Ah sea-far-in(g) people

Tragedy at Sea is no stranger to us in SVG. Back in 1944, during de War Days, dey was an excursion from Grenada to

Sin-Vin-Sin wid relatives and friends of families from both islands, coming up foh ah ‘well-to-do-framily’ wedding. De Guest list must ah bin big, as two inter-island schooners, de Island Queen and de Providence Mark, were engaged. Boat was de only means of transportation in dem days. Tragedy struck dat night! Up to now nobody knows whatever happened to de Island Queen, it never arrived in SVG! All 64 passengers, young promising Grenadians and Vincentians lost at Sea.

And den in December 1968, five days before Christmas, lightening ‘strike again’ in de Grenadines. Close to 200 construction workers from mainland SVG, were employed on de Palms Island and Petit SVG Resorts. Wuk was closed down foh de Christmas season, and everybody was paid wages plus Christmas bone-us. Dey were singing one tune: “I’ll be home foh Christmas” except dey was one problem, no boat to bring dem home.

Someone came up wid ah bright I-dare dat dey chartered de Federal Queen, ah small Ferry, dat seated no more than 30 workers at any one time. It had to mek several trips at mornings and evenings commuting workers from Palm Island to Union Island. But dat fatal evening when de over-laden Federal Queen left Union for Sin-Vin-Sin wid close to ah hundred passengers, folks on Clifton Wharf predicted dat it would not mek it to Mayreau. And so it didn’t, No survivors! It was ah Black Christmas foh Vin-sin-shun dat year.

Right now de search is on foh six persons missing at sea since Sunday. Reports are dat dey left Can-One foh Mustique on ah speed boat. In de past, people have gone missing foh weeks and were later found alive, so dey’s still hope. In de meantime, we must be vigilant when we have to travel; check see what is de weather like and what is de boat like. Ensure dey’s Life-Jackets nearby. Maybe like Seat Belts, the Life-Jacket Rules should be mandatory.

But we are proud, small island, Sea-far-in(g) people. Every way we turn, we does CDC (see de Sea). If yuh walk too far in one direct-shun, yuh ending-up in de Sea. We bathe and swim in de Sea! We date and mate in de Sea! We is de Sea and de Sea is we, and as mocking as it sounds, if yuh out dey when yuh name call, Yuh’ll Die on de Sea. .

ONE AH DE BETTER QUEEN SHOW

Ah give de Carnival Queen Show ah “B” grade. De young ladies did very well and dey are all winners. De Talent section dis year was de best we’ve had foh ah long time. Is Lie-Za who explained Miss SVG, Jimelle Robert’s talent to me. Ah portrayal in dance of de burning problem of Human Trafficking around the world, and de heights ah female will climb to escape de Trafficker. Great dance Jimelle. Congrats to LaFerne and her team, and let’s not forget Cheryl Rodriguez who resurrected and restored de Queen Show. Ah hearing all sorts ah crit-ah-size-him, but who nah know, nah know! Dis Carnival business is ah Billy Button wuk. Lickle or nothing in dey foh de people who make Carnival ah reality. However, widout being over critical, something was missing from de Show on Sunday Night. It lacked de spirit of ah Festival commemorating “Forty Years of Vincy Mas!” Ah Queen Show widout Becket’s “Vincy Mas!” or Soso’s “Congratulations??” Naaaa! And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy