Right on time
Island Time. Nobody can live contentedly in the Caribbean without being able to accept that events routinely start late. One Beaconite even remembers reading about it in a travel guide before coming to the territory. But the rigid punctuality of the English was on display for the whole world recently, as about 3,000 people gathered inside Westminster Abbey and another 300 million tuned in on television to watch the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The Beaconite was sleeping soundly during the wedding, but Premier Ralph O’Neal assured the reporter (and the rest of the territory) on Monday night during his party’s radio broadcast that everything at the royal wedding began “right on time.” He said at “one second” past the hour, the bride was walking down the aisle, and he sounded impressed. The Beaconite will continue to wait patiently when things run behind, but now, it’ll be with a glimmer of hope.
Ferry woes
A Beaconite’s mother was visiting last week, and they decided to go to St. Thomas for Friday’s children’s parade. To get there, they boarded the 10 a.m. Road Town Fast Ferry boat, Makana, after purchasing tickets for a direct trip to Charlotte Amalie. Everything was going smoothly until the ferry turned toward St. John. The Beaconite had heard no official announcement, but other passengers said they had heard crewmembers say the boat was experiencing engine trouble. After passengers cleared customs in St. John, however, the Beaconite heard neither the boat captain nor crewmembers give any announcement about what was going on. United States officials said that another boat that had arrived at the dock would take the group to Charlotte Amalie. But then that boat left. By this time, several passengers who were trying to make flights in St. Thomas were extremely frustrated. Some of them climbed aboard smaller boats that had arrived on the scene, presumably agreeing to pay an additional sum to try to make it to St. Thomas in time. After more than an hour of waiting, an RTFF employee finally emerged to say that the remaining passengers would be sent to Red Hook aboard a different ferry at a nearby dock. But the crewmembers on that boat didn’t seem at all pleased about the arrangement. One group of passengers didn’t understand a crewmember’s instructions to leave their luggage on the dock. So the crewmember yelled at them, using profanity. But maybe that was okay, because English wasn’t the passengers’ first language, and they didn’t appear to understand a word. Inside the ferry, a man who appeared to be a ferry official ordered a passenger from the same group to sit down. When the man, who didn’t seem to understand, didn’t obey, he yelled louder. Eventually, he, too, used profanity. The boat arrived at Red Hook at about 12:30 p.m. — approximately an hour and a half after it should have arrived in Charlotte Amalie. The Beaconite asked the taxi dispatcher if RTFF had made arrangements for a taxi ride to town. It had not. So the Beaconite, his mother and several other passengers had to pay for their own taxi. When he called the ferry company to complain on Tuesday, he was told he should write an e-mail. He did so, requesting a refund for both ferry tickets — or, at the very least, a refund of the $25 he and his mother paid for a taxi on St. Thomas. As of press time yesterday afternoon, the company had not responded. The Beaconite’s experience was not good, but he feels much worse for passengers who may have missed their flight. Many of them were tourists, and he wouldn’t be at all surprised if they think twice before returning to the Virgin Islands. The Beaconite understands that engine problems may be unavoidable sometimes, but surely the ferry company should offer an explanation and an apology — and do everything it can to get passengers to where they paid to go.
Dating advice
While visiting Virgin Gorda, a Beaconite shared a safari bus with a self-help writer visiting from the United States. Asked for a quick summary of her book, the writer, who was travelling with her children and seemingly devoted husband, provided the Beaconite with tips on finding his “soulmate.” All dating should be part of a tightly focused search for lifelong companionship, she advised. The Beaconite is unsure of the merits of the advice but will be sure to take it under consideration.
Laundry rooster
A Beaconite was doing his laundry at a public laundromat Sunday and heard a strange noise that seemed to be coming from the washing machine. Instead of a metallic rattle or industrial humming racket, the noise sounded a lot like clucking. That’s probably because it was. A rooster that had wandered in through the open door and hidden under a laundry basket began to crow loudly. The Beaconite was amused by the bird — more so than the Spanish-speaking woman doing her laundry at a neighbouring machine. She chased the bird outdoors with a coat hanger.