A view of the shore of Samana Bay











Hotel on Samana Bay










Sunday Feb 28
We started to leave Ocean World Marina at 08:00 and as we were leaving the dock we failed to notice one of our lines in the water and naturally the line got wrapped in the prop. Gil and Dennis helped us get secured back to the dock and Doris was kind enough to dive on the boat and unwrap the line-- no damage but not an auspicious beginning. After that we moved to the fuel dock and filled our aft fuel tank and pumped out the holding tank, got our despachio from the navy for Samana and were out of the marina at 10:00.
Our plan was to go to Sousa and stage there for the day and leave later in the evening. When we arrived the waypoint given for the anchorage looked to be off by about ½ mile and we could find only rock on the bottom- nowhere to set the anchor so we decided to continue to Escondido, which was about 15 hours away.
The weather was relatively calm until about 2200 when the sky opened up and it started to rain. The radar showed a clear areal about 2 miles ahead but as we approached the rain moved with us. After the rain the wind started to pick up out of the south and the seas started running at about 3 to 5 feet.

Monday March1
We reached Escondido at 0630 and worked our way in. The place was like being in a steep canyon with fjord like walls all around and the seas being reflected back into the bay creating confused and choppy seas. We tried to anchor, but again were meet with a rocky bottom and decided to move on to Samana.
The seas picked up yet again as we rounded the cape and were met with 20 knot headwinds. I felt pretty bad until I saw some folks out in those seas and wind in open fishing boats. As we entered the bay the seas fell off and we were able to make our way into Samana. Just as we were approaching the anchorage we were met with two cruise ships taking up most of the channel and at first weren't sure whether they were anchored or not. As we got closer we saw that they were anchored and were disembarking passengers in small craft.
We arrived at the anchorage and I was in the front dropping the hook when an open boat with 5 people came alongside and demanded to board. At first I refused and then they showed some ID and it was the a rep from the Navy, a local port official, customs and immigration, a drug enforcement agent and an interpreter. It all made for a crowded cockpit. The port official wanted 24 dollars ( 0.60/foot of vessel length. The immigration guy looked over our passports and dispachio, the drug guy gave our below decks a quick run through. I didn't have any Dominican currency on me so I had to get a ride to the dock to go to an ATM machine to get money. I thought I was back in Viet Nam. There must have been hundreds of small two cycle motor bikes going every which way and the general atmosphere was of a third world country.
I went to the ATM outside the local bank and the machine swallowed my card. Fortunately the interpreter was still with me and we went inside to request the return of my card. The place was crowded with at least fifty people and I had to wait about ½ hour for someone to help me. I got my card back and using a different ATM was successful in getting the money I needed.
The next step was to pay the local port official, get my receipt, and then I could go to the Navy to get a dispachio to Puerto Rico. They were kind enough to write it out so we could leave early in the morning. I was then given a ride back to the boat and after 32 hours with no sleep was able to get some rest and prepare for an early departure across the Mona Passage.
Tuesday March 2
We left Samana at 0700 and had clear going until we reached the mouth of the bay. According to the weather forecasters we should have had a calm crossing, they were predicting winds out of the south with 10 15 knots and swells out of the south at 3 feet. WRONG!!!!. The winds we encountered were out of the south but there the accuracy ended. The wind was 20 to 25 knots out of the south and the swells were 7 to 10 feet out of the south east. The best legacy could do was 2.5 knots on the rhumb line into those wind and seas, so we had to roll out the sail and tack down the rumb line. While our speed through the water was 6.5 knots our velocity made good was only about 4 knots at best.

Wednesday March 3
As we got further off shore the winds clocked a little bit and we were still into the wind and seas
making an average of 4 knots. As we approached an area just off what are called the hourglass shoals the waves became taller, steeper and closer together. Legacy was taking a pounding. At about 7:00 in the morning the front fitting on the dingy backed out and dropped the front end off the davits into the water. I had to drop the dingy and then get in while the seas were pounding and twice I was almost thrown out of the dingy. I was finally able to get the fitting back on, get back aboard and raise the dingy back on the davits. About 10 in the morning I noticed our front navigation light near the coaming of the cockpit, with the port lens shattered. A couple of hours after this chore was dine the chart plotter and autopilot started to act up saying that position was lost and heading was lost, it would come back for a second or two and then start to lose it again. With the boat bouncing in the seas I had to get my tools out, take the console apart and locate an intermittent connection. I was successful in fixing the chart plotter and autopilot and I was just figuring what else could happen when the welds on the support post of the davits gave way and almost dropped the rear of the dingy in the water. I jury rigged some support with lengths of dock line and we continued on.
As we approached Boqueron, Puerto Rico the seas moderated somewhat and and we limped towards the harbor. As we approached it appeared that our chart was off again because as I entered the harbor through the reef the chart plotter showed the boat going through dry land. As we were not taking any chances we were moving at only 2 knots as it got completely dark. We nosed our way in until the depth shoaled to 19 feet and I dropped and set the anchor. As I went forward to do this I noticed that the teak bow seat had been ripped off of it's mountings- probably the cause of the loss of our navigation light.
All through this 36 hours, Kathleen was sick as a dog, not from sea sickness but suspected food poisoning. As the anchor was set and we could finally relax it felt good to have finally arrived here in Puerto Rico.

Friday March 5
After relaxing and resting for a day I went into Boqueron to contact customs. I had no local money and both ATM's in Boqueron were non functional. I had about $1.50 in change so I figured that would be sufficient. The local pay phone required $.50 for the first two minutes and .25 for each additional minute. As I was giving my information to the customs officer I was interrupted every minute to deposit another quarter. As we were almost done I ran out of quarters and was disconnected. I walked the entire town of Boqueron and was unable to find another ATM or a bank of any kind. I spent the entire day attempting to contact customs and was unsuccessful.

Saturday March 6
Doris , on Magic. was kind enough to let me use her cell phone and I was able to complete the check in process but still need to go to Mayaguez on Monday ( they are not open Sunday ) to completely check in and get my official documents. Hopefully our cruise of Puerto Rico will only get better from here.