Imelda and squalls before breakfast. 26:54:72 N 66:15:91 W
Mandalay
Robin & Jenny Martin
Fri 20 May 2011 22:44
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After an eventful week we departed the DR last
Sunday. Marcos the yard manager pulled out all the stops to complete the
installaion of the wind generator at 1800hrs. It wasnot without it'scustomary
stresses and strains. The finished productis great but to tel you the whole
sorywould be too similar to the tender story in St Lucia.
We departed Zar Par marina waved off by Tony
& Lisa at 2000hrs after the same officals who checked us in came back to
check us out, including Victor the chatty drug inforcement officer.
There is not the commersalism or any tourism that
you see elsewhere in the Caribbean, the people are mainly Hispanic with an
Amerian influence.Lots of kids and pregnant womenand apart from Santo Domingo of
4 million people the place is quite quiet and rural. The nearby town of Boca
Chica was like a beach resort in Asia just for the locals and not teeming with
tourists.
Ayway back to Maymio, she's had a hard time just
lately with being locked up in marinas and boatyards so she is in her element
doing what she does best - loving to go to windward and keeping us safe. The new
wind gene ( a D400 from Nottingham ) is named Imelda after the
frustrating wind bag of a yard manager.
We are now on our 6th day at sea heading north to
Bermuda with only 330 miles to go. We've had all sorts of weather but mostly
winds and seas on the beam with the occasional squall. One such beast caught us
fully unaware at 04.30 on Tuesady morning with winds of 42 knots. We decided to
go with it and headed bak to Dominican Republc for 30 minuets reaching 10.3
knots in the process. Shame it was no in the right direction. We now keep our
reefs in a little longer just in case. All the bits are going well - Imelda
giving us 10 amps most of the time and the engine giving us the rest. Getting
our weather from SSB radio inculding Herb's daily net, an amazing 80 year old
who's been providing the service for years.
Good news from home, Charlie has landed his first
proper job and Phillipa moves into her new pad - our wonderful independent
kids.
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