Luperon to Georgetown photos

Here are some pictures from the last two weeks including:
Luperon
Luperon to Samana Cay (250 miles)
Samana Cay, Bahamas
Samana Cay to Georgetown (130 miles)




Street scenes from Luperon.



Laisa's Pica Pollo in Luperon; our favorite creole style lunch place: stewed chicken, pork or beef, rice beans salad, cold water.






laundry hanging to dry in Luperon.


Wildflowers on the outskirts of Luperon with the mountains in the background.


a Dominican tomato.

One of the produce markets in Luperon.

Hans reefs the mainsail at sunset. We've been taking two reefs in the main at sunset every night...it doesn't slow us down too much and ensures that we won't have to do any deckwork at night


See no evil, hear no evil...are we there yet?

Self-portrait at sunrise. Halfway between Mayaguana and Samana Cay.

Fresh produce from the DR meets lobster from Samana Cay to make a fabulous salad.

A wild orchid on Samana Cay (we think!).

We attempted to follow a trail across the island, got hopelessly lost and had to bushwhack (Rod Miller style) back to the beach; our legs got totally scratched and bloody.

One of the many gorgeous white sand beaches of Samana Cay, Bahamas


Whisper at anchor at Samana Cay.



the beach at Samana Cay.


Hans holds up the mahi we hooked just north of Long Island yesterday morning.



Sailing along the north coast of the DR from Samana to Luperon.

Back in the blue Bahamas

Sunday, March 15, 2009

We're back in the Bahamas! We sailed from Luperon to Samana Cay (a small, uninhabited island about halfway between the Turks and Caicos and Georgetown. We spent a couple days enjoying the solitude and beauty of Samana Cay: snorkeling, beach walks and beachcombing and hiking around the island. We set sail for Georgetown yesterday afternoon and sailed the 130+ nautical miles in a little less than 24 hours. Way to go Whisper!

Georgetown is the same sleepy quiet town on a Sunday; the harbor is packed with cruising boats and the water is bluer than we remember.

pictures to come.

Leaving Luperon

Saturday, March 7, 2009

It's been raining in Luperon. Raining and pouring every day since we've been here. The town is the same as it was when we were here for 5 months in 2007, but instead of wearing shorts and t-shirts and sweating all the time, we're both wearing jeans, long-sleeve shirts and foul weather jackets. In Luperon!

Some things are different: new restaurants, closed restaurants, bigger kids, new babies, new comandante (rumored to be less corrupt), different growing season so there is different fruits and veggies; and some things are the same: same loud stinky motoconchos, same produce stands, same rotisserie chicken shack, same dirty harbor water, karaoke at Puerto Blanco Marina, familiar faces in the harbor and in town, and same slow to non-existent internet service.

It's great to be back here; the town is poor, shockingly so after being away for over a year, but the mood is relaxed, "tranquilo", everyone is so friendly, kids playing baseball in the streets, stray dogs and cats, roaming cows and goats, in general a great, easy-going small town feel.

*No pictures b/c the connection is so slow.*
We leave tomorrow for the Bahamas, well-stocked with the rotisserie chicken, fresh juice, and lots of produce.

Back in the DR

Saturday, February 28, 2009.

We're back in the Dominican Republic, one of our favorite places that we've visited during our travels. Tim and Heidi signed off the ship in San Juan after battling with seasickness. They will have a wonderful vacation in Culebra instead.

It has been a pretty eventful couple of weeks. Hans flew out to Philadelphia to interview at Temple University School of Medicine this past Monday, and while he was away, Kristen sailed Whisper singlehanded (with some assistance from Tim and Heidi) from Culebra to San Juan. Way to go Captain Kristen! This was the first time that Kristen sailed Whisper on her own in the open ocean and quite a confidence booster for her. Hans' interview at Temple went well (we hope), and he should hear from them within the next week or two. Keep your fingers crossed.

After spending a couple of days in beautiful old town San Juan with Tim and Heidi we set off at 1am on Thursday morning and arrived in Samana, 200 miles west, about 36 hours later. Nothing like downwind sailing! When we entered Samana Bay, we were greeted by lots of humpback whales breaching, splashing and having fun in the water. The humpback whales swim down to this area in the wintertime to mate and fill their stomachs with Caribbean fare! It was really awesome to see these huge animals come all the way out of the water and make a huge splash.
Coincidentally, we arrived in Samana on the 27th of February, the National Day of the DR. Last night there was a huge party on the streets with live music and lots of Presidente beer and Brugal rum flowing. Unfortunately we were too exhausted to stay up very late and we hit the sack at 9pm.

From here we'll probably travel to the Turks and Caicos and then to the Bahamas.


Hans spent the weekend before his interview with Ellie and Chris up at their camp in Pennsylvania. If it looks cold it is because it was.

Tim takes the helm on Whisper for a while.

Kite flying is a popular pastime, it seems, in old town San Juan.


A huge tanker ship leaves San Juan harbor as seen from the women's bathroom window at the old fort.

Looking east along the coast from the old town fort in San Juan.

Hans' typical sailing attire.

Tim, Heidi and Hans in the Ding Ding V (we got yet another free replacement dinghy from Achilles.... talk about customer service!)

What is stuck on our anchor? Your guess is as good as mine.


Yellowfin tuna caught off the north coast of Puerto Rico. Very tasty!



Beautiful sunset in the Mona Passage.


Ahhh... Presidente.


Whisper at anchor in Samana Bay, Dominican Republic.

Sofia & Patrik on the loose!

February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!

We just said goodbye this morning to Hans' sister Sofia and her fiancee, Patrik. They spent two weeks with us in the BVIs and we sailed all over: Norman Island to Jost van Dyke, to Marina Cay, to Virgin Gorda, to Anegada, back to Virgin Gorda, the Baths, to Peter Island, and finally back to Tortola. Phew! The sailing was fun and easy and we all had a lot of fun together. A little bit too much fun at the Willy T's (as can be expected...) Why don't we ever learn?

On Tuesday, Hans' friend Tim and his fiancee Heidi arrive to sail Whisper to the Turks & Caicos, about 450 miles northwest. Yes, in spite of the crystal clear water, white sand beaches, palmtrees, $6 rum, (free) lobster, (free) tuna, reggeton, bachata and ISLAND TIME, that comes with life in the Caribbean we are still sailing north... Med school and law school are calling... really? are you sure? Yes. Well, really? Are you sure? Hmm... I think so.

Sofia and Patrik arrive in Road Town, Tortola, BVI.

Sofia and Patrik at Michael Beene's pirate show. arrrggggh!

Kristen has a go at the conch horn blowing contest...third place.

Sofia gets a birthday shot. Happy Birthday!


The view from Peter Island.



Hanging out in the cockpit.

Sandy Spit, a little island east of Jost van Dyke.

jib sailing downwind.


Kristen and Hans relaxing in the hammock at the best bar in the world: the Soggy Dollar on Jost van Dyke

In case you didn't know by now (no comments Mik!) good food is always the case on Whisper.

A squally day in Anegada.

Sofia enjoys a painkiller while Kit Kat keeps watch.

Patrik makes the best drink there is: rum tonic (thanks Jim!) two fingers white rum, juice of half a lime, tonic water, ice (or not if you're on Whisper).




singing in the cockpit after we closed down the willy T's.

The Ericsson's at their best the morning after the Willy T's.





Lobster! a 10 pounder!

Our future boat.