This past year has been a busy and full one for this retiree. It started off by meeting Lorna who experienced Jamaica for the first time with the help of her daughter, Nancy, who has been coming to Jamaica frequently for the past ten years. Lorna had the unique opportunity to see this island nation both from the tourism side and that of a Jamaican. She experienced fun and sun along with island culture, the perfect way to experience Jamaica.
This year has seen a large increase in reader’s feedback. What a delight it has been to communicate with so many of you from around the world. Emails have come from as far away as Russia and Australia, all eager to know more about this tropical paradise. Even more exciting has been the number of you I have had the pleasure of meeting face to face as you come to explore more of beautiful Jamaica.
Then there was the “Cruise in The Harbor”. What an experience! It was certainly not a simple little cruise. How could so many things go wrong in such a short period of time? But, that’s not the whole story. This saga went on for a few more weeks. For my part, I never saw “Murphy’s Law” again.
To pick up where my story ended, Captain Richard finally got the anchor rope cut without losing the anchor, a major feat by itself. The rest of the plan continued without a hitch. It was beached, tied off, and re-anchored. The boat managed to survive the wrath of hurricane Dean but not that of a couple of thieves in the night who made off with the boat’s two TVs. The lagoon was not only protective of hurricane winds but also of those with evil thoughts in their minds as it is very secluded from all surrounding civilization.
A day or so later, “Murphy’s Law” was moved backed to its mooring at the yacht club. Initial assessments indicated a bent rudder and both propeller shafts. The repairs were quickly made making the boat ready for another adventure sometime in the future.
What was transpiring behind the scenes while all this was going on was the sale of the boat, finally, after all these years. In no time the new owner hired a man to take the boat to Port Antonio on the east end of the island for refurbishing. By the time they had reached the Ocho Rios area it was discovered the boat was taking on more water than the pumps could handle. They quickly beached the boat to make the necessary repairs before continuing down the coast. When the emergency repairs were completed, the boat once again made its way into the open Caribbean waters.
Perhaps “Murphy’s Law” spent too much time tied to the dock without ocean excursions, routine maintenance or maybe the emergency repairs weren’t adequate enough, we will never know. For not too long after leaving the beach, the final chapter of “Murphy’s Law” was written. This time the boat took on water at an even faster rate than before. It was impossible for the pumps to keep up with the new surge or to make another emergency beaching. There was only one thing left to do. Cut the ropes and watch it slowly find its way to its final resting place in Davy Jones’s locker. And so ends the final days of this once proud cabin cruiser of the Caribbean.
On a happier note our “Grande” vacation was truly one of the most exciting times of my life. What originally started as another romantic anniversary celebration ended up being very spectacular. I have met many famous entertainers, politicians, and other important people in my life but never so many at one time and with such pageantry. It was exciting enough just to meet these people much less be an impromptu participant in two aspects of the grand opening ceremonies. This was a once in a life time experience! As I look back it was really a good thing the festivities began on our last night as it didn’t interfere with the real celebration we came to Sandals Antigua to enjoy.
One of our proudest accomplishments in 2007 was Ann and I becoming permanent residents. It took us five long years of wading through mountains of forms and documents and seemingly endless trails of bureaucracy but we finally made it! This was such an easy process but it was drawn out far too long. It is really good to now feel a part of this land we have come to love more and more as time passes by. The next and final step is to become citizens. Dual citizenship has its advantages when traveling between our two countries. One of them is shorter lines at each airport. Citizenship will also give us a voice in the governing of this island nation.
Now that 2007 is behind me, I look forward to this new year. Two of those things will be our fourth visit to St. Lucia in early spring and my 50th class reunion near Boston, MA in early summer. And with equal excitement I look forward to communicating and meeting more of you.
