Contributing Source - Ron Reil

During my six years in the US Navy I decided that I would buy a small yacht and attempt to sail around the world when my tour of duty was complete. In 1972 I finished my enlistment and was discharged in Norfolk, Virginia. Prior to being assigned to Norfolk, I was stationed in Barbados at a tiny naval facility for almost two years. During that time I was able to purchased the ideal boat for my adventure when a 27 foot, tri-keeled, Debutante class yacht sailed in from England.

I spent time sailing and reworking the boat, but then I was transferred to Norfolk for my last year in the service. It was a frustrating time for me, watching the hurricanes pass close to Barbados, while I worried about the safety of "Sea Dart". I had left Dart in the hands of some friends on the island who promised to care for her in exchange for being able to sail her. It was a great relief when I finally got on the plane headed to the island to reclaim Dart and start my voyage.

It was with great dismay that I first viewed Sea Dart upon my return. The people that had been so happy to have her for a year had taken horrible care of her. When I opened up the main hatch the cabin was full of wet sails that had been left there for an extended period of time in the tropical heat. This would not be a great problem on a fiberglass boat, other than for the sails, but Dart was all wood, and the moisture had warped the deck boards, and done a lot of other damage. On top of that, the big genoa jib was badly damaged and required two full days of hand sewing for me to replace the bolt rope.

After three months of constant work, Dart was finally ready to go to sea. One afternoon while Fitz, my first mate, and I were relaxing on the beach we decided it was time to start our voyage. We went into Bridgetown to clear customs and take care of all the various legal matters. When we returned to Dart it was late afternoon. We pulled the anchor and pointed the bow at the setting sun, leaving Barbados in our wake. We were thrilled to have a school of porpoise escort us away from the island as we headed for St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands, our first port of call. Several months later the following events took place.

[Ron Reil] [Next]

Copyright © 2001 - 2003 by Donald R. Swartz All rights reserved. Reproduction of these materials in any form is forbidden without the permission of the contributing authors or sources.