Text By KIMBERLY GRANT

In December, when winter cold fronts were still racing south, we found the winds favorable to sail our Prout Catamaran to the Dominican Republic. After a leisurely series of day-sails through the Bahamas from the Abacos to Samana Cay and Mayaguana, we entered the Turks and Caicos, stopping at Provo and South Caicos. The final 100-mile passage from South Caicos to Luperon on the D. R.’s north shore required an overnight sail to guarantee a dawn landfall–it is best to arrive at the harbor entrance before the winds pick up with the rising sun. We spent a month in Luperon where we found a warm community, a safe anchorage and a great base from which to explore the surrounding countryside.
At Luperon Harbor, the sole aid to navigation at the entrance is an unlighted float (19º50.095’ N, 70º43.535’ W) marking the western reef, and inside the anchorage there are several mud banks with a depth of three feet. Bob Gascoine and Jane Minty’s Wavey Line chart (waveylinepublishing.com) provides good detail of the area. The trade winds will pipe up from the east, so choose a spot and back down on your anchor accordingly. The local boating community monitors VHF 68 and is a truly helpful and friendly group. There is a morning net on Wednesdays and Saturdays. ...

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