+xPLEASE NOTE: As per immigration laws:
It is illegal to hire the services of a non-Dominican Republic citizen. Should a person claim to be a resident with a DR registered company then proof must be provided of same for your protection.
Denise Simpson
Port Officer Luperon DR
Hi all,
Denise is correct to flag this issue and I would extend it as relevant to all the places we visit by boat, especially the island communities of the Caribbean. In part, this revolves around how to be a good guest in the places we visit, and also how we can inadvertently (and sometimes on purpose) cross the line in work issues.
Luperon is a very good example as it is a small community in a wonderful country that has a great and large anchorage and an active morning vhf net. I was there for ~~2 months almost 2 decades ago and can attest to its attractions. (Denise, you bring back great memories.)
It is tempting, when in a cruising community, to rely on each other: and we do and we should. Those of us with specialty skills (electrician for example) and limited resources are especially tempted to augment the cruising kitty with work that comes their way. But working for pay is against many countries visa requirements: you are there as a tourist, and transgressions in this area can be taken very seriously.
This gets doubly apparent when the anchorage has a morning VHF net and people are announcing services and/or seeking help. If I remember correctly, this came up in Marsh Harbor (Bahamas) when some one was offering hair cutting/hairdressing services over the vhf. Also looking for help repairing an outboard. And I think this went for bartering also. Marsh Harbor is also pertinent as some of the locals listened in on the VHF net and in that way were clued into the cruising community (and they listened in not in a nosy way: some vendors depended on VHF to connect with cruisers they were working with in these pre-cell phone days).
And, finally, a word about being a good guest. I will use an example: there was a skipper in Georgetown, The Bahamas, who prided himself on providing “all the protein” for his family from the sea through speak fishing: lobster, grouper and the like. Casual observation led me to think that he frequently came back with more than the family could use and that he bartered the surplus to other cruisers. The Bahamas were already experiencing some depletion of their fish population and their commercial boats (usually one or two guys in a small skiff scraping up a living) were needing to go farther afield for their catches.
I did not consider he was being a good guest in the Bahamas: recreational fishing every now and again for some really fresh fish, for sure, but, although perhaps perfectly legal, he went across a boundary in my estimation of being a good guest.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy