One Big Step From Puerto Rico To Turks and Caicos

May 13 - 18, 2015

19 - Fajardo, Puerto Rico,  20 - Dominican Republic, 21 - Turks and Caicos
The redline is our course.  We left Fajardo at 6:00 PM on Wednesday and anchored in a Turks and Caicos' bay at 4:20 PM on Saturday.  Sunday morning we went to The Turtle Cove Marina for two nights.  

Many boaters enjoy long overnight passages.  In fact our friends, David and Jill, are circumnavigating the world and think nothing of two weeks out at sea crossing oceans.  Let me make it clear — we are not a part of that adventurous group!  I will NEVER cross an ocean unless we fly!  Like many new boaters, we thought “Wow, wouldn’t it be fun to cross the Atlantic and spend a couple of years in the Mediterranean?”  Luckily, we came to our senses before we set out on that adventure!  Overnight passages are just plain scary.  None the less, I put on my big girl panties, stepped to the edge of the cliff and jumped.  Traveling from Puerto Rico to the Turks and Caicos was a trip of 527 miles that took 94 hours.  That passage included following the coast of Puerto Rico, crossing the Mona, skirting the coast of the Dominican Republic and crossing a small chunk of the North Atlantic.  

Leaving Fajardo as the sun sets.  the wind has died
down, but the air is still full of Sahara sand.

We left Fajardo, Puerto Rico at 6:00 PM on Wednesday the 13th.  Traveling along the coasts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic at night to take advantage of the katabatic winds that come off of the land and calm the seas.  I was on my first two hour shift at the helm.  The sun had just set, the moon was a thin crescent and it was pitch black outside.  Brian was napping when the navigation computer quit working.  This was beyond my worse nightmares.  Without the navigation screen I had no idea where we were, which direction we should go, what hazards were in our path.  BRIAN!!!  Out of a dead sleep he came to see what imagined problem I was facing.  No, this was a real problem.  Of course, we have a spare and, of course, he could install it, but not instantaneously.  

At 4:20 AM that same night, I’m at the helm again, when huge million watt spotlights are all over us.  I looked out the pilot house door to see why a stealth power boat that didn’t show up on radar is so close.  A black inflatable pulls up next to the pilot house.  While one spot scans back and forth over the boat the other one is on me.  I can’t see who is on board, but give them a pitiful smile and a weak wave.  With that they do a 180 and take off.  No introductions, no business card, no sorry I scared you and almost made you pee your pants.  I’m just glad it was probably the Puerto Rican border patrol and not pirates as I all but invited them on board.  

The other nightly scares involved small boats that are very difficult to see in the dark because they are using a flashlight for their running lights.  The boats are too small to show up on radar.  Trying to judge distance in the dark is almost impossible.  Is that faint light off in the distance or is it close and just weak?  

The bay where we could finally clean the prop.

About two hours out of Fajardo, we noticed that we were going even slower than our normal slow.  Running at 1600 RPM we usually travel about eight MPH.  Instead, we were going six.  Our first thought was that there was a strong current in the area.  By the time we realized that something must have caught on the propeller it was dark and then too rough to do anything about it.  Finally, Friday morning the seas flattened and we found a deep protected bay.  After three reverse cycles at high RPM’s we were free and back to our normal speed.                    

Sunrise on Saturday and we got our first glimpse of
the Turks and Caicos Islands!

The Mona Passage is the strait that separates Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.  It’s one of the places where the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea meet.  Although it is only 80 miles wide it is considered one of the most difficult passages in the Caribbean due to tidal currents created by the two large islands.  Enough said — you get the picture!

Passing through The Turks and Caicos Shallows
the water drops dramatically from 7000 feet in the
Passage to 6.4 feet.  We had to carefully stay on
   course because we need 5.5 feet to float.  This
 ferry carrying a cement mixer miscalculated
 and was grounded.   

Finally, relaxing in our anchorage we were treated
to this fabulous sunset.  It was the perfect
exclamation mark for our crossing!

Sunday morning we moved to Turtle Cove Marina in Providenciales, rented a car and got our feet on solid ground. The last segment of this two year trip starts on Tuesday as we prepare for a 10 day trip through the Bahamas.  BUT, it will be 10 days with our anchor firmly planted in a bay at night!         



Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!