practise I had no reefs in this night instead had all plain sail set and progress was slow. At least I had a full bright moon. I could alter course more northwards now for Cuba, aiming to clear the extensive shoals that extend westwards from Cap Tiburn. A sudden wind increase at 3 in the morning shook me from my torpor and I put the first reef in the main followed shortly by the 2nd. Of course no sooner than the 2nd reef went in the wind dropped again, ah well.
Dawn revealed Navassa Island well off to port. It remained in sight for hours as I drifted and sailed in very light winds and near calms all morning. Eventually however we got a little wind and so it continued throughout our 2nd night with a little short lived rain squall to liven things up.
Dawn revealed just empty seas all around just some cloud to the north. Mid morning and the mountains of Cuba could be seen but as the day wore on the wind dropped again. An assessment of the situation mid afternoon was that at present speed (about 1.5- 2 knots) I would not arrive
before dark and not fancying entering a strange port at night it was on with the engine. So it was that I entered the channel leading to Santiago de Cuba and anchored off the marina at Punta Gorda just before sunset.
Castillo del Morro, approach to Santiago
In the morning I dinghied to the dock to pick up the doctor and took her back to the boat. She asked me a few questions and took my temperature and pronounced me free from any “lergies” . They take their health seriously and want to keep Cuba healthy. Then I visited the coast guard and answered their questions, no forms to fill in, all on computer these days. They then inspected the boat, content with letting their sniffer dog , a cute little docile spaniel, have a good snuffle around. Then clearance and visa issued and I was in Cuba.
First thing was to get some money. I was offered a lift into Santiago, about 10 miles by a German who had a car. This was too good an opportunity to miss so I hurriedly grabbed a few things from the boat and into Santiago I went. Kurt dropped me at the Hotel de Santiago. Here I got some convertable pesos and then had a wander around, getting a bit lost but not too badly. It is a big sprawling city but first impression very clean, none of the litter and garbage strewn about that you see in Domincan Republic. Old american cars a plenty, MZ motorbikes which brought back memories of my time as a motorcycle mechanic, horse drawn carts, big trucks which acted as buses. I bought a few veg at a farmers market and eventually took a taxi back.
Car & street Santiago
Plaza Revolution
by chris ayres | Apr 2016 | UK to New Zealand
I spent a few days anchored at Punta Gorda, took a ferry into Santiago a few times to wander around ,see the sights and listen to the music. i also cycled out to Castilla del Morro and called in at a little beach for a swim. I also went for a walk to a prominant limestone bluff inland by tiny paths through the bush and on top buzzards soaring just feet above my head. The Norwegians lads, Olaf and Knut had arrived too, but they are off eastwards and northwards. I am still westward bound. I was ready to leave but strong northerly winds were forecast for Cabo Cruz so I delayed a day or two before leaving. Next stop down the coast was Chivorico, a tight entry between the reefs into a lovely little lagoon. On again to Marea del Portillo and easier entry into a big lagoon this. My first eve there and the 30+ knot northerly arrived as dark fell, the anchor dragged so I put out the Bruce as a second anchor. In the midst of this the Guarda arrived in a little rowing fishing boat, they were having quite a struggle in the wind and I was surprised to see them on on a night like this. Ashore was a little fishing village, this was rural untouched Cuba, lovely. I got some peppers tomatoes and cucumbers from a plot farmer,he wanted some fishhooks so I gave him some.
A short hop took me to Ensenada Tiburcio, I didn’t like this entry, it started off easily enough well marked with bouys but thereafter it was unmarked between a shoaling shore and unmarked reefs.
The anchorage at Cabo Cruz is reached around a long breaking reef but at least well marked and is some way from the town and the lighthouse.
Ashore I met with a lovely Dutch couple of “Bandos”. We had seen each others boats in various place but never meet before.
The next stretch was the Gulf of Guacanayabo and Gulf of Anna Maria and the Jardines de la Reina. This is a labyrinth of hundreds of uninhabited cays, reefs and shoals. There are just a few fishermen but otherwise I would be on my own, few cruisers come this way, it is wilderness unspoilt. The pilot guide recommends a good bow watch to look out for shoals and coral, being on my own meant I would have to do without, this led to a degree of apprehension about this stage.
To the next anchorage was too far to make in daylight so I left just before dark aiming to arrive at the entrance to the Canal de Cabenza del Este, which leads into the inshore passage behind the reefs by daylight. Here I would enter into the gulf of Guacanayabo.
It turned out to be a wild night, the wind got up and barely dropped below 30 knots all night, I was down to the third reef in the main and a reef in the staysail and of course I arrived at my waypoint for the canal whist still dark so decided to hove to for a while till dawn. With the wind out of the NE it was quite a battle to head NE through the canal, bashing into a nasty short chop and finally to Cayo Granada to drop the hook.
The following days I transited the Canal de Rancho Vieja and Canal del Pingue leading into the gulf of Anna Maria. The word canal gives the wrong impression, there are no banks as such you are sailing through what looks like open waters with the occasional reef and cay visible and some marker posts to guide you, but stray of track and you will be aground on the shoals! A series of anchorages at Cayo Chocolate, Cayo Manual Gomez, Cayo Ingles, where I passed to the outside again then Cayo Breton , Cayo Macho de Afuera and finally arriving at Casilda. It had been a very intense experience, the peace, the silence were outstanding at times but it had been hard work, concentration needed at all times.
music in the plaza
Cabo Cruz
by chris ayres | May 2016 | UK to New Zealand
Casilda is the nearest port to the town of Trinidad, this is a lovely historic city, one of the oldest in the New World founded in 1514 and is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. Well worth a visit and I spent a couple of days wandering around its cobbled streets.
streets of Trinidad
On then to Cienfeugos about 35 miles down the coast. Here there is a fairly narrow entrance to a big enclosed bay and you anchor off the marina. A walk down the Malecon takes you into the busy city. There are some fine old colonial buildings and a nice plaza and I soon discovered my favorite bar where you could sit outside in the shade under a colonnade, drink beer and watch the world go by.
Ceinfuegos
One day I took the bike and headed out into the country past vast orchards of mangos then just wild country side. After about 16 miles I ended up at Playa Blanca, a nice little beach so swam before heading back. Saw a real vaquero, complete with leather chaps and lariat as well as lots of horse drawn traps and of course old american cars.
All too soon my time was up , my Cuban visa had run out so although I could have renewed it, time to leave and move on. next stop the Cayman Islands