Observer Reports

(Newcastle, Nevis) - For three Dominican men, what should have been a short sailing trip to St. Maarten on the yacht “Pumpkin” turned into a ten day odyssey ending on the beach at Newcastle. Cornell Kollell, Wendell Bertrand, and Nicholas St. Jean set out from Dominica to St. Maarten in the hopes of selling some home grown produce. The Dominicans’ doomed trip got off to a difficult start when they arrived on St. Maarten on carnival holiday and were forced to wait three days before filing a customs report with officials. Due to the heat, most of the produce they had hoped to sell spoiled.

The men’s misfortune continued when they experienced a battery failure. They decided to stay the night in Saba rather than risk sailing without lights. The next morning, there were nearly windless conditions. Using their outboard motor, the men did not reach St. Eustatius until nightfall. By then, the fuel tank was empty. Still determined to reach home, the men set out once again. But their bad luck was to continue. The wind conditions did not improve.

The boat’s tiller broke, leaving the small vessel to drift in circles between St. Kitts and St. Eustatius for a total of three days. Their situation improved a bit when a good Samaritan from another yacht gave them 5 gallons of gas. The Dominican men hoped to use the motor to reach the Atlantic side of St Kitts in order to catch a breeze, but it was not to be.

The five gallons of fuel did not last, and the wind finally forced the boat inland where it landed on a reef off the coast of Nevis in Newcastle.

The Nevis police brought the three men to the Newcastle police station. Unfortunately, while the men were being detained, the outboard motor, as well as several personal items were stolen from the boat.

On a brighter note, the three men’s luck would finally begin to change. Cornell Kollel reports that Nevis Customs officer Mr. Neil was very kind and helpful. A cashier at a local vegetable stand offered money out of her own pocket to help with meals. Miss June’s Cuisine served them two memorable meals. Christian and Hedda Wienpahl of Chrishi Beach provided temporary lodging. Greg Knorr and Richard Mestier have both donated significant time and effort into helping the men get back on their feet and to plan both the boat retrieval and the return home to Dominica and their families. Kollel said he has “no words to explain how much we thank these guys. I need to get back to my country and work.” Thanks to their kindness, Kollell continued, “All of us are getting back in place.”