18 06.1N 073 41.7W ISLE DE VACHE, HAIITI
Around the world with the Aqualunies
Jonathan & Gabrielle Lyne
Tue 2 Apr 2019 02:01
As we arrived making our way around the island to get the entrance through the reefs we were met by dozens of young men paddling out to us in their dug out canoes and coming along side holding on to the yacht, we had to ask them as politely as we could to stay away as we did not want the side of the yacht damaged. They were very persistent in offering us everything from cleaning the yacht, to getting fruit, coconuts, etc. As we came around the island there were many traditional sailing boats out fishing. These are local wooden boats with massive sail canvas in order to balance the boats they sometimes have to sit out on boards. I took a few photos which will be downloaded once we are on wifi and not using iridium.
Once we had dropped anchor we were invaded by all these people asking at once and trying to sell us things and show us around the island etc. etc.
Cadet Luxama came on board as a port officer and we had to fill in a few forms etc. but we are not going to go immigration as it is an all day hassle and
we are leaving tomorrow morning for an overnight sail to Cuba. We asked Cadet Luxama what we should do as we could not help everybody who came to us, so he said it is best to go with the first people who greeted us which was Winson in his dug out canoe, a young chap in his 20s I think, he said he would polish our stainless steel and yacht sides and so a negotiation was done for him and his assistant to do it. They were great and did a very good job for a very good price spending all day on the boat. We have another guy coming to dive under the boat tomorrow morning to scrub the bottom as we are loosing about a knot of speed at the moment.
We went ashore to the ‘hotel’ which was closed but still managed to buy a beer up there, we had been hoping to use the wifi but all the electricity was off.
At about 5.30 pm we went ashore for a walk, I am so very sad to say I have never seen so much rubbish and plastic, it was everywhere. Consequently what would be a beautiful tropical island was very much spoilt. The culture is very ‘West Indian’ and they really do not see the rubbish and squalor they live in the smell was terrible. What is so strange is that as we came into the bay there are some very upmarket villas with manicured gardens that look divine.
We bought a couple of lobsters, sadly small, off a fisherman so lobster tonight.