Today was our first rainy day for over a month, with a squall coming through. The plan had been to go ashore to use the wifi at Ocean Cabin, a restaurant/bar here at Farmer’s Cay. However, just before we were going to head there, the rain began and the water was too rough to attempt the ride there in our dinghy. JoAnne (Ultra) was aboard with us, as she was going to do the same thing as me, and her husband was back on their boat doing some work. Therefore, we just worked on our computers and talked.
As it started to clear up, we got a call from Bill on the radio. Their boat is in a different mooring field than ours, and while we can see them, it’s not nearby. He said that there was a dilapitated boat full of what he guessed were Haitians. Accompanying them were three Royal Bahamas Defence Force (British Spelling) boats. After a bit, it became apparent that this was a loaded boat (63 people we found out later) filled with Haitians heading for a better life.
Bill immediately put forth a call on VHF Channel 16 (hailing channel) to all cruisers moored, anchored and at the marina in Farmers Cay. He told them that there was a boat full of Haitians who were no doubt cold, wet, and hungry. He suggested that we throw together some food for them, as well as donate clothing, blankets, and trash bags they could use as ponchos for the rain and cold. Then, he came to pick up JoAnne and we started making several hot meals of beans and franks and macaroni and cheese and franks. In addition, we gathered up many old towels we brought with for cleaning up and a variety of other warm things. Then, Mark and I rushed off and joined Bill and JoAnne at the Yacht Club dock where the police boats were docked. (By the way, almost all marinas here are called yacht clubs, but they are just regular marinas.)
Several other cruisers volunteered to go from boat to boat in their dinghies to pick up items and deliver them to the dock. As the food came to us, we dished it out in large cups, stuck a spoon or fork in them, and passed them up to the police on the boat. At the time they were trying to control the situation as they no doubt feared the Haitians might try to escape to the shore. In the photo above, boat number 45 has most of the Haitians on it and they are packed together, sitting calmly. Others are on the front of boat number 49. The dock was loaded with people from the island, who also donated items. Roosevelt, the owner of the Yacht Club, had large containers of barbecued chicken left over from the regatta, and he was passing them to the boat.
Soon, the Defence Force must have figured they better get away from the shore, but allowed us to follow them to the end of the moorage. Once they stopped, we continued with dispensing the food and at that point we were able to hand the cups directly to the refugees. The Haitians had been sailing for four days, and probably hadn’t eaten much before that. They had come through some stormy weather that morning and afternoon and may have been headed for Farmer’s Cay or perhaps Florida. We later heard that there have been hundreds of boats escaping Haiti, and in fact another boat with over 100 Haitians on it did land in Farmer’s Cay. With as hungry and cold as they were, we were surprised at how they shared the food. At one point, we cut some brownie’s into quarters, put four in a cup and asked them to “share.” Most did not speak English, but somehow they understood, or just did it. They took the small piece out and passed the cup on. We portioned out, usually in large full cups, all sorts of warm food, including oatmeal, rice and beans, spaghetti, and various combinations of Mulligan Stew. We also had bags full of snacks to give them.
At one point, Bill (in white hat) noticed that one Haitian had something wrapped around his waist and he had no pants on. Bill took off his khaki shorts and gave them to the man. Later, Bill realized he hadn’t checked the pockets and had at least $80 in cash in them. At least it went to a good cause and Bill wasn’t upset about it. We never even noticed because Bill’s underwear looked like regular shorts.
While it looks in the photos like we are in calm seas, in reality the current was wicked and we had to keep the dinghy engines running at full throttle to stay next to them even though the Defence Force allowed us to tie up to their boat. We didn’t see a gun in sight, but are sure they had them. We talked later at how different this was from the Coast Guard. If they had the Haitians aboard a cutter, we’re sure we would have heard their loudspeakers shout, “STAY 500 YARDS AWAYS FROM THE BOAT!” We’ve heard that before in the States when something is going on and the Coast Guard is protecting them, such as a submarine doing maneuvers. Eventually, it started to get dark, we gave them the last of the food, and took the dinghies home. The Bahamians then took their boats back to the yacht club dock where they spent the night. We heard various rumors about what was going to happen next. The Bahamians don’t really have any way to help the Haitians, but one story was that they were being transported to Nassau. From there, who knows? We hope they don’t end up back in Haiti. Another story was that a US Coast Guard Cutter was on its way. Perhaps these Haitians will end up in Florida, as we’ve heard the governor is welcoming them. (We found out later that they were brought back to Haiti.)
As we pulled away, the refugees shouted “Thank You” “We love you!” and “God Bless You.” We wish them well, as they have a hard road to travel no matter where they go. It was a humbling experience for us and we were grateful to have the opportunity to help them, even in this small way. Once again, as many times in the past, we also experienced the great generosity of cruisers.
