Palmar de Ocoa
Lat. 18.17.93 N
Long. 70.35.16 W
Palmar de Ocoa is a quaint little town located just a few miles to the North of Las Salinas.
As you approach the bay you will see a line of homes that front the bay. These are homes owned by well off Dominicans, most of whom live in the Capital of Santo Domingo. They use these homes as summer residences and for holidays. Behind the homes you will find the town. It is neat and tidy and has a few grocery stores (bodegas), but not much more. Local Dominican flavor but of the southern part of the country. As most of the south is agricultural, you will find the pace of life slow and the people, on the average, gentle.
To anchor at Palmar de Ocoa one must go to the NW part of the bay where it shoals out to 12 to 15′.
The bottom is mostly sandy and anchoring is easy. Once anchored dinghy over to the town dock where you see all the fishing boats beached. There is a small hotel there called Hotel Le Goya. It serves wonderful meals, inexpensively priced. Right next door is the fishmongers store, and you can buy fresh fish. Her name is Maria and she speaks a little english as one of her daughters lives in Miami.
I have never had a coast guard (marina guerra) person ask me for anything at this stop, but if you are leaving from Las Salinas, the Coast Guard there may very well hail you to ask you where you are going. Just say you are taking a day trip to PALMAR DE OCOA. Say “Me voy para una vuelta”. (I am going for a small trip or outing for the day, PRONOUNCE VUELTA AS “WELLTA”).
Towns like Palmar de Ocoa are hard to come by in today’s world. Anchor and see the mountains behind you and the quaint seashore town. You could easily be in Marseilles anchored at the turn of the century (20th that is)!
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