I ATE FLIPPER (and went to Sea World)

St. Maarten – I have been following the discussion over the building of a Dolphinarium. The local paper and Facebook are abuzz with it. Now comes my terrible confession: I have eaten dolphin steak, yes, dolphin … flipper—not mahi-mahi. And to compound my crime, I own up to visiting Sea World.

I once worked as a commercial fisherman, in fact, I owned a fishing boat. We were docked in a small port in Brittany, France, when the deep-sea fleet came in. The fishermen, against all the rules, would harpoon a dolphin while on their way home. It had been a tradition for years. Maybe they still do, I don’t know. I hope not. Anyway, one of the fishermen was a friend and he invited us to dinner where we were served dolphin steaks. The steaks, thick, red and rare, were lovingly cooked by his wife and served in our honor.

Before Dolphin Defenders start baying at my door, I should say that this happened many years ago.

Both experiences left me with a deep feeling of unease.

Since those days, I have sailed thousands of miles. Crossed the Atlantic a few times – alone and with crew – sailed the Mediterranean, cruised the Bahamas, US eastern seaboard and the Caribbean.

On those voyages, I learned about dolphins and what it is to be free.

For dolphins the ocean, in all its moods, is home. They dance in the wild waters of the storm and are at peace in the calms. At night, beneath a million stars, I have seen them cutting through the phosphorescence like torpedoes, leaving a trail of diamonds in their wake. Below, tucked up in my bunk, a thousand miles from land, I have heard their song. Once, while in the cockpit, a mother brought her calf to look at this stranger from another world. I leaned over the gunwale and watched as she swam alongside. Keeping herself between the boat and her calf, she rolled and looked into my eyes. She did this several times and then sped away.

That night, in my loneliness, I cried.

I have come to realize that, like half-cooked broccoli in overpriced restaurants, visits to Sea World and dolphin steaks, we can be coerced into accepting just about anything.

Dolphins must remain free: St. Maarten does not need a dolphin circus. St. Maarten and its people are better than that. Don’t let them force this through. Say no to the dolphinarium.

Bugger 'elf and Safety, let's raft across the Atlantic! The amazing voyage of An-Tiki

The world needs more rafters!

The arrival in St. Maarten of the raft An-Tiki caused quite a stir. I was on the dock at the St. Maarten Yacht Club when the raft and its crew, Anthony Smith (85) David Hildred (57) Andrew Bainbridge (56) and John Russell (61) were towed through the Simpson Bay Bridge and into the lagoon at the end of their 66-day voyage from the Canary Islands. I didn’t Blog about it at the time but it was certainly worth a big mention.

The man behind the voyage, Anthony Smith, is a well know explorer who, amongst many other things, lists flying over the Alps in a balloon on his rather impressive CV. Anthony also presented a science program on British TV. The oldest member of the crew, Smith made headlines when he celebrated his 85 birthday in mid-ocean and his fellow rafters made him a cake. Images of the event went around the world and appeared on most major news networks.

The voyage of An-Tiki raised money for the charity WaterAid and the raft itself was built out of Polyethylene water pipes supplied by GPS PE Pipe Systems in the UK. “WaterAid is a very good cause. We’re very happy to be promoting them. We had a great trip and we can say that WaterAid can benefit,” said Smith shortly after stepping ashore.

Sailing Master David Hildred described how, when the rudders broke shortly after leaving the Canaries, they were able to steer by means of four dagger boards, one at each corner of the raft, and a long sweep attached to the stern. “We managed to get this incredible vessel to track very well, not only dead downwind, but on broad reaches and even on a beam reach,” he said.

An-Tiki’s crew has returned to the real world, leaving the raft at anchor in French St. Martin. I see her every day and still marvel at her amazing voyage and think about the adventurers who brought her across an ocean.

The voyage of An-Tiki may not be over. When the raft left the Canaries, the plan was to head for the Bahamas. According to Hildred, that voyage north might still happen!

Anguilla Regatta. Great sailing but where’s the mix up?

What a fabulous weekend! Acres of grey cloud kept the sun at bay and made the 9th Anguilla regatta even more enjoyable. I know, if you live in a colder, less sunny clime, you think I’m nuts, but sitting on the windward rail in the blazing tropical sun can, at times, be demanding. Of course, there is always cold beer and sometimes champagne to relieve the dehydration, there’s even water for those who like it!

The Anguilla Regatta has roller-coasted through many changes since the first event back in 2002. In the early days, the regatta made much of its logo ‘Go Mix Up’. This was an attempt to bring together the crews of the local racing sloops and the yachtsmen taking part in the regatta. The idea was to ‘mix up’ the crews. It worked for a while and I took the opportunity to race on an Anguillian Sloop, an experience I will never forget and one for which I will always be grateful. Unfortunately, the ‘mix up’ no longer happens. The locals have their race, the yachts their regatta and, instead of coming together, the two have gone their separate ways.

Is there hope of the two groups getting back together? Yes, there is, and it’s thanks to the work of the Anguilla Regatta who channel the funds generated by the event into the Anguilla Youth Sailing Program. Youngsters who go through the program will eventually take their sailing skills into the traditional sloops, thus replacing a generation that think winning a race is down to dogged determination as much as sailing technique.

While the yachtsmen compete for trophies that in Anguilla amount to a bottle of champagne, the local sloops will only race for cash. I refuse to get drawn into this argument, after all, the Budget Marine Match Race, held during the buildup to the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, put up a purse of $10,000 to be shared between the winners. Try explaining that!

However, the irony of all this is that the Anguilla Sailing Association, supported by the non-profit Anguilla Regatta, and generous donations from certain businesses and individuals, has a sailing school that is teaching numerous local children to sail and producing some of the top young sailors in the Caribbean. And while many in the community give back, when it comes to the country’s national sport, others ask what’s in it for me?

This year’s Anguilla Regatta was superb. Next year the regatta celebrates its tenth year. Let’s hope by then it will be more ‘mixed up’. For details and results, visit: http://anguillaregatta.com

I would like to thank our hosts the Anguilla Regatta, the Pump House and Ripples Restaurants in Sandy Ground and the Straw Hat Restaurant in Meads Bay. Thanks also to CuisinArt Resort & Spa for their superb hospitality, and to Wendell Connor’s Taxi Service & Car Rental, who came to our rescue. Captain Garth Steyn of the St. Maarten Sailing School and Captain Ian Hope-Ross of Kick ‘em Jenny deserve special thanks for inviting me to race on their boats, and thanks go to Alice and Reg who did a great job driving the press boat. As always, our friends Richard and Maryse West of the schooner Charm III looked after us in fine style.

St. Maarten's Yachting Season. The Good the Bad and the downright Ugly

Dutch St. Maarten is still charging exorbitant fees for yachts to enter the Simpson Bay Lagoon. This is reflected in the amount of cruising boats anchored on the Dutch Side. Driving along the edge of the lagoon, the border is clearly marked by the number of yachts anchored north of the line, in French St. Martin. In an effort to win back the smaller boats, Dutch St. Maarten did reduce the bridge/anchoring fees, however, it seems to have done little and the majority of cruising boats still favor the French side where, for now, there is no charge to anchor.
Most of the Caribbean regattas claim to have had successful events although most say their numbers were down. Our own St. Maarten Heineken Regatta dazzled as always and although we had fewer yachts, mainly amongst the bareboat fleet, the quality of boats and crews taking part shone through. More and more big names in ocean racing are making the Heineken a ‘must do’ and the one day Budget Marine Match Race, prior to the main event, is bringing much attention to the island as top match racers chase a purse of $10,000.
One thing for certain, the yachting season is winding down and I can’t recall ever seeing our marinas, which offer temporary home to ever-growing numbers of megayachts, so empty this early in the year. Talk amongst the crews is that fewer of the ‘blessed’ chartered this season and so the big yachts just sat at the dock. And here’s the kicker: more owners are coming to realize that it can be cheaper to sit at a dock in the Mediterranean or North America, so lets get the f**k out of Dodge.
St. Maarten is a success story. It rebuilt after the devastating hurricane of 1995 and went on to become the Yachting Capital of the Caribbean. With success came ever increasing prices. The cost of having boat work done went through the roof. Hourly rates mirror that of a lawyer. With more Caribbean marinas coming on line every year, as everyone fights for a piece of the lucrative yachting pie, I like to think prices will come down.
Then again, I though I would never see myself buying a GPS and look where that got me.

Fire at Sea. A sailor's Nightmare

Recently I heard news of two catastrophic fires, the first on a chartered catamaran in Anguilla, and the second on the famous Rachel Pugh 75 Titan during Antigua Race Week. Investigations into the fires are underway but everything points to faults in the electrical systems.
We almost lost our classic yacht Driac II to an electrical fire while cruising the Caribbean. We were heading for the Virgin Islands on a rare windless day. The engine was rumbling and rattling away when suddenly the cabin filled with smoke. I dashed below and was almost overcome by fumes. Groping around, I managed to turn off the main switch, stop the engine, and rip out a handful of smoldering cable from behind the engine control panel. This was enough and the fire went out. Once the fumes had cleared, I checked the fire extinguishers and, sure enough, like everything else on our old boat, they were way out of date.
Looking back, I remember being shocked by the amount of fumes generated by such a small fire. It made me think just how difficult it would be to put out a fire that really took hold. If you couldn’t extinguish it quickly, then chances are you wouldn’t extinguish it at all.
It’s frightening just how many crews don’t know where the fire extinguishers are located. Even worse, and here I speak from experience during a fire ashore, is grabbing a fire extinguisher only to find that when you hit the trigger it fails to go off.
Perhaps now is a good time to check your emergency equipment and brush up on firefighting techniques.