I am Captain Harry of Yacht Fairwind and I repley to a awfall man called Rubin who has lodged a damaging complaint about myself and my yacht and also the unjustified and untrue allegations of his and his girlfriend expeiranced upon my yacht that he aggreed to crew for . To clarify and defend my characture and honesty I give this account. Fairwind my yacht was in Jamaica prior to sailing for Cuba to undertake major repairs to its engine, that was the outcome of intake of water from its exhaust upon my vayage from the BVI for the dilivery of Humanitarian supplies of outboard engines, food clothing and school and medical supplies to the Haitian Island of La Vache that suffered consideribly in three hurrican hits last year.
I undertook this charity dilivery at my own exspence, and the consuquence was that I was forced to sail down wind without engine to Jamaica for the engine repairs.
Due to the high costs of the boatyard and the repairs I was forced to return to the U/K to get into work to pay for these costs. I was had to sell my car to gain extra money.
However after three months I returned to Jamiaca after recruiting Rubin on a website who informed me he was an expeiranced sailor, he also informed me he was a Commadore of a yacht club in Wales so I had high expectations of his abilitys.
He also informed me he was a lecturer at a college or university.
I found in my expeirance with him that he was clumsey unknowledgible and inexperanced, overwight and constantly was negitive and unhelpfull.
The allegations he has made against myself and my yacht are untrue, and shows how vindictive this man is to damage my characture and integrity.
1 He informed that he had to get into an inadequete dingy in Jamaica and climb down some drop to get into same.
Sailors have to be agile and competant to climb into whatever dock is availible, and as he was clumsy and overwight he struggled.
2 He claimed that he was forced to pay for food as the yacht was unstocked.
I had adequete dry food onboard and requested he would shop with his lady friend for fresh food supplies, I aggreed with him that we share the costs of fooda third each way.
3 I was informed by the Marina earlier that I had to pay some $1200 for anchoring for the last three months that came as a shock to me, and as I knew I had this responsiblity to meet, I requested Rubinand Leanna to help me with these costs only.
A third share each for food, and fuel or marina costs. They reluctantly agreed . I had informed them prior to joining the yacht that I would meet the costs. However the costs involved was to be only £20 per week each from them, and I thought that there reluctant complaint was meanness on there part, as I to mostly covered the exspences of Fuel ect . They were to join a voyage of considerible interest and enjoy if they had the courage or grit to put up with some discomfort an exciting adventure to get to the BVI Islands, visiting many ports and Island on route.
4 They informed me that my yacht was smelly and stank when they came aboard. My yacht was clean and tidy .
Fairwind is a classic built in 77, and all older boats have a smell about them. His allegations are untrue about having to clean the yacht.
5 No way did I leave Port Antonio without paying my responsibilitys to them . Again another untruth to damage me.
Paying them left me very short of money and as my only income is a small pension asked them to help me with part of the exspences.
5 When we left first time around for Cuba the sea state was favourible, however as we left the lee of the land the wind came up, and I requested Leanna to go below to close the saloon hatches.
She had no agility and was completly thrown around the saloon and unable to simply let down the hatches. I had to leave the wheel at
the time and take over. I was somewhat Grumpy to her as I was anoyed to leave the wheel, and she informed me also she was expeiranced upon a yacht at sea.
What a blantant lie he gave when he said the yacht was in danger of sinking. Total untrue ! We got some small amount of water below because of Leannas inability to close two hatches.
6 My yacht has all the instumentation adequete for off shore voyageing. Two GPS, one onboard VHF, and one hand held. All my navigation lights work . I have over board man overboard equipment and light.all nessasary charts for the Caribbean.
There is no liferaft as in the BVI charter yachts are not required to have them.
7 Our first passage out from Port Antonio Jamaica was somewhat unpleasant as the wind came up to appro 25 knots . Leanna was getting seasick and also Rubin was not well and finding it uncomfortible. We had wind on the beam and and I would have found it satisfactory for a quick apssage to Cuba. However I decided to return for the night to Port Antonio for the benifite of my unfit crew members.
8 Returning that evening I came alongside the dock slowly and carfully, and had previously instucted my crew to step ashore, with the mooring lines in hand and make fast the lines to the dock.
Leanna jumped first and fell over, Rubin refused to jump even though the yacht had come to a stanstill and was some eighteen inches away from the dock. I had to jump leaving the wheel and lassoo a bollard to pull Fairwind to the dock.
He had not the agility or ability to moor a yacht. God I thought I might as well be crewing myself without all this responsibility of nursmaiding my inadequete and incompetant crew help.
9 We left the following day and the wind and sea state was more favourible. We made Cuba in some twenty six hours .Arriving the following day.
10 It is completly untrue that Port athority was not informed by VHF of my entry into Santiago Cuba.
I indeed radiod into the Marina athoritys and was instructed to enter without trouble.
The Buecracy in Cuba is awfall I must admit, as we had an army of some seventeen people board Fairwind .All with the paper work involved. Leanna is a doctor with herbal drugs and the sniffer dog, alarmed and resulted in lengthy interigation.No person in Jamaica was involved with any drug aboard Fairwind. I had a crew man some four years ago who had taken an illigal drug aboard with out my knowledge. So anothe untruth to blacken my characture