Caribbean Sea

Island by island, the Caribbean is close and remote at the same time...and how remote and how 'close'...Haiti, Puerto Rico, Miami, Cartagena, Panama....all in one sea, the Caribbean. What a privilege to sail these seas with a Solomon Islander, even to catch as much of a glimpse of how he views things, coming from an ancient Pacific islander culture.

Tortola Island Water, Caribbean

So much water all around. The water people drink here is desalinated, because there isn't enough well water available on the island. I also saw drinking water dispensers- it's desalinated water that is further processed and sold by the gallon in public dispensing machines.

Just like on the ship- we also drink desalinated water. Since we got a powerful enough desalinator we don't take on drinking water from shore anymore, we produce it ourselves. It made a tremendous difference in the health of the crew, getting less sick with stomach ailments. Back in Tutoia, Brazil local people sailed out to the anchorage to taste our water.

Sometimes we collect rainwater- for washing clothes, and in Itaparica, Salvador we filled a tank with sacred well water. Still now we may have some vintage South Atlantic water left...I like the taste of it, especially after adding a drop of lemon juice.

Here in Tortola

San Juan 1986

'Around the Tropic World (1983 - 1986) ' Expedition Chief Robert 'Rio' Hahn in 1986, receiving a plaque from, I believe the mayor and governor of San Juan when the Heraclitus pulled into San Juan and docked at pier 1. So long ago, that was 23 years ago. I had just joined the crew of the Heraclitus. Also on the photo is Susanna.