Dreaded Island Fever (D.I.F.)

To say that Hervé is a little excitable about the Caribbean represents the most understatement one can muster and still remain credible.  I had just returned from the September Dudes Cruise in the British Virgin Islands, the door had not yet closed behind me, when the phone rang.  “We have to go back!” were the first words to come out of the earpiece.

Just guess who that was? 

The Flotilla is Born

Hervé’s brilliant idea was Dudes Cruise II, this time in The Grenadines in April (2003).  Since he and JD  (Daix) could use up their owner time anywhere Sunsail has a base, it made sense to do it out of St. Vincent because, with my boat and their two, we would qualify under International Partying Law as a flotilla.  And with a flotilla, special rules governing behavior, or rather misbehavior, applied.

We liked the flotilla idea and all its privileges, so we went public on TravelTalkOnline to solicit additional boats.  Fellow Barefoot boat owner George Sporer bravely stepped in and committed his Athena 38 Rita Louise and six other unsuspecting future Suspects.  Well-known TTOL contributors Stinky, Carol Cox and her husband Danny volunteered to do “anything” just to get aboard.  We had the personnel to really get noticed in this part of the world.

Later, JD pulled out due to some lame excuse, so we were left with The Usual Suspects, Sharnry (Bahia 46), and Rita Louise.  I had hoped for a larger fleet, but in the end, this bunch proved to be all the tiny region could handle.  Governments were in danger of toppling.

Operation Amber Squall – Our Mission

Our mission was simple – deplete the entire reserves of the Mount Gay rum distillery.  We had the personnel to complete such a mission.  We just needed an operational plan.

I drew up a plan which included the Invasion of The Grenadines and the taking of Mopion.  Hervé gave the mission the name Operation Amber Squall, in reference to that great amber nectar of Barbados – Mount Gay rum.  It was simple, yet ingenious.  Blue Lagoon – Mustique – Tobago Cays – Union – take Mopion – Salt Whistle Bay – Bequia – Blue Lagoon.  Keep the fleet together.  Party as much as possible.  Find out who the biggest bullshitter is.

The Operatives

It was the respective crews on each boat that gave this mission its zing.  On The Usual Suspects, I looked after the important things first.  I signed up perennial Chief Beverage Technician Keeth Stone, the artist formerly known as the Round Man, and made sure he was in.  Always cover your bases my father told me.   I looked to seasoned sailors (and accomplished chefs) Lezli Petersen and Arnis Budrevics, both from my yacht Club, to complete the Suspects team.

Arnis

Lezli

Keeth

Prime Suspect

On Sharnry, Hervé had TTOLers Carol Cox and her husband Danny (from Montreal) lined up, as well as Stinky (Eric Landau, Esq, from Long Island ).  I loaned Tiny, my Master H’ors D’eourves chef and Backup Beverage Technician, to take the final berth. As it turned out, local Free Willy was invited to join later in the trip.

Hervé	Stinky	Tiny
Carol	Danny	Free Willy

Team Rita Louse had some very interesting nicknames:

(Arnis Budrevics photo) Aboard the Rita Louise, L-R:  Terry R. – “Billy Bob” – Alexis, IL Beckey R. – “Lives with Billy Bob” – Alexis, IL Bob G. – “New Jersey Bob” – Osprey, FL Mary Jane T. – “MJ”, “The Navagatrix” – Osprey, FL Bob K. – “Blackbeard”, “Blueberry”, “Ohio Bob” – Toledo, OH Rita Louise Sporer – “The Nurse”, the real Rita Louise – Bettendorf, IA George Sporer – “Quito”, “H2oman” – Bettendorf, IA Clearly not enough Bobs on this boat. Interestingly enough, George is one of four Barefoot owners who bought their boat sight unseen over the Internet.

10,253 Days and Counting . . .

In the months and weeks leading up to the trip, Hervé, Danny, Carol, and Stinky could be observed posting a countdown of the number of days (then later hours, and finally minutes) until departure, on TTOL.  “Twelve more sleeps,” Hervé could be seen writing.  I did not really think about the trip until I threw two pairs of shorts and four T-shirts into a carry-on bag the night before departure.  This is what boat ownership does to you.

SARS Alert

Our departure was coincidental with the outbreak of SARS in Toronto.  Not paying much attention to the news, I thought my crew was speaking of Severe Addiction to Rummers and Sailing, so I was quite surprised to find a large notice board at the Toronto airport.  I did not realize that our lifestyle was so well known to the World Health Organization and that officials considered it a threat.  I always thought the WHO was a rock band.

(Photo by Manuel, airport sanitary engineer )

And what about that dry cough, high fever, and chronic fatigue everybody had?  OK, so we all quarantine ourselves in the Tobago Cays with a case of  Mount Gay and several dozen lobsters.  What’s the big deal?  I’ve experienced worse.

Let The Games Begin

We had not even left Toronto when the fun started.  We were approached by two total strangers in the departure lounge who identified us by name.  It was Carol and Danny from Montreal. I thought they were traveling through New York and was not expecting to see them on the way.  Apparently, they recognized us from our Usual Suspects mug shots.  You cannot misbehave anywhere anymore without being spotted.

Our arrival in St. Vincent was met by a welcome basket on the boat and our mission orders, direct from Seth at Barefoot.  Seth is a retired naval officer and is well-versed in mission objectives.  He wanted to be certain the Barefoot boats performed to specifications.

(Arnis Budrevics photo)

(Arnis Budrevics photo)

We managed to meet all the operatives the night we arrived.  The Suspects enjoyed a great dinner at the Barefoot restaurant, courtesy of George, owner of Rita Louise.  We later hooked up with Hervé, Tiny, Carol, and Danny at the Sunsail bar, and I met Stinky for the first time.  Until then, he was a name on TTOL.  Now we were swapping lies over cold beverages.  It was a great start.

Next morning, we somehow managed to get three boats off the dock and were on our way to Mustique.  For some reason the current was especially strong.  I steered a course that should have taken us well off the windward shore of Bequia, but as we approached Bequia Head, the ever-increasing current pushed us closer and closer.   This gets dangerous because it is possible to have the strong current push you directly on the rocks.  I pressed the Start button on the iron jib and just barely scraped past the Bullet.  I later learned that we were way too close!

If you see the Bullet this close, then you are as dumb as we are. (Arnis Budrevics photo)

The Rita Louise simply could not make the point, and being the purists they are, insisted on sailing.  After a few hundred tacks, they realized that their VMG was less than zero, abandoned their plans to follow, and ducked into Admiralty Bay Bequia.  They caught up with the fleet a few days later on Tobago Cays.

“Mystique”

If anybody has any idea what happened in Mustique, please write.  It is a complete mystery to me.  I was just following orders.

Basil’s Bar, exactly the way I remember it.

Copyright Violation

The fleet’s arrival on Tobago Cays provided a much-needed morale boost to the Boat Boys.  It had not been a good year, and fresh wallets were always welcome.  For me, it was like High School re-union as, one by one, they tied up for a beer and some storytelling.  It is always good to see these guys.

Free Willy, my favorite, was instructed to sell sarongs to the crew of Sharnry and Rita Louise.  I forgot to tell Free Willy NOT to sell the design I bought from him over Christmas to Hervé and Stinky.  However, before you knew it, they had that same red sarong.  You just cannot win.

Plan AA

The Usual Suspects had been experiencing electrical problems.  An hour of tunes and the batteries were low.  Running the diesel did not seem to have much effect.  Vital systems were beginning to shut down, one by one – No CD, no anchor windlass, no bilge pump, no refrigeration.  The shower pump was struggling and the lights were dim.  We were close to losing water pressure and the propane solenoid was hanging on for dear life, which meant we were close to losing use of the stove.  I was close to losing my mind. (Arnis Budrevics photo - right)

We still had rum.

A chase call to Big Earl had him on the Cays just in the nick of time   He diagnosed the problem as a battery excite problem with the alternator.  Using a wire, with what looked like a small roach clip, he bypassed something and coaxed the alternator back to life.  This worked, but only once.  Within another day, I was out of juice again.

I tried calling Barefoot using Hervé’s cell phone, but halfway into the conversation, it conked out.  The cell phone batteries were dead.  Of course, it would have to be that!  I finally got through using Rita Louise’s SatPhone and had Barefoot send a new battery on to Union.

The new battery worked for another two days before it started to go flat.  I now had a serious problem.  Beers were starting to get warm.  I happened to spot Big Earl on the beach in Salt Whistle Bay and made him give me that “roach clip” and show me how to use it.   While it did not cause the alternator to do its job well, it still provided some electrical charge.  These chase calls were beginning to cost me money, and while I like Big Earl as a person, I was not too keen on single-handedly putting his kids through college.  (Arnis Budrevics photo - right)

Now, this would have ruined the lives of most people.  Not me.  I improvised.  I borrowed Stinky’s portable CD player, which ran for over a week at 70 decibels on two measly AA batteries.  At night, we enjoyed the superior ambiance in our “shanty” created by candlelight, probably better than the cabin lights.  I considered stringing several dozen AA batteries in series and running the boat off that.  All in all, it was not that big a deal.  We survived. (Arnis Budrevics photo - left)

This experience caused me to revise my philosophy on life: When Plan A fails, go with Plan AA.  

The Taking of Mopion

The vision was big.  The stakes were high.  The rhetoric was heavy.  We were going for it all – the island of Mopion, and nobody was going to stop us.  Stinky wanted to seize it for the good old Stars and Stripes and rename it Sting Cay.  I was determined to make it the 11^th Province of Canada and I had the Beverage Technicians to back that claim.  We had the liquor cabinet with the capacity to storm the island in an all-out amphibious assault and render everyone incapacitated – talk about Operation Shock and Awe.  Hervé stood no chance of any claim for the Blue, White and Red.  Being French, he surrendered immediately upon hearing the idea.

In the end, there was no invasion.  No shots were poured.  Nobody fell incapacitated. I staged a bloodless coup in cyberspace and Mopion is now Canada’s 11^th Province, as the photo below clearly shows.

(Wirephoto courtesy of CNN)

Our Own Boat Boy

Our arrival in Tobago Cays opened the door for several days of visiting with all my pals – the Boat Boys.  Free Willy spent an entire day helping me drain a cooler of beer.  I was pleased that the crews of Sharnry and Rita Louise had the opportunity to get to know him as well.  (Arnis Budrevics photo - right)

Hervé and Stinky took a particular shining to Free Willy and before long, his boat Arrival could be seen permanently tied to the stern of Sharnry.  They had such a great time that Free Willy was invited to join them for the day sail from Union to Salt Whistle Bay.  So, off they went, with Arrival in tow.  

By the time The Usual Suspects entered Salt Whistle, Free Willy was out in his boat waiting for me, to provide anchoring assistance (free of charge, of course).   A similar service was provided for Rita Louise when they entered.  People on adjacent boats stared in amazement as we entered and anchored, all with the assistance of our own private valet.  “Who are these people,” you could sense them asking. “They have their own Boat Boy.” 

For several days, Arrival stayed tied up to Sharnry.   (Arnis Budrevics photo)

Free Willy was invited to stay in a spare cabin on Sharnry and party with all of us for several days on Mayreau.  Since he had made his sales quota already for the week, (compliments of us – beach BBQ, t-shirts, etc…) he could afford to be on vacation.

When it came time to head off to Bequia, Free Willy was invited to join in that adventure as well.  We partied with him for another few days and had a great time.  We arranged to have him join a friend of mine who was planning a sail from Bequia to Tobago Cays to get him back home.  When it came time to leave, Free Willy was in tears – it was probably his first real vacation ever.  We all had a great time and really appreciated his company.

Free Willy (at right) with Keeth and Danny at Island Paradise  (Danny McAlear photo - except I am confused because he is in it)

We have Free Willy’s cell phone number and call him from our desks at work from time to time.  He of course, is in his boat on Tobago Cays, soaking up the sun, far away from the madness we call our everyday existence.  I take great comfort in knowing that gap can be bridged by dialing eleven digits. 

The Catch of the Day

Rita Louise followed me for the sail from Union to Salt Whistle Bay.  I went ahead and anchored.  As the anchor set, I noticed Rita Louise perilously close to the shoals on the south side of Salt Whistle Bay.  I had assumed she was doing circles, waiting for me to anchor, but this was more than unusual.

Free Willy sensed a problem and raced out to assist.  Sure enough, something was indeed wrong.  The starboard engine had quit for some reason and they were unable to maintain control.  They were less than ten feet from certain disaster when Free Willy threw them a line and towed them to safety.

He towed them in to a clear spot to anchor and threw out their anchor for them.  They drifted back, but at a strange angle.  It was then that one of the crew noticed an unusual line connected to something very heavy dragging on the bottom.  That line was fouled around their prop, explaining the loss of engine power.  They immediately cut that line, and their boat began performing like it should.  Free Willy towed them to a mooring, ending all the excitement.

Later in the day, the crew of Rita Louise took the dinghy and dove on the spot where they cut away the impediment.  To their surprise, a huge fishing trap was attached.  Hey had snagged a fish trap line with their prop, dragged the massive trap a half mile, then brought it ashore.  No wonder they had trouble maneuvering!  (Arnis Budrevics photo - right)

Talk about the catch of the day!