Hello! Question: Traveling between Cities Via Boat?

Welcome! I've personally never seen this type of service offered but I'm sure there must be a boat captain/owner out there that could probably offer you this for a good chunk of change $$$. Good luck!

Straius said:

Hello!

I'm planning my first trip to the Dominican Republic for 10 days over xmas vacation and something I haven't been able to find a lot of information about is whether traveling by boat along the coast is a viable means of getting between cities.

It just seemed like a nice alternative to busses and/or planes. We're not in a rush to travel around as much of the point of our trip is to slow the pace of life down a bit and recharge.

Looking forward to pouring through the forums here and learning as much as I can!

Thanks!

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What coast are you thinking of? What sort of boat did you have in mind?

There is no such service at present, and it is not likely there will be on an organized basis in the foreseeable future.

The DR is not as friendly to boaters using their boats in the country as most other countries. Here you can't just pull up anchor or untie from the dock and go where you wish. Boats leaving any harbor must check out with the port commander and check in with the port commander at the next harbor. People trying to get to Puerto Rico by boat is a big problem here and the port commnders want to know who is on every boat leaving the harbor and where they are going. The movement of drugs is also a concern.

Also, there are not that many harbors and, at least on the north coast, are on the ocean, which can be very rough during the winter tourist season.

There is good bus service in the country; I think you will be best served by making us of it. You will be more comfortable, see more of the country, and be better protected from the elements

Ken is correct. Take the bus.

Straius said:

Ahhh, I see. Thank you so much for such in depth information! I was looking to travel from Puerto Plata to Punta Cana or Samana depending on price / travel time / other limiting factor.

It sounds like a nice romantic notion that needs be relegated to the winds of imagination!

Much appreciated

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If those were the trips you had in mind, then it is doubly necessary to take the bus.

To go from POP to Punta Cana, for example, is a long way by car and takes even much more time by boat. The entire distance you would be in the open ocean or the Mona Passage, which can be even more treacherous than the ocean.

Straius said:

Ahhh, I see. Thank you so much for such in depth information! I was looking to travel from Puerto Plata to Punta Cana or Samana depending on price / travel time / other limiting factor.

It sounds like a nice romantic notion that needs be relegated to the winds of imagination!

Much appreciated

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This is a wonderful dream trip for the futute.. Right now we are still dealing with open boats taking people to Puerto Rico and drug dealers on their way to Miami. East of Samana there can be really heavy water. There are some trips that go by boat from Punta Cana up to see the whales during the season.. (guess they just stop the yola and drug trafficing for high tourist season)... so if you are here then .. Jan thru March. and fancy a trip that would be one solution.

The other idea is to contact Luperon Marina .. which is the best hurricane hole on the north coast.. and ask them if they have any boats that take passengers.. Those are the guys whom I would think know the most about the waters.

But, wow, what a lovely day it will be when we no longer have to worry about refugees and drug dealers.

Listen, you can take the girl out of the sixties but you cannot take the sixties out of the girl

mountainannie said:

This is a wonderful dream trip for the futute.. Right now we are still dealing with open boats taking people to Puerto Rico and drug dealers on their way to Miami. East of Samana there can be really heavy water. There are some trips that go by boat from Punta Cana up to see the whales during the season.. (guess they just stop the yola and drug trafficing for high tourist season)... so if you are here then .. Jan thru March. and fancy a trip that would be one solution.

The other idea is to contact Luperon Marina .. which is the best hurricane hole on the north coast.. and ask them if they have any boats that take passengers.. Those are the guys whom I would think know the most about the waters.

But, wow, what a lovely day it will be when we no longer have to worry about refugees and drug dealers.

Listen, you can take the girl out of the sixties but you cannot take the sixties out of the girl

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It is always possible to find somebody with a boat who will do anything for money. But traveling by boat is a bigger deal than someone not familiar with the waters might think.

I lived and cruised on a seaworthy 36' sailboat for 16 years, using Samana has my home port. I have made the trip between POP and Samana several times. It is a long trip and there are no safe harbors in between in case the conditions turn bad, you get seasick, or whatever. Itis a lee shore. Until almost to Samana you are in the Atlantic and from now through the winter the conditions are risky. As fronts cross the US, they usually drop down as far as the North coast giving us substandard weather and rough seas. For my wife and it took us from the late afternoon of one day to the morning of the next, travel at night generally recommended because the seas tend to be calmer.

To go to Punta Cana from POP, your first harbor is Samana. Cruising boats often wait days or even weeks for good conditions in the Mona Passage to make the crossing to Puerto Rico. To go from Samana to Punta Cana, you will follow the coast, most likely travel at night, and have no harbor to duck into. Conditions in the Mona Passage are very unpredictable and you will be traveling over extensive areas of shoals where the water depth changes from 6000 feet to shallow, causing rough conditions.

I am not trying to scare you, just reporting how it is. And it is because of my experience that I strongly recommend taking the bus unless you are experienced on the sea, absolutely sure you are immune form sea sickness, and have a very good boat. There are more reasons for this than refugees and drug dealers.

PS: If you get in trouble, there is no US Coast Guard boat to come to your rescue.

Do you have more money than sense? Let me tell you that there is another poster on this board (Pelaut) who will flip if he sees this.

As Ken has so properly expressed, this is not, NOT, a wise move. The entire trip is against the wind and currents. Lee shore is a swear word for most mariners. PLEASE pay attention.

You can charter a plane for perhaps 1/4 the cost of going by boat!!! Diesel is 6.00 US$ a gallon....

Pay attention to these people, please.


HB

Straius said:

Ahhh, I see. Thank you so much for such in depth information! I was looking to travel from Puerto Plata to Punta Cana or Samana depending on price / travel time / other limiting factor.

It sounds like a nice romantic notion that needs be relegated to the winds of imagination!

Click to expand...

A much simpler/shorter/easier option that is in the general direction of what you had in mind is to do the Saona Island Excursion...It is arguably the most popular of all tours offered to AI tourists, and the vast majority speak highly of it...There are many providers...Here is one Saona Island, Tours and Excursions Dominican Republic Normally they pick you at your hotel in the South East (Between SD and Punta Cana), and take you by bus to Bayahibe, near La Romana and there you take the boat or Catamaran to the island...If you get to Bayahibe on your own, you may be able to catch the tour from there for less money obviously (~US$50?)

Whale-watching is another possibility, but only in the Jan-Mar period.