Tortuga: The Boat Ride



I took this picture on the boat
on the way to Tortuga.



During the walk to the boat I wondered why we were even being carried in the first place. As we got closer to the boat, I realized that the reason why we were being carried was because when you reached the boat the water was too high. You could still stand in the water OK, but by yourself it would be very difficult to get into the boat. I climbed on board the tiny wooden sailboat and found a seat on the deck as I waited for the rest of my group and a couple other groups to get on board. Once everyone was on the boat it got pretty crowded. We set off across the channel for Tortuga; we had been told it was only about 5 miles. It shouldn’t take too long to get there, right? Well, it probably wouldn’t have taken that long if the boat had a motor, but since it didn’t, it took us 1 ½ hours of being propelled by the wind and sailing against current to get there. For some, it was 1 ½ hours of lackadaisical sailing with a gentle breeze and the sun shining warmly on the picturesque blue-green Caribbean. For others, it was 1 ½ hours of pure torture spent with heads drooped over the side of the boat as you puked your guts into the ocean. Thankfully, I was one of the people that enjoyed the boat ride. I couldn’t get over how blue the water was!

I took this picture on the boat looking back at the Haitian shore.

Read my previous blogs to hear more about my many other Haiti experiences.