Friday, February 13, 2015

Dominican Dreams

Been rather quiet on the blog front lately, sorry, but with good reason... We've kinda been on vacation!

Good curling/golf friends from Ottawa all arrived on Sunday at the Dreams Resort at Bayahibe and we've been kicking back and enjoying the time with them.

Just another February day at the beach.
Our day pass access worked out very well and we are going to finish up the visit by actually staying on the resort for Saturday night, being Valentine's Day and all. To add to the fun we also celebrated Ron's birthday here and then yesterday and today we were able to get on the boat and go for a sail with all eight of us!

Happy birthday Ron! This was one to remember.
The birthday boy getting in some time with the ladies.
The only fly in the ointment in the whole plan was when the weather turned completely on its head and the wind blew from the west for two days on Tuesday and Wednesday. Unfortunately there is no protected anchorage for winds from this direction within about 60 miles and the marina was all full, so we rode out a couple of rough days and were quite thankful when the winds turned back to the east on Wednesday night. We are reminded time and again how happy we are that we purchased our Rocna anchor and once again it held us secure. Unfortunately a few other boats in the anchorage weren't so lucky and we even made a deal on our old anchor with a fellow who lost his in the blow. He was very happy since one of the local Dominican guys was looking for a chance to make a very profitable deal, but we came along and scuppered his plans with a more fair exchange.

Once all that excitement was over it was time to get everyone back on the boat and out for a sail. With the winds out of the east to south-east, the bay provides beautiful sailing with flat waters and consistent winds. It was near perfect for an afternoon of sun and fun. Lots of smiles on these faces!

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to us we had some intruders at the back of the boat. Our little travelling gnome was learning the ropes with his new friends!