Sailing with the Treleavens

A week of maintenance and cleaning has now prepared us for our next big adventure, Cuba.

From the north side of Provo we gently sailed out of Grace Bay through Sellars Cut in the reef. On route around the western end of Provo through Malcolm Roads, the luxurious resort Amanyara takes our attention, so we just anchor off and go ashore for a look. Balinese style, thatched roof villas and very beautiful, but as our two cocktails came to $US50 it was a quick visit. The bay is exposed to the north but as its flat calm we decide to stay the night; the water is transparent and it is an ideal times for Ian to clean off the bottom and propeller. This year we painted the prop with Prop speed but it seems to have had the opposite effect to its claims and is absolutely covered in barnacles, really slowing us down. The antifouling Micron 66 has also attracted a few patches of barnacles; unusual considering the sea water hasn’t been as warm as normal.

Now on the south side of Provo at Sapodilla Bay we spend our days changing oil and evenings being very social with all the cruising yachts passing through. Nothing like a mix of Americans, English and Aussies all discussing politics; arguing about which country has caused all the current financial problems.

Finding a fuel leak to the generator, we move to a half finished marina called the Annex in Cooper Jack Bight. It is great shelter in the strong winds and has the advantage of no fees. Southside Marina is the next bay to the east, and as we are too deep to go in there they are very helpful in getting this fixed.

Simon and Charlyn manage this very small, friendly and social marina. Nothing like a BBQ covered in local fresh lobster, in fact enough to feed over 20 of us. Simon also runs a cruisers net daily on VHF radio on channel 18 to keep all cruisers up to date with weather and happenings.

Wind; they like to tell us this is unusual, but we are only to happy not to be going north to the Bahamas. The north wind is persistent and can hold cruisers for up to two weeks in a bay.

Our last day here in the Turks and Caicos and what could be better than a day at Da Conch Shack and Bar. I have finally given in to eating conch, conch fritters and cracked conch straight from the sea….. delicious. The last of the original beach bars and run by Jamaicans, lots of fun people. We will now miss those big white smiles when the word “cricket” comes up.

Tomorrow we sail for Cuba, 245nms south to Santiago de Cuba on the south side. The weather looks perfect with 15 gto 20 knots from just aft of the port beam and following seas.

Geoff and Pip Lavis are joining us for three weeks and we are looking forward very much to sharing this totally difference experience with them. Communication with getting emails away may be difficult so we will do our best and keep you up to date or take you back to the 1960s.

With only a day to spare to rendezvous with Mick and Di Quaife in Grand Turk, we are given permission to leave Luperon in the Dominican Republic. What a lot of bureaucratic nonsense; one would have to think twice about going in there again. Our sail overnight under full moon is fast and comfortable. We arrive at 5am in darkness as the moon disappears behind a cloud, the autopilot goes down and no lighthouse working. Edging ever so slowly towards the beach we anchor, sleep and wait till daybreak.

Big Sand Cay, the southern most of the Turk group of islands, is uninhabited with white cliffs, a blown over lighthouse and stunning clear water to greet us when we wake. From sea depths of over 4000m to this small island in the middle of nowhere, it’s no wonder it has claimed so many mariners. Pulling in beside us is the Lagoon ‘Why Not’ which we passed during the night. Onboard is Terry Bufton who manages to fix the hydraulics…what a stroke of luck. Terry is an aero nautical engineer who helps deliver yachts in his retirement.

We have actually deviated off our planned route of sailing west to Cuba and the West Caribbean Countries of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala to visit the Turks and Caicos Islands. They are neither the Bahamas nor the Caribbean but very similar to all the Bahamian Islands (only 40nm away) with low lying sand cays and large areas of shallow reefs. Previously a British Crown Colony, it appears it is about to come back under British rule due to government corruption. Corruption has been on going for years but the final straw is the disappearance of the five million pounds received from the British for damage caused by the hurricanes Ike and Hanna September last year. On Grand Turk, corrugated iron lies everywhere and houses remain roofless. The custom office was still in darkness as not all electricity has been restored.

Grand Turk claims to be the landing spot for Columbus on his voyage of discovery in 1492 (but this is also claimed by two other Bahamian Islands just west of here). John Glenn also set foot back on earth here after his famous space flight in 1962. It is a British possession due to the number of British pirates who based themselves here whilst operating under Elizabeth 1’s cover to plunder more Spanish galleons. Although the main population is on Provo, the capital is on Grand Turk where only a few hundred live. The whole group now relies on tourism, as it’s so dry nothing is being produced.

Mick and Di join us and it’s great to have company to sail these islands with stunning seas. Always a highlight in crossings is reeling in a Dorado and they seem to be getting bigger and bigger the further we go. We seem to always hook them as we approach land as the shelf rises up from the depths. Apparently the currents push fish into this area making it an ideal feeding ground for the bigger fish. More often than not it is either just after sun rise or just before sunset.

Cockburn Harbour on South Caicos is the safest anchorage in the T&C but the main reason for stopping is the lobster factory. Over the next two days, we are to cross the Caicos Bank in very shallow water. Its mostly sand but there are some bommies (coral heads). At its widest point this area is 60nm but well charted with various routes to take depending on your draft. We take the Pearl Hwy that allows a draft to 7 feet but since we draw 6.6, it’s pretty scary and could never be negotiated at night.

The clarity and colour as far as the eye can see is amazing; aquamarine sea, blue skies, some white clouds tinged with the seas reflection. This is the perfect sail and the only thing we have to do is watch for bommies. You can see them in the distance as long as the sun is behind you. Then you just steer around them, even if they only turn out to be the shadow of a cloud. We decide to anchor midway and enjoy the simple fact that in the middle of the ocean with no sign of land, you can enjoy this not to be missed experience.

Eight lobster tails on the BBQ (sorry, staple diet here), Moet Champagne, a compulsory swim in the morning and we move on; there is nothing else here. The lobster is the best we have tasted in the Caribbean. It’s small, very sweet and tender. Providential (Provo), the glamour Resort Island is next but suddenly on route all our electrics go down. Under engine we get into a marina and as fate would have it no electrician can come for a week but Terry is here and once again comes to our rescue. A simple fuse is all it takes. We are learning fast!

The north coast of Provo is where all the glamour is and can only be entered in good weather, as you have to pass through a reef. The weather looks good so we sail around into Grace Bay and anchor off Turtle Cove Marina. These marinas are entered via cut out coral channels and can only be passed at high tide. Returning after a dinner ashore we are approached by a dolphin that puts his nose up on the dinghy as if to say “hello”. Instantly I recognize him as JoJo the famous wild dolphin I had been reading about. All he wants to do is swim with you but you can’t touch him as he is known to bite. It is a very large bay he lives in and he is getting old so it’s special if he comes to visit.

Lounging around a resort sounds like a nice change, so we are off to Nikki Beach Bar and Resort for brunch to farewell Mick and Di. The pool and beach are scattered with white squatted cushions and cabanas, turquoise towels to match the sea, a sunken bar, palm trees and a new marina to complete the setting with 200ft private yachts.

We will now prepare for our passage next week to the south side of Cuba.

The Dominican Republic (DR) port entry is a bureaucratic nightmare and quite expensive. Every port requires reentry and with our timeframe it limits the choices. We also have a short window of good weather and decide to make the most of that opportunity. Our sail of 250nm from Puerto Rico to Bahia de Luperon takes us past some of the most beautiful beachfronts in the Caribbean.

The Samana Peninsular on the North eastern corner of the DR has mountain ranges covered in thousands of coconut palms. As we sail by we can see from the blue waters edge the white sand blending into beautiful coconuts palms and then to the lush green mountainsides.

As the sun sets we are gifted with the magnificent sight of humpback whales with their calves spouting around us. This is whale-breeding territory and they travel thousands of miles from the Artic to be here for the winter months to breed. I don’t mind spotting them during the day, but at night I prefer not to think about them and just hope they are not in our path. The first night out there was an awful salty smell to weather of us and after establishing Ian had not been indiscreet, came to the realisation that a whale had spouted near us. The seawater they spout has a vile stale salty smell. A bit close for comfort!

The only dilemma on our passage was the autopilot failing. This is our ‘third crew member’ and makes life very difficult if we have to steer manually ourselves, especially at night with only two onboard. The bolt attaching the pilot arm to the rudderstock had sheered and with some difficulty in the confused seas, Ian manages to repair it. Those spares do come in handy after all!

Bahia de Luperon is entered at daybreak, after 38 hours at sea, through a very narrow entrance and shallow bar that opens up to a mangrove surrounded lagoon; the perfect hurricane hole, in fact the best in the Caribbean if you want to live aboard your yacht during the hurricane season. Inside at any one time are 100 yachts; some are just passing through, some staying for a few days and others staying for two years. I think that a lot of the cruisers arrive here after coming south from the Bahamas and become so secure in this sheltered harbour they are too frightened to continue further east or south. ‘Chicken Harbour’ I call it.

It takes five uniformed men, customs, immigration, agriculture, tourism, and port control to complete the entry formalities, all with a hand out (US$105). We did have to restrain from laughing when the customs officer took a long time checking each page and stamp in our passport, only to look up and ask what our nationality was.

Thankful that all the paperwork is in order, we walk into the shanty village of Luperon. A little girl calls out “hello gringo”; these Spanish-speaking people are poor but very friendly and happy. Small wooden houses line the streets intermingled with shop fronts selling fruit and vegetables, hanging whole butchered cattle and a very small supermarket selling rum, beer and cigars. Small motorbikes are everywhere; every boy over 12 has one and they are the taxi service. It is not uncommon to see a whole family on a scooter (without helmets of course).

The inland country is beautifully green with cascading waterfalls and roads shared with the cattle and hens. It is amazing that there is such a variety where there is a mix of mostly poor and some wealthy homes. The border to Haiti is only 100kms to the west and with the immense poverty in Haiti there is a lot of illegal crossing of the border to the relatively better off DR causing great concern to the locals. The population of the DR is 9 million plus about 1 million illegal’s, while Haiti has 7 million. This island is huge in comparison to other islands we have visited.

A day is spent in the large city of Puerto Plata to stock up on provisions to take into Cuba. We also load up with non-perishables and luxury items to give away. The nearby Ocean World Marina seems very out of place with its luxury and services, but also very empty.

Ian has to visit the dentist (not a good idea untying knots with your teeth) and while being drilled the generator stops with a large bang… no more drilling. An Australian in the next chair is asked to help fix it; still wearing his cape with tools in hand he manages to get it operating again. Medical treatment is always a big worry for us in these remote island countries but thankfully we don’t have too many problems. The dentist is a German and Ian is happy with the result and it was very inexpensive.

The joy of having my bench top covered in fresh home grown tropical fruit again at a low cost is wonderful, especially the biggest pawpaw I have ever seen and full of flavour. Meeting a lot of cruisers has made this a very enjoyable place to stop and the locals are amongst the nicest islanders we have ever met; maybe it’s their Latino heritage coming through. Bahia de Luperon has a mixed reputation but apart from the enclosed water not being suitable for swimming or desalinating, it has much to offer.

Preparing to depart for the Turks and Caicos Islands 85nms to the north we encounter a first ever for us with the authorities. After all documents have been stamped we are denied our departure by the Commandant, as he believes the weather is not suitable for a safe passage. It is only blowing 20knots with 2 metre swell from the east. Returning the next day with several other yachts requesting departure we are finally granted permission for yachts over 40 feet and of course the mandatory $US20.

We are all always very careful with the weather and would never put ourselves in danger. Our main concern is to always ensure we arrive at the next port in daylight hours. The responsibility should always be with the skipper to decide whether to depart or not with his knowledge of conditions.

In the Turks and Caicos Mike and Di Quaife from Sydney are joining us.