The Dominican Republic
We spent a brief stint in the Dominican Republic and to be fair it was far too brief.
As we were sailing northwards from St Martin our initial stop was Samana. We arrived in the early hours of the morning which meant we couldn’t check into the Marina we were so looking forward to after almost a year on the hook.
To get you orientated Samana is a natural harbor and bay on the South Western side of the Dominican Republic.
We pulled into a little anchorage in Samana and I had a little catch up snooze after staying awake for most of the night while we navigated into the dark bay.
Upon waking the wind was already pushing through at over 20 knots and the Marina was finally returning our radio calls. We upped anchor and pushed around the corner to an incredible marina. We met the Armada (local Army / Navy) and did all related check in procedures right at the marina which was a fantastic experience.
Samana itself is off the beaten track and not too many tourists would easily find themselves there without a bit of work. The regular spots for tourists are Punta Cana in the South and Cabarete in the North (Surf and Windsurf heaven).
We enjoyed our downtime as well as incredible internet in an air conditioned room (part of the marina), but that was short lived as time was ticking and we had a complete paradise to explore. We hired a car and drove North to Cabarete. The roads themselves are in incredibly good condition but we were warned several times against driving at night. Not for security reasons but more so for drunken drivers and scooters / motorbikes everywhere (and they are everywhere).
This was my Caribbean moment, the one island that I felt truly embraced the Caribbean as I had imagined it to be. Warm, palm tree lined beaches with white sand and raw nature at your fingertips.
Not only are there beaches but the mountains have rivers and rapids and we did a river walk for almost an entire day, walking both up the mainland and down the meandering river while jumping into plunge pools and floating through rapids.
We surfed at Encuentro Beach as well as Playa Bonita in Las Terrenas and swam and ate out in Cabarete. What an incredible adventure.
Now we never visited Santo Domingo nor did we drive to Punta Cana (Tourist Hub) and spent way too little time here as time was fleeting between our next destination (The Bahamas) and the next weather window for us to set sail.
The Dominican Republic is a place I will visit again, with such a variety of life, so little rules and a great local population that always made us feel welcome.
They do struggle with basic necessities in most regions, requiring bottled water and electricity isn’t a given that it will be running throughout the day but despite these minor details of a regular 1st world life there is a magic here that grasped us.
As far as ports when coming from the north you have Luperon bay. Made famous by Bruce Sant and his generation of explorers through his book “The Gentlemans guide to Passages South”.
It is a well known hurricane hole and though windy throughout most months of summer, has been a place of refuge for sailors seeking out a place to call home during the dreaded hurricane season in the Caribbean.
There is a marina around 8 nautical miles just around the corner from Luperon called Ocean World Marina and Boatyard. We never stayed there but would attempt it if coming from the North. The only bad review I’ve ever heard about this marina is the potential surge that can occur when there’s a swell running. I personally wouldn’t leave my boat there during hurricane season unattended due to hurricane or tropical storm risk and would prefer to haul out.
There is always the option of running the 8 miles to Luperon should the need arrive and again I’d have a proper set of actions laid out including a place where I’d be going.
There is a very informative Facebook group called “Dominican Republic Cruisers Info” which will give you all the contacts you will need to check in, get around, haul out (if needed).
As always I hope this has in some way inspired your dreams to travel, given you some good data to be able to visit the DR and convinced you to follow along with our journey on the socials.
Love from the Caribbean Soul Crew
