THREE COASTS–THREE PERSONALITIES
The DR has three coasts. North Coast, East Coast and South Coast.
NORTH COAST
The North Coast has wonderful harbors on the western end (Monticristi and Manzanillo). However, from Luperon going East, the north coast is an extremely difficult coast. The waters of the Atlantic are rough and when the trade winds are blowing or a “norther” comes down from the United States, the North Coast is beyond difficult; it can be outright dangerous. There really is no place to stop east of Luperon that is safe and when the wind is from the NE or from the E with seas from the NE, the entirety of the North Coast is not tenable. You will find yourself riding big seas on a windbound coast. To transit the north coast one needs to be an experienced sailor. If you rely on your motor, it must be in good condition and your tank and filters clean. Spare filters should be kept handy and all other precautions should be taken. And one must understand weather beyond casually. You must understand the interaction of a “norther” coming down from the States and the Katabatic winds that come off shore at night. The biggest cape that you will pass on this transit is Cape “Frances Viejo”. It means in English, Cape old Frenchman. He probably got old trying to pass the cape as it seems to take forever to do so.
The key to the north shore, is prepare, prepare and prepare or avoid the coast entirely.
EAST COAST
BE VERY CAREFUL ON THIS COAST!
The East Coast has one grand and beautiful harbor at the NE end. It is the Bay of Samana. In the bay is the wonderful town of Santa Barbara and the incredible national park, Los Haitises. There are also many other anchorages and quaint towns up bay and in addition at the entrance of the bay is Cayo Levantado; a wonderful day anchorage for swimming, fresh fish, wonderful beach etc.
The Bay of Samana lies between Cabo Cabron and Cabo Engano. Translated it means essentially Cape Lie and Cape Cheat. I have no question as to how these capes got their names. They are difficult and hard to predict and both have bad reputations. Going south from Samana, whether you go due south or southeast to Puerto Rico, it requires careful planning. The east coast of the Dominican Republic and the Mona Passage, can be violent and dangerous. It is not a place for novice sailors. It is a haunting coast of shifting sandbars and unpredictable currents. Where winds change direction as they bounce off the capes and can accelerate to double their velocity. The marinas on the East Coast, Punta Cana and CapCana have narrow shallow entrances that are difficult in settled weather and impossible if a sea is running from the NE or east. The small anchorage Punta Macao is anything but an anchorage. It is a niche in the beach and to use it the weather has to be very settled and preferably from the SE, which is rare early in the season.
SOUTH COAST
Nothing in life is perfect, but the south coast of the DR is as good as it gets. First you are in the lee of the big island of Hispaniola. The western part of the south coast is further sheltered by the extensive cape at Beata.
The Caribbean sea is more “user friendly” than the Atlantic Ocean. At the west end of the south coast there is Bahia Las Aguillas; absolutely stunning. The Island Isla Beata is easy to anchor behind, out of the trade winds, and is as close to idyllic as it gets. Going east from Isla Beata is what amounts to be a large bay. On the west side is the town of Barahona which is close to Largo Enriquillo (the only sub sea level lake in the Caribbean. A national park with live crocodiles and very unexplored). The east side of the “bay” hosts Palmar de Ocoa and Las Salinas; both beautiful and excellent stops. From Las Salinas there is a nice day stop along the way called Punta Palenque and from there only a short distance to Boca Chica. Boca Chica is a wonderful Dominican Tourist town and it is very close both to the International Airport (Las Americas) and the capital of Santo Domingo which is well worth seeing and in particular the “old city”.
After Boca Chica is the Rio Cumayasa, as well as Isla Catalina, Casa de Campo and Isla Saona; each different and each interesting depending on your taste and desires.
While one must always be alert at sea, the South Coast of the DR is truly user friendly and I believe you will agree that you will find a plethora of cruising opportunities along its shores.
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This article was very helpful to me in deciding our summer vacation destination. I’ve never been to the Dominican Republic but, I had seen some information on Cabarette and thought it would be a fun place for my 17 year old skateboard loving son. I had originally decided to rent an apartment there for a month, that is until I read these articles.
I also have a disabled child who looks and acts much younger than his 15 years. Jimmy is a beautiful, curious child who developmentally is very much like a 5 or 6 year old. Jimmy loves the water, but has no fear and has been known to wander off if you turn your back even for a second.
For both boys sake, I am now looking for a place to rent on the Southern Coast. Although Billy is not happy with me, I would rather be in an area where I do not have to worry about giant waves, high winds and rip tides.
Thanks to the authors of these articles, you may have saved both my boys. Yes, that was plural, 17 yr olds are thrill seekers who feel they are invincible.