Quebec couple sailing around Caribbean avoids path of Hurricane Beryl

A Quebec couple that’s been exploring the Caribbean by sailboat for the last 10 months says they were able to strategically dodge Hurricane Beryl in the Dominican Republic.

Philippe Rodrigue and Laurence St-Aubin Fréchette from Joliette, 50 kilometres northeast of Montreal, say they were aware of the incoming hurricane.

“We were prepared,” she said.

They were planning to go to the south of the Dominican Republic to go scuba diving, but decided to redirect their route due to the weather conditions and in the end, they say it turned out okay.

“We had just a bit of wind and some rain, but not that much in fact, it’s really passed too far from where we are,” said Rodrigue. “We were afraid, but it was just a bit of rain and it was done.”

Fréchette says they are aware that being on a boat full-time puts them at the mercy of Mother Nature.

“We have lived a lot of bad weather, so we were expecting more winds because it was a hurricane, but finally it was too far,” she said.

The two sailed and anchored in the bay of Samana, what they call a “hurricane proof” spot.

The bay is surrounded by mountains. “I’m pretty sure this really help us to stop the wind and stop the waves, so it wasn’t too bad,” she added.

They say it looks like the tail-end of the hurricane could bring some more wet weather, but they are always prepared for the worst. They also have water, gas, and supplies on board.

“While you are sailing, you need to be conscious about the weather, and you need to make decisions about it, so I think that yes, we were lucky, but on the other hand, we made a good decision to come here because here we were protected, it was safe,” Fréchette said.

The two say they are going to continue their diving adventure in better weather.