Today we were relaxing in the cockpit anchored 400 yards off Medregal Village, Tetire Ponit, in the Golf of Cariaco, very near a house called Scuttlebutt. We're reading,chilling, working on the new project, and watching some fisherman, they row out each morning or evening from the beach, drop an anchor or drift for a while violently shaking a hook up and down in the water to catch a few fish for dinner, they do this every day and have been I suppose, since they were young. It reminds me of a story one or two cruising people have shared with me but may not have reached the ears of some onshore readers.

 

A story of a fisherman and a tourist on a small Caribbean Island, the fishermans name is Pedro and the tourist is Clive. Clive is a business man, an entrepreneur on holiday relaxing by the beach. Every morning Clive gets up and jogs along the beach for an hour, he cools off in the ocean before chilling out on a sunbed watching the world go by. There is not much to see, but regular as clockwork he observes a fishmermans family living in a hut at the end of the beach. Pedro rises with the sun, his wife and children too, he plays with the kids for a while then gets them to help him push his row boat from the beach into  the sea. Pedro rows out, he anchors a while, maybe an hour or two, he catches some fish, enough for his familiy's lunch and dinner. He rows back, his wife having prepared a breakfast, they sit for an hour and chat, after a while he may play with a makeshift basket ball hoop hanging from a palm tree with the children, or some football. Sometimes he'll take them swimming and teach them to dive and search for shellfish, he loves his family time. Later in the day Clive sees him chill out in a hammock avoiding the heat of the day for a 2 hour siesta.

 

Clive has watched Pedro for a couple of weeks, one day when Pedro returns from fishing Clive wanders over to see his catch. They introduce themselves, Clive asks, Pedro, everyday you row out and catch some fish, good fish, but only 3 or 4,why don't you stay out all day and catch more fish then you could sell your surplus? Pedro replies, Si, Señor, I could but what would I do with the money? Well, within 5 years or so you would have enough money to buy two more boats, then you could employ two men to catch fish for you, Clive tells him. Si Señor, Pedro says but I don't want anymore fish. Clive responds by saying Pedro, you can sell all the extra fish and within another 5 years you'll be able to buy 6 more boats and employ more men, within a few more years you could buy a fish processing plant and export your fish to the city in the wealthier islands, you could buy a luxury apartment in the city, within 20 years you would be a millionaire. Pedro asks, then Clive, what could I do, miles from home in a big city apartment with a million dollars in my pocket. Pedro, Clive replies enthusiastically, Pedro, think man, you could retire, you could buy a small house on the beach of a tranquill Caribbean Island, you could afford to buy a small boat,  you could go and fish for an hour or two, every morning if you wanted, you can take breakfast under the palms with your wife, you can play with your Grandchildren on the beach and take them swimming, you could do whatever you wanted. That is food for thought indeed Pedro said. I'll think about it after lunch when I take my siesta.day,Señor!

 

So thats it for this blog, time for a sundowner I think, rum and coke, with ice, that would be nice, start the genny, charge the batts, make some water, chill the wine and prepare dinner or maybe we'll jump in the dinghy and eat ashore, rum and coke first, then think about it.

 

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