Positive Changes in Luperón
Luperón
Dominican Republic
By David Smedley
W
ithout question, Luperón, on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, is absolutely the best hurricane hole in the Caribbean. The island is just west of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. All of us in the islands got hit back-to-back within two weeks by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. I’m sure you have seen the devastation in Puerto Rico and the Virgins. Guess what? There were about 70 cruising boats anchored in Luperón Harbor and on the docks at Puerto Blanco Marina. Not one boat was damaged. In addition, at least 50 fishing boats from all over the North Coast came into the harbor, because they knew Luperón was the safest place. Luperón has gotten a bad rap from several cruisers who were hassled in recent years by government officials when they checked into the country or, for some, when they tried to leave. The problem was bribes. Dominican officials are lowly paid and some “supplement” their income by requesting a “mordita”—a bite of the cruisers pocketbooks. This has caused a lingering bad taste that has been passed
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word-of-mouth among many cruisers. Several years ago, there were at least 500 cruising boats flowing through Luperón Harbor. Businesses, restaurants, bars and stores all thrived. The harbor was controlled by the Navy under a commandante. A huge part of the problem was the commandante was not a local. He had no vested interest in the local businesses. He usually spoke very little English and used his powers to issue dispacios (sort of like a travel permit) to wring a few extra dollars from the cruisers. He was usually appointed from some other far-flung part of the island, and it was of little concern if local businesses suffered from his actions. The local cruisers banded together and began putting pressure on the island government. After all, tourist dollars are a large part of the economy. The intent was to put in place a commandante who answered to both his duties and responsibilities, but also showed concern for the local businesses and the cruising boats. In October, Luperón changed. A new young energetic Navy commandante was appointed. He spoke English and
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