We finally left Rum Cay for the Dominican Republic (DR). I'm on the first watch, 9pm till midnight and we have 20 knots of Easterly wind and are cruising at 8-9. The moon is almost full. It's a beautiful night.

But Rum Cay almost kept us. It did keep Marianne. The plan was to leave the afternoon of Thursday and anchor away from Summer Bay Marina so we could up anchor early and escape. Bobby had other plans. He said stay, no charge, why anchor when you can socialize with us. So we stayed and socialized. When we did finally leave....at 6.30 the next morning I hit a reef. Totally my lack of concentration on the unmarked exit to the marina. I got into it at low tide and here I was touching up a reef at high. No damage was done except to my ego. We managed to back out with a stack of curses on my part, check the keel and keep sailing. I wasn't going back. And here we are 18 hours latter, Charlotte is asleep a the on the sofa...feeling a little off with the rocking and rolling of Ooroo. Dakota is right next to her watching Californacation, laughing out loud with earphones on, while Oli and Mark sleep.

Rum Cay was our first real Yachty Experience. Pot Luck dinners consisted of the collective talents as fisherman and chefs. Bobby and his partner Grow, excelled at that. Each night we had 20 plus people, fresh fish, guitars, beer and rum.

The days were spent fishing, reading, exploring and constantly fixing things. Talents are exchanged. Marks electrical skills, Dakotas refrigeration skills, spare parts were exchanged for rigging advise, rum for water etc. everyone chipped in to turn a bad wind situation into very memorable stay. I can highly recommend this place...hospitality, tranquility, honestly and integrity. Sorry if that sounded like a school motto...but I did mention Rum earlier too.

We have sailed almost 90nm of our 325nm trip and in doing so clocked up our first 1000 nm in Ooroo.

We dinned on the Mahi Mahi, I managed to pull in. This fish will feed us for three days? We had previously lost two lures to the big ones out here.

We sailed between Crooked Islands and Plana Cays. We are missing some recommended spots in these islands however after 6 weeks in the Bahamas we are due for the cultural change that DR promises. We also have a weather window that should make this passage ideal.

The night sail was much the same as the day with winds from the east. In the morning while having bacon and egg sandwiches we passed Turks and Cacos to the north and where comfortably beating into a 15 knott breeze.

FISH.....Oli was up and had the fight of his life. After loosing two Mahi's the day before we changed the line on the rod and re rigged the lure. It didn't fail us. Oli landed a Mahi that will feed us a further 4 days. We estimate it to be 20+kgs. My flea market $85 rod has just caught more than it's value in one fish. Yeh.

As if things couldn't get better the wind backed to the NE. Our 6 to 7 knots will now get us to Luperon in the DR before the land breezes kick in tomorrow. Providing it doesn't die off to much overnight.

Now we ponder....how do we cook the Mahi tonight?

It's midnight and Mark woke me from a wonderful sleep. Ooroo felt like she was on railway tracks. The wind and water seemed to be working as one and not as opposing forces. There was no slapping, bucking or whistling, yet I could tell we were traveling fast. The full moon ignites the night. Mark was hyper from the wonderful watch he just completed and it was contagious.

The NE wind didn't last but we are on the same port tack as was when we left Rum Key 260nm ago. Now only 30nm from the shore and 60 from our destination, the wind is veering, pushing us slightly away from our harbour. But we are still on time and a land breeze may yet drag us home on the one tack. 6-8 knots in 15 knots of breeze. Perfect.

I can feel the land...there is an unmistakable warmth and the sea dampness is reduced. The winds are becoming flukey. We have left the low lying Cays, shallow banks and deep trenches of the Bahamas to an island with mountains as high as any in Australia and oceans just as deep. Everything will be different. The people, language, smell, sailing, politics, environment and the price of Rum.

I love the feeling of apprehension caused when you are about to discover something new. You either feel excited or fearful. And it's the choice of each traveler which of these journeys they take.

I'm about to pass over to Oli for the final watch. He has to deal with the winds now. They have dropped, I'm motor sailing and we are heading into a slight chop. The glow of land is viable.

So we motor the last 35nm. The wind doesn't exist but to create a ripple on the water. The land looms, green mountains are book marked by the blue of the sea and the blue of the distant haze around even higher mountains.

The serenity was interrupted 10nm from Luperon we thought we were heading into a huge net. A collection of rubbish and weed 10m wide, stretched as far as we could see. It was a barrier between the blue ocean and the muddier waters of nation of many millions of polluting people. There is clearly more rain here than the Bahamas. The rivers clean the country but dirty the sea. It's still a beautiful landfall.

As is the Harbour. We anchored to be told we should take a mooring for $2 a day...they guy that collects the money livers beer etc to the boat...very civilized. Within 10 minutes we had advise on customs from two yachts who had gone through the process in the hour before...this is how it went,

1- Rafael, A local guy introduced us to the Navy Commandant who was on the dock when we arrived. Mark and I took him and two others to the boat so they could inspect her. Oli, Charlotte and Dakota waited in the shade....it was suggested they stay put. They opened cupboards, looked in draws and bags and hatches...they checked the bilge randomly. I was asked if I had a gun. They recorded passport numbers and boat registration details and questioned why I overstayed my Bahamian entry visa...weather and a layover at Rum Cay was the answer. Very acceptable.
2 - Back on shore we went to the tourism registration office...paid $10 each. Lovely guy there.
3 - Then to Customs right next door. The guys wasn't there so someone yelled and he arrived...It was like a sea container converted into an office. We filled out more forms, had our passports stamped. This guy also had no uniform. I paid $43 for the boat and $10 each as our entry fee. I sat in his air conditioned office and sweated while the others sat outside in the cool breeze.
4 - We met Gladys. It's Sunday so she had her curlers in and looked at Dakota and said "Grande". He is a very tall dude. The curlers were as big as beer bottles.....She was the agriculture controller. No we don't have a pet. We paid her $20 for not having one. Goodness knows how much it would have costed with a pet. Mark impressed Gladys with some Spanish....thank goodness someone knows something.

Rafael also recommended Wendy's for Internet and the coldest beer. It's $1.75 a long neck.....now that's speaking my language.

335 nm in 52 hrs, we have now covered about 1200nm in Ooroo and still haven't used a tank of fuel. The sails did flog lightly as we motored...but so starboard tack was required.