Finally
on March 13th we left the busy Caribbean side departing from Guadalupe after a
two day stay which purpose was to provision, do major cleaning, and fill up H2O
and diesel. Initially our intention was to cross directly to Ille a Vache but
instead, after four days at sea and a few nights of light/uncomfortable sleep we
decided to do a quick rest stop at Isla Beata (National Park) which is located
on the furthest south cape of the Dominican Republic - as suggested by Andrea
from Maistrac.
ISLA BEATA...LEI...VERAMENTE!
A few had suggested this stop as a good place to rest but they hadn't mentioned
its peaceful beauty which can actually classify it as "Paradise" in
the Dominican Republic, later on, while speaking with the local fisherman we
came to know that even for them Isla Beata is considered paradise, a place
where there are little problems compared to the main island and where
everything is reduced to the minimum...sort of like a sailing boat.
Immediately
we fell in love with its crystal-clear water - seen last in Tobago Cays, fine
white sandy beaches and las but not least, 3 fishermen's companies where one
could buy fresh fish and lobster at local price. The great thing about the
island, as informed by the military marina is that due to common drug
trafficking in the area, fishermen are not allowed to approach one’s boat
unless suggested otherwise; this meant peace at last, no one knocking
unexpectedly while eating lunch or taking a nap...the little things that make a
difference. The local fishermen were very nice, specially one of the companies
run by Don Ramon which was Bernie Mac's double in every aspect and by another
man whose name escapes me, but we'll call him Christiano since he was often
referred by that name since he did not drink alcohol. Our last day there we
organized a BBQ at the beach with the company mentioned before where I prepared
rice, salad and rum punch, and Alberto showed them how to grill lobster and fish
- apparently a style completely foreign to them, they normally fry fish or cook
it in coconut milk, and the lobster is boiled.
Company "Karina" with Christiano and Pochon
Marina Military playing dominoes
Iguana Time!
Always dominoes...
BBQ AT THE BEACH
Bernie Mac
BBQ with the boys
While
returning to the boat after the BBQ we saw a catamaran approaching the
anchorage and being that Alberto is very friendly and curious he swam over to
say hello, I followed a bit after and met a woman around my age swimming near
the catamaran; happy to meet other cruisers, they gladly invited us on board
for a beer and to look at their wonderful deck catamaran (a Wharam) called
"Two Ticks". Not long after the local Navy arrived and after
assisting them with translation, we invited Liza and Adrian over to
"Tobago" for a pasta diner with local Conch in tomato sauce, they happily
accepted. After diner the boys settled on meeting in a couple of days at the
next bay called Bahia de las Aguilas. It is always nice to share adventures
with other boaters...
BAHIA DE
LAS AGUILAS
This
anchorage was recommended to us by the local fishermen at Isla Beata, they had
suggested stopping there before leaving the Dominican Republic since among them
it was considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean due to its
length, wilderness and clear water. In fact, in other conditions one could say
all of the above except due to local conditions with southerlies during the day
the water lost its clearness and the stay was a little rhythmic.
But in
the end, as we know "everything happens for a reason", we met two French
boats one owned by Yvan and the other by Pierre. Both of them came over to
"Tobago" for aperitivo and to gather useful information for their
passage from Jamaica to Cuba. The morning after they were heading to Ille a
Vache and since we were also making a stop there they invited us for aperitivo
ahead of time. It was settled...we had friends awaiting upon our arrival.
The
second day at Bahia de las Aguilas was closed with diner on board "Two
Ticks". Liza prepared an oven baked yellow dolphin with potatoes, we
finished it off with two bottles of chilled wine. We left together on March
2oth us with a few hours ahead of them since their cat needs more wind to sail,
giving them heads up via VHF when we were far enough to determine stable wind
conditions suitable for them.
Anchored at Playa "El Cielo" in Cozumel with my father, Paula and Braulio. Being that Braulio is a skipper in Cozumel for the ferry company and he started with the excursion scuba boats, he knew exactly where to go. At our visit to the Colombia reef we got to see lots of fish, one turtle and one reef shark, the type is known there as "La Gata". Braulio prepared a delicious shrimp and octopus Ceviche.
A garden of Laaambi (Conch)
