Sailing is sailing to where the wind takes you ... yes, that applies even to us as seasoned 'planners';-) Not just following the plan, but adapting to the changing circumstances. On our way to Cuba, the weather forecast shows that the last two days the wind will come from the west and will be against us ('normal' for this time of year is northeast wind). This is because to the north a low pressure area with gale force is passing by (over the USA and the Bahamas). That makes us decide to make a stopover in the Dominican Republic. We don't have to sail around the island and so we ended up here for a week or so. From tomorrow, the wind will again come 'normally' from the northeast and we will continue our journey to Cuba. The only problem is that we know nothing about this country, but fortunately Inge can help us remotely with the necessary information!

A review of the past week ... we leave on Saturday afternoon from Jost van Dyke, BVI. The first twenty-four hours above Puerto Rico is great sailing, with half to great wind, the sails full with the genoa on the boom so we are sailing clover and a neat jibe halfway through the night. When we catch a nice wahoo the next morning, the feeling that we had during the Atlantic crossing to Suriname is fully present again. It is great to be at sea like this! The 24-hour distance is 134 miles. The next evening and night there is either too little wind or the wind is coming from the front and we use the engine. Until around 3:00 a.m. we can sail again (high to the wind), with between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. exactly during my watch strong winds and many showers. The expected tail of a cold front passes over, but with 2 reefs in the mainsail no problem at all. Toine even sleeps through it. The rest of the day the weather clears up, the sun is shining and the sailing is easy. At that moment we decide not to sail on to Cuba and to make a stopover in the Dominican Republic, so we shift our course slightly southwards and sail less high. We are lucky because on a flat sea, although a bit far from us, we really see ... jumping and playing whales. They are flapping their tails very hard in and on the water. A magnificent sight! The 24-hour distance is 131 miles. The 3rd night was very quiet and just after breakfast, after having sailed 360 miles, we entered Luperon Bay.

The entry process reminded us very much of The Gambia. Carefully maneuvering through shallow areas, crossing a threshold into a bay surrounded by mangrove forests, without a useful map and mainly sailing on the depth gauge. Once we crossed the threshold and rounded the bend, we sailed into a large bay where dozens of boats were moored. We get stuck in the middle of the bay one more time (1.30 meters and we stick out 2.00). Fortunately, it is mud and we easily get loose. Immediately after we drop anchor, the maritime police come on board. They are very friendly and tell us in poor English what we need to do. They fill out some forms and then Toine has to go with them to the shore to complete the clearing process with four other agencies: immigration, customs, the harbour office and the agricultural department. He has to pay a hefty fee for each agency and the whole clearing process turns out to cost more than 120 US. That is not normal, is it? Up to now we have never experienced anything as expensive as this. Later it turns out we paid 30 US dollars too much and Toine has managed to get it back during the clearing process. There are about 50 boats here permanently and 50 visiting charterers like us. No more charterers like in the rest of the Caribbean. Many Americans and Canadians who greet us warmly and welcome us and show us around the village of Luperon.

The Dominican Republic is located along with Haiti on the island of Hispanola. They are two independent countries and the Dom Rep is much more prosperous than Haiti. The fact that a huge earthquake took place just a short distance from here, with all its consequences, is fortunately not noticeable here. It is a Caribbean island but very different from the other islands; people speak Spanish, and in the culture and food a clear Spanish and South American influence can be recognized. The food is delicious, very cheap and the supermarkets have a lot to offer (delicious Spanish cheese and sausages, good South American meat and many locally grown vegetables and fruits) for little money. That is a relief after the expensive Caribbean. For us it really feels like an unexpected gift; what a beautiful country and what incredibly friendly people.

The first day we explore the village and rent a car for the next two days. The village has some stores and some restaurants, which look fine. But the streets are a mess because they are rebuilding the main road through the village. Captain Steve is a great place where we have a delicious meal for two nights. The girls enjoy themselves with the table football. Steve is an American married to a Dominican woman. They are very hospitable and can cook delicious food. We can also bring the laundry there.

The next day we drive in a new bright red VW (cross) polo to Ocean World and Puerto Plata, about 50 km away. Driving here is quite an experience with its own rules. Fortunately Toine (partly due to his India experience?) quickly understands this and we manage very well. There is a lot of traffic on the road. Next to many trucks, some busses and cars there are many mopeds, but also fully loaded horses and donkeys are being used as means of transportation. And then the road is full of holes, which are not always easy to see in time. A true survival trip! Just for those who know Toine's driving style; trucks and buses overtake him here and that says enough about how insane they drive here! Ocean World is a very nice animal park that looks a bit like the dolphinarium but is much more focused on interaction with the animals themselves. Eline's biggest wish comes true ..... swimming with dolphins. That is really fantastic! For half an hour we and 6 other people are allowed to enter the water together with 3 dolphins. There is all kinds of interaction such as dancing (holding fins), kissing and giving a hug. With as highlights being pushed by two dolphins with their noses against our feet and swimming together with two dolphins by holding their fins. See the photos in the photo album. It is very nice to see that the dolphins really enjoy this human interaction.
The third day (Thursday 4 Mar) it's rainy, but we don't care, we're going anyway ... on the way to 'the waterfall'. There should be one fairly close by, but we were unable to find it (even after asking many times). Then we go to the Jarabacoa Falls further down which are described on the internet. But that is quite a journey, right through the city of Santiago and even there we take a wrong turn. We almost give up (me) when we have to cycle the last part over an unpaved sand road, but Toine persists. And finally we arrive at the waterfall just before 3 pm. It is a very beautiful one, with a 1.5 km walk to it (first down and then up again). The way back is fortunately a little faster. On the way we stop at a very large supermarket in Santiago and do some shopping. The last part of the journey back, in the dark and with rain, is very tiring. All in all quite an adventure and a lot of car time, but that's what you get when you go on your own without a guide and there is no map to be had. But it is also a nice adventure and it gave us a good picture of this country!

The nice thing about traveling on your own boat is that you always have your own "little house" with you to retreat to and process all the impressions you have gained. We really needed this after having spent three days on land from morning to night. Wake up slowly and have breakfast. Taking all the time for school and helping the girls, updating all the internet and computer stuff and skyping with family and friends. Since it is raining, there is also no need to go out on the shore. We discover that the sun tent we bought in Trinidad also serves perfectly as a rain tent. This way we have enough space outside without getting wet and also the windows of the boat can stay open. In the evening we play a nice game of Catan with the four of us.

All in all, the Dominican Republic has been a nice warm-up for Cuba. We were able to get used to speaking Spanish and to smell the culture. And what it is like to drive around in your own car without signposts and bad roads. We also looked up information on traveling in Cuba on the internet and saved and printed out the necessary information locally. It remains an exciting adventure but we are well prepared. Tomorrow we will leave for a short 300 mile (more than 2 days) sail to Bahia Vita, a bay in the northeast of Cuba.

For the 'Zeilen'-readers: we are in the March issue with a nice picture of the Brandaan and a short text about our meeting in the Gambia with all the other Dutch leavers.