May 13th 2013 . Time is flying! Well the trip across the banks was a little rough, but we wanted to make sure to not get caught short at the other end. Fish Cay is a tiny island with reefs at each end that sort of give you some protection, only in good conditions. A big catamaran came in from Salt Cay and we just had room to anchor together. Stew put on the swell bridle which helped a lot; I can see why people like the cats so much. It was really comforting to have another boat there and they were very nice.
We left at first light for Sand Cay and had an easy trip across the Turk Passage passing right on by Big Sand Cay around 1 pm. The full moon made this night trip so much better, but I still was getting anxiety. Even at its best it is bumpy downstairs and we really have just not had that much long term time on the boat like this. I tried to let Stew get a few hours sleep, but the sky started getting dark and the wind came up so I had to wake him. He pulled in the head sail, but luckily we only got a light shower and all was well.

We had a strange encounter with a Coast Guard ship. The AIS showed it coming quickly right at us, then it slowed and turned away. It continued to hoover around us as we continued on. We assume they were doing some training, but it made us think about not having any weapons on board and the real threats out there of piracy.

Arrived outside of Puerto Plata early Thursday morning (April 25th) and slowed down. It was so beautiful with the moon on one side and the sun coming up on the other with the mist hanging on the mountains. YES mountains. After living in Florida so many years and then all the time in the Bahamas, what an awesome sight.
It was rolly as we hoovered around waiting for 7 am to go into Ocean World. Of course they then told us that the Dock Master wouldn't be there until 8. I made some coffee and eggs and we started practicing our new D.R." attitude of no worries:)
Finally got in to the fuel dock along with several other boats then coming in. Customs was a breeze. They didn't even board the boat, or care to see the pet paperwork. They were all very nice.
Then we hear Zephyr on the radio! Our sailing buddies that had been on the north side of Provo had caught us with us already. Their 47' Beneteau is a little faster than little Firefly.

We have really fallen in love with it here; the marina staff are our buds. They are all friendly, helpful, and sincere. If only we could download Spanish directly to our brain! Many of them speak good English, and I have adopted Nidia as my Dominican Daughter.
We rented a car for a week and went all over the area; up mountain roads, to Cabarete, Santiago, Luperon and around Puerto Plata. Of course you have mixed feelings of awe and sadness as you see how most of the local people live. There is a lot of poverty, but also a lot of smiles and friendly faces.

We are settling in to stay until November. Sarah and Mark are visiting for two weeks soon so I am really excited about that.
We plan to head for Puerto Rico in November and enjoy cruising it's southern coast and on up to the Spanish and American Virgin Islands.

I will update some of our travels while here as I want to keep a nice journal of our time.

If you haven't watched the Firefly Sci-Fi series you are really missing out:)

Fair winds