Swimming in the Caribbean Sea

It’s common to see people setting their towels on the sea wall and going for a swim, especially towards the end of the day. I thought about doing it myself, but was only accustomed to swimming laps in a pool. On my walk along the water yesterday, a man stopped to say hello before setting out for his swim.

It’s completely different, he told me, because of the movement of the water. You’ll be a far better swimmer if you swim in the sea, he advised. Typically, he swims two kilometers, and he pointed out where he swam out past the yachts to the deep blue water and up the coast and back again. “There’s nothing like it, swimming among the creatures,” he told me. “Once a young sea turtle thought I was its mother, and swam beside me all the way from out here to Harbour Village. The feeling is just indescribable.”

There he goes.

The next day, I decided to go for a much less ambitious swim. When I arrived at the place called the “sea pool” (where the swim team practices) I was glad to see someone else in the water. Just as I arrived, there were two talkative girls who had just entered the water with their mother.

“Hi,” the older girl greeted me with a big smile. “Hi, how are you doing?” I chimed back. “I’m cold! The water’s cold…” sharing her opinion. I welcomed the opportunity to cool off from the heat and said how much I liked it. The younger one enthusiastically swam up to us and announced that her sister had swam in the Special Olympics, jumping into the conversation. “Today’s practice day, I have to do a practice swim for the meet tomorrow”. She was one of the local kids on the Bonaire Barracudas swim and water polo Team.

I introduced myself to this friendly family, and tried to remember their names. I told them I was nervous about swimming in unfamiliar water since I wasn’t as strong as the kids and asked about the currents in the area. “The current won’t take you out,” their mother assured, “there’s hardly any current at all. When there is, runs along the shore either this way or that way.” indicating the two side shore directions. Rachel, the younger girl was eager to share her local knowledge. “Right now, it’s going this way”, pointing North. “So it will be easier to swim in that direction, and harder to swim back.”

“How do I know if I can make it back?” I joked. “You can do it, of course you do it!” she claimed. She started out with the current, and I headed in the same direction after her, happy to have swim buddies around while I did my workout.  It was like swimming in an aquarium, with every stroke seeing bright fish, small fish, schools of fish, corals and urchins. I stopped for a moment and popped my head up, finding Rachel right beside me.

“That’s incredible! How can you focus on your stroke when you are looking at so many fish?” I asked. “You just focus so you can go farther and see more fish!” Clearly, she was having a lot of fun with me. As I was swimming, she kept tapping me on the shoulder pointing out the marine life that was not to be missed. I caught on to give the thumbs up or she would keep tapping me with grand enthusiasm. I sprinted away until I had to stop to rest, and she was right there with me. “Float on your back when you need to rest.” she coached me, along with some other pointers. I enjoyed the swimming lesson more than she knew.

Back again at our starting point suddenly, there were lots of kids in the water, a formal practice was underway now. “Are you practicing with us?” the coach asked Rachel. “Yes!” she called back, as I made my way to the sandy entrance to the sea pool.

It was more than getting some exercise, more than going out for a swim and cooling off from the heat of the day. It was an opportunity to connect with others and have some fun. I spent all morning cleaning my apartment and working on a job application and by the days end, I just wanted to get out to see some friendly faces. It’s easily done her on Bonaire.

This weekend is the second International swim meet for this young and powerful swim team. I Rachel and all them the best of luck!

Bonaire Barracudas Swim and Water Polo Team

http://bonairebarracudas.org/

Historic Fishing Boat Restoration

One of the first volunteer opportunities I found after I arrived on the island was working on a historic fishing boat restoration project. Getting started was easy because so much help was needed, and it was great for me to get involved with such wonderful people.

Coming up in October is the 50^th International Bonaire Regatta, and an effort is underway to recover as many old fishing boats, or “Boto di Piskado” as they’re called, so they can be a part of the races. The effort of the people here to resurrect their heritage has been remarkable.

I was told to come to an old boat house where the work was being done and was quickly put to work scraping and sanding the old boats. The property is a historic building that’s used as sailing center where sunfish sailing is practiced to perfection. I'm told he head of the sailing association is the world champion sunfish sailor, and the main sailing instructor is world renowned for his athletic accomplishments –  three-time world champion, and also holds the record for sailing a sunfish from Bonaire to Curacao, as well as the record for swimming around the island of Klein Bonaire.

The building is currently under renovation having been rescued from attempts by big companies to build a modern hotel on the site. Everyday I’m there working, guys are working long hours in the heat to bring back the historic charm of this uniquely Bonairian landmark.

You’ll see when the boats came in, they were in pretty rough shape, but no one was deterred from the work to be done. The regatta is in two weeks, so there’s still lots of work to be done, I actually have to stop working on-line and get down there to do some painting!

  

Yopi sits by his favorite boat, "Aransta", a boat he built himself.

After removing all the rotten wood, all that's left of this boat is the shell of the hull. It's more work than to build a new boat from scratch, but the locals love this boat because it's won the most races, so it will be restored. It's called "Tuy yo y Ju" translated, me, you and the little one.

This is the boat I scraped, Barabas. It's a favorite of the locals because it's a fast boat.

This one has the ribs restored and is ready for painting.

The project was delayed this week because there was no money for paint, but it came today. Yopi painted the flags of the United States and Bonaire, and the sponsor that paid for the paint will have their emblem painted between the two flags.

Our working area has tents for shade and a large sign from a sponsor in front of the site. 

The sailing center restoration is underway, it appears there's a structure for a viewing stand in the front. The neem trees also need to be taken down. They'll be replaced with a native species. 

For an entertaining look at the project, check out this video: https://vimeo.com/234431330

Eye of the Storm

Not long after I arrived on the island, I received a very brief email from my brother that said “be careful of Irma!...” I’m fearful of hurricanes, so I took to the internet and followed her like a hawk. At that time, it had just formed off the coast of Africa, and it looked like we could potentially be in the path. I felt immense relief as she veered towards the Leeward Islands, but still I was captivated by the coverage and aghast at the impending devastation.

This country is called Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius and consists of those three islands; Sint Eustatius is affectionately called Statia by locals. I’m on the Southernmost island of Bonaire, which was unaffected by the tragic trio of Irma, Jose and Maria, but the tiny islands of Saba and Statia were destroyed.

Like most people after the storm, I was thinking about what I could do to help. People here on the island were posting on local facebook pages asking to organize the help that’s needed. In a couple of days, a facebook page came online, but even before that, people were already gathering supplies and holding fundraisers. The radio played everywhere you went announcing events like a local restaurant donating all the proceeds for an evening, and non-stop chat about the big party on the weekend. It was a party on the beach with a popular band headlining lots of local talent, where everyone who had raised money would announce their totals and you could make last-minute bids on the auction items before the winning bids were announced.

The tiny airport on this island that usually sits silent was now seeing flights coming and going all day long leaving with supplies and returning with refugees. The airport was loaded up with planes in the field seeking refuge from Jose and Maria. Cruise ships that were scheduled to visit the devastated islands visited our port nearly every day. The heat and the lack of wind seemed unbearable as the storms sucked up all the energy to our north, but it was hard to complain about the weather considering what our neighbors were going through.

It was beautiful to see the people on this island come together. It seemed the entire island turned out for this party with cars filling up overflow lots as people filed in on scooters and on foot. Here, it’s said, it doesn’t matter whether you’re the governor’s son or a fisherman’s son, everyone gets along, and that was evident by the kids of diverse races and cultures playing together the sand on the beach in front of the stage. In the back, there was a food court with about 30 stands offering local food with the proceeds going to disaster relief. The beer stands, where proceeds from the sales also being donated, were heartily patronized.

Local bands took the stage with a backdrop of photos of the hurricane damage and messages of hope. Auction volunteers manned a table to the side next to the Red Cross volunteers proudly standing by their flag. People who had come from the islands where they lost everything watched the show, enjoying the support of this wonderful community. Between acts, they showed this video produced by musicians who live on one of the most devastated islands. Please enjoy the uplifting music of the United Artists of Statia.

play viideo: "Eye of the Storm" by United Artists of Statia

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#irma #hurricane #eyeofthestorm #statiaartistsunited

Tropic of Destiny is a place where you’ll find relatable experiences as I journey into a new life on a tropical island. To get here, I had to make some tough decisions - give up my home that I loved, say goodbye to my friends and family and take that leap into the unknown. What brought me here, and what will I do with my life now that I’m here? The diverse and interesting twists and turns of my life will reveal why this journey is critical to my survival. I have a renewed desire to become the person I’ve always wanted to be, and my creative side will emerge as I have to make my way in a completely new environment.

I’m looking for a simpler and more sustainable life, more authentic relationships that are rooted in face-to-face experiences more than on-line conversations. But it’s more than just that, it’s also a journey from anguish and suffering into a life that respects my own needs. It’s a struggle to free my mind from fears that have followed me through a lifetime of traumatic experiences. I wish I could say my doubts and fears no longer have a role in my existence, but what will happen if I fail?   

After I arrived on the island struggling to make that adjustment, I turned to a dear friend when my doubts would raise a litany of concerns. His words lifted me up and carry me through my days:

“I believe in you and what you are doing and believe that if it is meant to be, then it will be. I don’t worry simply because the journey is just as important as the end goal. You are already successful because you had the courage to actually start the journey. Live and experience every moment that is in front of you. Take a deep breath and absorb each precious memory, the smells, the scenery, people, sights, tastes and sounds for they are the makers of dreams, my dear Jeyna, and you are the Dream maker”.

I invite you to join me on my journey as I share my experiences and navigate the challenges ahead.

#paradise #sunset #Caribbean #tropicofdestiny