Destination Dominican Republic

[Solace]

Ola from the Dominican Republic

I am currently taking a little R & R time in the DR - Puerto Plata. Yesterday I visited Ocean World and swam with some dolphins - what a blast.
On the same property they are about 4 months away from completing an 83 slip marina. This state of the art marina is going a long way to create DR as a cruising destination. To this date local corruption has been too intolerable with very steep cruising fees etc. - that and the lack of any real marina has kept the DR off of the cruisers path.

I had the chance to get a personal tour by the marina manager - it is quite impressive. Check it out at  http://www.oceanworldmarina.com/

Check back with ya all when I get home.
Until then - Ola

John

[krissteyn]

Hey Solace - Puert Plata sounds much improved - I normally look forward to stopping in at Luperon - good memories  .

Please update me if the Internet cafe allows it...
Cruising fees up ?  what are the current costs ?
I normally go on the hook and dingy in .

what is the dollar / peso doing (and current rate)
we used to hire a car foe the equiv of $10/day each for 4 of us - now ?
Fuel price and availability ?
Moto-Concho's ?

AND   CURRENT PRICE OF  EL GRANDE PRESIDENTE ?  (licking lips...)

If in Luperon  say Hi to Patrick - last boat I was on was called Heart of Oak...

enjoy - I spent new years eve up in the mountains with friends - very good memories...

[Solace]

The DR is still very much a third world country (so what countries are considered second world?). Don't look for vast improvements across the board. The Ocean World Marina is doing their best to attract cruisers. Previously the corruption made it far too expensive at US$200 / week for a cruising permit. It is down to US$50 / week, which is still too high, but there are some loopholes. By filing some paperwork and flying a Dominican flag you can be considered a resident and be exempt from any fees.
I didn't get a chance to check out Luperon, but will keep it in mind when I come back with my boat in 2008. There are some nice anchorages - I found one right near our hotel, suitable for gunkholing.
The US$ bought me something like 33.74 pesos, but it seems to fluctuate daily. As for taxi fees, I was at the mercy of the hotel tourist cab $35 for a ride from the resort into town - about 5 miles - looking for some charts - what a joke that was - took most of the day to find someone who even understood that there was such a thing. Finally found enough to navigate to Puerto Plata.

Don't know the price of beer - it was all inclusive resort

Cheers!

John

[krissteyn]

Hey - Luperon is the star of the area - has its own cruisernet every morning - classic cruiser dives to swap stories and share GRANDE Presidentes, shoot pool with the locals (can be hilarious) - and where I got all my charts...

The guide to the windward passage has its home in Luperon...

RESORT - aaaww - Ya Jus Dont Get Da Tru Flavor Mon...

Early one morning I bumped into "jack" who said to me :-
When I woke up this mornin I was so horny I didnt have a wrinkle on my body !
He was pretty wrinkly when he was saying this - so I asked him what happened - he pointed to the "lady" at the bar and winked...

"At the Car Wash ..."


cheers

[CapnK]

We'd been wondering where you had gotten off to.

Sounds like a good place to get a break from those northern climes! Thanks for the heads up on that marina, too!

Mmmm, beerrr...