Yesterday was Christmas Eve and in the Caribbean the big party is Christmas Eve night. I woke up and met a friend for a run up to Hog Heaven. It was really nice to have someone to run with, even though I was still aching from my long run the day before, and my knee was still pretty stiff from when I fell on it. We did about 4 miles round trip. The wind has died down almost completely so it was good we went early, the days are heating up a lot with no breeze. In the afternoon Ben and I joined in for the Beer Can Racing at BEYC. There were 8 Hobie Cats out racing around the cans, and grabbing beers from the committee between starts. The hardest part of the racing is grabbing an open beer from the RC without crashing your boat into them or getting completely stuck in irons! I sailed by myself on a Hobie Wave, which has just a main sail, and raced 4 other boats. It was great to be back on the Wave again. It's a silly resort version of a faster beach catamaran but it is a load of fun! My results were pretty good and I managed to drink one beer while driving and trimming the sail. On the final race to the beach a major weather front was about to roll through and it kicked up some pretty big gusts. I flew one hull for a few solid minutes on the final reach to the beach. If I can't go skiing I suppose sailing is a pretty good second!
As the front passed through and pelted us with rain we hid out in the Pub just as everyone was starting to get excited about Christmas Eve. We had a few Christmas cheers and wondered if the weather would clear through in time to have the Christmas Boat Parade. Thankfully the weather cleared a little and Santa came down the dock to get on the boat, the Caribbean version of a sleigh! Through the ran we drove around the harbor, rocking Caribbean Christmas tunes and wishing everyone a merry Christmas. A few smaller boats joined in to the parade, decked out in all sorts of twinkle light arrangements. My favorite part of Christmas in the Caribbean is the selection of Christmas Carols. Being that all the traditional songs are about snow and pine trees, some people in the Caribbean have written songs about their own traditions. My favorite is How Will Santa Get Here. The big question is without reindeer, snow or chimneys, everyone is wondering how Santa will deliver the gifts to the kids. All of the songs are set to a fast Soca beat or played with steel drums. If you get a chance to hear Little Drummer Boy played on steel drums, you'll know how fun it can be.
At this point on Christmas Eve the libations are flowing and people are getting pretty cheery, even with the rain. I made it back from the parade in time to catch the ferry back to the main part of the island. I am staying with a couple of good friends and we had a couple more people over for pizza and wine while we waited for the real party to start up the hill. There is a neighborhood (or street corner really) half way up the big hill called The Bond, or just Up The Hill, where everyone congregates late on Christmas Eve. There are a few local bars all congregated in a 1/4 mile stretch that serve rum and beer and lots of fried or barbecued chicken. There is just nothing better when you've had a few drinks than Caribbean barbecued chicken and a johnny cake! We had a great time and stumbled down the hill and into our beds. Almost everyone who lives around here works at a resort or on charter yachts so everyone has to work Christmas Day. Most resort guests are pretty understanding if service is a little slow on Christmas.
Take it from me, if you have to miss Christmas with your family spending it with a group of good friends and a little champagne and rum isn't so terrible. Spirit and traditions make Christmas what it is, not the snow or the trees, and we have a lot of both down here!
Happy Christmas, everyone!
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