SPOT Satellite Tracker

Here is the link to the satellite tracking chart: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=06uNy7chfvB1Col5dnZEix3GEDospvmpn This shows the positions of the S/V PEQUOD for the last seven days.

25 October 2009 - Leaving for Haiti

Why would anyone go to Haiti? A place where voodoo is a religion, violence is a life-skill, and AIDs is the most common gift exchanged. Haiti probably serves best as a clear example of what happens when people consistently reject even the fundamentals of civilization, science, or social progress. An American cultural anthropologist and friend, Tim Schwartz, has offered to sail with me to Cap Haitien, Haiti. We leave Sosua, DR, on Tuesday. After living there for many years and publishing a couple books on Haiti, Tim is probably the best guide available. Not sure what I will discover, but stay tuned -- Life is an Adventure.

22 October 2009 -- Rough Anchorage

Just came into town(Sosua)again this afternoon to see if the laundry is finally open. It feels good to be on solid ground, since the harbor is filled with a wicked swell. Woke up this morning with quite a bit of seasickness. In fact three guys were surfing the waves close to my boat. You know the anchorage is too rough when people are surfing around your boat. So life on a tropical island does have some bad times.

21 October 2009 -- Finished Divemaster Course

Just finished a three week PADI Divemaster course at Dolphin Dive Center in Sosua, DR. Was impressed with the quality of training and feel like a much better diver now.

19 October 2009 -- No Luz

Many people consider the Dominican Republic a "developing nation". A much better description would be an "Un-developing nation". Basically, foreign aid loans and foreign business investment enters the country and nothing "develops" except a trail of corruption or another unfinished project. A great example of the end result of all this is the electricity system in the country. Electricity is a relatively old and established technology. Thomas Edison died a long time ago. In America, if the electricity goes out for even a short time, people are held responsible. Here the power goes out all the time. Or, more accurately, the power comes on once in awhile. Businesses owned by foreigners usually run on generators because the electricity companies are so corrupt that they charge whatever they think they can get. Sometimes you have to wait a couple of extra days to get your clothes from the laundry because there was no electricity for the washing machines. For some reason the local Dominicans really do not seem to care, probably because it a convenient excuse not to work. A common expression for why something did not get done is "No luz." (Luz is Spanish for 'light', but their pidgin Spanish uses luz to mean electricity) So, a joke I heard the other day that shows how the people respond to all this is, "How many Dominicans does it take to change to change a lightbulb? None, they think the electricity will come back on."

18 October 2009 -- The good life in Sosua, DR

Sosua is a tourist town on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The last three weeks spent here have been a refreshing change from the laid back life in Luperon and a glimpse into the impacts of tourism. In many rural Dominican villages, happy people seem to simply spend their time slapping mosquitos, procreating, and waiting for food to fall out of a tree. In tourist towns, the lure of money brings out an evil twin of the Yin or the Yang, with locals becoming less-than-happy second class citizens bombarded with the freak show of "civilized" tourists who are unhappy because they brought themselves on vacation. But, some of the dysfunctionalities provide comic relief. As I write this in an Internet Cafe, one over-the-hill, shirtless man with a tan belly and surfer shorts is dialing an international telephone call. His jet-black, dyed hair with long sideburns is perfectly styled to imitate Elvis Presley. As he struggles with the phone and complains over spending a few pesos, one of the flirtatious young Dominican girls plays footsy with his toes sticking out of white flipflops. And, (of course) he replies with "Don't step on my blue suede shoes." Honestly, I cannot make this stuff up.

3 October 2009 -- Divemaster Course in Sosua, DR

Sailed from Luperon, DR, east 25 miles to Sosua, DR on Tuesday, 29 September 2009. The next day started a three-week long PADI Divemaster course at the Dolphin Dive Center. Am quite impressed with the quality of the course and am swimming about a mile every day getting ready for the swim test. Plan to leave Sosua, DR, late in October and head east past Puerto Rico and over to the Virgin Islands.