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FLORA FLOTILLA
February 2012
Organised by Marina Zarpar, DR, and Frank Virgintino
The Route
A flotilla of cruising boats will organize at Marina ZarPar in
Boca Chica, Dominican Republic during the first week of
February 2013. Weather permitting the flotilla will depart to
cruise west to Isla Beata, a small island, off Cape Beata at the
western end of the Dominican Republic on February 7, 2013.
From Isla Beata the group will continue west to Ile a Vache,
Haiti where it will anchor at Port Morgan and visit the fishing
village of Caille Coq.
Additional visits will be made to the village of Madame Bernard
to visit the open market as well as to the school/orphanage,
L’Oeuvre Saint Francois, whose founder and Director is Sister
Flora Blanchette.
After a week at Ile a Vache, those who choose to visit Jamaica,
the Caymans and Cuba will proceed west. The remaining
flotilla will go east to Jacmel, Haiti where it will anchor and
spend two days in this colorful and safe tourist town.
Afterwards, the flotilla will continue east to Bahia Las Aguillas, a
5 mile white sand bay in the Dominican Republic, 15 miles
north of Cabo Beata. From Bahia Las Aguillas it will move south
to Isla Beata where we will wait for good weather to follow a
starboard tack to Las Salinas in the Dominican Republic where
we will complete entry requirements back into the DR. From
Las Salinas the group will head east to Boca Chica where a
celebration party will be held.
Taking Part
All registered participants will be allowed to be part of the
flotilla for a $100 US fee per boat; the total of which will be
donated to the Sister Flora orphanage at Ile a Vache. All
registrants will receive dockage and moorings at Marina
ZarPar for ½ the normal price. (Moorings will be $9.00 per
night including the use of all marina facilities and slips will be
$.50 US per foot per night).
Space in the flotilla will be limited to a maximum of 25 boats.
You can register for the flotilla by writing to Frank at:
[email protected].
This will be an extraordinary event to cruise the south coast of
Hispaniola as well as to participate in helping the orphanage
that Sister Flora has worked so hard to create.
You can review the routes for this cruise at
www.freecruisingguide.com where you can download free the
cruising guide for the Dominican Republic as well as the free
cruising guide for Haiti; now in its second edition. Don’t miss
this fantastic event.
Who is Sister Flora?
By Frank Virgintino
Sister Flora Blanchette is a Canadian Nun who has been in Haiti
for more than 35 years. She founded the L’ouvre Saint Francois
orphanage and school on Ile a Vache over 30 years ago and
today has over 300 children in her care. At 70 years old and
just under 5’, she is spry and energetic. She does not solicit
donations and has no particular religious persuasion that she
requires. Her only mission is to take care of the children that
cannot take care of themselves.
I asked her at lunch that she served at the school to me and a
few others, what it is that could make her sad. She said, “What
makes me sad is when a child arrives in poor condition and
someone says that it is not worth the time and effort to try to
bring them back to health because they are too far gone.” I sat
next to her and can tell you first hand that she is conversant and
attentive but her focus comes from a faith that is clearly
unshakable.
Sister Flora
Two of Sister Flora’s Children
Ile a Vache – Caille Coq
The school/orphanage is located on Ile a Vache, a small island
at the southwest corner of Haiti. For many years, the harbor at
Port Morgan has been a safe anchorage for cruising sailors. It
is safe and extraordinarily beautiful. The small town of Caille
Coq is just behind the anchorage and is one of 36 fishing
villages on the island.
There is no electric and no cars on the island. Cruising sailors
have worked to assist the people on the island over the years,
the foremost group being the Friends of Ile a Vache, a
Canadian group which can be visited at:
www.friendsofileavachehaiti.com
The village of Caille Coq is pleasant and peaceful to walk
through and if you smile and say “Como ca va?” to those that
you meet, you will be greeted accordingly. Do not take photos
without permission, as in Haiti shooting photos is considered
quite personal and bad etiquette to do so without consent.
Caille Coq is a fishing village first and foremost
Just to the west of Caille Coq is the larger village of Madame
Bernard where there is a market on Monday and Thursdays
reminiscent of pictures you have seen in National Geographic
circa 1950. You can visit the market by walking to it, an
interesting and safe walk of about an hour and a half. Or you
can go by dinghy or take your boat and anchor there for the
day. The market is filled with noise and movement and things
both familiar and strange. Whether you enjoy the market or
not, it will leave an indelible mark on your memory; one of the
reasons we all go cruising.
Visiting the L’Ouvre Saint Francois School
Just up the hill a ways is the L’Ouvre Saint Francois School and
orphanage. You can visit it and see first hand the work that
they undertake with resources so scarce that you will be
bewildered to understand how they are able to continue.
Sometimes even adequate fresh water is a luxury and is not
taken for granted.
The FLORA FLOTILLA will visit the school and orphanage as
part of a reception that will celebrate our arrival. The boats
that are part of the flotilla will donate whatever cargo they
carried from Santo Domingo. As the boats organize at Boca
Chica, a day will be set aside to go to Price Smart in Santo
Domingo for those that wish to make purchases of supplies to
donate to the school.
COW ISLAND (Ile a Vache)
They have cows - but they do not produce milk
The Final Word – from Frank Virgintino
Having recently visited Ile a Vache, one morning early on, I
was walking along the path in the village and met a community
elder. I asked him how life was for him all of these years on Ile
a Vache. He replied quickly with a small smile and said, “nous
n'avons pas le lait, mais nous vivons dans la paix". Translated,
he said, ‘We have no milk, but we live in peace.’ His response
was in French although the local language is Creole. Both
languages are taught in school.
Make your reservation now ; come sail the adventure.