Lessons from the West Indian Sailor

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PinkDiamond
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Lessons from the West Indian Sailor

Post by PinkDiamond »

Some words of wisdom from the ISG, that we can relate to now. ;)

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April 20, 2020

Lessons from the West Indian Sailor


During the years that I lived and worked in the Caribbean I had the honor to meet and make friends with many West Indian people. Given the amount of time there, I had the honor to get to know these folks and learn about the culture and wisdom that so many tourists miss due to the tightly structured view offered by the cruise ships and big resorts. This wisdom had its roots going back to Africa as most of these wonderful people were direct descendants of the African slaves brought to the islands during the plantation days. This knowledge was passed down from generation to generation of the West Indian people. The experiences that I had, the knowledge that I learned back in those years continues to serve me well to this day. One of the most profound days was the day I learned the Lessons from the West Indian Sailor.

During my off hours I rarely hung out at the tourist bars or restaurants. These places were usually filled with Jimmy Buffett Parrothead wannabees that were trying to drink away a year’s worth of corporate stress from back home in a one week visit to the islands. Rather, I preferred the small local bars created by someone building a bar out of old plywood with chairs around it behind their back porch facing the bay. Or a small “restaurant” that was usually just the back yard of a lady who could cook the best boiled conch with jonnie cakes, fungi with rice and peas in the neighborhood. While some might say I was the only white guy there, in truth we did not refer to people based on color such as Black People or White People. We were all just people. In conversation we referred to each other simply as “that light skinned gentleman” or the “dark skinned lady”. We were not defined by race. We were gentleman and ladies and we were simply light skinned or dark skinned. (When I returned to the US, I very much missed this concept)

It was during one of these nights while on Grand Cayman that I met a young West Indian gentleman and struck up a wonderful conversation over our love of open water spear fishing. Not with scuba gear. Spearfishing blue water with scuba gear is for cowards to those of us “island boys”. Snorkel, mask, fins and spear guns out in open ocean. Exciting, adrenalin rush, and dinner on the table if you are lucky. The fish usually get away but the excitement of swimming in the open ocean with huge eagle rays circling underneath you or finding yourself in the middle of a huge school of barracuda, that is living for us.

The evening was made more fun because during the 1990s, Cuba and Cuban products were strictly off limits to US citizens. But on Grand Cayman one could get Cuban rum from the original Bacardi distillery and Cuban Cohiba and Montecristo cigars at the local stores. At the end of the evening the young man told me he had to sail his small sloop sailboat from Grand Harbour over to West Bay to get some minor repairs and return. He asked if I would like to spend the day sailing, which I quickly said: “Yes!”.

We met at the docks at 10am and set off with clear skies and smooth sailing with the wind at our backs. It took just over an hour to get to West Bay and dock at the marina where the repairs would take a couple of hours. We went to a local bar and had island lobster and Red Stripe beers. We returned to the dock to find the boat ready to go and set about to the return trip.

As soon as we made the starboard turn out of the marina we were confronted with a very, very angry sky with dark clouds moving fast towards us. We could feel the cold wind of the outflow of the thunderstorm coming up from the south, and the waves were starting to chop. It is one thing to spend the day in a 22 foot sailboat on a calm sunny day, but a totally different thing to face a strong wind blowing in over the bow with rising seas and several miles ahead of you to get back to home port. I questioned whether we should turn back to West Bay and stay in the marina until the storm passed. The young man told me: “no mon, tings will be OK”.

As we headed south, we seemed to be between two major storm cells, so we found ourselves heading straight into the wind and waves but with little rain. I was getting ready for the action known as “tacking” a sailboat to be able to sail against the wind. This required the boat to sail one direction for a while, keeping the oncoming wind to one side of the boat, then turning the other direction and doing the same. The purpose is to go one direction for a while, then the other to eventually end up somewhere in between those two directions ahead of you. Using the wind to push you one then the other. It takes a very long time to get anywhere and you end up almost broadside to the waves which makes for some very, very rough sailing. The sails must be constantly adjusted causing more time. I had sailed enough in the islands that I knew this was going to be a very rough and very long trip back to where we started. Back and forth, back and forth, and huge waves coming in the whole trip.

Miraculously, this did not happen. It seemed almost magical that we appeared to be sailing directly into…and against….the wind. Rather than having to make wild adjustments to the sails, rather than having to endure broadside waves coming in from port then starboard, port then starboard, we were heading virtually head on to the waves. A rhythmic up and down of the bow with very little motion from port to starboard. We sailed on into these stormy seas almost as if we were on some kind of magic boat.

I finally ask the young man who was looking up at the sails more than watching the seas, “How are you doing this?”.

He pointed up to a small arrow on a swivel at the top of the mast. It was the wind vane. It always pointed directly into the wind. Rather than worrying about trying to avoid every individual wave coming at the boat, rather than making wild adjustments in the tack from port to starboard, he carefully watched the direction of the wind and steered the boat to just the smallest possible variable in direction from port to starboard. Small adjustments keeping the tightest possible direction of travel to our home port rather than focusing on the wind and waves coming at us in growing magnitude. Using the power of the wind coming at him to get home in the shortest time, rather than panicking and making wild moves that would cost both time and distance. No big broadside waves, no major adjustments of the sails, just keeping an eye on the one biggest factor affecting our travel, the wind, and making small careful adjustments along the way.

It was not a fun trip home, but it was an amazing lesson. By concentrating on the little things, the little wind vane, and not the big things like the strong winds and huge waves coming at us, we made it home in what I considered record time. This young West Indian man of about 28 years of age was a better sailor than many old guys I had known living in St. Thomas.

As I read the news this morning about the coronavirus thing coming at us, I thought about that young man and the wind vane and the stormy seas. He got us through it not by looking at the whole stormy sky, rough seas and difficult journey ahead. He got us through it by understanding the situation and keeping an eye on the small thing that would allow him to get us through it much faster and far easier.

I wanted to share this with everyone. If we look at the wild news reports and scary forecasts of what is coming at us, it is possible to make wild tacks in your journey that create even greater stormy seas and a far longer journey than necessary.

For anyone who sees the situation and is asking if you have to worry about your ability to get through this, remember what the young West Indian man told me when I asked if we were in trouble: “no mon, tings will be OK”, then keep your eye on the little things that will get you home.

That is the fastest and easiest way through the storm we face.


Robert James FGA, GG

President, International School of Gemology

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crazy8s
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Re: Lessons from the West Indian Sailor

Post by crazy8s »

8-) :D
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