It’s rather unusual how these trips begin.  Out of the blue, and for no specific reason at all, I send an E-Mail to Barefoot Yacht Charters to reserve the boat.  I type a few words and press “send”.   When the confirmation comes back several minutes later, an adventure is born.  It’s that easy.

The April 2000 trip was no different.  It was January, an inch of snow was on the ground, it was minus twenty outside, and I had just spilled my coffee.  That’s it; I’ve had it, off to the Caribbean!

The other Suspects don’t usually find out for several days, and always by accident.  While talking on the phone to one of them, I remember, “Oh right, I almost forgot to tell you, I’ve booked the boat in April for ten days, and you’re coming!”  You see it’s even easier for them.

The Obstacles

I have discovered through experience that these trips must be booked well in advance using secrecy and deceit.  The “Last Minute Club” does not work effectively with the Suspects.  Previous efforts to head down on a whim have been thwarted by birthday parties for dead relatives, garbage day, Fifteen Days of 007, or a trip to the barber.  But trick the Suspects into committing four months in advance, have them pay for non-refundable airline tickets, and they’ll abandon their jobs in the middle of any crisis.

Once you get down to the final month before departure, respective employers will attempt to throw one last curve ball at you to make sure that you never get a moment’s peace in your entire life.  Usually it’s trivial, but to the employer, you’d swear Judgment Day had arrived.  “You can’t leave us in our moment of greatest need, who will water the plants?”  they plead.  I produce my trump card at this point.  “I’m going on vacation,” I tell them.  Note that this is a statement, not a question.  “Do you want me to come back to work when I return?”  That is a question, the only one. 

For this trip, I successfully tricked Tiny and Round Man into committing, but was unable to outmaneuver the very well-prepared employer of Gord Burt.  Papers needed to be shuffled.  Lives would be lost if they let Gord go for more than a few hours.  Winston was pressed into service as an alternate.  He wanted to join us on previous trips since he was interested in joining the Barefoot fleet as an owner.  I offered him the kitchen table berth.  Despite the fact that mechanical devices fall apart in his very presence, I felt that this risk could be mitigated with a 24-hour “Winston Watch”, just to make sure he didn’t touch anything.

Flying to St. Somewhere

The boat is in St. Vincent, which is at the far southeast end of the Windward Islands.  This lightly populated paradise, with its tiny airport, is not exactly serviced by an hourly jumbo jet shuttle.  “You can’t get there from here” is often used in the same sentence as St. Vincent.

From my hometown Toronto, getting there is surprisingly simple.  I call Colin at Marville Travel and for $825 CAD, I receive a ticket next day by courier.  This entitles me to board a 5-hour Air Canada daily non-stop to Barbados, sit for 2 hours at an outdoor bar, and then hop on a 30-minute BWIA or LIAT turboprop to St. Vincent.  Leave Toronto at 9:30 AM and you are pouring your first rummer on the boat by 8:00 PM.  The other Suspects know the trip is for real when their tickets arrive.  Up until then, they have only heard that the boat is booked.  Now they each owe me $825.

The Plan

Everybody needs a plan.  Even in the Caribbean.  I insist on one, only to ensure we don’t injure ourselves trying to do something stupid like sail the boat too much. 

I have discovered that the whirlwind tour (9 anchorages in 9 days) is fine for rock stars, but is inappropriate for getting to know the intimacies of Caribbean life.  When locals see you back for a second or third day, they really open up to you, and all sorts of great opportunities present themselves.  By developing a sail plan that leans toward more time in fewer destinations, you are well positioned to take advantage of such opportunities.

The preliminary April 2000 plan looked something like this:

• Fri. Mar. 31, 2000 – Fly to SVD, provision at supermarket beside airport, dinner at Young Island Cut.
• Sat. – Check boat out, sail to Mustique, dinner and party at the Firefly.
• Sun. – Sail to Tobago Cays, lazy afternoon, lobster dinner aboard.
• Mon. – Snorkel all day on Tobago Cays, fish dinner aboard.
• Tue. – Snorkel on Tobago Cays, noon motor to Union, night out at Lambi’s.
• Wed. – Clear Customs, sail to Hillsborough, Carriacou, with dinner ashore. *
• Thu. – Day on Carriacou.
• Fri. – Sail to Union, Clear Customs, on to Saline Bay, evening at Island Paradise.
• Sat. – Day in Saline Bay, evening at Righteous & de Youths.
• Sun. – Early sail to Bequia, day on the island, dinner at Mac’s Pizzeria.
• Mon. Apr. 10 – Early motor to Blue Lagoon, check boat in, to airport, fly home.

* If we did not feel like taking in Carriacou, we could advance the Saline Bay schedule and add a few extra days in Bequia.

I circulated the plan to the other Suspects in an effort to appear democratic.

The Wait

With the boat booked, team committed, fun tickets in hand, and the plan approved, all we had to do was scratch “X”’s on the calendar in countdown.  It was that simple.