We staged in Barahona, DR for the trip to Ile a Vache. This was one of the more interesting DR towns. We anchored in a mangrove lagoon in front of the main sugar dock, across from the tiny Club Nautico el Manati marina. Quart Presidente was 50 peso (about $1.50). Our translator and general guide to Barahona was Curtis, an American living in the marina on a boat he was rebuilding to put into charter.

It cost $50 to leave the DR from Barahona - $20 to the immigration guy to take our passports and have them stamped for Salida and $30 to the commandante of the Marina de Guerra and his minions for the internationale despacho. Balance that against Roberto, who took Bill and his four diesel jerry jugs on his motoconcho with a trailer to three service stations that wouldn't take Mastercard, then to a bank that would accept Scotiabank cards for cash, back to the service station for 22 gallons of diesel, to the Presidente distributor for a 16 bottle case of quart beers ($28) and back to the boat. Roberto turned down 200 pesos and asked if we could provide three of the kids at the dock with proper fish hooks and line which we did! What a gentleman - a true amigo!

The next morning we motored out of Barahona at 5AM so we could make it through the Canal de la Beata in good light and be able to avoid the fish traps - usually marked by small clear plastic water bottles. We actually hooked one line on our bob stay clevis pin, but spotted it before it got back to the prop - and were able to back away. We arrived in the beautiful secluded Bahia de las Aguilas around 6 PM having motored 75 miles.

The anchorage was rolly, but we stayed till noon the following day so that we would be certain of getting to Ile a Vache with high sun so we could again spot the fish traps. The 125 mile trip took 24 hours in conditions ranging from flat calm to 15 to 20K on the beam, so we motored about half the trip. The last 3 hours around the west end of the island and into Port Morgan on the north side featured 30 to 35K apparent wind from the north and the shortest, meanest chop we have ever seen! The final run into the anchorage (lead by the Port Morgan Hotel launch) was made through 3 to 4 foot breaking waves directly toward a beach, finally turning hard to port 200 feet from the beach and into the tiny protected lagoon in front of the Port Morgan Hotel. What a relief to be in.

The hotel had no guests at the time. It's a charming spot with beautiful stone work, palm trees overhead, flower beds, dining room, souvenir store, a pool and all the recreational facilities. You could see the waves and hear the wind whistling over the hills, but the anchorage featured only the occasional gust that sneaked over the hills. We arrived on Saturday, March 6th, and the wind continued to blow at N25 - 30 for the next two days. The locals said this is unusual - but locals everywhere say that about bad weather! They also said that if it blows for 7 days (it had blown for 4), it will blow for another 7.With these conditions we wouldn't dare try to leave.

There were four other sail boats in the anchorage. Two French cats were helping out in the orphanage. An American boat was in the process of delivering an aid shipment organized by Ocean watch. The fourth boat was a German yacht we had last seen in Boca Chica. Shortly after our arrival a stream of kids in dugouts passed by following the same script - welcome, what's you name, my name is, do you have work for me, do you have anything for me. When no gift or work was forthcoming, they hung by the boat looking a tad forlorn, and then departed. Several older guys came by, offering food, guide services, laundry, etc. For the first day we declined all comers, electing to relax and recover from the trip.

We shared several objectives with Bonanza. First, we had bought tools for the carpentry school on the island. Second, we had brought money for specific individuals and food and clothing for the community, courtesy of the good folk in Boqueron. Finally, we had bought specific items for the orphanage. And last but not least, we wanted to get a look at the island itself.

We had no idea how to contact each of the organizations, so we went ashore to enjoy our victory (arrival) beer, check in with the hotel and see if we could have dinner there. Since there were no guests, regular dinner service was suspended, but the hotel would bring in their chef for a dinner for the cruisers the following night. As it turned out, Rose in the front office knew the fellows for whom we had brought money and phoned them. Two of them arrived shortly afterwards, the third being off the island. As a bonus, a gentleman named Jean Phelix Joseph happened to be in the hotel office. He is the head of the Good Samaritan organization that operates a school on the island. He spoke fluent English and lined us up with the various organizations. The bad weather meant that travel around the island by small boat was impossible, so some of the deliveries would have to wait.

Ile a Vache is very different from the earthquake ravaged Haiti of CNN. It is a pastoral island dependent on subsistence farming and fishing with a couple of boutique tourist resorts. With the influx of refugee returnees from Port au Prince, food prices have shot up and there are shortages of many items. There are NO motorized vehicles and no roads. There is no Doctor on the island, the only facility is a meager clinic at the orphanage. Everything moves by boat, foot or horse. There is a mayor or equivalent for the island, and a council representing the 33 communities on the island. Each community has a school. The island population is about 18,000.

There are many organizations trying to help Haiti and Ile a Vache - If you want to contribute, browse the web and find one that suits your objectives.

On March 7th, we sorted through the donations to separate orphanage stuff from general aid for the villagers. The orphanage got the milk and baby food we had bought in the DR, any kids clothes and half the food from Boqueron plus odds and ends of medical supplies we had on board. The balance of the food, adult clothing and cooking materials from Boqueron would be given to a village. Sitting on board, we watched a fisherman try seine netting in the lagoon around the boats without much luck. It was still too windy to fish outside. We then walked the hotel property and climbed the hill to the south of the hotel.

When we returned, the folks from the carpentry school were waiting. They have 50 students (paying tuition) and use a primary school property in the afternoons after classes. They teach carpentry and cabinet making and plan to add plumbing and electricity.
The discussion went on for a while with us believing they were taking the donation by boat - impossible today due to weather! Finally, it turned out they had brought a pack horse so we proceeded to get the two large Tupperware bins off Bonanza and take them ashore. One went in the hands of the man on the horse and the other was carried by two other fellows. The trip to the school would take them 1 to 1 ½ hours.

On Friday, March 7th, Jean Samuel and Kahma guided us across the island to the town of Madame Bernard to see the market, the orphanage and the carpentry school. All islanders walk fast, so they politely slowed down to our pace. The walk, about 1 ½ hours to the market, certainly gave us a feel for the island as we passed through several of the 33 communities on the island. The market was thriving, complete with sail boats loading and unloading from the main island and a pack horse parking lot. We visited the orphanage and its school where Sister Flora and volunteers look after about 60 kids. Some are severely handicapped and would be abandoned without the orphanage. We chatted briefly with Sister Flora, a French Canadian, has been on the island since 1967 and rebuilt the orphanage twice after hurricanes.

We were too early to see the afternoon carpentry school, so we headed back to the boats. Later in the afternoon, a boat pulled alongside Voyageur C and Bonanza to pick up the supplies for the orphanage. That night, we dined on lobster at John-John and Roseminas restaurant in Caille Coq - $10/head.

We had decided to give the remaining supplies to Caille Coq, the village close to the anchorage, immediately before departure. Jean Samuel and Kahma arrived early the following morning and Roy and Michelle and Leona and Kahma dinghied across the bay to the village where the villagers unloaded and distributed the supplies. It is sad to be able to do so little in the face of so much need. The people we met were wonderful, and focused on helping themselves as much as possible - given a chance....

We left Ile a Vache at 0900 on March 9th and laid a course for the overnight trip to Port Antonio, Jamaica instead of Santiago de Cuba because the wind was forecast from the NE and we preferred a more downwind trip. That it was, with too much of it dead downwind with the attendant crashing and banging of the rigging. We arrived in Port Antonio at 12:30 on March 10th after the 170 mile passage.

NOTE: We expect to spend 10 days in Jamaica and be in Cuba by March 22nd, and bandwidth is limited in Cuba, so our next blog may not be posted until we get to the US.