Crew list:

Don Boyd (your correspondent)

Joni Crosby (she who is to be obeyed)

Mik the dog (the world famous cruising Pug)

Miles travelled - 190 (nautical miles as measured straight line GPS)

* Engine hours -24.0 (14 charging)
* Sailing hours - 20

•Money spent:

F- Food / beer / ice / snacks on board / provisioning- $ 61.00 US

C- Charts /fees/ medicine / phone - $ 13.00 US

D- fuel / boat parts / - $ 15.00 US

T- Eating out / drinking out / touring - $ 55.00 US

Aprox. total this leg - $144.00 US

FAVOURITE PRICE SAMPLES - at Samana

All Prices in Dominican Pesos. 14.3 pesos = $ 1.00 US:

dinghy watching for the day $ 3.00 Pesos ($ 0.21 US) / Diesel (per gallon, ferried out by "Ralph', former dinghy watcher) NO Pesos, only US dollars $ 1.75 US) / Diesel (per gallon, jerry canned from the Marina) $ 13.60 Pesos ($ 0.95 US) / one pound new potatoes $ 5.00 Pesos ($ 0.35 US)/ entrance to park Haitises per person (official recite with price on it included) $ 50.00 Pesos ($ 3.50 US) / fresh baked rolls from the bakery (whole wheat or white) $ 1.00 Peso each ($ 0.07 US)/

One 700 ml Presidente Beer at Cafe Paris $ 35.00 Pesos ($ 2.45 US) / Six pack of 333 ml Presidente Beer cans $ 90.00 Pesos ($ 6.30 US) / Dominican pork lunch at open market $ 35.00 Pesos ($ 2.45 US) / Cost to get a "despacho" paper to leave the DR legally, (all were told) $ 20.00 Pesos ($ 1.40 US) / cost to get shower water from dinghy dock "FREE!!! / cost to get "Fel 6" medicine to recover from illness if you accidentally drink the water $ 20.00 Pesos ($ 1.40 US)

•High temperature this period 35.0 Celsius
•Lowest temperature this period 23.4 Celsius

Straight line distance from PCYC Montreal •1674 (nautical miles)

Ports visited:

•Samana Bay, on the south coast of the Samana Peninsula, DR (anchor) •Los Haitises Nat'l Park, on the south side of Samana Bay, DR (anchor) •Boquer—n, Puerto Rico (anchor)

Samana is the world capital for young boys to train to become professional "Dinghy Watchers". They head down by the dinghy dock and get paid three pesos to "watch" a yachty's dinghy while he goes to town. Unfortunately, since there are 12,765 dinghy watchers and only twenty or so visiting dinghies to watch, the competition between the dinghy watchers is fierce and only the best watchers survive.

The technique is simple, beat the "snot" out of the other dinghy watchers so that you are in position to scurry down to the dinghy dock and grab the painter as the dinghy pulls along side. (never assist with any object that the yachty may be lugging ashore. It may be heavy and your job is to watch... not work). Point back and forth from the dinghy to your eye, and say the second to only "dinghy" English required by Dominican Law, "I watch, I watch... okay?"

Once the yachty grunts at you, assume that the deal has been made, beat up any stray dinghy watchers who may inadvertently be wandering towards your client, and under no circumstances tend to the dinghy for the rest of the day. If it breaks loose or is damaged... tough!

When the yachty returns to his dinghy, now trapped by the tide under the dinghy dock and being punctured by a rogue nail, rush down yelling only "I watch, I watch... okay?" and the second phrase that Dominican Law requires , "Peso, Peso!!!" with your hand out. Do not under any circumstances help the yachty with the 5 gallon can of diesel, nor with positioning the dinghy.(Remember; that is work and your job is to watch!!!)

Samana is a very much busier place than it was twelve years ago. The byproduct of lots of new hotels and resorts in the area. I suspect that the once quiet and perfect beaches of "Cayo Leventado", an island just off Samana, are packed now... judging by the hundreds of tourists soaked in oil ferried daily to her once near private shores.

The Germans love it here, as they should. The place is beautiful, and the DR loves trilingual menus and signs (Spanish, English, German) . (Quebec... get a grip!!!)

"CafŽ Paris" is still alive and well here, serving the best crŽpe and ice cream outside of Montreal, as well as a pizza that is unique to the DR and totally delicious.

I didn't visit my friends chicken farm. Time seems so brief. Oliver Miller had invited Joni and I to come to the farm for lunch, but a weather window opened for opportunity to visit "Parque Nacional Los Haitises", about twelve miles across Samana Bay. (Straight line from Samana, to WPT N 19 06.1 W 69 28.6, there are only fishing nets to hit, and a bottom that goes from 150 to 25 to 150 to 35 to 124 to 33 to... you get the idea; you need permission in writing from the "Comandante", and he'll likely only grant 72 hours...) The park is famous for it's caves, cave rocks, cave drawings, cave sculptures, cave men and cave beer (I made the last one up... the beer is imported).

The trip down wind, (it does happen fellow boaters... rarely... but down wind does exist!!), before 25 knots was the best sail this trip!!!! No whales to report however, even though Samana Bay is "Whale City" in the winter. It's just that it's almost summer here now and they've gone north. (Likely to restock on Canadian beer, I am at panic level, Joni is rationing the meagre supply and I must survive until Puerto Rico, where a six pack of cans is less than the 90 pesos it cost here!!!.)

The park isright out of Jurassic Park. A landscape that seems more in place in the South China Sea, or Bora Bora. Mangrove creeks, surrounded by steep cliffs covered with tropical vines and mahogany trees. Limestone caves full of bats, blue pools, and carvings from long forgotten residents. (My favourite carving was of "Spuds MacKenzie" the famous Budweiser dog, getting ready to suck back a cool one. Joni said that it was actually of an ancient hunter, most likely a primitive self portrait. Ya, right... she's such a total duffis some times. Everyone loves that dog!)

After a few days, we returned to Samana and got our "despacho" and ZAP! We did the Mona Passage, one of the nastiest bits of water in this hemisphere. I carefully choose a weather window where we would at least be able to sail it. The normal wind is from the south east, on the nose, so a window of 15 knots, with a North east component seemed perfect!

And all did go well.., kinda. The wind was actually more like 25 knots, and the sea's were as big as we've seen so far; 8 -12 feet. But we flew!!! The little boat kicked proverbial ass!!! Even with a reefed main and hanky Genoa we passed boats much larger than ours, and made record time. The trip that normally can take (in prevailing conditions) up to 40 hours in our boat, took 26!!!!

Unfortunately we almost sank.

01:10, March 31st, we were heading off the Hour Glass Shoal, and seven miles off the eastern tip of the DR, in about 125 feet of water. Joni was on watch, as I was trying to keep from falling out of the pilot berth and grab some "z's". Suddenly Joni screams that we are about to run into something and as I bolted up to the cockpit. Joni's literally kicked the auto pilot off and hammered the helm hard to port! Everything below went flying around and I fell back below decks, but not before seeing an unlit, anchored, and unmanned 20' - 24' wooden Dominican fishing boat, ten feet off our starboard side. We were ten seconds away from sinking it, and likely ourselves.

Sailing is fun... tell your friends

If it had been my watch, I think I would have missed seeing it through the dark, chop and haze that had developed in advance of the rain that we had at 02:00. I gave Joni a big pat on the head and a couple of steak strips as a reward for job well done. When we got to Puerto Rico, I took her for a big walk and even brushed her. (Mik got nothing, he slept thought the whole near disaster... some crew!!!)

Boquer—n is the Ste Annes of Puerto Rico. I have to report on that next time... even though we've been here four days... time is at a premium, I am watching Africa and the "Bermuda High" is early this year

Herb say's that there's a front coming. We will wait for our Apelco radios from Schafer & Brown here in Boqueron... do not let me down Apleco!!!!

Till the next instalment!