A trip to Cabarete

We finally managed to hire an affordable car and making our way to Cabarete. We intended to stay away for two days, but I was hoping that we might add another day to our trip. We got up fairly early and while I went to the Yoga class Julia and Carlos did their school work and Sven picked up the car.
When I came home everyone was ready with breakfast and I quickly packed our backpack and off we went. Toni picked us up so that we did not have to leave our Dinghy at the Dinghy Dock for the next couple of days. It was a great feeling driving through the country side of the Dominican Republic. Everything is so green and lush and so rich in fruits and vegetables. All along the roadside to Cabarete you can see these little fruit/veggie stalls. We stopped at one to buy some Bananas and Avocadoes and I believe these were the cheapest one I have bought so far here in the DR.
We passed Puerto Plata as we planned to meet up with Jim there on our way back. Passing Sosua we could see the evidence of Europeans living there. Lots of Condos, different shops and the roads were good and tar sealed. We did not stop in Sosua, as I thought we can always do that on the way back, I really wanted to go to Cabarete and the Dudu Lagoon, a place that Jan and Dave had highly recommended to us. By the time we had reached Cabarete, Julia and Carlos had enough of sitting in the car and were constantly asking ….are we there yet  We had booked ourselves into the Coconut Palm Resort, sounded great and the room rate was suppose to be US $ 20. We found the place straight away and before we checked in we drove the little road alongside the hotel to the beach….this was the start to explore the area. At the end of the road we found the beach and a little restaurant. It looked a bit dotchy but we were hungry and so we decided to stop there for lunch. Big mistake! The restaurant was right on the beach so kind of idyllic, but we had to wait for 45 minutes for our meal. When the meal finally arrived it was terrible, the children’s burger and fries was uneatable and our meal would have scored the lowest mark out of ten. We were really annoyed, ate quickly and left the place. We made our way back to the hotel and checked in. The Coconut Palm Resort had seen its best years in 2002/2003, but the rooms were clean, tidy and big. They were like a little apartment with a awesome few over the ocean, it also had a little kitchen in there and the most important part a hot shower and running water.
After check in we made our way into Cabarete. Wow what place, it reminded us very much of European beaches, busy with lots of people lying on sun lounges, lots of little restaurants right on the beach, lots of kite surfer and wind surfer. We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere there; first thing we did … indulged into a yummy ice cream, what a treat! We sat on the beach licking our ice cream and watched the surfers and their effort on the water. Afterwards we drove a bit more through the country side and were actually thinking of going to the Dudu Lagoon, but had to realize that it was too far to go and so we turned around again. We went shopping to pick up some dinner and then went back to the hotel. We cooked a great meal and then enjoyed watching a family movie in bed. We were all tired and went to bed early that first night.

Weather Window is approaching

Unbelievable, we have been here in the Dominican Republic now for nearly 5 months….. Yeah … and it seems that we finally getting the weather window that we have been waiting for. It looks like we will be leaving the DR on Thursday to sail to the BVI’s.
The last couple of days we have been busy tidying and cleaning the boat. I have cleaned out our clothing cupboard and whatever we haven’t worn in the last year, had to leave the boat, because Carlos has grown like a mushroom most of his clothes went. Second time round on the swap market we made quite a bit of money again, which put a smile on all our faces. We are all going to treat ourselves to a big Ice Cream in Cabarete.
Julia and Carlos have been busy in the kitchen, they made the Ice Cream, the next day they made Pizza and today they made Lemon Cake. The whole family loves making cake and especially licking the bowl empty afterwards.
Sven and Carlos have finally assembled the anchor winch and are very proud of their result and so are Julia and I…..well done boys!
Now that the winch is finished and the boat is clean and tidy, we have decided to hire a car and go to Cabarete for a couple of days. I really wanted to see Cabarete before we go and so I am looking forward to our little adventure trip. Once we come back from the trip we do a final provisioning in Puerto Plata and then on Wednesday putting the sails back …… St. John here we come

Yeah....the anchor winch is painted

Finally we have done it....the anchor winch is painted and reinstalled again.......we are all happy and now nothing apart from the weather can stop us to move on.

We had quiet a relaxing day today....early in the morning me and Julia and Carlos went to Yoga. Yes, both wanted to come and join us for a session....I suppose they wanted to know what their Mum is doing up there in the Yacht Club. After 10 minutes of participating they discovered the two little dogs and then started playing with water and other interesting things that they found lying around!

Once we went back to the boat we did our homeschooling, cooked, washed and played and had fun in the sun.

Homemade Ice-Cream

Another day in Luperon and another exciting day at school. Once again I had to renew my motivation system for Julia and Carlos. I can tell that the school year is coming to an end; both are getting tired and are less willing to sit down and do some homework. However I shuffled our timetable around and introduced a few new subjects and dropped a couple, that should work till the end of this year….only a few weeks to go. My main aim is still to teach Julia and Carlos to work more independently and on their own and actually sticking to the task they have been given. Nevertheless their improvements in reading and math have been phenomenal.
Today we had our science class in the afternoon…. How to make homemade ice-cream….. a flame of enthusiasm came up and they were dancing around the table. We gathered all the ingredients that we needed….milk, sugar, ice cubes, sandwich bags, salt and a container. We mixed the milk, sugar and chocolate flavor into the sandwich bag and then closed the bag airtight. We put ice cubes and salt into the container, we put our bag into it and added some more ice cubes on top and then we shook it for four minutes. Yeahhhhh…. the joy was huge when the result was seen…. We haven’t had ice-cream for ages; it was such a yummy treat……. Julia and Carlos comments were, that was cool – awesome – fun -can we do that again! How little things can change the world for children and adults alike.
Last night we had Toni, Rosemary and Jim over for dinner. We enjoyed a spicy chicken curry and a couple of red wines. We enjoyed each other company very much and shared a few funny stories about motorbikes and where the best curves are to ride in the states. It got really late and this morning we all felt a bit slow in our brain cells activity, though I suppose we are going to have a quiet and early evening tonight.
Sven is making progress in repairing our anchor winch, he got the gear shaft out of the gear box and changed the gears and now it is ready to get painted and put back together….once that is done we are leaving … I really hope that we do not have to wait too much longer. Today we were actually contemplating to sail into a different direction as planned….Jamaica / Cuba….. that would be a smooth sail with the wind coming from the east in our sails, watch the space……

oh no....Cabin Fever

I think I have got it and Julia and Carlos as well....too windy to leave.......too much waiting and too much time on the boat alone ........there is just so much time you can spend homeschooling your children, cleaning, washing, cooking and eating , playing board games, watching television ....I had enough and very much in need of TLC (Tender, Love and Care) and a good talk on the phone with a cuppa in my hand and an ear to listen to.....I believe this is called cabin fever or at least pretty close to it.

Last night we all had a feast. We cooked the rock crabgs that we bought that morning of the locals. Sven our expert in preparing and cooking these kind of dishes(his chickens are the best, even I have to admit that) cooked the rock lobsters in hot water with the right spices and ...yumm.... it was delicious it even caught Carlos attention how sweet they tasted. The kitchen looked like a mess.... but everyone had a smile on their face .....

We are waiting .....

We are not exactly waiting for Father Christmas to come, but for the next suitable weather window to leave this part of the world. It brings back the times as a child waiting for Christmas to arrive, and the last week was always the longest. We have been here long enough and it is really time to move on. The weather had been really horrible the last few days and we are all close to having cabin fever. Every minute Carlos is jumping up on deck to get some exercise and fresh air and is hanging like a monkey from the ropes and mast. Ahhhhh …….

Finally this morning the sun was out again. I made the most out of it and did my washing while Sven took the opportunity to work on the anchor winch, this seems to become a bigger job than anticipated, but we hope that it is all done within the next couple of days. While having breakfast the local fisher guys came by our boat and sold us some rock crabs, this made Sven’s day and his eyes lit up like candlelight. Later on in the afternoon

I saw this beautiful rainbow here in the harbor and I hope that this means that the weather gods are watching over us and pushing the clouds, rain and winds into the right directions and the sun slides into our sight again! It is always interesting to see how your priorities seem to change with your life situation
While waiting for our weather window we are seriously preparing for departure…. The boat is clean, I started storing things away for the next passage, we have got rid of clutter that we have accumulated in the last 5 months staying here and little things that needed fixing are getting fixed…..Yeah….we are ready to move on………

The show must go on

The harbour of Luperon is getting more and more empty and nearly everyday yachts are leaving. We are waiting for the next good weather window to open up that will allow us to leave the Dominican Republic and sail over the Mona Passage to St. John. In the meanwhile Sven is still working on our Anchor winch and Carlos is helping him as much as he can. Julia and I are in charge of cleaning the boat inside out.

Julia and Carlos have been very fortunate to use the Kayak from SV “English Rose”. This gives them both freedom and exercise during the day, a big thank you to Toni and Rosemary from all of us! Today they packed a little basket and went for a little kayak tour with Sheena. Sheena came by with her yellow Kayak and picked them up and then they went off to the beach to have a picnic. That was really cute to watch as they kayaked off to the beach, so independence and free. They had a good time and were happy and pretty relaxed when they came back.

Sandy Dream is leaving

Today is the day that SV "Sandy Dreams" has left Luperon harbour. It took them a couple of attempts, as the port authority did not want to let them go, their excuse had been ...."due to bad weather we decline your departure"! However determained as they are, they tried three days in the row and finally on the third morning they got their dispatchio to sail on to Puerto Rico. When they passed us you could see the joy and excitement in their faces. they tooted their horn real loud to let everyone know they were leaving. Somehow I do envy them.... I was getting really ichty when I saw them leave the harbour today, I really do hope that we can follow them soon.... the only difference will be that our course will be St.John.....I am soooooo looking forward to that.

From here we wish SV "Sandy Dreams" a save journey and do hope that we will meet them again soon in one of the southern Islands of the Caribbean. Jen when you read this... we miss you guys already and hope that you have a safe and sound arrival in Puerto Rico. All the best lots of love and a big hug to all of you!!!!

a late night session....

.....it is in the middle of the night and I am still transfering our Hardcopy CD's onto our Computer. It has turned out to be a real mission, but I am nearly there and then a job is done that I have been meaning to do since we left New Zealand...... puhhhh what

a lot of work and time sitting in front of the computer....

On Thursday I went to Santiago with Toni and Rosemary from SV "English Rose". We had so much fun and the one hour drive to and from Santiago went like a minute..... we were chatting like there was no end to it..... it was very interesting and funny to spend the day with both of them. Chrismas cannot be far away, everywhere in the shops they were playing Jingle Bells and the Chrismas decoration was on display. Living on board in Luperon, X-mas could have easily skipped my attention, but on this shopping spree, memories came back. Probably the highlight of our shopping trip was, when Toni and I did some Karaoke at Price smart....I was very tempted to buy that Karakoke machine .......:) it could have been Sven xmas present, but I don't think Sven would have appreciated that very much ;) We shopped till we nearly dropped and on the way back Nino's car was as usual totally overloaded and we were pennyless, never mind we were all happy and satisfied with our shopping trip. A couple of times I caught myself touching Xmas decoration and dreaming of decoarating the boat with lights and maybe even a Xmas tree..... and in the middle of the dream Sven's face appeared on the scene questioning my well being :0.... so I dropped the item and went on with some serious provisioning shopping. 20 Bags of this and 30 bags of that....hmmmm what else do we need for our sail towards St. Lucia. Everyone is mentioning that the prices in the lower parts of the Carribbean are really high, and that I should make sure to stock up as much as I can! Well as you can see on the pictures we did stock up...there was hardly any room for us in the dinghy, while transporting our goods to the boats. I was absolutely exhausted after our 10 hours shopping trip, however I still managed to put everything away and then I finally was able to put my feet before dragging myself into bed.

Friday the weather finally had cleared and I was able to continue my spring clean. Cleaning, tidying, washing etc. That night we had David over for Dinner. Jan has gone back home to the States to celebrate her mum's birthday, so we thought it would be nice to keep him some company that evening. We had chicken curry and played our new game "Rummicub", we all love it and we had a lot of fun together.

Today was more cleaning and of course school. It never used to matter to Carlos and Julia whether we did school on a Monday or Saturday, but someone must have told them, that there is usally no school on the weekend, because Julia pointed that out to me all day :) However I want to get in as much schooling as I can, before we are sailing down south.....because who knows... we might not be able to do much school once we are on our way sailing again! ....so now it is time to go to bed....its nearly 3 o'clock in the morning and I can feel my eyes getting heavy. Tomorrow I have to get up early again, as we are going to take some of our "staff" that we have accumlated over the last months and not needing anymore to the swap market, including all our CD's.......