Ile a Vache, Haiti - January 2018
Hispaniola, Greater Antilles - January 2018 Haiti, Ile a Vache Sitting out the blow at anchor in George Town, Bahamas a massive and very uncomfortable 46.9 knots was recorded! Our anchor held but we had little sleep. During the wait for a weather window to head off, we gratefully received assistance from a fellow cruiser to get our SSB up and running. Ours wasn’t transmitting or receiving over the large distances that it should. SSB radio is not only useful to keep in contact with other boats out of VHF range, but Chris Parker, the Northern Atlantic and Caribbean weather guru, transmits twice daily offshore weather reports and offers advice on when best to set sail and what to expect once out at sea (very useful when it is not possible to check weather reports via the internet). Looking ominous! Changing the SSB aerial I took advantage of daily aqua-aerobics at the beach, even in the rain and we walked up to the monument for enhanced views across the bay. On Friday 12 January we went ashore to check out of the Bahamas with Customs and Immigration. $70 for the piece of paper allowing us to leave The Bahamas! On Saturday 13 January we waved goodbye to our long time sailing buddies on Aura and Tourterelle as they were heading for Jamaica. We would no doubt meet up again in the future.
George Town (Great Exuma, Bahamas) to Ile a Vache, Haiti: 455 miles, 77.5 hours (3 days, 5.5 hrs), 63.8 engine hours, 5.9 knots average speed. Total miles since leaving Falmouth: 9688.4 We set off in pouring rain, no wind and very little visibility! We had a complete mixture of weather during the passage, some motoring, some motor sailing and some good sailing. We also picked up a passenger! There was a considerable amount of large shipping traversing the Windward passage – the channel between Cuba and Haiti. This always makes for an interesting watch, especially at night. A collision with one of these bad boys could only end in tears! Fortunately there were no tears 😊 Our hearts sank when our motor decided to cut out. We couldn’t face going through all the engine issues we’d had the previous year. We were however, unsurprisingly unflustered, I guess because we were away from land, not in imminent danger and had plenty of time to go through the unforgotten motions of getting it started. There was sufficient wind to keep us sailing and eventually she fired up. We concluded (hoped) it was due to the shaking up of the fuel tanks due to the rolly seas, disturbing any crud in the bottom of the tank and being sucked into the fuel line/engine. During our passage we caught a 1m long Barracuda with enormous teeth which we didn’t fancy eating (not realising at the time they are actually very tasty), our fear being it may have been carrying the unpleasant disease Ciguatera. At least we were able to share news of our catch with Tourterelle, during an SSB conversation we were no able to have! Not the most glam of pics; dreadful infact – I blame the taker!! Big teeth Barracuda During one of my night watches I’d tried to wake Ken at 0130 hrs for a shift change, but he was so sound asleep I decided to leave him. However, at 0200 hrs, there was an almighty thud against the hull. I’d obviously hit something but being pitch black dark couldn’t see a thing in the water. This is always a risk with night sailing. It could have been a log, fishing pot, submerged container – we would never know. Fortunately it didn’t hole the boat, but it certainly woke Ken up for his shift! It took a good while for my heart rate to return to normal. We approached the South coast of Haiti as the sun was rising. The mountains were spectacular; a complete contrast to what we’d been used to in the Bahamas. The anchorage at Ile a Vache (Baie a Feret), a large island 5 miles South of Haiti, with 15000 inhabitants, was stunning with its pretty coloured houses/shacks and coconut trees amongst other flourishing greenery.
We were shattered having been at sea for 3 days and nights so basically, with the use of hand signals and pigeon French arranged for them to come back at 0900 hrs the following day. At 0800 hrs, they were banging on the sides of the boat – all 20 of them, keen to start work. We made a big mistake letting them all on the boat together; it was chaos. We made a deal at $2/hour (the going rate!); some cleaned the stainless stanchions, some sanded peeling varnish, some scrubbed the bottom, some washed the hull, some removed some old filler, some cleaned the bimini (all work we could have done ourselves, but it was good to put at least something into the community). It is expected to provide snacks/biscuits whilst they work so we had to send one of the lads to the little shop to purchase some. He tried to charge us a ridiculous amount, yet still came back with bucket loads even at a quarter of the price! We learned that they didn’t work to their full potential with so many on board – too much distraction, however, come 1300 hrs the work was done (in a fashion) and we would no longer be pestered, or so we thought. Daily, different boat boys would come along asking for work, but this got less and less as time went on, thankfully! We were frequently offered fish, small lobsters, bananas, coconuts and asked for t-shirts, caps, backpacks, pens/paper and headphones (we gave what we could) and “please ‘capatain’, you charge my phone”! They are also desperate for sail cloth for their fishing boats. We discovered there is no electricity on the island. Power production is by solar panels and generators. If one fortunate enough to own a generator starts it up, all the local ‘kids’ flock to the property to have their electronic gadgets charged! They constantly ask for food, yet all have mobiles. Priorities I guess ……😊 When we arrived we didn’t have a Haitian courtesy flag to hoist up our mast. One of the boat boys said he’d bring us one for $5 (cheap!). He paddled off and came back with a plastic flag approx. 3” x 2” – the sort you’d put on top of a cake! Luckily another of the boys was able to source a proper flag! The neighbouring boat, Tandameer (Sequoia-Skipper and Lillian-Crew) invited us for sundowners. Sequoia had been to Ile a Vache a lot during the past 8 years doing humanitarian work so we were able to pick his brains. Lillian had done lots of exploring too. Ile a Vache – Island of Cows – got its name from the Spanish ships carrying cows on board and when they discovered the island they left the cows ashore as a claim to the land, for their return. However, they didn’t return for a long time and the cows had multiplied many times over and literally covered every square inch. William, the ‘harbour master’, took our passports and paperwork over to the mainland in his clapped out old motorboat (the envy of the majority of the locals), to check in for us – for a fee!! For us to go would have been a great deal of hassle so we were happy to pay, even though it was more than originally quoted (perhaps just a mis-communication!). William, the ‘Harbour Master’ Junior was our guide for the wonderful four mile walk through various villages, along various tracks, to the market, with Lillian also. We saw mango, almond and banana trees. The women carried their produce in baskets on their heads. The market at Madame Bernard’s was chaotic and fascinating to watch. We gave Junior a list of items we required as we would have been charged more than double, being seemingly rich white people. Photographs are taken from a distance as some of the locals won’t let you take them; some believe it ‘captures your soul’ but some believe we would make lot of money by selling them!
The ground is literally littered with litter! A thick blanket. Garbage disposal does not exist. When asked about it, they say ‘what litter!’. They simply don’t see it. Plastic bottles etc. belong on the ground.
We ate at a local restaurant with Sequoia and Lillian. Restaurants are people’s homes. They prepare the food in the dark saving their one light to illuminate the patio (dining area). We were the only ones around the only table. The food was cheap, $10/head and delicious – lobster in coconut sauce, fried fish, pickly (spicy coleslaw), fried plantain and rice. Lillian and Sequoia – Tandameer We duly listened to Chris Parkers weather broadcast which wasn’t good. There were some strong winds coming in making Easterly travel nigh-on impossible. We would be here for a while. Sequoia invited us to join him and Lillian on Tandameer to go over to the mainland – Les Cays, the second largest city in Haiti. They were collecting guests. Again the waterline was a carpet of rubbish with pigs and chickens ferreting about. The buildings were tumbling down and the potholed streets littered with people selling everything and anything. Old cars, trucks and pickups loaded to the brim with locals hanging off them filled the streets amongst the hundreds of scooters whizzing about, not appearing to adhere to any road rules. Perhaps there simply aren’t any! Jimmy (a nick name; they don’t like to be called by their real names), a local whom Sequoia had adopted and was paying for his schooling at $450/year, was our guide and did our shopping; some fruit and vegetables and a sim card for Ken’s phone. We had to get a scooter to the larger supermarket, Ken and I on the back of one and Lillian and Jimmy on the back of another. I can’t even begin to put into words the nightmare of that journey! We lived to tell the tale and put it down to an ‘experience’. The guests were very late arriving, well into the night, due to a road block – a demonstration to free someone from jail. It was very tricky getting them and their luggage on the boat due to the high winds and big waves that had descended. It was good to be back in the sheltered anchorage aboard Lady Rebel and reflect on a both enjoyable and educational day.
One evening we ate at a hotel restaurant, high up, overlooking a beautiful sandy beach and the stunning mountains of Haiti in the distance. We met three aid workers, two from Ireland and one from the US. Two had been living on the island for five and fifteen years assisting with the welfare of the people and trying to educate them to be more self-sufficient. The horror stories we heard of the orphanages were shocking. Adults and children with severe disabilities living in squalid conditions. Tom, a professor from the US, from the merchant maritime training ship that we had seen in Cape Cod Massachusetts, USTS Kennedy, was in Ile a Vache with students, awaiting arrival of the ship carrying aid supplies i.e. protein powder, nappies, medical supplies, desks, solar panels. We went out to see the ship unload the goods into local fishing boats. The students were taking control of the logistics as part of their training. It was tricky due to the big waves and unloading the other end was even more difficult without the use of cranes or forklifts. That afternoon we went exploring with Lillian to Kaykok, Abaca Bay and Anse de L’eau, through various villages and plantations. It was amazing to see their way of life. A group of children joined us for a good couple of miles. Of course they wanted paying for being our guides, but it was worth it.
We visited the well and pump house that Sequoia had installed enabling water to be pumped to various villages. His latest project was to install the solar panels that had arrived on the ship to power the pump house. We assisted in taking measurements, marking out where the posts and panels were to go etc.
The next day my leg was agony, very red, hot and swollen up like an elephant’s. I couldn’t move my knee so immediately started a course of antibiotics that we carry for just such emergencies! I was boat bound for the next five days so Ken assisted Sequoia and his team installing the solar panels. Another US boat came in with an ex dental surgeon on board; apparently his clientele were the rich and famous, making perfect smiles for the movie stars! He kindly looked at my leg and advised it was actually an allergic reaction, maybe to an insect bite and antihistamines would also be beneficial. This was a great relief to hear. The redness and swelling eventually disappeared leaving just a small lump! A second boat came in called Poets Lounge. They had lost their original boat in the hurricanes last year and were sailing their new one from the US back to the Virgin Islands where they operated a day charter business. Onboard they had a guitar, speakers and amplifier as the skipper also liked to play and sing in the local bars on St Thomas Virgin Island. He arranged a music evening which attracted lots of the locals. They love their music and dancing. Infact music is played very loudly all day and well into the night. Some of the aid workers were giving music lessons which the children loved. They made drums and instruments out of wood and other bits and pieces. Even the two year olds love to dance and have amazing rhythm. Ile a Vache was definitely an eye opener for us in its poverty and way of life. Those children privileged enough to attend school were still immaculately presented. Some children only attended school when their parents had enough money to send them. The people were happy, very welcoming and we felt safe for the complete two weeks we were there. That reminds me of a little story during our first few days of arrival. The day after the boat boys had been working on the boat, Ken heard from William the Harbour Master, that one of them, Bernardo, wasn’t happy that we’d shared the work out between them all. Bernardo was actually the first one to approach us whilst we were anchoring, by about 3 seconds, and therefore felt he should have been given all the work. Apparently he said he was going to put a cutlass right through Ken. I wasn’t aware of this; Ken fortunately/thankfully thought it wise not to tell me. That night I couldn’t sleep as it was hot and humid with no air circulation and mosquitos insisting on feasting on me, so I decided to get up, make a cuppa and read a book. In order not to disturb Ken I used a torch. I was quietly padding about at about 0100 hrs, waiting for the kettle to boil when Ken came flying out of our cabin at full speed, absolutely starkers, chest puffed out and arms poised for a fight. Scared the living daylights out of me. He’d woken and seen the torch light in the saloon, thinking it must be Bernardo armed with cutlass! I think he was pleasantly surprised to see me (for a change!). Whilst telling the story to our fellow cruisers some while later, he did confess he didn’t know how arms poised for a fight would win over a cutlass!! Maybe the shock of his nakedness would have scared off any intruder! Incidentally, Bernardo was as nice as pie, even ice cream, whenever we saw him, so maybe William the Harbour Master was just having a little joke at our expense!! 😊 |