—Continued from previous page e All of the stand-by vessels at the rigs are GMDSS compliant, as are the rigs, which means if we who have VHF/DSC radios hit our “panic” button it will sound an alarm on their VHF radios on channel 70. Better still, if we connect our VHF/DSC radios to our GPS receivers, it will automatically indicate our co- ordinates to them. ¢ Our Coast Guards have good radar coverage and can follow the pirates with their high-speed intercept boats, 100-foot jet propelled boats and/or helicopter. ¢ We continue to have meetings with our Coast Guards, who do have power of arrest between Trinidad and Grenada. Lieutenant King of our Coast Guards has asked all boats making this crossing to call them when inside the Boca, either on VHF channel 16 or by cell phone at: 634-1476, 2718, 2719, 2720, 2131, 4439, 4440 or if VERY URGENT, the Duty Comms Officer, cell 684-0564. ¢ TSTT is also looking at improving the cell phone coverage outside the Boca. Mike Hatch Trinidad Dear Compass, I am shocked at the letter in February's Compass from the Antigua & Barbuda Marine Trades Association, signed by John Duffy. To quote: “There would not be much of a drug problem in the English Harbour/ Falmouth area if it were not for yacht crew....” “Usually it is not the crew of megayachts who are seeking drugs, but those of smaller yachts....” As the owner of one of those smaller yachts who is a regular visitor to Antigua I think the ABMTA would do well to consider that it is smaller yacht owners who store their yachts in Jolly Harbour, at Antigua Slipway and over by the Cat Club. We spend money in Antigua buying stores and getting broken equipment fixed. We are a significant customer base for Antigua Marine Trades, so to brand us with such calumny is uncalled for. The cruisers I see around are often grandparents, many retired, others taking a year or two off from work, some young parents with kids. Hardly the champagne, caviar and cocaine set. If Mr. Duffy has real information that regular yachts are involved in drugs, then he should take it to the police and get these people put in prison. If it is just wild speculation, he should keep it to himself and not advertise it as the official word of the ABMTA. To add insult to injury, the ABMTA seems to want to blame the yacht skipper who was killed last year for his own death: “The skipper ignored the fundamental rule of personal safety: when accosted, never put up any resistance.” Mr. Duffy is welcome to hand his pos- sessions to any lout that threatens him. It does not mean the rest of us have to do the same. I have had things snatched, chased the thief and got them back when they were dropped. Most of my Caribbean and my yachting friends would do the same. The only per- son who is to blame in this instance is the criminal who shot the skipper. Lastly, Melodye Pompa is absolutely right [“The Current Yacht Security Situation”, Caribbean Compass, January 2010]. On the information that has been made public so far, this was a robbery attempt, pure and simple. It had nothing to do with the skippers personal habits, whatever they might have been. Neither can the skipper be held accountable for his choice of restaurant. | have eaten there myself several times. The food was quite good and I saw no signs of a 1920 speakeasy. As Melodye says, the victim could have been a banker. It also could have been me. My gripe in this matter is purely with the attitude of the ABMTA. Are they so sold on megayachts they are happy to gratuitously insult the rest of the cruising community? Do they really have to blame the victim of a crime instead of the criminal? I think the Antigua police have done a magnificent job in arresting the suspect and, along with all the yachting community, I look forward to seeing justice done. I love visiting Antigua, have good Antiguan friends, and I look forward to many more visits in the coming years. Chris Doyle Ti Kanot Hello there, Compass, I was checking the results of the recent St. Maarten- St. Martin Classic Regatta. Looks like only a few boats — mostly what I would call yachts. I remember the race of 1981. For a change it was not just a fast sprint back to the barn for the “racers”. This was a pursuit race to a buoy just west of the Prickly Pear Cays north of Anguilla, a nice reach. Instead of the first few fastest just returning to Marigot, we set it up so that all boats passing the “mark” then had to run down the track of the course and pass astern of all boats that had not reached the mark yet. Then they would sail to Marigot. In this way everyone in the race except the last boat had to round the mark twice. This was sweet as it allowed/forced the fleet to bunch up a little to allow some serious water-ballooning and other shenanigans for those in the race. This was a race in which two vessels caught large wahoo and the other racers were able to share in the fight as well as the dinner — sharing the experience. Grouping the fleet makes for great seamanship and good boathandling. Rather than the fast and slow boats separating, everyone was forced to cross tacks on numerous occasions, a short gam as it were. This was probably the last race that Mermaid took part in and honestly one of the most enjoyable. Too many buoys and triangles these days for this old gaffer. Give me a clean reach and a little company! Left to right, Swanhilde, Isla Blanca, Marguerite T and Memory All of the boats were gaffers, all were of wood, and three of the vessels were without engine. Most inter- esting is that four of the boats carried only internal ballast. If “traditional” means anything it probably refers not to the rig per se, but to the ballast. Most of those in that year’s race had been designed and built to work, so the ballast had to be removable. In a Caribbean-built boat such as the Mermaid of Carriacou one “rock-stone” weighed about as much as a case of Scotch or Heineken — put one in the hold and jettison the other. This lets the vessel fill the hold without sinking, hence the use of the term vessel: empty it to fill it again. A yacht cannot shift, move or alter its ballasting if it is built into the keel. This is great for the cruiser or yachtsman, but makes no sense for the working cargo vessel. Many’s the traditional vessel that was saved because there was something to jettison and allow the emptier hull to float across that bar. The results of the 1981 race were as follows: 1) St. Meloris (28-foot wooden Falmouth oyster boat) ) Marguerite T (Bristol Channel pilot cutter) 3) Aildee (34-foot French-built cutter) 4) Water Pearl of Bequia (68-foot Bequia-built schooner) 5) Zobeide (1910 English build) 6) Mermaid of Carriacou (44-foot Carriacou-built sloop) 7) Tern IV (1924 English yawl) 8) Memory (65-foot schooner) 9) Gritta (no information available) 10) Swanhilde (Baltic trader) 11) Isla Blanca (Baltic trader) John Smith Mermaid of Carriacou Dear Compass, On January 23rd we welcomed 21 foreign and local applicants at Power Boats Marina to the first ARRL/ VEC amateur radio exam session in Trinidad for the year. Out of all candidates, only one person came to upgrade his license class; everybody else tried for the first time. We are happy to report the new licenses achieved: ten Technician Class and eight General Class. We congratulate all the newly licensed radio amateurs on their achievement and express our sin- cere thanks to management and staff of Power Boats Marina for accommodating us in their facility. The Volunteer Examiner Team included Andreas Kretzschmar, AF4DQ, 9Y4W; Bernie Zindell, WG3G, S/Y Transition; Donald Radcliffe. KK6DQ, S/Y Klondike; Desi-Lee Bonterre, N2DLB; Clayton Sawh, KJ4LUP. The next exam session is planned for the second half of May 2010. If interested, e-mail me at Sy4w@gmx.net. Regards, Andreas “Andy” Kretzschmar On behalf of the Volunteer Examiner Team Dear Compass Readers, We want to hear from YOU! Please inclhide your name, boat name or shoreside address, and a way we can contact you (preferably by e-mail) if clarification is required. We do not publish individual consumer complaints or individual regatta results complaints. (Kudos are okay!) We do not publish anonymous letters; however, your name may be withheld from print at your request. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and fair play. Send your letters to: sally @caribbeancompass.com or Compass Publishing Ltd. Readers’ Forum Box 175BQ Bequia VC0400 St. Vincent & the Grenadines Yacht Brokerage UN re ee ee ee eg For a fast sale to European buyers, list your boat with us in USS Us.and European Markets Su EL Marina Marigot Bae ess belt shy MARTINIQUE tela me Eta Ui) ea CTL info@caribbean-yachts.com www.caribbean-yachts.com seit) ae fe = a Cc icreovesd YACHT URANCE A distinctive product... A personal touch * Year round coverage * Top European security Admiral Marine Limited 4 Barack Contr TRUE BLUE, ST. GEORGE’S ENADA WI. Parts - Repairs - Service Outboard Engines 2HP-250HP Duty-Free Engines for Yachts TOURS & CRUISES - CAR & JEEP RENTAL PHONE: (473) 444 3944/1555 FAX: (473) 444 email: macford @caribsurf.com