CSI OVERVIEW: CRUISING WITH FEAR

May 2012

The following is a “Letter of the month” reprinted from Caribbean Compass, April 2012.
The fear expressed in the article is something I believe we can all relate to.

Dear Compass Readers,

It was January 29th, 2012 and we were in a marina at a beautiful Caribbean island. The crew upon Shea-Lena were in REM sleep as it was after midnight. Our radio came alive with a woman’s voice screaming “HELP,” “HELP,” “HELP!” The voice had a slight accent and was giving her location corresponding to landmarks. We did not hear anyone respond or her speaking to anyone in particular. Then we heard “Mayday,” “Mayday,” “Mayday”. At that point the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) from the neighbouring French island inquired about the problem. Then the woman said, “He is trying to get in!” She was asked if she was alone and she answered, “Yes.” MRCC requested her location and she gave it corresponding to landmarks. MRCC asked her location again, and again she responded with landmarks.

We could understand where she was, and relayed her position to MRCC. Then again we heard the woman screaming, “He’s trying to get in!” followed by what sounded like glass being broken.

As this was taking place on VHF channel 16, we were on channel 68 (the local hailing channel) and 16 (between communications) trying to raise anyone in the anchorage near this boat. No response. MRCC was calling a Mayday relay. Again, no response.

The only boat that ever responded was tied up in the marina with their dinghy on deck, as was ours.

We then called the marina’s night security and Vigie Light at the commercial port, asking for help. Vigie Light’s response was that the police had been dispatched. The radio went silent. The woman did not respond to MRCC’s calls. The silence seemed like an eternity; in reality it was probably only 15 minutes. As we could not rest after hearing the fear in this woman’s voice, and then the silence, we called the marina security and were informed that the woman was in the marina office talking to someone. She had managed to escape in her dinghy and get to the marina. I ran to the office to find the distraught woman giving her account of the events to a police officer. After the report was done I brought her to our boat. She was very shaken and grateful as she had only been in the country for three weeks and did not know anyone.

As the rumour mill goes, everyone was talking about “a boarding by person or persons unknown”. There was no response to our calls to help this woman, so we were led to believe no one out in the anchorage had their radios on. Then how and why would someone make misleading mention of this incident on two cruiser nets? Hearsay does not accomplish anything but gets everyone very anxious about the location and puts fear in our subconscious.

Upon hearing the misleading comments, we posted the facts on two cruiser nets. The most upsetting part of this whole occurrence for us is the fact that all of us as a cruising community are part of one family. Not to help a family member in time of need is unthinkable. Through our cruising experiences, we onboard Shea-Lena have towed boats away from nearby reefs, saved a fisherman after his boat has sunk, aided in the search and rescue at night of a lost cruiser in his overturned dinghy, and been able to relay information for the safety of many of our family members. We all have to remember that many of the islands and countries are unable to help. This leaves the responsibility for our safety in each other’s hands.

It is each individual’s call as to whether they do or do not want to become involved, but to sit and listen and not lend aid or “not want to interfere” may not be the best approach. Although the incident described above turned out to be a domestic dispute, at the time it sounded like a boarding. Either scenario can become dangerous for all, but to not give aid and have a person hurt would weigh heavy on your heart.

This event opened up a big debate regarding radio vigilance and giving many reasons why radios were off at night. There were comments made: the chatter is too much, I’m so tired of listening to other languages spoken in the wee hours, perhaps if she blew a fog horn it would have been heard by those who choose to turn off their radios. I also had one female cruiser say that a domestic dispute does not warrant a “Mayday” call.

Having listened to people try to justify their thinking, I am not judging anyone as to their radio habits or radio protocol nor do I want any further debate. I would just like to leave all of you with a thought. The boats anchored next to this woman’s did not hear a thing because she had locked herself inside, thus a fog horn would not have been heard either. She feared for her life so she made a Mayday call. A radio reaches out quite far and behind closed doors, and in an emergency the sound of a person’s voice on the other end can be very reassuring for those in time of need. I hope that most cruisers carry a VHF radio with them always, as you never know if an emergency on land, in the dinghy at night or, as this woman experienced, on the mother ship, will happen. It’s better to be heard by many than not at all.

Bernice and James Ludwig
Shea-Lena
Source: Caribbean Compass, April 2012

This is not a reported assault and robbery, although the fear factor may be similar. It is an observer’s firsthand account of a truly frightening if unspecified event in progress that fortunately ended well. Reports like this fly through the Caribbean cruising community along the nautical grapevine. They morph along the way, so that many versions of the same event may be passed around and mistaken for many events.

As I read the above letter in the April issue of Caribbean Compass, a number of “what ifs” came to mind:

“What if” the woman were better prepared and able to report her position by chart coordinates? In broader terms, what types of preparation should we do, other than just lock the dinghy, before we “turn out the lights”. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Taking action before an incident might occur is always better than afterwards. We can think more clearly when we are in control and not react under stress. How then might we best prepare while at an anchorage or even underway.

The key element in the story above is FEAR. Fear is what causes us to discuss and look to security nets for examples of robbery and assault. It is almost as if by reading a “Police Blotter” we can somehow protect ourselves. The truth is that there is only one real way to protect ourselves and that is to AVOID putting ourselves into such a situation. How is it avoidable?
It is NEVER totally avoidable, but the PROBABILITIES can be reduced significantly by understanding what the PROBABILITIES are in the first instance. The Caribbean Security Index is calculated based on many variables and the net result is that by a rating it predicts the probability of you encountering a problem in a given area. The higher the probability, the greater the need to avoid the area. Or if you choose not to avoid the area, then at least to be able to prepare in every way possible for the higher probability of an event occurring.

As cruisers in the Caribbean, we distinguish among the types of security threats we possibly face in different places. Potential loss of an outboard is one thing; potential loss of a life is in an entirely different realm. Thus the threat that most strikes fear in the heart is ASSAULT AND ROBBERY, or just plain ASSAULT.

In reality, of the 324 reported incidents from 2008 through 2011 throughout all four quadrants of the Caribbean basin, 28, or 8.6%, were assaults and robberies. And two out of the eight incidents reported so far this year were assaults and robberies. Where they took place geographically is an entirely different matter.

For example, CSI continues to recommend AVOIDING Venezuela, mainland and islands, in the SouthEast Quadrant of the Caribbean. Eighteen percent of all reported incidents in the SouthEast Quadrant during 2008-2011 were assaults and robberies — and all occurred in Venezuela.

Assault and Robbery by Caribbean Quadrant, 2008-2011

                                                     Total Reported         A&R                     A&R as %
Quadrant                                 Incidents                  Incidents            of Total

North (Greater Antilles)                   9                                 0                            –
East (Lesser Antilles)                    194                                  7                            3.6%
Leewards                                           28                                 0                             –
Windwards                                      166                                  7                            4.2%
SouthEast (VZ to ABCs)                 84                                15                          18%
SouthWest (Colombia to MX)       37                                 6                           16%

TOTAL                                             324                               28                            8.6%

To look at it another way, 54% of all reported assaults and robberies in all quadrants occurred in the SouthEast Quadrant; in fact, that 54% occurred entirely in Venezuela. These are useful, if unpleasant, facts.

On the other hand, seven, or 3.6%, of the 194 reported incidents in the East Quadrant were assaults and robberies – but all occurred in the Windwards. And in the North Quadrant, where there were only nine reported incidents, none were assaults and robberies.

So far in 2012 two assaults and robberies are reported, one each in the SouthEast quadrant (Venezuela) and the SouthWest (Nicaragua) quadrant. For Nicaragua, the first and only other assault and robbery was in 2009; for Venezuela, it appears to be a continuation of a pattern of four per year, concentrated in the islands.

How will you factor this knowledge into your cruising decision making and planning?

NOTE: The North, East, SouthEast, and SouthWest Quadrants referred to here are terms coined by Frank Virgintino in A Thinking Man’s Guide to Voyages South for ease in understanding the entire Caribbean.

QUADRANT        ISLANDS/COUNTRIES:

North                    Greater Antilles (Cayman, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico
East                       Lesser Antilles (Virgin Islands through Trinidad/Tobago
SouthEast            Venezuela (islands and mainland) and the ABCs
SouthWest          Colombia through Mexico

Dr. Catherine Hebson
Catherine@freecruisingguides.com

Puerto Rican culture comprises of a mixture of Taino, African, European attributes combined with an American patina that has been associated with the island since 1898. The two flags and one path represent a part of the Puerto Rican identity. The mixture of different cultures that make up this identity can be hinted at through Puerto Rican art, which can be seen at the different museums and galleries on the island. Below are paintings from Puerto Rican museums and galleries that exhibit the mix of Taino, African, European and American characteristics.

This oil painting in the Town Hall of Aguadilla reveals the mix of cultures with undertones of the Red, White & Blue.  No matter what you see in Puerto Rico, that typical American undertone is always present.  Whether it be supermarkets, gas stations or hotels and highways, you get a feel of the United States.  However, the overtones are very much Caribbean and not just Caribbean but Latino Caribbean and not just Latino Caribbean but Puerto Rican Latino Caribbean.  It has a richness and a complexity that need to be experienced to be understood.

                 The everypresent undertone of the Red, White & Blue.

  The beat is Latino and you can hear a part of Africa that is unmistaken.  You can see it when you see it through dance as well.  HOT!

Art reflects life and as you tour Puerto Rico, the richness and complexity of Puerto Rican culture and life can be heard and seen in everything and as seen through art a wonderful experience.  See why Puerto Ricans are considered amongst the “happiest people in the world!”

We have been anchored in the Bay of Feret, Ile a Vache, Haiti and are preparing to set sail for Jamaica. Jamaica is an extraordinary destination and so often overlooked by the cruising community. Many have asked about crime in Jamaica. There is no denying that Jamaica has crime. However, the vast majority of the crime takes place in the ghettos of Kingston and in almost all cases Jamaicans are the victims of it. Thousands of tourists arrive on cruise ships and many more people stay at the many hotels in Jamaica without incident.
The Jamaican mountains and countryside are exceptional and will leave you breathless. In addition there is Jamaican Culture. It is diverse, exotic and vibrant. The colors, the food, the people all come together to form an impression that is distinct in the Caribbean. Last but not least, are those Jamaica smiles; you will never forget them!

JAMAICAN SMILES AT THE OPEN MARKET IN PORT ANTONIO

Our destination will be Port Antonio at the south east corner of the island.

As Caribbean islands go, Jamaica is one of the larger ones and has mountain ranges that affect wind, particularly at night. Our sail to Port Antonio is westbound and the current will be with us. The distance is approximately 150 miles. We want to make our departure with an assurance of continued tradewinds, or if it is early in the tradewind season and a norther is blowing, we want to catch the norther as it peters out. Either way we should have a good sail. If we depart at 0900 hours, most boats should make landfall in Jamaica between 0800 and 1200 hours the following day.
Overnight we may have reduced winds as the Katabatic winds of both Jamaica and the Dominican Republic will reduce the tradewinds. However, if we want to sail with the full force of the trades, then we need to get out of the shadow of the islands and stand offshore at least 5 miles or more. In such a case we would plan our westing by going to the south (west southwest) and then come back up to our destination.
We must also take into account Formigas Bank which lies approximately 31 miles northeast off of Jamaica’s northeast corner. While it poses no significant problem for us, it needs to be taken into consideration, as in heavy weather it breaks and there is a navigation hazard as well. Avoiding it is a simple matter. Formigas Bank is a rocky bank with less than 60’ of water for the greater part of its area. At the NE corner of the bank the water is about 15’ deep. It is about 16 miles in length from SW to NE. During strong trade winds, the north end of the bank breaks with a heavy swell running. The most dangerous part of the bank is an old stranded wreck which is sometimes visible. It is located at GPS: 18 31.45N, 75 45.47W and is noted on most charts.

FORMIGAS BANK
We will make our landfall at Port Antonio which is an easy entry. As we approach we will see the John Brown Mountains as well as the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The sight is quite imposing and if the day is clear no description can do it justice. The lighthouse at Port Antonio is easy to spot and we will leave it to port as we enter.

FOLLY LIGHTHOUSE

PORT ANTONIO
The Errol Flynn Marina is located at Port Antonio and you can take a slip or anchor out. The marina and the boat yard are owned by the Jamaica Port of Authority and run under the supervision of Dale Westin. You will find him and his staff to be very accommodating. Raise them on channel 16. Entrance procedures are straightforward and there is no charge of any type. You will be boarded by a Quarantine officer, Customs and also Immigration. Be sure to have your quarantine flag flying as well as your Jamaican courtesy flag. Jamaica has had 300 years of British tradition and while everyone is cordial, following protocol and procedure is considered important.
Once cleared in, you will find yourself in a wonderful town. There is an open market which is very active on the weekends. There you will find fruit and vegetables as well as a crafts market. The handicrafts market is wonderful as are the people you will meet there.

ONE SIZE FITS ALL MON!

You can walk the market safely and you will find most of the people helpful and engaging. The town also has a supermarket as well as banks. The marina has free WiFi for those that want a connection. At the marina there are also a number of good restaurants as well as a nice beach. You can take any number of day trips from Port Antonio and go rafting or to more remote beaches.
When we are ready to leave Port Antonio, we will proceed westward to Ocho Rios. Ocho Rios is an easy overnight stop enroute to Montego Bay at a distance of just over 45 miles to the west. You will have the wind and the current in your favor. Early in the tradewind season the north coast of Jamaica can become quite lively and if a norther is forecasted and you are in a secure harbor such as Port Antonio, you should stay put. In normal conditions and even a mild norther, you will find Ocho Rios suitable. Ocho Rios is a tourist town in every sense of the word. Cruise ships call there frequently and discharge boatloads of visitors. In addition, Ocho Rios has its fair share of hotels. If you like a lively setting filled with people this is your town. From Ocho Rios we continue west and can make stops at St. Ann’s Bay and Discovery Bay along the way. (For details on these harbors, see the free downloadable cruising guide to Jamaica at: www.jamaicacruisingguide.com).
Montego Bay is our next major stop and is approximately 50 miles east of Ocho Rios. It is not the perfect refuge in a norther but tucked in at the yacht club, one can make due. However in the rare instance if conditions get beyond a normal norther, one can enter Bogue Lagoon. The Montego Bay Yacht Club is a wonderful club with really nice facilities. You will find the staff to be very accommodating. They have a small daily charge to use the facilities, which include the pool, the club, and really fine bathrooms and showers. Their lunches and dinners are very moderately priced and well presented. As you exit the marina by taxi, to the right is Bogue Lagoon and the Houseboat at the Lagoon also serves great meals in a very nice setting.
There is a “Sam’s Club” type supermarket close to the yacht club if you need to reprovision in a serious way. A cab can take you there in 10 minutes or so. Montego Bay also has a wonderful crafts market that should not be missed. It is full of color, very safe and some of the craftwork is quite good. The vendors are very nice people, albeit a little persistent. If you are not ready to buy, simply say “little more time, Mon, little more time” (locally it sounds like “likle more time Mon”). Smile when you say it, and everyone will lighten up. You do need to bargain the price and a 20 to 30% discount is normal. Do not over negotiate as a few dollars one way or the other will not change your life, but means a great deal to these vendors. The cruise ships do not call at this market en masse and you will find the vendors very anxious to please you. The more you smile the better it is. Jamaicans have a keen sense of humor and smile and laugh a great deal.
There is also the “Hip Strip” where you will find a long line of different restaurants to suit different tastes and pocketbooks.
When we leave Montego Bay we head for Negril, an easy sail of 25 miles. We can anchor on the west coast of Jamaica in a beautiful and very protected anchorage. From there we can watch the most dramatic sunsets.

JAMAICAN SUNSETS–UNIQUE
Nothing much to do, but relax and take it all in. Most of this coast is taken up by beachside hotels and we can land if we want to see the hotel facilities. Most often we can have the guard on the beach keep an eye on the dinghy.
When we are ready to leave Negril, the Bluefields Anchorage is 25 miles to the east along the south coast of Jamaica If we do this early in the morning, we can avoid strong easterlies that get up and blow daily from about 1100 hours. In addition, the western part of Jamaica is in somewhat of a lee as Portland Point extends near 30 miles into the sea. Bluefields is a simple and very pretty anchorage. There are no shoreside diversions and the view is basically nice homes. You will anchor in 10’ of water and find yourself very protected from sea and wind. If we choose not to stop at Bluefields, we can go the extra 12 miles to make it to Black River. The Black River is Jamaica’s longest river. The town of Black River is a nice town. It is set on the river and today is active with eco-tourism. The river is famous for its birds, herons and snowy egrets among many others, and for its crocodiles. There is a bridge over the mouth of the river which unfortunately does not allow for sailboats to go upriver. There is a dock at the mouth of the
river that carries 8’. More than that and you will have to anchor out and
dinghy in. The Black River Bay is reasonably well protected and provides for very adequate shelter and good holding. If you like nature, stop at the river and arrange for a guide at the bridge to take the tour up river. It is extraordinary! The guide can assist you with having your boat watched if you leave no one aboard.

Wildlife on the river is a never ending show

From the Black River we can continue our discovery of Jamaica and plan stops at Portland Bight, Kingston Harbor and finally Port Morant at the SE corner of the island. Portland Bight is a large protected bay with many cays and is often used by local yachtsmen especially on the weekends. A comfortable distance from Portland Bight going east is Kingston Harbor. It is the 7th largest harbor in the world, and aside from the intensity of commercial traffic you will find it safe. As you go up harbor, you can stop at Lime Cay, which is a beautiful stop and wait until morning to continue to Port Royal or the Royal Jamaican Yacht Club. Whether you stop at Lime Cay or go all the way to Port Royal or the Royal Jamaican Yacht Club, get an early start, as once the wind gets up in Kingston Harbor it is no small matter. Gusts to 30 knots are not unusual once the sun is up and the plateau heats up.

LIME CAY/KINGSTON HARBOR

The Royal Jamaican Yacht club is very inviting and well situated. It is located within a stone’s throw of the airport if you are picking up or discharging crew. Reprovisioning is easy and there are many interesting attractions, not the least of which is the Bob Marley museum. With the help of one of the recommended taxi vans, the trip around town will be inexpensive and safe. Port Royal is just west and south of the yacht club and well worth a visit.
Port Morant is the last harbor in Jamaica on the south side at the east end. It is truly a beautiful stop, well protected with a backdrop of mountains. The small marina that was here has been given over to the Coast Guard and Marine Police. They will offer you dockage free as well as water if you want to tie up at their more than ample wharf. Or anchor out off the dock for more privacy and, at sunset, less mosquitoes. Port Morant may well be the best kept secret in Jamaica.

April 21, 2012: Free Cruising Guides announced today that it has just received a message of greeting from the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, the island’s official tourist center, for sailors and boaters of all kinds.

González-LaFuente extols Puerto Rico as “the perfect port for a nautical vacation,” noting the island’s unique cultural heritage, its 500 years of history exemplified in its numerous historic sites, its fabled white sand beachs, adventure opportunities galore, gourmet cuisine, and exciting nightlife. All of this and more is highlighted in A Cruising Guide to Puerto Rico 1.3 as seen through the lens of experienced cruiser and author, Frank Virgintino, who wrote the guide to assist cruisers in planning their cruising adventure and making it the experience of a lifetime and Puerto Rico a worthy repeat destination.

The letter from Mario González-LaFuente, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, opens A Cruising Guide to Puerto Rico, Edition 1.3, which is available free to download at www.freecruisingguides.com.

Ile a Vache is best approached from the west end of the island as entry is then straight forward. On the east side of the island, there are numerous shoals and coral heads, which while navigable, are not worth the effort. The anchorage we seek, at the Port Morgan Hotel is at the northwest end of the island. (www.PortMorgan.com). The hotel answers to channel 16 and will most times send out a guide boat if you would like assistance. The entrance to the Baie a Feret where the hotel is located is an easy entrance and most boats can go in unassisted. You need only give the west shore a wide berth to avoid a small reef and some shoal water. When inside the bay you can anchor in 10’ of water with good holding.

ANCHORAGE AT PORT MORGAN HOTEL—BAIE a FERET, VILLAGE OF CAILLE COQ, ILE A VACHE

The hotel has a dinghy dock. The village is called Caille Coq and the hotel occupies the hillside to the east. The Village of Caille Coq is made up of a collection of small buildings, houses and fishing boats.

BOIS FOUILLE FISHING
The people from the village speak mostly French and Creole, but some can communicate in English as well. Most people are very friendly and happy to welcome cruisers. You can easily find laundry services, guided trips to the market and village of Madame Bernard, and several people will arrange to prepare dinner for you at their homes in the village, should you so desire. There are no cars and the island has no electric other than an isolated generator, so there are also very few lights at night. You will find the anchorage and the village very, very safe.
Clearing in is simple and straightforward. You can give your passports to the hotel and they will take them to the small town of Les Cayes by boat and have them processed for you or you can go in your dinghy yourself. The town of Les Cayes is a little over 5 nautical miles across northwest to the mainland. It is a safe town and I have gone there many times without incident. There are no immigration facilities on Ile a Vache, and many of the boats who stop for a day or two, do not clear in or out. This is not a practice I would recommend but many cruisers have told me that they did not feel it was necessary.
Haiti is a country of strong contrasts. Economically there are rich and poor in the large cities and poor everywhere else outside of the large cities. When you come to Ile a Vache you will find a place that is tranquil and that has a strong history of fishing and of welcoming cruising boats. The people are full of smiles and their village is a model of organization and cleanliness. There are however very few jobs, so money is always in short supply. Donations of all types are greatly appreciated. However, it is not a good idea to give gifts directly to the people of the island as that always leaves someone feeling cheated. Seek out the island administrator who is readily available, and he will accept your donations of food, clothing and supplies for the school and will be sure that they are apportioned fairly.
Village of Madame Bernard
Madame Bernard is about an hour walk from the anchorage at Caille Coq. You could make your way there on your own, but it is much easier and more informative to have a guide go with you. In settled weather you can make it there via a short dinghy ride. Two days a week the market is held and people from all over the island and others from the mainland come to trade. This is a spectacle you do not want to miss. You will be transported back in time to experience all the sights, sounds and smells of a traditional marketplace in action. The market is reminiscent of articles in National Geographic Magazine circa 1950. While you will be safe walking through the market, you will find yourself very much out of what you are familiar with. Please keep in mind that the majority of Haitians do not like their picture taken and if you attempt to take a picture without their permission you may very well cause an incident. At the village of Madame Bernard, you will also find Sister Flora’s orphanage. Sister Flora is a small Canadian Catholic Nun who arrived near 50 years ago on Ile a Vache and takes care of about 60 orphans as well as about 400 children in total. One of the clinics in her hospital assists young children who are seriously ill and if you do choose to visit be prepared to leave with wet eyes.
There are a number of groups that assist Ile a Vache. You can contact Friends of Ile a Vache through their website (www.friendsofileavache.com) for information and details. FRIENDS OF ILE A VACHE HAITI, a non-profit organization is dedicated to sustainable economic development. They have done and are doing a wonderful job. Last year a group of cruising sailboats arrived with hundreds of pounds of needed supplies. Prior to that, the cruising community brought in a number of rebuilt outboard engines for the fishermen. Every cent that is donated to Friends of Ile a Vache goes to the community as the organization works for free and there are absolutely no expenses.

SISTER FLORA

VILLAGE OF CAILLE COQ

You can walk through the village of CAILLE COQ and you will find the village neat and clean. The villages tend to be retiring but are more than cordial.
If you want to purchase some of the village handicrafts, while there is no organized market, from time to time you will have an opportunity. From oil paintings which are very well done and very Haitian in their format to hand sewn items, you will see objects that are handmade on the island and of good quality at reasonable prices.
If school is in session you can visit the school which is located just out of sight at the back of the village. It is a wonderful thing to listen to a few hundred children sing in French. Their uniforms are yellow tops with brown pants or skirts. Many of the girls have their hair braided and the smiles and waves are worth more than a shopping spree on 5th Avenue in Manhattan.
You can arrange to eat at one of the homes where they will cook for you at a modest price, or arrange to have them cook your meal and have it delivered to you at the dinghy dock. Additionally you can eat at the hotel which has a fine menu as well as wonderful vistas. They also have an internet connection for those that need to catch up. There are a few local islanders who will come out from the village and offer you their service if you need work on your boat. This is for basic work such as cleaning a bottom or sanding and so forth. Be sure you have a price established before you start the job and be fair. While I have not heard in all my visits to Ile a Vache of a case of theft, please keep in mind that your boat is seen as a floating castle and access to below decks should be avoided.
Times are changing and in the not too far future, I am sure there will be changes introduced at Ile a Vache that will make it very different than it is today. If you want to experience the Caribbean prior to 1960 in a safe setting, Ile a Vache should not be missed.
Next month we will up anchor and set course for Port Antonio, Jamaica and continue our journey through the Forgotten Caribbean.

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 whosefounder 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.
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 me at: fvirgintino@gmail.com.
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.

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 conversive and attentive but her focus comes from a faith that is clearly unshakable.

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 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.

Just up the hill a ways is the L’Ouvre Saint Francois School and orphanage. You can visit it and see firsthand 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) have cows but they do not produce milk

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, ‘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.

Contact : fvirgintino@gmail.com

We all have our own definition of cruising. How we do it, where we do it and the way we do it, all work into the definition. However, there are certain elements that we all virtually agree on. Freedom is a common quest. The freedom to be able to go where we want and to be able to live in the way that we want is something we strive for.

In years past, preparing to go cruising involved work in a number of areas. We took courses in Coastwise and Celestial Navigation.

This was before GPS for those of you that are too young to remember. We plotted on paper charts using a parallel ruler and kept our positions through Dead Reckoning. We were very careful to impute into our calculations factors such as set and drift of the vessel as well as compass and helmsman error. If we were fortunate we had a fathomter which was quite helpful. There was little else to help us know our position and the good navigator was always very respected amonst the crew.
We also had to prepare for bad weather as weather forecasting was at best a good guess and at worst having to deal with storm conditions. As a result we learned how to run off in front of a storm or to lie a hull. We read about how one could pour oil down the head to calm breaking seas (today this method is not considered environmentally correct). We read stories of famous sailors who pitch poled and broached in heavy seas. We spent serious time preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
Our preparations also included preparing the ships larder. Many boats had only ice boxes. There was discussion of how to maintain canned goods included how to remove the paper labels from the cans and mark the cans with impermeable marker as to contents. We learned how to buy non refrigerated eggs, how to Vaseline them and how to rotate them. How to keep onions and other vegetables stored so as to extend their life.
How to conserve energy was another important area as most boats had just a few batteries and an a small alternator to keep them charged. As a result many boats used kerosene lighting. Many cooked with kerosene or alcohol stoves.
Most boats did not carry large anchors as they did not have anchor windlasses and therefore the art of anchoring was very carefully studied and great pains went into setting ones anchor.
When we arrived at our anchorage, life was pretty simple and in most places we were received warmly. Anchorages were readily available and local food stuffs were inexpensive. While we were anchored we rested, read and dreamt of all the things that could make our life better. Better sails, easier sail handling, refrigeration, anchor windlasses, easier navigation, more AC and DC power to support our lifestyles and the list went on. When we finished dreaming, we jumped into the water and took our bath in salt water and then “rinsed off” with water from our modest and carefully monitored fresh water supply.

From boatshow to boatshow and monthly magazine to monthly magazine, as the months and years passed, the number of innovations for sailors grew at a mind boggling pace restricted only by the size of ones wallet. Electronic navigation, high output alternators with large deep cell batteries, solar panels, windvanes, refrigeration, chartplotters, satellite communication systems, weather forecasting that had a basis in reality supported by simple methods of access, water makers etc. Today when a cruising boat makes for a destination, many have chart plotters and radar as well as AIS. Add to this list a grouping of gauges that can measure the conditions around us (wind speed, speed through the water, wind direction etc) and we have a cockpit that has become largely electronic. We no longer have to “feel” the wind on our face or try to note the current; we simply let our machines do the work. Ditto for making water, getting weather forecasts, charging our batteries, inverting them for AC electric and so forth. As a result when we arrive at a destination, after we anchor (more likely pick up a mooring as anchorage areas have become more and more limited), we spend time reviewing the equipment on the boat that does not work to see if we can find a reasonable solution. These changes in the cruising lifestyle determine where we invest our time and thus ourselves. Whereas before we spent time meeting the locals, we now put ever more time into finding the local mechanic or electronic maven. Before you conclude that I am writing against all of the equipment that we have become accustomed to, consider that it is not the equipment that I am commenting on but rather the changes that the equipment has imparted to our cruising lifestyles; both positive and negative. There is no doubt that we get there quicker (better course plotting) and that we get there safer (better weather forecasting), and that we are more comfortable (refrigeration, hot water showers, water makers, better stoves etc.). On the minus side we have the cost and the maintenance of our equipment. We have more systems to take care of and more breakdowns to deal with. We lose an AC or a DC charging system, and our water makers and refrigerators, to which we have become very accustomed, stop working.

Were it that that is the whole story, the sum and summation would end on a discussion of how much equipment one should put on ones boat to go cruising. Do we really need all those gauges? Two radars? Two VHF radios? Huge inventory of deep cell batteries? That large tower on the back deck that supports all of our equipment that now makes our sailboats look like offshore drilling rigs?

However change is surreptitious. It is not easy to see at first glance and always extremely difficult to understand as to its effects. When the cruising lifestyle changes, we must learn how to manage change to go cruising. We spend a great deal of time equipping our boats for which we take great interest and great pride. But we do not spend time preparing for what we will encounter along the way or do we take responsibility for how we will be seen. We reduce the danger of cruising by getting better weather forecasts. We carry heavier anchors so we can be better anchor. We carry better electronics to avoid collision. We work hard on convenience and safety. However we have a blind spot. In fact we have a number of them.
In the first case we forget that if we travel the beaten path, we will no longer meet those who want to meet a cruising boat but rather meet those that have met many cruising boats. Whether it is boat boys, or immigration officials, or a plethora of moorings and chain restaurants, the focus wil be on our wallets. We become moving targets. Between our need for service and the availability of our plastic cards we become the next arriving profit center. And we get fleeced. Entry fees, harbor fees, high tech mechanical fees, marina fees, and one high priced restaurant after another. We forgot that where demand exceeds supply, price rises. And many times, satisfaction decreases as well. The solution is two fold. Be careful what equipment you add to your boat because the danger is, you may not have more equipment, the equipment may have you! The second part is to take the path less travelled by. Look at your cruising area carefully. Evaluate it and try to understand it before you set sail. Cruise to those destinations where the supply of cruising boats is low and as a result you are seen by the locals as a precious commodity and not just another profit center.

There is an additional factor to be considered as well. Years ago we slept with our hatches open. Today crime at anchorage has become an ever increasing concern. Rather than bemoan it, let’s try to understand it. Along the beaten path we are viewed by legitimate businesses to be the arrival of another profit center. Those that are not legitimate businesses also see the arrival of an opportunity. In years past, when cruising boats were humble and simple, there was very little that was worth stealing. We have failed to take responsibility for how we look today when we arrive at an anchorage. We have a beautiful dinghy with its highly valued outboard. Plus we have all that equipment arrayed on the back deck. While most thieves really want the outboard which is the most marketable piece of gear, they are encouraged by the sight of what appears to them to be “highly outfitted rocket ships” inhabited by “beings that have an endless supply of plastic money that can be used to retrieve real money from ATM machines”. Because of this we can no longer sleep with the hatches open and there is more and more discussion of installation of motion detectors and automatic alarms, blinding lights, hotwires to the lifelines, firearms and so forth. Crime is encouraged by the sight of abundance especially when the unemployment rate is above 40% and the average lifetime income less than the value of the boat at anchorage. Is there a solution for this. Perhaps not a perfect one, but everything does make a difference. APPEARANCE. We must take responsibility for how we LOOK and how we ACT. Both our boats as well as ourselves must try to avoid attracting attention. Try to keep the look of our boat as simple as possible.

Perhaps not quite this simple!

Keep the outboard motor out of sight as much as possible. Avoid displays of cash when making payments. Always say you have to go to the bank to get cash as you do not carry or store cash.
Avoid the beaten track. Get off it and stay off it. Go where you find that you are appreciated and that the focus is more on helping you enjoy the culture and the country than on your wallet and credit card.
Always remember that AVOIDANCE is the best part of risk reduction. We have learned to do that with weather and storms. Now we need to learn how to do it with the WHERE WE GO CRUISING.

On a final note regarding AVOIDANCE, if we have information as to areas where pirates operate, there is but one and only one tactic and that is avoidance. Forget those that say there are still good areas and that the people are friendly. The history of pirating has always been the history of the absence of law. When a country loses control of the rule of law, everyone who lives there and everyone who visits there is at risk. We go cruising to be free and to enjoy. To learn and participate in different cultures. We do not need to cruise where we are not appreciated and where we are taken advantage of nor do we need to cruise where there is an absence of law.

If Robert Frost were a sailor, perhaps he would have written the final verse of his poem like this:

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two destinations diverged in sea so grand , and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Between Peake’s Boat Yard, Power Boats and Crew’s Inn, the combined tonnage of the marine hoists is well over 400 tons. Nowhere in the Caribbean, and indeed in many places in the world will you find such facilities. In addition there are numerous shops and technicians that have expertise in every aspect of marine repair and maintenance. They are all in one central location. Competition to get work is fierce and prices are moderate as industry rates go. The rates are certainly much less than the States and markedly lower than the North eastern Caribbean in areas such as Antiqua and St. Maarten. There are large and well stocked chandleries (Budget Marine, Peake’s and others) and parts are easy to come by. Whatever is not in stock, can be brought in easily as there is no duty on parts for “Boats in transit”. They are simply sent to customs, located at the Crew’s Inn Marina, and can be retrieved there with little difficulty. One does not go to Chaguaramas, Trinidad to cruise. One goes there to store one’s boat for hurricane season and perhaps to get work done.
Over the last few months, it has become very much the vogue to “Trinidad Bash”. The “bashers” now find everything wrong with Trinidad. Immigration and customs are rude! The Coast Guard do not answer calls! The harbor is dirty! There is crime in Trinidad! The workmen are no good and the prices to do work on the boat are high! Moreover a boat has been attacked crossing from Grenada to Trinidad and the trip is dangerous, so why go? It is amazing to me how once we fall out of love, we quickly notice all of the shortcomings someone or someplace has that we did not notice before. This will be my 15th consecutive year that I have brought my boat to Trinidad for hurricane season. I want to say hello to Jesse James who has organized so many wonderful trips for the cruising community. I want to visit with my expat American friend, Billy Wray, delivery captain, rigger and surveyor. I want to say hello to Fabian at Budget Marine and the men that work at the yard at Peake’s. I want to have lunch at Power Boats and eat dinner at Joe’s Italian restaurant. I also want to speak to Ron from the yacht “Name withheld by request” to find out why he was so negative in his letter that was posted in the June Compass about his environment in Trinidad. He even complains that his wife is the victim of wolf whistles. Perhaps I am married to an ugly woman for no one has ever whistled at her in Trinidad. However, like Chris Doyle asserts about St. George, Grenada, I think she is the prettiest one in town. When Ron says that “many people now will not even bother reporting incidents (to the Coast Guard), as they know nothing will be done”, I would like to know who the “many people are” and what type of “incidents” they endured. I do not know what type of medical problem keeps Ron “trapped” in Chaguaramas, but I agree with Ron Stollmeyer of Powerboats when he says that “he read incredulously through the writer’s plethora of exaggerations, blatant inaccuracies and half-truths”. My experience does not match up to Ron’s comments and I agree with Ruth Lund who wrote in June 2010 COMPASS, “The good in Trinidad far outweighs the bad and I am happy to be here”. I think she sums it up succinctly.
I will also have some work done on my “To Do” never ending boat list of maintenance and repairs. I have no illusions about Chaguaramas and know what it is. I know that I may get a quirky customs officer on entry who will speak tersely to me. I understand that the water will not be pristine in the harbor. And crossing from Grenada to Trinidad I will not forget that the Yacht Triton was boarded en route by Venezuelan Pirates on December 21, 2009. This is the “price” I will pay to be in Chaguaramas. There are some offsets however. There always are. I will not react to the terse customs officer and he will get tired of being terse and I will go back to my boat with my entrance papers in hand. Last year I told him “I was sorry” for a mistake I made in not reporting to Customs at 4AM in the morning when I arrived and he told me that “Surry” was a town in England (actually it is a county). I smiled and waited for the verdict on my tardy reporting, after which he stamped my papers and I went my way. Additionally I will not swim in the water in the harbor for I know that it is foul. I will go somewhere else to swim or else swim in the pool. As to crossing from Grenada to Trinidad, I will take every precaution. The one that I never see mentioned is the most effective one and that is the method I will employ. Pirates are bullies but they are not particularly bright and they are on the average bad seamen. I will not take the “oil rig route” to get to Trinidad.

Follow the oil rigs and your route is predictable

If the wagon trains going from the Eastern US to California had always taken the same route, California would never have been settled as travelling through the same Native American territory each time would have resulted in a turkey shoot for the “Indians”. That is why guides were employed; they knew the “ins and outs” of avoidance. I will not follow the rhumb line and will reduce significantly the probability of being encountered by them. If they are there waiting at the oil rigs or close by, it is usually day time and usually when the seas are reasonably calm. Eight men do not go out in a high powered pirogue in 6’ seas when it is blowing 20 knots. The pirates who attacked Triton were Venezuelan. If you spend time in Latino countries you will quickly come to realize that they have a great respect or in most cases a tremendous fear of the sea. We are cruising sailors and the sea is our life. We can outsmart Pirates because we can sail and understand wind and current, whereas they rely solely on guns and high horsepower outboards. There has been one documented attack on this crossing and it has shaken the cruising community deeply. However, where do you find complete safety today as a cruiser? There have been attacks against cruisers in Antiqua, in St. Lucia, in Dominica, in Venezuela, in St. Vincent and most recently in Simpson Bay, St. Maarten( see report at www.noonsite.com). Some of the attacks have resulted in death and in other cases injury. There have been cases of reported theft in virtually every location in the Caribbean. Theft against yachtsmen is not something new. Joshua Slocum, in his book, Sailing Alone Around the World, is quoted as saying
“ Now, it is well known that one cannot step on a tack without saying something about it. A pretty good Christian will whistle when he steps on the “commercial end” of a carpet-tack; a savage will howl and claw the air, and that was just what happened that night about twelve o’clock, while I was asleep in the cabin, where the savages thought they “had me,” sloop and all, but changed their minds when they stepped on deck, for then they thought that I or somebody else had them. I had no need of a dog; they howled like a pack of hounds. I had hardly use for a gun. They jumped pell-mell, some into their canoes and some into the sea, to cool off, I suppose, and there was a deal of free language over it as they went.”
He was circumnavigating at the turn of the century; the 20th century over 100 years ago.
For all of the above, I understand that this is the price I have to pay to be in Chaguaramas, Trinidad. For the price, what do I get in return? First and most importantly, I am out of the hurricane zone. Secondly, I can get the work I want done well and at a competitive price with the greatest number of choices to suit my whim and fancy. Some say that prices in Trinidad have risen and that the quality of work has gone down, but there is no proof for that statement and in fact it is highly subjective, if not suspect. Prices usually always rise and what cruiser amongst us is not sensitive to that. What keeps prices down is competition and nowhere is competition for work more fierce than in Chaguaramas. As to the quality of work, that always depends on who you choose, no matter where you are.
There are alternatives to Trinidad. Grenada is an excellent one. We get to avoid having to make the trip to Trinidad. The water where I will be anchored will be clean and the beaches will be white sand. There will be many of my fellow sailors around to keep me company. The entry process and the officials have become in recent years very “user friendly” and I will probably not be “put to the test” when I arrive. And there are facilities that I can use to work on my boat. They are not equal to those in Chaguaramas in sheer size or number, but they are excellent and there are sufficiently well trained technicians available should I need help. That is a great deal of benefit and as a result everyone is high on Grenada. The well known cruising guide author, Chris Doyle, is quoted in July Compass as saying that St. George, Grenada “has always been the prettiest town in the Caribbean”. I would agree that St. George is one of the nicest looking girls at the dancehall, but I cannot agree that only she is the nicest or prettiest. Certainly English Harbor, Antiqua and Gustavia, St. Barts would be in the running to name a few amongst many. James Michener, the famous American post WW 2 author, called Marigot Bay, “The most beautiful in the Caribbean”. It seems when we are in love, there is none as beautiful or as pretty; just the most beautiful or prettiest. But Grenada, is “two lovers” to quote an old song. The price to be paid for all the beauty and lack of commercial work harbor atmosphere is the island is not out of the Hurricane Zone. Ivan brought enormous amounts of damage. The poem in July Compass, refrains “Grenada’s growing sure and fast, for Ivan’s blow is in the past”.

Grenada immediately after Hurricane Ivan

Ivan’s blow is most assuredly in the past, but Hurricane Bert or Harry are in the future and where they will make their landing, no one knows. What I know is that I want to be certain or as certain as can be, that I will not be where it will strike.
Many cruisers now leave their boats in the British Virgin Islands for Hurricane season. There are also boats left in St. Maarten as well as in St. Lucia. Some even choose Venezuela. There are in fact many good choices and all the good reasons that go with those choices as to where to pass Hurricane season. No one place is right for everyone. I have no commercial interest of any kind in Trinidad and do not recommend it for everyone, for as any location that can be chosen, it has its own short comings. However, I can choose it, without having to invalidate the other choices that can be made. It can be the right choice for me, but I do not have to prove it to be sure I am right about the fact that I am right.
Chaguaramas, Trinidad is a fantastic and marvelous resource for all cruising sailors. For those that cruise the Caribbean, the Caribbean is “our sea” and the resources that exist support our lifestyle. I would not dismiss a resource as unique and excellent as Chaguaramas without careful thought and consideration for while Pirates are dangerous, and commercial areas unsightly, Hurricanes are no less dangerous or unsightly. In fact they impact many more lives and much more property in a single event, than any one isolated Pirate attack. Many believe that another Hurricane touching down on Grenada is unlikely. Perhaps they are right. But the near 30,000 people who died, in the then capital of Martinique, St. Pierre, also thought that the event (volcano eruption) was unlikely or they would have left. In the final analysis, one has to consider and weigh the cost benefit ratio as it applies to our own personal tastes and preferences. I think if we want Chaguaramas, Trinidad to improve, we need first to applaud their many years of commitment to the yachting industry and all of the investment that has been made. I have spoken to many of the people that work in the yachting industry in Trinidad and they feel as if they have been written off and condemned without sufficient cause. They are very aware of their shortcomings and the Yachting Association in Trinidad, YSATT is working to implement the changes that the yachting community wants and needs. A public “stoning” is not what is needed to maintain and improve the resource that Chaguaramas is. What is needed is a clear understanding, that pluses do not come without minuses and that no one location is perfect and that the invalidation of an entire industry in a given area is to throw out the “baby with the bathwater”.

The letter of the month this past January related to a problem that the owner of a boat had regarding bottom paint that was applied in a yard at in Trinidad. Surely if the owner was “scammed” he has every right to his indignation. In all businesses one can find examples of dishonest practices that are intended to cheat the consumer.

The problem with this particular example is that it is based on hearsay and I am surprised that Compass would publish such a complaint as “letter of the month”. Bad business practices cannot be “swept under the rug” or ignored; they must be brought to light. However, we must be sure that what is alleged to have happened did in fact happen.

While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, one is not entitled to ones own facts. The paint that should have been applied was supposed to be an ablative paint. Ablative paint is a relatively soft bottom paint that “scales” off especially when the boat moves. The alternative is a “hard” bottom paint usually used on racing sailboats. These types of paint do not have the same anti-fouling properties as ablative paints. They essentially do not “scale” and can protect a bottom only by virtue of the anti-fouling property without any ablative assistance. The only other type of paint that could have been applied would have been a non bottom paint which would have no anti-fouling properties.

If the contractor in question was dishonest, he would not have applied a hard bottom paint as its cost is approximately equal to an ablative paint and in some cases higher.
It appears that the owner painted the bottom of his boat black. Chris Doyle pointed out in his response that “to make copper based paint another color, you have to add another colorant, which is very unlikely to aid, and quite likely to hinder the anti-fouling properties”. Indeed he is correct and especially in the case of black bottom paints. I have owned and operated marinas for over 30 years and black bottom paints always have had the worst of anti-fouling capacity.

In all businesses competition is present. The bottom paint business is no exception. When the “distributor” of a paint is quoted as saying that he believes that someone is replacing his paint in cans with cheaper paint, he may very well have reason to be suspect. Or in fact, it may be that the contractors, for one reason or another have gone over to another product and his anger at losing the business results in him finding a way to “even the scales”. This often happens in a recession where another distributor gets a “buy” and sends in many gallons of bottom paint to his dealers at a bigger discount. The tradesmen quickly give up their loyalty to one brand and switch to the brand with the better price. At a point like that everyone has a story for the consumer. The distributor who lost out most likely will say that the competitors brand is not as good, the distributor who got the deal will say his competition is overpriced, and the contractors most often will say anything just to get the job. The same holds true for many boatyards. In this case a “boatyard in Tortola” was quoted as saying that they had to re-do several boats that had just got painted in Trinidad”. That is an easy thing to say when someone shows up at the door saying they think they have been cheated. In some cases it may be so and in other cases it is simply a public relations statement designed to agree with the consumer to get his business.

What can this owner do to really determine what happened. The best thing he can do would be to have a chip of the bottom paint analyzed for its properties. This is inexpensive and conclusive. He can either send it to a laboratory and ask what its make is or he can forward it to the paint company whose paint he thought he was purchasing to ask if it is theirs.
If in fact, the paint is not bottom paint, the owner would then have an action against the contractor and possibly against the yard as well. If it turns out that it is their paint, it may be that he received a bad batch or that it was applied wrong. Application is important in bottom painting and in this case the owner indicates that there was “15 years of bottom paint built up in some spots and worn down in others” which resulted in having the bottom taken down to gel coat. Taking a bottom down to gel coat sounds like the right thing to do but often creates as many problems as it solves. A bare bottom must be primed and adhesion becomes a risk. Additionally when bottom paint is applied over primer, some primers and some bottom paints do not mate well and anti-fouling properties can be lost if the bottom paint does not “cure properly”.
The entire matter of bottom paint properties and primers, preparation etc., is much more complicated and technical than most people realize.

COMPASS indicates that it has a policy “of not publishing individual consumer complaints”. Yet this was published “in light of the fact that this might be a more widespread problem”. Such a comment supports hearsay. While I am, and we should all be sensitive to the plight of someone who may have been cheated, we first must determine if in fact they were cheated.
The recession has hit consumers and the marine industry in the Caribbean extremely hard. Jobs in the Caribbean are not easy to come by and in fact many jobs in the marine industry in Chaguaramas have been lost during this downturn. A place like Chaguaramas is a significant support facility for the recreational marine industry and to watch long time marine businesses close there is indeed sad. We must all be vigilant to bring scams to light and avoid being taken advantage of. We must also be very careful not to damage peoples’ reputations without something more than hearsay and commentary. The fact that the bottom paint is not working well, does not prove in itself that the contractor used a non bottom paint or that there is a “widespread scam”. During the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts, hearsay cost many women and even some men their lives. In cases such as this we must be careful that hearsay does not cost people their livelihoods.

There is general agreement that loss of jobs is usually directly related to a rise in crime. Cruising the Caribbean can be a wonderful experience and working to keep crime down is in everyone’s interest. Leaving a “clean wake” is a task much larger than just its environmental implication. We must take responsibility for everything we “throw overboard”!

Free Cruising Guide is pleased to announce the release of the 2nd edition of A Yachtsman’s Guide to Trinidad + Directory by Frank Virgintino. The new edition now includes a directory of vendors in the vicinity of Chaguaramus of importance to cruisers, from boatyards and marine equipment dealers to restaurants and onshore accommodations. Vendors are indexed alphabetically and by product for the convenience of readers.

The purpose of the guide is not to describe how to cruise through Trinidad, but rather, how to optimize what is available in Trinidad in terms of storage and repair facilities for cruisers. The addition of a directory boosts the usefulness of the guide significantly.

A Yachtsman’s Guide to Trinidad + Directory is available as a free downloadable PDF at www.freecruisingguides.com , and now as an Epub at Amazon for Kindle and all other EPub bookstores.

For further information, contact:
Catherine Hebson, Publicist for FreeCruisingGuides.com
cmvhebson@gmail.com