CURRENT LOCATION: Anchored at La Isabela off the town of El Castillo, Dominican Republic

19 53.548' N, 071 04.991' W

We have been here in the Dominican Republic for three days now, and there has been ample opportunity to observe the local weather effects along the north coast of the island. This is largely because we have barely slept since arriving here.

In my last blog, I discussed the 'Van Sant' guidelines for making eastward progress along this coast. According to his recommendations, we departed from Monte Christi last night at 11PM (after a scant 2-3 hours of sleep). The winds had settled down, leaving behind only a large ocean swell. We motor-sailed across the swell and rounded the tip of Punta de la Granja under a nearly full moon. From there we motored due east along the remaining shoals (appx 60 feet deep) and into a 12-knot headwind. By the time we had cleared the shoal waters (now over 150 feet deep),Van Sant suggested turning to the southeast in order to continue to hug the coast and anchor at Punta Rucia.

By this point, though, we had reasonable winds out of the southeast and were motorsailing with good momentum. We decided not to follow Van Sant's guidelines and instead tack out onto the more open ocean. The winds and seas remained very manageable throughout the nighttime hours, and we even had momentary delusions of making it all the way to Luperon before the morning winds kicked in.

Unfortunately, though, the winds arrived at about 7:30 am, abruptly turning our comfortable motor-sail into a struggle. We tacked back south toward land and anchored at La Isabela off the town of El Castillo. At least we skipped one day in the Van Sant protocol by deviating offshore. From here it should be a simple motor to Luperon tomorrow (around Cabo Isabela) in the early morning's night lee.

Every day since our arrival here in the Dominican Republic, we have observed the following diurnal pattern: Early morning hours are calm and still, barely a ripple on the waters in the harbors. By mid-morning, the winds over the offshore waters begin to pickup and waves created over any shoal waters that are not protected from the swell can get very ugly, very quickly. Although not as steep and short in period, deep offshore waters build to significantly slow any progress against them. However, protected harbors remain relatively placid until late afternoon. By late afternoon, a peak period of wind seems to affect even the protected harbors and the wind-driven chop becomes evident to those of us at anchor. By early evening, just after sunset, the winds begin to fade and provide the hours of darkness a refuge from the relentless trade winds. And the cycle repeats...

Because of this pattern, we plan to leave here to make the 12-nautical mile journey to our next anchorage in Luperon at around 3AM. We will be in close company with Chris, aboard the sailing vessel Christa for this final leg of our trip. Chris is sharing an anchorage with us today, and he has run into an equipment failure aboard his Westsail 32. The rear seal for his transmission is leaking badly, and he is very concerned about making it to Luperon.

We will depart at the stated pre-dawn hour and follow Chris around the corner to Luperon. Unfortunately, there is not much we can do for him (Prudence only has a 24-horsepower engine and can barely move herself, let alone tow another 10-ton vessel) other than be a communication relay to Luperon should he encounter difficulties during the transit. Here's hoping that all will go well.

When Chris stopped by (via kayak) to pick up some automatic transmission fluid and paper towels, we chatted for a moment about the current circumstances. Chris is seriously considering repairing his boat in Luperon and turning back north toward Florida. The recent experience of our crossing from the Turks & Caicos in such bad weather and his current equipment failure in a remote part of a developing country has pushed him to the edge. In his own words, trying to take a boat that doesn't point well down the 'Thorny Path' may be an ill-conceived notion. Part of us hopes that it is just the current situation and frustration talking, but we do realize how close we all are out here to some pretty overwhelming obstacles. We look forward to getting to know Chris a little better over the next few days and reflecting upon our own experiences in comparison and contrast to his own.

For now, though, dear Reader, please wish us both luck as we make the final push to Luperon in the dark, quiet hours of 'oh-dark-thirty' tomorrow AM.