It’s funny how one of the most important days of ones life starts with out one realising what is going to happen. We left Ponce Fishing and Sailing Club in the dark, by the time we were clearing the bay it was light and one could make out the mountains behind the city. The wind had been in the east all night although it had moderated there was a swell, as we cleared the end of the island (Puerto Rico) around 0900. I called the yacht club and left a credit card number for the slip, as we headed out into the Mona Passage. The seas were 10-12,' but on a long swell as we turned north, they became slightly less in length and occasionally we buried the bow slowing the boat from 22 to12 knots. She responded well and I decided we needed to go due north and avoid the hourglass shoals, so our course was half swastika along the bottom of PR, up the Mona Passage then left again to enter Bai de Samaná. Going well north to avoid the reefs that stick out by several miles. This time we had the advantage of having been there and having an entrance course in the Simrad chart plotter.

My course paid dividends we didn’t see any larger seas and around 1530 we passed the islands, Cao Leventa, we stopped, and drifted as I shook out the chain in the locker so it would run, then we changed into the b ig ez shirts, put up the Q flag and entered the approach to Samaná with its distinctive multi arched bridge and manouvered up buoy the quay. Mindful of the 25 Knt easterly creating a leeshore of the quay and head of the bay, I gingerly did a pass and Chicho was at the end of the quay indicating we should berth inside on the east facing pier so I made my final approach and went to turn the boat using the engines, I had no reverse!!!!

I tried again, but we had no reverse, so I alerted Andy to the situation and bowthrusted round mindful that we were being blown onto the quay which was about a cable away, we also had another small jetty to the east So I couldn’t drive her round, we got clear and motored over towards the mooring field and prepared the anchor for dropping. I went around a large navel tug boat which had a buoy on its anchor, but there was something not right, she was not responding and her trolling valves seemed not to work, so as driving, thinking and navigating are not compatible I asked Andy to drive. As I assessed our situation and where we should drop the anchor. I selected a spot between the tug and a yacht, we went by this twice and so I said to Andy “OK lets make final approach go round again and we will drop over there”. So he swung her around the tug again on her lee side and passed to weather of the buoy and then we stopped, Shit we have caught the buoy, but no, there it was 30' to weather. But we were tethered, we stopped the engines in neutral but were still moving, we killed the engines and we were now 15' from the bow of the tug but fastened hard.

I broke open the cockpit locker and pulled out the Orion orange canister, pulled out the pistol loaded a cartridge and for the first time in anger, fired the red flare in the direction of the quay, then I tried calling on the VHF. No response, then I saw a boat moving towards us with a load of guys offering assistance, I was sure we were OK, so I wanted to get assistance from Chicho only, as he could speak English, I could see the $ signs in these guys eyes. I shouted “Towage, no Salvage” and waved them on. I had already got the dive mask flippers and snorkel out of the locker, but I then decided to launch the dinghy and go in to the quay myself. The dinghy was in the water in 5 minutes, fired up and off I went. At the pier Chicho was there shouting orders in Spanish and English, I briefly explained what had happened and we had a rope around the prop, he called over a guy, a diver, and we went back to the b ig ez .

I gave him the mask and snorkel, he dived and came up we were tethered by one prop to a loose line from the guys anchor, he asked for a knife, so I gave him Mr Leatherman, he was gone, and within second was back with a big grin and a piece of line in his hand. We were now drifting, so I bowthrusted away from the tug and started the engines, as we manouvered away from the tug into open water, I gave the helm back to Andy asked him not to snag anything again and turned to Chicho as to what our options were.

He wanted me to go onto the leeward side of the T section, drop the anchor then we would be pulled back with the dinghy to the dock, on the inside of the right arm of the T.This meant putting the boat on a total lee shore, with a collection of moored boats in shallow water, I protested and said no way could we do that. So he said “look with a line ashore to the pier we can pull her back and with the dinghy I can pull her around as long as you are going slow” It was about an hour or so from nightfall, we needed fuel and we had to find out why we had no reverse so it was the only option, and we did have about six or seven guys on the dock. So with the plan agreed Chicho talked to the Navel boat on the VHF to explain what we were going to do.

We got our lines ready, went over the game plan again and slowly manouvered into the area, fringed by to the west a collection of moored boats, to the north the sea wall of the town and to the east the T jetty with five whale watching boats all moored stern to the dock, where we were going was against the inside leg of the T, held out by our anchor. In trolling mode which was definitely not working, I edged her towards the zone to drop the anchor Chicho was behind in the dinghy driving away at the end of a two lines, I let the anchor go they tried to pull me astern I had the engines in neutral, “stop the boat” I heard “stop the boat”, “ I have” I replied and cut the engines, of course in the heat of the moment, all I did was turned the key, not hit the kill buttons, “STOP THE ENGINES”, I realized what I had done, switched the keys on and hit the buttons, the engines died, and Chicho slowly got her moving back, a line was got to the guys on one whaleboat, then the other was got to the quay, all this and I was paying out the anchor chain using the windlass switch.(design flaw put windlass switches where a second person can operate them) We were alongside what a relief!!

Before I could get my thoughts together the Customs officer, Immigration officer, Navel officer and some one (three days later I worked out who was the Town Chief of Police), all descended complete with hob nailed boots into the cockpit. Andy dispensed drinks and I got out the ships papers. In every port I had filled out the forms and it took me about ten minutes, here they filled out the forms and it takes about 45 minutes. After dispensing the dinero about 200 peso a head they left and Andy and I started the refueling first, as the fuel guy Papo wanted to go home. I wanted to buy the fuel in two lots using our Pesos and some in dollars all this had to be a cash transaction. I now know that the rate we were given on the street for dollars is better than the bank and the bank in the Dominican Republic is better than the US, and they do it all the time, so you are not being ripped off. I didn’t then.

Fueling complete we lifted the engine covers and there was the oil streak under the port engine and on the starboard engine the trolling control cable was loose from its keeper. We dipped the transmission oil and it was dry. Chicho disappeared off and returned half an hour later with some oil we poured this in not an easy task over a hot exhaust. That done we fired up the engines and guess what! the port engine in neutral was driving forward!! In reverse it cut out with a clunk. Before it refused to go into reverse. So out came the book and Twin discs say if the transmission fails it will fail in a get home mode i.e. forward drive. Time to go to the pub!

Pintal is the nom de plume that has been writing articles about sailing and politics of sailing since the early ‘80's. Sea time includes some 60,000 miles offshore, racing, delivery and cruising in the waters of Ireland, England, France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, Mediterranean, Newfoundland, Great Lakes, Vancouver Island, East Coast United States, Gulf Coast, Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean.