Duck and run Lindsay McRory September 8, 1996 The last three weeks have been marked by a steady parade of tropical storms and hurricanes. So far all have passed safety to the north and east of us. The only effect we have noticed is that the trade winds have died completely. It's like someone turns off a switch when a hurricane passes. And without the normal 20-knot winds in the afternoon, the temperature climbs to a uncomfortable 90 degrees. A fellow cruiser has a way of monitoring these hot days: "If you can smell yourself by 11 a.m., it's too hot." I am surprised by the number of boats that are still heading north or south. About a half-dozen boats a week stop here to catch their breath or duck out from a storm. Most of these boats have to reach their destination at a specific time, for a specific reason like delivering a boat to a charter fleet in the Virgin Islands or heading to a job somewhere in the Caribbean. It shows that you can travel during hurricane season, but the passages are longer because the legs are usually from hurricane hole to hurricane hole without many stops in between. We would like to do some coastal cruising in the Dominican Republic but it is strictly forbidden. The only places you can stop are the listed harbors, where you must check in and check out with the immigration officials. They say travel is restricted to control drug smuggling but nobody knows for sure. Too bad, because it is a beautiful coast. Getting mail in the DR is a treat. Like many places throughout the Caribbean, most stores, restaurants hotels, and marinas will hold mail for pick-up. How your mail is addressed can make a huge difference, especially in Latin American countries. Some boats rely on nautical addresses like: TO: Captain James T. Kirk Aboard SV Enterprise But when Captain Kirk goes in and asks for his mail in broken Spanish it will most likely be filed under the name Captain Enterprise. I saw this happen at the hotel in Nassau. Keeping it simple will usually yield better results. I find the nautical addressing to be a bit on the pretentious side. Being a documented captain means little outside U.S. waters. You can get a DR captain's license for 600 pesos, no test or qualifications. So to get your mail, use just your name and save the captain stuff for the yacht club cocktail parties. We had our first accident in over a year on the boat. Kita was playing around and took a head-first winger into the cockpit. She ended up with a rather large hole in her head. Denise controlled the bleeding while we lowered her to the dinghy. We radioed to have a car pick us up at the marina. Our driver covered the road to Puerto Plata--normally 90 minutes--in just 50 minutes. Kita ended up with eight internal stitches and three fancy ones on the outside. The clinic was very good. She was out in an hour. If this had happened far from medical facilities, we probably could have dealt with it ourselves but I think she would have had a pretty good scar from it. In general our days are filled with boat chores, schooling, and computer work. We try to take a break in the afternoon and hit a beach or go to the marina. The boat looting has stopped, although everyone still keeps a eye out for the thieves.