Dominican Republic : Profile

Facts

The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, one of the Greater Antilles; the other third of the island is Haiti, culturally very different from the Dominican Republic.
Unlike in the past, foreign yachts are welcome in most places and facilities are steadily improving. Entry formalities are now completed quickly in most ports of entry when all the paperwork is in order. But be prepared for being borded and inspected at almost every stop you make, including while at anchor on passage.
Most yachts sail along the north coast as they make their way either east or west between the USA and the Virgin Islands or Lesser Antilles. This is a wild and rugged coast with only a handful of sheltered anchorages. As it is difficult to cover the distances between them in one day's sail, cruising here needs careful planning. There is no doubt that this coast is best enjoyed if heading westward, otherwise the continuous beating into the trades can mar the pleasure of discovering this unspoilt area.
One paricularly attractive stop is at Samana Bay, on the east coast. This is an area to which humpback whales migrate for the breeding season.
Because of the prevailing NE winds, the south coast offers more protected anchorages and attractive harbours, ranging from Punta Beata in the west to Isla Saona at the far eastern end of the island.
The best facilities are to the east of the capital, Santo Domingo, at Boca Chica and further east at Casa de Campo. West of the capital, Las Salinas is probably the best stop. Outside of the large industrial centres, repair facilities for yachts are virtually non-existent although minor repairs can be dealt with by ordinary workshops.
Luperon is popular with cruising sailors, having a well sheltered harbour and a lively cruising social life, but facilities are limited.
There are some relatively new large resorts which have marinas within their complexes at Punta Cana, Casa de Campo and Cofresi (3NM W of Puerto Plata).

Based on reports to noonsite from cruisers, petty theft from yachts is on the rise in the Caribbean in general. Cruisers should take basic safety precautions and use common sense when leaving the boat or going ashore at night. Dinghy thieves operate throughout the Caribbean and best advice is to place your dinghy on deck and chain it overnight.

Check the Noonsite Piracy Pages and the Caribbean Safety & Security Net for information on the current island situation.

The Caribbean Safety and Security Net (safetyandsecuritynet@gmail.com) gather information by anchorage or by island, so sailors can plan their cruising in the Caribbean with an eye to appropriate behaviour and precautions wherever they decide to go. Should you have information about a security incident, as well as contacting Noonsite please also forward details to the Caribbean Safety and Security Net, as theirs is the most comprehensive source of Caribbean security incidents against sailors on the net. Please be sure to include boat name, date of incident and anchorage/port where the incident took place.

Weather

The Dominican Republic lies in the outer tropical zone, so there is little temperature variation between summer and winter. The varied relief of the large island means a diverse climate, from warm and tropical to arid and more temperate.

Dominican Republic Weather Forecast

Main Ports

Although San Pedro de Macoris, on the south coast of the DR, is a port of entry, it is a commercial industrial port which does not cater to cruising sailors, therefore yachts should avoid it.

Barahona * , Boca Chica * , Casa de Campo * , Las Salinas , Luperon * , Manzanillo * , Monte Cristi , Puerto Plata (Cofresi) * , Punta Cana * , Samana , Santo Domingo *