The night watch was a hell of an experience for Mike and I, indeed quite scary for the inexperience sailor, especially if you encounter other traffic that may be heading in your direction. The obvious difficulty at night is that you can't easily identify vessel size, distance, course and direction, but with the right instrumentation, measuring techniques and identification of navigation lights you can quickly determine if a risk of collision exists. We needed to motor for a few hours during the passage, but on the whole we were able to sail, which is a great feeling. The only noise is the water passing the ships hull and the auto-helm trimming the yachts course. We also had a go at wind vane steering, which worked really well at winds above 10 knots. 

It may not seem much to the seasoned yachty, but two days at sea seemed a long time, and Mike and I were only too happy to approach our destination 'Ocean World Marina', just past the well known holiday resort Puerto Plata. Prior to arrival at the Marina Ted hoisted the yellow 'Q' flag to signal that the crew needed immigration clearance. Apparently this can be a little disconcerting at times, especially if the immigration authority want to inspect the boat. As it happened the process was pretty slick.

 

You will see from the photographs that the coastline near the Marina was extensively beach, with several all-inclusive hotels mainly occupied by North Americans and Canadians, all enjoying some winter sun. We all enjoyed walking the beaches and sampling some of the local seafood bars as can be seen on the photographs below.