The Becker' Odyssey - Swab's Story Part One
Nov. 6, 2013
A weather window appears! Thanks to Chris Parker's excellent briefings and synopsis of weather in the eastern Caribbean it seemed that it was a 'Go' for Swab (aka Alan) to make the trip to the DR to man the Firefly for the epic journey to Puerto Rico. With last minute arrangements taken care of and the packing list checked I boarded an American Airlines flight to Puerto Plata. The anticipation and excitement of becoming a crew member on the Firefly was pulsing through my body. With a final review of Captain Ron it was off to "the land of voodoo, hoodoo and all kinda weird shit."

Arriving in a hot and steamy Puerto Plata I failed to realize that the tourist tax has to be paid in American dollars after having just changed all my US currency at the exchange! Back to the exchange to get $10 so I can enter the country! Outside Stew and Diana were waiting patiently for my arrival. It was so good to see them both despite following the blogs and keeping in touch by email and Facebook. Within a few minutes we were headed West to Ocean World marina and I was introduced to the lawless nature of the Dominican road system! Chaos would be an understatement but everyone seemed to accept the turmoil and carry on regardless. Our first stop was a beach bar in Puerto Plata where we could enjoy a local beer and grab something to eat. Please note that Stew and Diana are the perfect hosts and should you ever be fortunate to meet them you'll most certainly enjoy their hospitality! As we finished our meal two soldiers were seen complete with assault rifles standing on the sidewalk, "they're there for our protection from the zombies" Stewart quipped! Back to you Captain Ron!

That evening we discussed the weather, the large swell coming out of the north and Diana's clear anxiety about trying to make the trip in anything but ideal conditions. However, the long term forecast looked good for a possible departure on Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week. After describing my duties on the boat (but no promotion guidelines) we settled down for an evening of cocktails and entertainment provided courtesy of the internet!

The next morning, Patch dutifully woke me up promptly at 0730 demanding to be fed his ration of tuna. Kettle on for morning coffee on the 'veranda' and then to wash the dishes from the night before and to wipe down the 'veranda' should it have rained during the night. This routine was to become the norm for my stay and dare I say it, my greatest contribution to life on the Firefly!

Although Ocean World marina is sheltered by a sea wall the swell/tide rushes in and circulates around the marina and my first nights sleep was interrupted by significant accelerations and decelerations caused by the swell and up to seventeen lines securing us to the dock!

The next few days were spent sightseeing and shopping. It was wonderful to see the view from Pico Isabel de Torres with the coastline fanning out in front of us. The weather was terrific with panoramic views in all directions. One drawback of life in the DR is the quality of the hire car. In fact, Stewart's way of gauging the quality of the hire car was simple: the number of warning lights not illuminated, the degree of cold air coming from the air conditioner, and whether the unusual sounds coming from the vehicle were truly unusual! We almost had to abandon our trip to the top of the Isabel de Torres due to our car coming to a complete stop about two-thirds up the mountain! With complete mastery, Stewart managed to re-start the engine and see us to the top in due course. Other stopping off points on our sight-seeing tour included Luperon, Cabarete and the fascinating sights and sounds of the Dominican interior.

Days of training followed whereby Swab could demonstrate his talents (or lack of) to the Captain with regard to knot tying, securing lines, launching and recovery of the dinghy and of course, fixing the perfect rum cocktail! Praise needs to be given to Diana (aka Cooky) for doing marvelous things in the galley! Three meals a day Diana prepared for us and each both different and very tempting to the palate.

Various boats came and went during our stay the most prominent of which was a 50 foot Swan out of Washington DC that made the journey to the DR in challenging conditions. A very nice French couple on a catamaran stayed a couple of days before taking the opportunity to sail East. Alas, for the Firefly the God's conspired against us in providing the ideal conditions for our journey to Puerto Rico. However, I spent nine wonderful days in truly magnificent company!

On the morning of November 15th we arose slightly late and prepared for my departure. Not realizing that the required three-hour check-in prior to departure was actually enforced in Puerto Plata airport we arrived to find the check-in desk closed. However, the more than helpful airline staff whisked me through the airport and lines to get me to my departure gate just in time. Sitting on the plane with a bead of perspiration on my brow I now had an hour and a half to contemplate the previous nine days.

Socrates said, "Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by giving them sensible tokens of your love." One of the greatest rewards of this trip was the giving and receiving of those very same tokens! Thank you Stewart, Diana and Patch for such a memorable time! I cant wait for Part Two!