Despite
our best efforts, not every adventure is about palm trees,
deserted beaches, sun, sand, and rum.
Every now and then, Mother Nature intervenes and
reminds us all exactly who is in charge.
Our November 1999 trip to St. Lucia and Martinique
was exactly that – a reminder.
The
plan was simple. Round Man, Tiny, and
myself would arrive in St. Vincent on
November 13. We
would pick up the boat and work our way up to Martinique,
with brief stops in Bequia, The Pitons, Marigot Bay, Rodney
Bay, Le Marin, and finally Anse Mitan.
Gord would arrive on November 19 in Martinique, and
we would all leisurely work our way back down to St.
Vincent. Simple.
What
actually happened was much different, thanks to an uninvited
guest, Hurricane Lenny.
Lenny was a late-season Hurricane that formed in the
Caribbean, then proceeded to defy every weather forecast and
headed east. Because
hurricanes
almost always head westward, it earned the nickname
“Wrong-Way” Lenny.
This unusual behavior caused a lot of damage to the
unprotected westward facing shores of the entire island
chain. It also
ruined my tan.
If
any of you remember the cartoon character Mr. Magoo, you
will remember that he constantly skirted dangerous
situations, but because his eyesight was limited to about
six inches, he never knew.
This describes perfectly the experiences of The
Usual Suspects on this trip.
We repeatedly missed potentially troublesome
situations without even knowing of the dangers around us.
We passed right by destruction and remained unaware
until it was pointed out several days later.
I do not know how this happened, but I’m thankful
it worked out that way.
Here
is our story.
