We were in Luperón, Dominican Republic (DR) for six months. The departure process was confusing. At one point, we considered involving our embassy to help us leave. In the end we left thanks to the help of some local people who had connections and influence.
Would we need a survey?
Our first clue that leaving Luperón might be tricky occurred more than a month before our departure. The Navy comandante (pronounced Commandan-tay) was new and interpreted the rules about departure a little differently than his predecessor.
Another sailor was told that, before he could leave, he must go to Santo Domingo and get a marine survey to indicate that his boat was seaworthy. Santo Domingo is about a 4- or 5-hour drive from Luperón. The cost of a survey was a worry.
Our friend managed to leave Luperón without incident. The remaining cruisers rejoiced. We all thought that leaving Luperón would be straightforward.
More Confusion Unfurled
Then another cruiser wanted to go for a day sail. He was denied permission. And as the bad news spread across the harbour, other cruisers worried.
One cruising boat was headed for Haiti. These sailors were watching the weather and wanted to understand and comply with the proper procedures to ensure that they could leave on the day that they had planned.
To be clear, with sailing, weather is extremely important. It’s not as though cruisers might make an early start because they are early-morning go-getters. Well, some might. In general, the weather dictates when it is best to sail. This is why the departure process in the DR was so infuriating. How could people sail safely when hours mattered and Luperón seemed to be on island time?
The trouble was that it was not possible to pre-arrange a departure. The involvement from the Luperón comandante occurs on the day of departure only. I’ve seen boats sit in the harbour all day waiting for the comandante to arrive with their official permission slip of departure — a despacho document. Meanwhile, they have lost a full day of sailing, which might impact their safety at sea.
The Luperón Cruisers Association held a meeting to discuss a solution.
Local Leadership Steps In
A local woman offered to help with the departure paperwork and talk to the comandante. But, leaving nothing to chance, the Haiti-bound cruisers solicited the help of another person as well, who was also thought to have clout with the comandante.
Departure Process
When all was said and done, as many as seven boats were planning to leave Luperón at about the same time. One cruiser told me he was getting his paperwork done early. He wanted to make sure his departure was not postponed because of the volume of boats leaving the harbour. It was all he could do, really.
Everyone was at the mercy of the system and watched to see how it would unfold in the arena of the anchorage. All eyes were on the departing boats.
With the Haiti-bound boat, the Luperón comandante arrived as promised.
Later, in the afternoon, the comandante arrived in a cruiser’s dinghy with the necessary departure papers. But, the cruiser was too forthcoming. After telling the comandante that he would be leaving the following evening, the despacho was retracted.
The next day — on the day of our departure — I was off the boat with our kids when the comandante arrived. The comandante was suitably placated with raisins and coffee.
When it was over, the comandante took some raisins to go. We had our despacho. We were good to go to Puerto Rico and beyond.
I already miss Luperón, but I don’t miss the bureaucracy. Many thanks to the people who helped us leave when the weather was favourable.
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