39:02.251N 30:19.206W
SV Eleonora
Michael A. Andronov
Wed 20 Jun 2018 10:25
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UTC 0401
Total millage gone from Antigua – 2242.2 nm Millage gone from Flores – 45nm. That means that there are still about 90nm to go to Horta… We are motor sailing. I knew we would gambling with
the wind on that leg of the passage… And that exactly what has happened – nice
wind and progress till midnight…
And shortly after I’ve been waken up by the screams of the autopilot, who - because of the complete absence of the wind – did not know what to do… Stabilised the boat… and motor sailing since… Which is OK, which has been kind of expected… The wind is slowly coming back… and who knows… we are still gambling… Is today another milestone? The Caribbean part
of the journey is over, indeed. Even the clock(s) on the boat are switched
to UTC --- it seems that it would be our time zone for a while…
Caribbean Islands… The cruising dream of many
yachtsmen and yachtswomen… It has been mine too… I arrived on St.
Martin in late December 2016, I left Antigua on May 29th,
2018… And all that time, except for the two month trip to Columbia – I
spent on the islands. I’ve visited them all, except
Barbados, Trinidad & Tabago… I’ve went through them twice – down
and up… I was not in rush, and spent – for different reasons – long enough
time on each and every of them. Sometimes – a tiny bit too
long…
There has been no shortage of fantastic time… Visits of
friends from Canada, getting closer and closer to the boat, bonding with
her… Endless beaches… Beautiful water… Spectacular sunsets and Green
splashes… Learning to dive…
Most importantly – contacts with a lot of new
people, some became a real new friends…
It has been time of a lot of discoveries – about
myself, about the world around… and, probably and hopefully, about our
coexisting together in love. 😉 I remember vividly the day in March
2017, on St. Martin, on the trip from the Grand Case to Marrigot… when the
decision to keep sailing arrived… I remember how proud I was
declaring that the next sailing guide book has been ‘read – sailed
through’…
I remember how many challenges has been solved, and how
many different puzzels each Island brought… Each of them is so
different, in terms of local people, customs, history… and today
everyday life… The last --- is probably the most interesting and
intriguing…
I still do not understand at all how the economy on the
majority of the islands is working… I still do not understand – how being
separated by so small distances -- in most cases, how
maintaining everyday relationship between the islands – they manage to remain so
different and isolated from each other…
All above said…
The Islands are toxic… No, not in terms of ecology – that is ok, and the last thing you should be worrying about. The Islands are toxic in terms of impact they produce on
you, in terms of the way they are changing you… Very slowly… but surely…
There is a reason why so many people have lost their
sailing dreams in that Wonder Land… Some realised that,
dropped their dreams, returned to the ‘normal life on land’… Some
are still in that Wonder Land, being sure that they are leaving their
cruising and sailing dream… But they are not… The cruising and sailing
component of their life – long time gone… And slowly those people are
creating another ‘social layer’ around those islands… becoming integral
part of them, their subculture…
It became clear now…
But have seen it basically from day 1…. People on BVI(s)… my records in spring 2017 about people in the lagoon on St. Martin… My reference to the sailors on Grenada dated 2015, and my experience with Grenada on that trip, mostly in 2017… Before continue, I would like to stress and to
accent two things …
What I’m going to say – very biased. Secondly, what I’m going to say – my very personal view, and it may not, and should not be aligned with political correctness, or anybody else opinion… During my trip , I’ve met a lot of great and talented
people. Locals, people, who moved from the main land to the islands (
immigrants ? I would say so, but they do not call themselves immigrants…
). My diving instructor Josh ( Grenada ), the guy in machine shop on
St. Kitt… business people in Grand Case, St. Martin, the
guide, Ronald, who gave me the tour on Dominica into rain forest, or
the fishman on Dominica, who told me how better to dock my dinghy… etc.
etc. ( I know, naming a few – I put myself in the corner… There are many
others… The point I’m trying to make – those people are plenty, all over the
island chain… )
And nevertheless… Those islands, regardless of
jurisdiction, are the 3rd world countries... with overall mentality of the
3rd world country… And the moment you arrived to the island – this mentality
slowly started to ‘poison’ you… ‘Caribbean time’, we started to
joke… stop paying attention to the garbage, in the bushes and corners of
the road… Absence of fruits, and disappearance of local produce,
farming – stop surprise us… attempt to milk the last possible money from
passing by ‘foreigners’ - getting be
accepted… And that is the beginning…
Longer you are soaked into that 3rd world subculture –
more damage it is making… and you are becoming one of them… part of
it…
I’m lucky. I hope I stepped out in time…
A few days on Flores – have been kind of antidote. Working on the streets of that tiny town, talking to people, looking around, sitting in the café… shopping… I do not know how that ‘medicine’ or magic works…
But it brought the spotlight on all experience over Caribbean saga,
bringing it to the reality, to real colours and lights…
I got a dream. ( Should I say – ‘ I got
a thought’ ? To avoid a famous cliché ? )
My dream / thought is that it would had be nice if each person, involved in the politics, were obliged to pass the test and to get the license to govern… The test, when he or she spent certain amount of time in the 3rd world subculture, let it started to eat from inside… and then – jump into normal world… In order he or she remember that feeling, which so difficult to describe… But which, like kind of the contrast shower, suddenly waking you up, and let you to look differently on the life around you…. I know it is a dream… But a nice one… But ‘living your dreams is as important as fighting with your nightmares… ‘ – another lesson I brought from my Caribbean trip… Caribbean behind… With a bit of triste… With good memories… With a lot of gained… I know, I wrote it before, another lesson from the trip –
every time the island is disappearing behind… look on horizon ahead. And the
contours of the next one will appear… Just keep the eyes on horizon, if
you do not see it right away…
We are moving to Horta…
Everything is fine… M.
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