Luberon, Dominican Republic....we have arrived. Mountains surround this hurricane hole harbor. We are here with about 30 other boats, some with cruisers on them and some empty. The harbor waters have a reputation of being very dirty, so no swimming. However, I was able to see the rudder of our boat.

 Our trip from Provo started at noon on Monday, January 20th. We planned to stop at French Cay to anchor for the night. But the winds were right and we were sailing along great....we were well rested and eager to continue. Winds continued all night and seas were 4 to 5 feet. Close reaching, we tacked twice, once as the current began to carry us West, then again as we closed on Mouchoir Banks. The boat was pitching into the waves, so it wasn't a comfortable sail but we were sailing with no engine which was very nice. In all we sailed for 38 hours. Shifts went well and we ate when we were hungry. At 2:00 am on Wednesday January 22 with the lights of The Dominican Republic shoreline in sight, the winds died, so we turned on the engine and headed for Luperon. We waited for sunrise then entered the harbor just as the Wednesday morning Cruisers net was starting. We introduced ourselves and met Popo in his dingy to guide us to his mooring ball....$2 a night.

 By 9:00 am we were boarded by 4 Customs officials, the head guy named Richard. He asked us how many on board. Will responded 3 plus the dog. Richard said, "So you have 4 passports?" Will replied we didn't have one for the dog. So Richard said, "I will have to take the dog if he has no passport!" Haha...His first prank pulled on us. After paper work was filled out, Richard and two others came below to search the boat. We guess they are looking for fire arms. He pulled up cushions, opened closets, pulled up floor hatches, and then turned to Will and showed him a gun. He said, "Is this yours?" Will said no it wasn't his. Richard laughed and said, "I forgot--it is mine!" Our second prank from the prankster! We paid them $20 and off they went!

 We left shortly in the dingy for immigration. In all we made four stops...three inside the same small trailer....paying a total of $113.00 in entrance fees. Then off we go into what looked like a small town in Mexico! We walked for about eight blocks past little shack houses, little stores and restaurants, open air markets, flowers and watched lots of motor scooters zoom up and down the streets. We found an open air restaurant that suited my liking, and had a marvelous meal for less than $10 which included grouper, octopus, and a Presedente beer.

We have spent many hours in the town of Luperon hanging out at local cafes with internet.  The pace is very laid back and slow.  The sounds are of scooters, children crying, and hammering of  tin roof repairs.  There are many dogs wandering around, but they are not aggressive.  

Jamie has really enjoyed this life style and enjoys his meals at JR's cafe.  We spent hours and hours here and even spent our evenings here.  We had dinner with our friend Sylvio whom we met back in Rum Cay.  

We will leave tomorrow and head along the north coast of the DR.  Jamie plans to leave us in Sosua and spend time wind surfing.  He will fly back to Cananda from there.  Will, Bentley and I will continue on to Puerto Rico