The picture was taken while enroute to Santiago with Roberto. What a trip. We went in Roberto's Toyota pickup that had 196,500 miles on it. The only thing that functioned was the engine. Roberto gains my respect each day that I spend with him and am very grateful I have been connected with him. He's funny, passionate, skilled and most importantly he is honest. He shows when says he will which is very counter to the usual.

It is tough to come to grips with the poverty here. I am no doubt a very wealthy gringo to these people. Most have no income at all and just work the land to feed themselves. Anyway, driving in the city of Santiago was about as stressful as it gets. Horns horns and more horns. Motoscooters spewing smoke with no mufflers and 4 people aboard. However, the city has everything one would need. We went into a modern store named "8A" and it would give home depot a run. In fact I think it has more than Home Depot. Commercial power lines, generators to power entire towns. So..

In short Roberto skillfully negociated us to a machine shop and the piece we needed was fabricated. We also went to another automotive type shop and was able to get the replacement seal for the transmission. Something I have learned about the Dominicans is they can't manufacture anything. But they can repair everything. The economy is based largely in the argriculture business. So machine shops to repair all the associated heavy equipment abound.

I have to say from the cruisers angle you gain a little more faith in humanity. My fate is totally in these people's hands. All day yesterday, a full 9 hours I had no idea if we were getting the parts we needed. I seemed to be getting an idea of what it was like to be deaf.

I need to roll as I believe today, if no rain develops Roberto will be Christa repaired. I can then re-start obessing about the weather again. More later.

Capt Chris

Comments [3]

Here is a picture of the kid trying to sell the "415" at the swap meet at the Puerto Blanco Marina. I was unsuccessful in selling the dink, however I did get to meet the infamous Bruce Van Sant. The highly opinionated author of "The Gentleman's Guide to Passages South". The book literally is the bible for sailing direction's on the "Thorny Path" to the Caribbean. It really is a complicated guide and must be studied and absorbed if one has a prayer of getting to the Spanish Virgins without coming to grief. Anyway Bruce was looking to trade his dingy for a smaller one.

But once again my new buddy Casey, the delivery skipper on the Cat Ajajo has offered to carry the dink for me to St. Johns where I can easily sell it for a profit. What a guy. Guess this gives me another reason to make
Cruz Bay.

Also last night I made my rock and roll debut at the marina restaurant. I joined the "Dragging Anchors" for an hour and half set of music. It was a blast. I brought my guitar and C harp and struggled along. I even sang a tune or two. This type of an evening with fellow cruisers goes a long way to get me back on my feet.

Tomorrow I'm off to Santiago with Roberto to retrieve the parts to get Christa back on her feet. My first jaunt inland in the DR. I'll have a full report when I return. Stay cool.

Capt Chris

Comments [4]

I have heard you all loud and clear and see the wisdom in slowing down. So this is what I will plan on doing. My original intent has always been to be in Cartagena by June. To meet this self imposed obligation I needed to keep moving. When you study the weather like us sailors do and a stretch of settled weather comes along the urge to move becomes almost overwhelming. Couple that with friends on other boats who decide to leave and you just pull the anchor and move. I have been generally doing this since Oct/Nov and now I'm tired.

In all tragic situations, not that my recent experience could be slipped into the category of tragic, good always emerges. Opportunities start coming into focus. So here is a quick story that is relevant to my plans. When I was stuck with transmission problems I was on the radio with other cruisers advising them of my situation. A delivery Captain from a large Cat chimed in with sound advice, and an offer to tow me and to meet me at the entrance to Luperon. Wow. This offer was not like buying you a coffee. I was blown away. I made it in under my own power and didn't need to take him up on said offer. But I finally tracked him down to thank him. We chatted for an hour, I gave him my card and he noticed I hold a Masters Ticket. Without getting into all the details, he lives on St. Johns and works with and is associated with folks who need Licensed Captains. In short he told me I could easily find work running tourist here and there or whatever. So....

During this conversation I also learned that it is possible to protect your boat from hurricane's. Hurricane moorings are available and it is also possible to haul the boat and put it in the ground. Also insurance can be had from a company in the Virgins. My point being is the light bulb went off in my head. I don't have to get to Cartagena this season. I have other options. Adjust as necessary. I also have the option of staying here in Luperon as this is a hurricane hole. Not that I want to exercise this option. But I could wait here until spring time and wait for the winter trades to abate and them move east.

I still am tempted to go back to Florida. My dear friends Mike & Amy, who I can't thank enough have offered there 50 foot dock at there summer home in Naples for my use. A lovely options no doubt. But retreating now could be more difficult than moving on. Plus after some rest and more clarity, I'm not ready to give up just yet. I will not be bashing into the trades much longer. But, if after another go, things don't improve in a reasonable period or loneliness sets in I will turn around. Adjust as necessary. A first mate certainly would help now wouldn't it?

Capt Chris

Comments [3]

I just don't know exactly how to thank all hands for the comments left during my weeks trauma. It pains me a great deal that I have worried my family so greatly. It fills me with joy to know that I have people cheering me on. No way to prove anything, but I have to believe that all the good thoughts and well wishing made the difference. Without them I don't think I would have made Luperon with the boat or myself intact. Also my fellow cruisers here in Luperon are awesome as you really don't have to explain much because everyone is experiencing the same exileration followed by less than ideal living. I am really behind on my emails and hope to email folks with a personal thank you. I'll do my best. Just know that the comments are important. I told my Mom and Dad today that the blog's intent was a great way to keep in touch so my family and friends can track me. I failed to realize what a window into my life it would become. I like trying to convey what transpires aboard and I knew things may become tough. I never envisioned a point where I may give up. I never envisioned being personally tested to the breaking point. I suspect that is what happens when you don't sleep but 10 ten hours in 4 days.

Let me bring you up to date on what I have been up to since arriving. Pretty much getting my bearings really. Officialdom here in the Dom Rep can tax the patience, especially for those who are on a tight budget. After I arrived, within a half hour two Naval Officers were onboard to check my clearance paper from Turks & Caicos and check my Documentation. You are expected to give them a "gift" for sevices rendered. Payment schedules are unheard of here and that is done purposely to maximize the local officials gift action. I gave each Officer 20 American dollars. Then it was onto Customs and Immigration. Tons of papers and stamping. When the officials stamp your paperwork they seem to derive a high of some sort. I would equate the feeling a man gets just when he pops his truck into 4WD to tackle a snowy road. You feel like the man. They kind of puff up when stamping. Of course I felt like puffing up when I was charged $63. Now I had to transport to Christa two officials from the agriculture department to check my food situation. No sure what they are sweaty about as cows and chickens walk the streets of Luperon. Can't see how my PB&J supply would adversly damage the environment. Another $40 expended. In a strange twist of fate Team Adamo and I befriended Gladis one of the argriculture officers and ended up at her restaurant. She is married with five beautiful children. When we entered the small establishment each one of the children approached us hugged and kissed each one of us on both cheeks. Then the entire family started blazing away in the kitchen. Out came some really awesome food, mostly chicken dishes and some local stuff I can't identify. But check this. After the kids served us, the whole family set up chairs around our table and watched us eat with their hands neatly folded in their lap. Truly concerned about our delight or lack thereof. I paid for dinner for all us. $21 dollars expended.

So onto the repair situation of the rear seal in the transmission. I contacted an American who owns are restaurant here in Luperon. He in turn put me in touch with Roberto, a Frenchman in his 60's. Roberto has lived in the DR 20 years and speaks no spanish or english. But he is a world class mechanic. From my years in the service I have spent more than my fair share watching engineering types tinker around in engine rooms. It usually is pretty obvious when someone has a clue. So Roberto came aboard to access the situation. And Mike from Team Adamo continues to surprise me. He speaks 4 languages. Amazing. So he translated and got things negociated and squared away. Yesterday Roberto came aboard and unbolted the shaft from the transmission and removed the defective seal. I spent three hours aboard with just myself and Roberto. Not a word spoken, many gestures but no words. The French can be strange. Roberto wanted to sit down but didn't want to soil the nice green cushions (thanks mom!). So he simply pulls down his shorts and sits down in his tidy whities. He sits down like this for 30 minutes. He then stands up to diagram for 30 minutes but doesn't pull up his shorts. I have no idea how to handle this. What would my fellow cruisers think? I couldn't help but laugh over the whole situation.

The very good news is that Roberto is a very skilled engineer and will easily be able to fix the problem. Monday morning I will drive with Roberto an hour away to Santiago, a city of 1 million to get the parts we need. Should be a hoot to spend the day with Roberto again and I don't speak his language and neither of us speak the native tongue.

I gotta jam. Tonight I'm going to the Puerto Blanco Marina for a jam secession. Cruisers bring instruments to the restaurant and proceed to bludgeon every tune attempted. I will be right with them off key.

In closing I do have an idea of what I plan on doing from here but I'll tackle that post another day.

Capt Chris

Comments [4]

The past few days may have the most difficult I have ever known. Yesterday I was near complete despair. But such big challenges, even self inflicted challenges presents an opportunity to demonstrate will and determination. Something that I failed to tell in my "Endurance" post was the fact I made it through a difficult passage left me with a satisfaction that is difficult to explain. In no way do I want to have a re-do. Well I had another re-do, yesterday but just a little different. To explain.

I left my anchorage in Monte Cristi at about midnight just the other night in company with two other boats. We were bound for an anchorage about 30 or miles east. We wanted to take advantage of the infamous "night lee" that calms the trade winds. As the tropical sun sets, the mountainous island gives up its heat rapidly which serves to calm the winds right along the coast. So the wind had dropped considerably relative to the daytime velocity, but sloppy wave action was left over. Anyway the trip went pretty well and I pulled into Point Isabella anchorage and anchored right off the first European settlement. Founded by Columbus himself in 1493 and sustained a population of 5,000. Anyway I was tired, as usual but feeling pretty good. Then.....I looked inside the engine room and transmission fluid was weeping out of the rear seal. In fact all the fluid in the transmission leaked out. This is a disaster I thought and it was. Of course it occurs when your dead tired and unable to think properly. I'll spare all the details but in short I was overwhelmed. The north coast of Dominican Republic can be very inhospitable. The anchorage is great in the normal easterly winds but north winds would become a death trap. So wouldn't you know it, Friday night is north winds and a large north swell were scheduled to arrive in the DR. I had given up, called all the appropriate people and told them I'm done and coming home. My sat phone had turned out to be very critical for me. I was able to speak with a Yanmar mechanic and a couple of other knowledgeable technical types. They told me as long as the transmission has fluid to lube the gears you can make it work.

So after a day of obsessing and making calls, talking on the radio with other cruisers briefing them on my situation followed another evening of no sleep. I left Isabella anchorage at 3am to try and make Luperon 10 miles away. Luperon is huge deep bay, sheltered from wind with everything a cruiser needs. So I had the engine hatch removed, which means I had to straddle the engine so I could monitor the transmission and keep filling the sump as necessary. Of course the weather didn't cooperate. It took me almost 6 hours to cover the 10 miles, tacking back in forth, slamming into waves, filling the transmission with fluid and navigating. Amazingly I made it. My saving grace was the fact that when the engine was in gear, the pressure with in the transmission limited the amount leaking out. As soon as I slipped it out of gear all the fluid just came pouring out. But no damage was done to the transmission.

Once inside the bay in Luperon the wind died and before me was two huge anchorages jammed with all cruisers many I have met along the thorny path. I was met by the Adamo welcoming committee at the entrance, Mike jumped aboard to help me out. After I was tied up to the mooring a series of people came up to me in the dink to help out, express concern and encouragement. I had heard over and over again prior to leaving about how tight the cruising community is. It has turned out to be completely true in spades. It is wonderful.....and I really hesitate to give up and roll north.

Over lunch today I dined with several other cruisers and all the people who made the crossing with me sustained damage and had as hair raising experiences. So I have felt as if I am the only one struggling, but no. Here is a couple of quick tales. SV Loon with a wonderful British couple, ended up in Haiti. In fact, they were unable to reach across the waves and make Manzanillo, just like I had feared. They spent a very frightening night in the harbor with UN helicopters buzzing around, strange boats full of men just staring at Loon and Ian's very blonde and very pretty wife. He really feared for their life. Not only that, they took on so much water during the crossing, all three of their bilge pumps failed and they had to bail the boat out with buckets in the horrid conditions. They had an equally frightening time with Haitian customs. The following seas were large enough where Adamo had sea water jammed up into the exhaust and salt water ended up in the cylinders. Pure luck they didn't seize the engine. They had generator failure also. So pretty much no way to make electricity to run navigation gear, radios ect. My fellow cruisers point out being that the difficulty is quickly coming to an end as we all move toward the Virgins. Also they astutely pointed out that if I head back into the Bahamas I will then have to deal with the strong cold fronts that sweep through and of course we all know that my anchors don't like to stick in the Bahamas. They also pointed out my contention of bad choices while tired and that I was making a choice while tired and therefore it very well could be a bad choice. What can I say to that? So I am going to hang out here in Luperon for a period, not sure how long and figure out what is the best course. I really appreciate all the encouragement I have been receiving. If I keep having days like I did today in Luperon my attitude will snap back to positive town quickly. Love this place. The beauty of the mountainous terrain, the anchorage is great and the town, while really poor has everything I need. I will write tomorrow about Luperon, but wanted to pass on I had Roberto, a French mechanic aboard today. The seal should be replaced by Monday. More on that later.

Capt Chris

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