The Mona Passage and West Coast of Puerto Rico

Iguana on the rocks at Cabo Rojo lighthouse

Much lore surrounds the Mona Passage, and it can sound downright intimidating if you just listen to the stories, but our crossing was pretty anti-climactic. We could have used a better wind angle, but the sea conditions were fine. Swells were moderate, but the period (how far apart they were) was long. It was a good motion: enough to remind us that we were on a sailboat, but not enough to throw us around or do any damage. We needed to go ahead and get out of the Dominican Republic, so we couldn’t wait for a perfect weather window, but what we got was good enough. We made an early morning departure from Los Haitises Park in Samana Bay.
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