Sailing East from Montego Bay, Jamaica to Ponce, Puerto Rico

[briancurry]

looking for info on eastward passage along southern coast of Hispanola
Hello everyone, I just joined this site and it looks real cool. I found it because I was looking for info on sailing east along the southern coast of Hispanola in February of next year. Doing a delivery from Montego Bay to Ponce PR, anyone got any advice?

[Hud3]

Sounds like the south shore is the way to go when you're heading east. Here are a few tidbits of info...

From Noonsite.com

Dominican Republic
Because of the prevailing NE winds, the south coast offers more protected anchorages and attractive harbours, ranging from Punta Beata in the west to Isla Saona at the far eastern end of the island. The best facilities are to the east of the capital, Santo Domingo, at Boca Chica and further east at Casa de Campo. West of the capital, Las Salinas is probably the best stop. Outside of the large industrial centres, repair facilities for yachts are virtually non-existent although minor repairs can be dealt with by ordinary workshops.

Noonsite: Dominican Republic

Haiti
Cruising is best done from east to west as particularly during winter the strong trade winds make eastbound passages difficult. The capital Port-au-Prince lies on the southern cruising route. Beyond Cape Tiburon at Haiti's SW extremity, there are several attractive anchorages with the most scenic surroundings in the Baie des Cayes, with facilities available at Port Morgan Marina, located on Ile a Vache a few miles from the mainland city of Cayes. Otherwise facilities in Haiti are generally poor, although it is possible to have some work done in the commercial harbours. If planning to cruise in Haiti one should carry all essential spares as practically nothing is available locally.

Noonsite: Haiti

All At Sea article -- excerpt from The Cruising Guide to the Dominican Republic, by by Frank Virgintino.

[briancurry]

Hud,

thanks for the info...............any more from others will be appreciated. thanks

Brian Curry

[Hud3]

Brian,

What's the boat that you're delivering? Just curious...

Hud

[briancurry]

We are sailing, delivering, the boat from Tampa last week of January to Ft. lauderdale, then from Ft. Lauderdale we start in the Pinapple Cup on Feb 6, then plan to take the boat, a J-120 (40ft) to Ponce on the 14th, before heading on at the end of February to St. Maarten for the Heineken Regatta, then sometime in March to Antugua for race week. How about them apples?? Think it's the skipper's swan song for competive yachting!!

[Hud3]

Hey, that's quite a campaign! I like Antigua and St. Maarten, but would clear out during the race weeks to avoid the crowds (being a cruiser, not a racer ).

I just took my boat in the opposite direction this past November--Antigua/Nevis/St Thomas/Bradenton. I was glad to be heading west with the current and wind north of PR and DR.

Good luck!

[camaraderie]

Good luck with that. That is quite a windward slog to attempt at that time of year on a tight time schedule. Will be interested to hear your trip report. At least you have a boat that can point!!

[skipmac]

Made the trip from Mobay to St Thomas in Jan about 30 years ago. A year of really strong winter trades and the beat was just that. Our strategy was to sail close enough to the south coast of Hispaniola to break the worst of the winds but not so close that we were completely in the wind shadow of the mountains. Seemed to work quite well and we were also able to take advantange of frequent eddies that gave us a better angle on the wind.

Didn't stop at all as we were on a deadline to reach St Thomas so cannot comment on the ports along the way. With a 30 year gap the info would just a bit out of date anyway.