Mona Passage - Westbound

[Dr. Sea]

Monday Never, I'm glad to read that you had a good passage across the infamous Mona Passage. Leaving from Puerto Real, did you get there by sailing across the southern shore of Puerto Rico? I am anticipating sailing that route next spring. If so, were there stops that you particularly enjoyed or stops that you would advise skipping?

[Dr. Sea]

Originally Posted by Jsta_Rebel

Bahia Escondido is the bay we anchor in when in Samana. You can also just drop anchor outside on the leeward side of Sona Island just outside of Bahia Samana.

I'm interested in exploring Bahia Samana. I can't find Bahia Escondido on my chart. Does it go by any other name? Are there any "must see" places or "must do" activities in Bahia Samana? What can you tell me about Puerto Santa Barbara and Marina Puerto Bahia there? I've found Bahia de San Lorenzo with Las Haitias National Park nearby. Is that a good stop?

[tunnelvision]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sea

I'm interested in exploring Bahia Samana. I can't find Bahia Escondido on my chart. Does it go by any other name? Are there any "must see" places or "must do" activities in Bahia Samana? What can you tell me about Puerto Santa Barbara and Marina Puerto Bahia there? I've found Bahia de San Lorenzo with Las Haitias National Park nearby. Is that a good stop?

We're in Marina Puerto Bahia now and it is very Nice!

[Dr. Sea]

[QUOTE=Mahayana;2124077][QUOTE=kellymj;2123473]IMO, I would not do the southern Mona Island route. That would force you to cross the hourglass shoals on the NE corner of the DR which can setup some pretty nasty conditions. I would favor the west coast of PR until you get up above Isla Desecheo, then crack off and go above hourglass shoals to Luperon. I crossed about a month ago to French Cay in the T&C's. QUOTE]

Where are these hourglass shoals exactly? Are they north of the entrance to Samana Bay? I'll be sailing into Bahia Samana from the west coast of Puerto Rico, so I'm not sure what to look for near the coast of DR.

[LeaseOnLife]

Hourglass shoals seem to be an unofficial term, none of my charts show the name, but my guess is this:

[tunnelvision]

Yes that's the hourglass shoal.

[tunnelvision]

In mild conditions you can pass behind the hourglass shoal in the area of deeper water you can see on the chart. We did that heading east a couple weeks ago.

[Standbly]

Don't try to pass through the trench behind the shoals in conditions with a fair bit of south in the wind. You will -most probably- get current against (mild) winds resulting in a not-so-calm sea... Mega waves!

Another thing is that you are not allowed to leave, exit, Cap Cana Marina before 07:00 or after 19:00. There is no place to stage to get around this rule. So forget about using night lees when using this marina, you are not allowed to, no negotiation. So much for the mom and pop route via Marina Cap Cana and Mona Island.