Moving east along the south coast of the Dominican Republic can be difficult against the prevailing easterly winds. The trick is to leave early with the light morning breeze, and take cover before the winds really pick up in the afternoon. Twenty-five knot winds on the nose are no fun. So we sailed from Boca Chica to Isla Catalina, stopping in the early afternoon in the lee of the island. Like Isla Beata, this is an island with a beautiful white-sand beach lined with palm trees, rising to bluffs to the south. Unlike Isla Beata, there were numerous boats moored near shore, and the beach was loaded with people on day trips out of the nearby mainland city of La Romana. About three o’clock the crowd started to thin out as the boats took their happy drunks back to town, and by five o’clock, we were the only ones left. Not only was this a respite from the afternoon winds, but also from officialdom; we saw no Marina de Guerra officials here, so we didn’t have to do the check in/check out dance. Ahhh, beautiful and peaceful.
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