carribean vs the other side

[Cap Erict3]

Wouldn't dream of it Boatie.

[seandepagnier]

I am not going to reply to the many comments, but I am amused by many of them. Thank you.

I wanted to state my case and my experiences about this place.

I've been in grenada a week so far, no problems with anyone, it is ok here. Unfortunately the local food seems to be fried chicken all the time which is what I would eat in hell.

[Cap Erict3]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

I am not going to reply to the many comments, but I am amused by many of them. Thank you.

I wanted to state my case and my experiences about this place.

I've been in grenada a week so far, no problems with anyone, it is ok here. Unfortunately the local food seems to be fried chicken all the time which is what I would eat in hell.

I found fried chicken to be a staple in Trinidad. I prefer roasted or baked but was raised on southern fried.

[AiniA]

The OP was comparing the Eastern Caribbean to other parts of the world and found it not as nice a place to visit. I suggest he spend more time there on more kinds of islands (French vs formerly English vs formerly Spanish for example). There is a lot of variety for sure but it is not cheap. We wife and I found ourselves in a similar position last year when we completed our circumnavigation in Grenada (which we very much like). Would we keep our boat in the Caribbean for a few years, head back into the Pacific for another lap or? We, especially the admiral, found that we had little interest in more time in the Caribbean. It just was not as interesting a place as some we had enjoyed like Ecuador, Fiji, Vanuatu, Indonesia, South Africa, and St Helena. Many of the people who rose up to defend the Caribbean seem not to have personal experience of these other places to make a valid comparison.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by nickfox45

I usually only lurk here, but can't help but chime in. Any chance the OP realizes how hypocritical it is to denigrate and tear down entire groups of people while he accuses others of doing the exact same thing during his travels?

With the OP's complete lack of tolerance for any beliefs but his own, I'm not surprised he's found people not very welcoming. I imagine it was much the same on land before he left!

I concur. Walk a mile in THEIR shoes.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by AiniA

The OP was comparing the Eastern Caribbean to other parts of the world and found it not as nice a place to visit. I suggest he spend more time there on more kinds of islands (French vs formerly English vs formerly Spanish for example). There is a lot of variety for sure but it is not cheap. We wife and I found ourselves in a similar position last year when we completed our circumnavigation in Grenada (which we very much like). Would we keep our boat in the Caribbean for a few years, head back into the Pacific for another lap or? We, especially the admiral, found that we had little interest in more time in the Caribbean. It just was not as interesting a place as some we had enjoyed like Ecuador, Fiji, Vanuatu, Indonesia, South Africa, and St Helena. Many of the people who rose up to defend the Caribbean seem not to have personal experience of these other places to make a valid comparison.

The Eastern Caribbean is different things to different sailors. Most cruisers have little to no interest in crossing oceans so the option of visiting some of the areas you have mentioned is not there so the Caribbean is not only their first choice but their only choice, hence the defensive attitudes. . There are some other options, the Western Caribbean is a wonderful experience and some folks have really enjoyed Guiana which is not that far away. We too have visited many different areas in the world by sailboat and we have certain areas we really liked better than the Caribbean but hey its not that bad, especially in the western Caribbean and the sailing cant be beat anywhere in the world.

[Hearts Content]

Originally Posted by chris mac

So basically you have a preference and can't understand why everyone else in the world doesn't think the same way as you?
I drink my rum with 7 up, all you coke drinkers are ignorant and wrong!!!!

You sir, are a complete freak of nature. Probably drink it without ice too.

[Celestialsailor]

Hey boat alexandra...first, I'd like to commend you on the style of cruising you are doing. Go simple, go now. As you can see, you struck a nerve considering some of the nonsensical responses; justifying why you are wrong with a defense of economies being based on tourism. It seems to me, they would find another way to survive if they had to. But it's become a little like the great white north, hasn't it. The Polar bears choose to raid garbage containers because it is an easier source of food. I have never traveled the Caribbean but I have in SEA. There, I have been treated with the utmost respect and I in return. A simple "no thankyou"(Mai ow krap) returns a smile and a wai (bowing). But I know when I visited Phucket, I could see how the tourism had created a sense of desperation...Their focus was on money.
Some people go cruising, stick with their kind and never venture into the local culture other than having them as servants in one way or another while others; their primary focus is enjoying the local experience.
I doubt too many on this forum has read the books by the Hiscocks or Moitessier. In the 60's, the sailing they did was pretty much like the sailing you're doing.
With the convenience of GPS in the 80's, everything changed. With it brought a different "herd" of cruisiers. There is no going back. But as you know, there are places left. I have picked the minds of members like Boatman and a few other single handers... places they enjoyed and filed them away for the future. I have a couple of friends that have circumnavigated. I always find out where they like to go and why.
Good luck with your adventure.

[Juho]

Be careful, not all business is slavery. And for many people caribbean sailing is about the best thing there is in the world.

I can however understand that sometimes a smile because of the expected $5 is not as warm as a smile because of some other reasons (not excluding the fact that sometimes smiles are very nice despite of being linked to dollars). For some people the caribbean (maybe somewhat commercial) style is the way to go, some like other styles, and some enjoy all of them (or none).

As boatman61 proposed, you could also try to dig a little deeper in the caribbean world at some selected spots. You might find some of your preferred lifestyle and attitude there, maybe just below the hard and shiny looking surface.

[salticrak]

I see it like this,the O.P. pines for a world less jaded perhaps? His pursuit of the ''noble savage'' may be a hankering for his own loss of innocence?
What he deplores in others he recognizes in himself. His scribblings may be naive,but dear God what I would give to be doing what he is right now.

[hoppy]

I guess BA is harking back to the days when the local natives were happy to help and entertain the white man visitor just for the stories they can tell their grandchildren about the day a white man arrived.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPs7HfvJl4A

[svfraidknot]

i have been to both sides living in panama ,, it is what you make of it , i have been offered lobster in exchange for ice , hot coffee etc. i trade and pay . locals ask much more pay for work done because they think we are all rich ..

[boatman61]

Bollocks... locals ask much more because Yanks charge so much for their own labour.
What a sailmaker charges per hour in the Caribe is 3 times what I pay in Spain where repair work was done for 20euro/hour...
White man in Caribe asks $50.00 for unskilled labour.. go figure

[Kenomac]

I hate to add this, but it's usually the English middleman (facilitator) that ends up tripling the cost of labor. At least that's what I found to be the case in Mallorca, Spain and in Menorca.

[neilpride]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Bollocks... locals ask much more because Yanks charge so much for their own labour.
What a sailmaker charges per hour in the Caribe is 3 times what I pay in Spain where repair work was done for 20euro/hour...
White man in Caribe asks $50.00 for unskilled labour.. go figure

20 euro/hour with IVA or without IVA?