Expert ex·pert/ˈekspərt/
Noun: A person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area.
Adjective:
Having or involving such knowledge or skill.
Synonyms:
noun. specialist - connoisseur - adept - judge - master
adjective. skilled - skilful - skillful - proficient - adept

Professional pro·fes·sion·al/prəˈfeSHənl/ Noun: A person engaged or qualified in a profession.

Opinion o·pin·ion/əˈpinyən/
Noun: A view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. (my italics)
The beliefs or views of a large number or majority of people about a particular thing.
Synonyms:
view - judgement - judgment - mind - notion - idea

I remember back when we were getting ready to go cruising. We read books by those who have gone before, we spoke with people who had been there and done that, and generally tried to get information as we went along, just to try to make the best decisions that we could. There is a ton of information out there on the internet... Google "Sailing the Caribbean blogs" and a plethora of them come up. There are numerous forums where cruisers and cruiser wannabe's discuss various aspects of cruising. At "The Nautical Mind" Bookstore in Toronto (a most excellent place for all information nautical, by the way), they have a whole category on "Cruising" with over 150 books (and 12 subcategories, too). "An Embarassment of Mangoes" was a hit across the board, and the sequel "The Spice Necklace" has a huge following, too, with cruisers, wannabe's and couch cruisers (both books grace our bookshelf).

There is also a saying "Ask three sailors a question, and get four opinions in return", and other derivatives of that nature. That is the interesting thing in all of these forms of "information"... it is almost all opinion . We read one book that swore ketches were the best thing since sliced bread as a cruising rig, and another book which pooh-poohed split rigs for various reasons. Some examples were the reason the other author liked them. Consensus is rarely found. Okay, generally we can all agree that getting caught in a storm is not the ideal place to be... how to handle the storm will be another debate, though.

Power generation is another fun area of discussion. Check the date of the book you are reading that says wind generators are a must-have. It was probably written before solar panels became a viable and efficient form of power generation for cruisers. But they still have their pro's and cons, too (and most people who have invested in a new wind genny generally won't admit that maybe it wasn't as great as they had hoped). And diesel generators?? You will get cruisers who can't live without theirs, and others like us who don't want, or need, one.

We have had a few people asking us about cruising. Some have asked general questions, others have been more specific with their questions, but generally they are looking to us for some information. Why? Oh yeah, we theoretically know more than they do since we are in the Caribbean now. I will happily admit that everything we say is our opinion, it certainly didn't come down from the mountain on stone tablets (I wouldn't know where to store them on the boat anyway.) We know what works for us, but that doesn't work for everyone.

We are quite content swimming off the boat to take our baths in (the world's biggest bathtub, and we don't have to clean it!) and then toweling off afterwards. I always have a bad hair day anyway, and Ken doesn't have a whole lot of hair to obsess over, and what there is is kept short. Fresh water is generally for dishes, drinking and cooking, and the occasional hair rinse before the clippers come out. That works for us, and we don't feel inconvenienced, but I know that there are many people who would not find that acceptable. We know boats with washing machines, one or two with dishwashers, and people who insist on a fresh water rinse every time they swim, plus their proper showers... not our style, but we all have choices as to our priorities. We prefer a lower tech boat that we can maintain on our own with minimal fuss. At this time, we don't really require a watermaker, but there are others who couldn't maintain their cruising lifestyle without one. It's just a personal judgement call.

There is actually a point to all of this. Anything you read about cruising is often NOT a whole lot more than the author's opinion, with some facts thrown in. Fact: Hog Island is an anchorage on the south shore of Grenada. Opinon: it is the best anchorage in Grenada. Fact: Grenada is far enough south for some insurance companies to let you leave your boat there for Hurricane Season. Opinion: Grenada is the best place to be for Hurricane Season.

Beware the person who paints it all in black and white when it comes to cruising. I guess they assume that what is right for them is right for everyone. If that was the case, there would only be one type of boat, one type of car, and we would all live in the same kind of house. Cruising is a lifestyle, and one size does not fit all. The "experts" of cruising are just people with a little more experience on which to base their opinion. We've met circumnavigators that have learned from us, and we have met new cruisers and charterers that we have learned from.

If you are thinking of the cruising life, first figure out what you want, your expectations and what you feel you need to be comfortable and happy in that life. Don't let someone else tell you what you need. The Pardy's say they are happy on their small boat; apparently they are also short so they fit in that boat. They don't have an engine, but they are also not shy about asking for a tow into a harbour. Others say that they can't live without their freezer, I don't have one, just like we don't have a watermaker. We like our inflatable dinghy with the 15 hp outboard, others are content with rowing an old wooden dinghy.

-Fiberglass, wood or metal? Figure out which one works for you, there are pro's and cons to all of them. Remember the maintenance issues.
-Generator, wind genny or solar? Depends on your energy requirements.
-Watermaker? Where are you going, and how much water do you need in a day to be happy? Are you willing to do the extra maintenance required as well?
- Computer or chartplotter for navigation? Computers can be cheaper and have more than one use, but have a strong aversion to water. Chartplotters can be mounted at the helm where it may be most useful. Always have paper, anyway (an opinion, but electronics can die at a most inconvenient time).
- Circumnavigate or hang around one place? Some have wanderlust, some prefer cruising in one area... get to know one area really well, or see a little bit of the places as you pass through?

There is no magic formula for all cruisers. Get a boat and add water. After that, the possibilities are endless!

Limin' in the Caribbean

Comments [4]

I have spent the last, oh, three months or so with a focus on SCUBA diving. I took my Advanced Open Water Course and Rescue Diver with the goal of getting my Divemaster certification. I have spent a great deal of time at the dive center, to the point that diving had become a full time commitment. This was okay with Ken and I.

Apparently, this was the opportunity someone was looking for to create huge headaches for me. I know who it is, and I'll leave it at that. That might be a story for another day. Anyway, "somebody" called Grenada Immigration and told them I was working at the Dive Center. This is a serious accusation in Grenada, as it is in many countries, and if it was true, we would have been kicked out of the country.

It first reared its' ugly head about a month ago when two Immigration officers appeared at the Dive Center, looking for a "Lynn who works here". I was out on the dive boat, so they couldn't speak to me directly, but Jochen, one of the owners, clearly stated that the Dive Center had a student by that name, but not an employee. Regardless, the message was relayed that they expected to see me at the office in the Government Complex in the next day or two.

The following day I appeared as requested. The Corporal is spoke to, and who was in charge of the investigation, is, how can I say this diplomatically... poorly informed. During the course of the discussion, she made the comment that "yes, we let cruisers stay here for hurricane season" (obviously unaware of the money we bring to the country) and that if "you arrive by boat, you must depart by boat" when I said we had flown back to Canada for Christmas (how does that explain the huge number of cruisers who fly "back home" for a few weeks or up to years, and leave their boats in Grenada). Fortunately, it ended up with the Dive Center having to type up letters stating that I was a student and the duration of the course, some proof of payment, and any corroborating documentation. That was done.

Fast forward to this past Friday afternoon. I had stepped behind the counter in the office to do something. At that time, two Immigration officers and a Police officer arrived at the premises. I politely offered them something to drink (standard practice for the dive shop, and just a general courtesy in my opinion). The Corporal immediately stated "you can't be behind that counter! You're working!" She continued to go on that it was unlikely that my visitors visa would be extended and that I had to show up Monday with my passport. I was floored, and any efforts to actually describe anything was ignored or rudely put down. My instructor, Carsten, was in the pool with two students, and the staff Divemaster ran to get him. I figured my best bet was just to leave so as to not make things worse. Apparently when Carsten arrived back from the pool (in his dive gear), she was very aggressive with him, too. It was not pretty, and it did not bode well for the meeting on Monday.

Ken, Carsten and I were very stressed out over the course of the weekend. The other owners had taken the day off, so hadn't witnessed the behaviour of the Immigration officer (the other two officers were pretty quiet when it all happened). It was not a good weekend. On Sunday Carsten and I agreed that since we had just received confirmation of my successful Divemaster application that Friday morning, we were not going to continue my studies, as we had planned to do. It wasn't worth the hassle. I took my gear home, miserable, and not feeling the elation that I should have felt on reaching this achievement. The Dive Center could be in trouble, and we were in a position that we might have to find another home for hurricane season.

Carsten composed letters to the Grenada Dive Association and the Grenada Board of Tourism, while I prepared to do battle with the woman who had a very bad reputation throughout Grenada for being, um, not very open minded. I went so far as to call the Canadian High Commission in Barbados in case I did not get a fair hearing. I had my Divemaster course manual which explained that the curriculum included customer service and administration; which would be useless if it fell on deaf ears. After the Friday afternoon incident, I felt like I was going to be dealing with the Helen Keller of the Immigration department. This was beyond "Epaulette-itis" (coined by a cruising guide writer for the overly officious officials), but now getting into harassment.

I arrived at Immigration and waited for over an hour and a half. I was called in by a male officer, and into a different office, too. That is not the only place where the similarities ended... This Sergeant (who unfortunately I didn't get his name) was kind and open-minded. He started the investigative interview with "Tell me what is going on. What is happening to bring you here?". We spoke for about 45 minutes. He listened, we discussed the accusations and my "evidence", and even the way that the other officer had treated me on the Friday. It was very calm, civilized and non-stressful for both of us. He truly wanted to do the right thing, and virtually apologised for the events of Friday. Everything was cleared up and the misunderstanding was taken care or. {{whew}}

Over the weekend, Ken had been checking out the information on going to Trinidad. He was figuring out plans A to Z for our alternate to being in Grenada for the hurricane season. Thankfully, it wasn't necessary.

I will not be taking another dive course in Grenada in case that particular "someone" gets any more ideas. I can't handle the hassle, and it isn't fair to the Dive Centers.

In closing, I do want to thank Scubatech Dive Center, located at the Calabash Resort in Grenada, for a fantastic learning experience. It was an extremely comprehensive course that was well-taught. It is a pleasure having such mentors and friends. Looking forward to some good dives this summer!
(triple w) scubatech-grenada.com/en/

Limin' in the Caribbean

Comments [7]