The first week we were here, one of our Aussie friends at TTSA told us, “One of the primary skills necessary when sailing long distances on a sailboat is knowing how to fix your sunglasses in myriad and sundry ways.”

I chuckled along and figured I knew what he meant. But after 3 weeks, I think I am beginning to gather the full picture that was lurking somewhere in the distance behind his offhand comment.

So far, Jason, John and I have either lost or broken the following items:

  • 1 pair of new Quicksilver flips flops (lost on a beach somewhere in Tobago)
  • 1 pair of Cobian flip flops (blowout)
  • 1 pair of 2-month-old Smith sunglasses (smashed in beach games, since soldered together by pressing superheated hinge into plastic, not too much worse for the wear, minus the bubbly plastic)
  • 1 zipper on a 2-week-old waterproof backpack (reattaching and sewing is in order)
  • 1 closure/compression buckle on waterproof duffel bag (buckle on order from England)
  • 1 roll-top compression packing bag (duct tape anyone?)
  • 1 long skirt with sequin details (sewing in the dark on a rocking boat really sucks, take it from me)
  • 1 cloth grocery bag strap (ditto on the last comment)
  • 1 dinghy, multiple punctures, now patched (apparently sailboats have sharp parts)
  • 1 serious dent and scratch in Jason’s new Olympus Stylus Tough camera, still working, but no longer looking new (told you J’Ouvert was wild . . . oh wait, we still owe you that entry!)
  • 1 fork from the boat’s cutlery (Monday night BBQ, someone must have walked off with it)

This may not be a complete list, but it’s what I remember, anyway.

Lesson learned: It’s not a matter of if it will die when you bring it on a sailboat; it’s only a matter of when.