2. The Caribbean
Day 17: What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?
17.01.09: Spent the entire day at sea and in bed, trying to shake off the monster hangover from the night
Day 18: Generator Blues
18.01.09: Woke up still in Point Lisas, Trinidad. We hadn’t moved on to Port of Spain. Something was wrong –
Day 19: Hooray for Vodafone!
19.01.09 I stayed at the Inna City guesthouse, rose with the lark and headed down to the docks. All the
Day 20: Merci Beaucoup, Alain!
20.01.09 Spent the day on the edge of my seat. Annette picked me up in the morning and took me
Day 21: Yelling At Neptune
21.01.09 We set off from the marina at around half two in the morning and headed north to Grenada. It
Day 22: Slapping Pete Doherty
22.01.09: Currently sitting in the Tourist Centre opposite the jetty in Hillsborough, Carriacou island waiting for the guy who said
Day 23: Trouble in Paradise
23.01.09: Another early riser and onto the ferry ‘Barracuda’ up to St. Vincent, the big daddy of the Grenadines. It’s
Day 24: The Ticking Clock
24.01.09: If you can’t beat them, join them. Got on a minibus to Kingstown and had a great time meandering
Day 25: That’s Not Very Christian!
25.01.09: Everything closes on Sunday on St. Vincent. I tried to get to (what’s left of) the Pirates of the
Day 26: 30,000 Pounds of Bananas
26.01.09: Dragged myself out of bed and headed to the port. I was halfway there when I realised I had
Day 27: A Night On The Floor
27.01.09: Awoke on the metal floor of the Melinda II. I had made it! I hadn’t been seasick (even though
Day 28: The Rubik’s Cube
28.01.09: We docked at about 4.30 in the morning in Vieux Fort, St. Lucia. This is an unreasonable hour, and
Day 29: Trick Of The Mind
29.01.09: Martin and Fabio had to be up for 6am, as they were getting a plane to South America, so
Day 30: Caught In A Trap
30.01.08: Slept on a three-foot long wooden bench on a rusting cargo ship that went up and down, up and
Day 31: It’s Just Not Cricket!
31.01.09: Up early and off to see the two contacts I had on the island. The first one, Shauna, was
Day 32: The Silent Phone
01.02.09: Got up bright and early to go and see a man about a boat – Wayne had organised someone
Day 33: The Vagrant
02.02.09: I’m WAY WAY WAY behind schedule now, I should be in Central America and I’m not – I’m stuck
Day 34: The Cristal Maze
03.02.09: Arrived early in Antigua, but by the time passport formalities, etc. were all done, it was about 10am. I
Day 35: The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Caribbean
04.02.09: Cristal and I hit the streets looking for a way off the island. We even had a half-hour segment
Day 36: Ships That Pass In The Night
05.02.09: Once again, I stayed at Christal’s dad’s house, but not before I attended a ballroom dancing lesson down the
Day 37: Catch-22
06.02.09: I scrambled like a fighter pilot down to the harbour. I have to leave today. I have to leave
Day 38: Lost In Translation
07.02.09: Kerri is a Kiwi and Andrew is British, but lived in South Africa for many years. We had spent
Day 39: Bill And Ben
08.02.09: I was going to work late into the evening, but I ended up crashing out at about nine like
Day 40: Down And Out In Paradise
09.02.09: What a day. We arrived in Tortola, the main British Virgin Island, nice and early, and before long I
Day 41: Herman Toothrot
10.02.09: A heavy dew had formed on me and my bags in the night. I prised myself up off the
Day 42: The Costa Fortuna
11.02.09: Got on the Internet as soon as I could and there it was – a message from Lorna, my
Day 43: Alien 3
12.02.09: We arrived in La Romana, in the Dominican Republic at around 8am. I had to be up early for
Day 44: Paradise Lost
13.02.09: First things first, I needed to check for boats leaving for Cuba or Jamaica from the port. Mehrdad and
Day 45: The Golden Ticket
14.02.09: Valentine’s Day. My girl, Mandy, is on the other side of the world and every day I waste on
Day 46: Domingo Dancing
15.02.09: I had to get up so early my legs where all shaky. Wurgh! I said my goodbyes to Mehrdad
Day 47: The DR1 Will See You Now
16.02.09: I needed somewhere that I could sit and work, and Ken and TJ work in a place around the
Day 48: Home Cookin’
17.02.09 Are you still here? Got an email from Lonely Planet telling me not to feel too bad about being
Day 49: Go, Team Odyssey!
18.02.09: Still no word from the Linge Trader. Hugh has gone to Germany now and Lorna and Dino are in
Day 50: The Choir Invisible
19.02.09 Fifty days in, who’d have thunked it? I’m still in the Dominican Republic. I’ve been here over a week!
Day 51: The Other Odyssey
20.02.09: Today passed in a daze. Out to sea, no mobile phone, no internet. I think I had been saving
Day 52: We Could Be Heroes
21.02.09: Dolphins!! I decided to stretch my legs out on deck and saw hundreds of dolphins splashing about in the
Day 53: Walking The Plank
22.02.09: We pulled into Kingston, Jamaica at about 6pm. I could see the Pamplona, the ship that will be taking
Day 54: The Jam Maker
23.02.09: 5.30am. The phone rang. Groggily, I answered it. Hello? It was the captain. You have to get off this
Day 55: Halcyon Days
24.02.09: I’m going to be 30 this Saturday. 30? Me? Where did all the time go? I’m still pleasantly surprised
Day 56: Starry Starry Night
25.02.09: Last night, I spent a few hours up on the bridge with Alexander, one of the officers on board.