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—Continued from previous page<br />
Over the years there were many more ships to crew on and many, many exotic<br />
ports of call. His adventures in Africa and the South Pacific had the greatest impact<br />
on his life. If you meet Juan you may notice that he wears two unique bracelets on<br />
his right wrist. Each was given to him by one of his international mentors, wise men<br />
who befriended him and taught him much about life. Each bracelet is supposed to<br />
have special powers. The cowrie shell bracelet was a gift from his South Pacific<br />
friend who told him to never let anyone touch it or it would lose its power. If someone<br />
does touch either bracelet he was taught to take it off immediately and not wear<br />
it again until it is purified by leaving it in a glass of salt water for 24 hours.<br />
I pretended that I was going to reach out and touch one and he didn’t flinch. He<br />
smiled, knowing I would not dare.<br />
“It has been at least four months since anyone touched them,” offered Juan. “I am<br />
very protective of them and I can tell when someone is looking, usually a woman,<br />
and I know....”<br />
He has always been an avid reader and is pretty much a self-educated man, never<br />
attending university. He taught himself five languages, which has been very helpful<br />
in his business. It is rare that he is not able to communicate with a sailor from just<br />
about anywhere in the world. He speaks Spanish, English, and French fluently and<br />
gets by in Italian and Portuguese. He has read “all the great religious books” as well<br />
as books on philosophy and international business, all subjects he loves. His philosophy<br />
seems more Zen Buddhist than anything else but he says he has a very<br />
open mind about all things.<br />
I asked Juan if he ever had his own sailboat. He got a devilish smile on his face and<br />
leaned toward me to say, “I have never owned a sailboat, you see, because I am a very<br />
smart guy!” and he laughed heartily, his eyes sparkling as he puffed on his cigarette.<br />
He lived in Spain years ago, long before he came to Venezuela, but, “I had to leave,”<br />
he said. “Everything is Europe is so old. It is so old it feels like a heavy weight on<br />
my shoulders so I had to leave there and I came to Venezuela.” He spoke so fervently<br />
I could almost feel that weight he had fled.<br />
His first job working with cruisers in Porlamar was as an employee of Vemasca.<br />
He was hired to do pretty much what he does now: provide clearance services for<br />
yachts. After a few years, he was let go. For Juan that was not a crisis, it was his<br />
opportunity. A few days later he rented a desk in another waterfront business,<br />
bought a VHF radio and announced to the harbor that he was in business for himself.<br />
That was seven years ago.<br />
Two years ago he rented his current location, what is now known as Marina<br />
Juan’s, a small office with a tiny convenience store and a long dinghy dock with “24hour<br />
security”. The convenience store is run by his partner, Veronica, one of the<br />
sweetest people you will ever meet. She offers beer, soft drinks, ice, eggs, a few<br />
snacks and occasionally some yogurt or cheese.<br />
The majority of Juan’s business is still taking care of all the clearance paperwork<br />
for cruisers. It is possible for a cruiser to clear into the country on his own but most<br />
who do realize too late that it was far more trouble than it was worth. [Editor’s note:<br />
There is apparently a new, simplified clearance system in place; see letter from<br />
Gabriele Drucker in this month’s Readers’ Forum.] Leave your papers with Juan by<br />
9:30 in the morning and return at 3:00 to be escorted to the police station to offer<br />
a fingerprint on your documents, a quick stop by the Immigration officer to say hello<br />
and you are done, no hassles. Your part takes all of 10 minutes.<br />
As we continued to sip our cold beer, food became the topic of conversation. “I love<br />
to cook!” exclaimed Juan as he slapped me on the shoulder for emphasis. “It is my<br />
hobby and I am passionate about it,” he said, now perched on the edge of his chair<br />
as though we were finally talking about something important.<br />
Cooking is one of my hobbies too, so for the next hour we sat there, two old salts,<br />
talking about food and exchanging recipes. (Two of Juan’s favorites are given below.)<br />
I asked Juan if he had any concerns about the future. He looked at me quizzically,<br />
“Why would I worry?” he answered, “What would I worry about?”<br />
“Well, you are renting Marina Juan’s; what if you lost your lease, what if it was<br />
sold to someone else?” I asked.<br />
“No, I never worry. In my life, I learned the best lessons when things did not go my<br />
way. I do not worry and I trust people; I prefer to trust and sometimes be disappointed.<br />
That is the way I live,” said Juan as he lit another cigarette.<br />
Juan’s Fish in Foil<br />
Lay out a large sheet of aluminum foil and add layers of thinly-sliced onion, zucchini,<br />
tomatoes, and peppers and very thinly-sliced Idaho potatoes.<br />
Lay a fillet of your favorite fish on top, drizzle with fine olive oil and some minced garlic<br />
if you like. Add salt and pepper to taste and finally drizzle a little good white wine over all.<br />
Close the foil tightly but leave some room for steam to build up. Make a small hole<br />
or two with a sharp knife and bake in a moderate oven for 30 to 40 minutes.<br />
Juan’s Chinese-Style Fish<br />
Prepare a pot of rice and after it is cooked dump it in a bowl, sprinkle sesame oil<br />
over it, and mix well.<br />
Cut any white fish fillets into one-inch chunks and boil in seasoned salted water<br />
until just done. Drain chunks and set aside.<br />
In a sauté pan add some good olive oil and fry thinly-sliced fresh ginger, julienne<br />
green onions and minced garlic. Sprinkle with soy sauce and toss.<br />
Dump the fish chunks on top of the rice and pour the ginger and onions over the<br />
fish. That’s it!<br />
Jack Foard is a retired physician’s assistant now sailing aboard his Admiral 38<br />
catamaran with his wife Desiré, a jewelry artisan, and Lady Pitkeathly, a Jack<br />
Russell terrier. You can follow the adventures of Famous Potatoes at<br />
web.mac.com/famouspotatoes.<br />
WALLILABOU<br />
ANCHORAGE<br />
WALLILABOU BAY HOTEL<br />
VHF Ch 16 & 68<br />
(range limited by the hills)...<br />
P.O. Box 851, St. Vincent & the Grenadines,<br />
West Indies.<br />
Tel: (784) 458-7270 Fax: (784) 457-9917<br />
E-mail: wallanch@caribsurf.com<br />
PORT OF ENTRY<br />
MOORING FACILITIES<br />
WATER, ICE, SHOWERS<br />
CARIBEE BATIK - BOUTIQUE<br />
BAR AND RESTAURANT<br />
TOURS ARRANGED<br />
CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED<br />
HAPPY HOUR 5-6<br />
Bequia - Restaurant - Great Cocktails & Fun<br />
Bar open daily until… Sunday 6pm - 2am<br />
Kitchen open Monday to Saturday 10am - 10pm<br />
Menu: Burgers, Flying Fish, Philly Steak Sandwiches,Fajitas, Salads,<br />
Chicken Wings, Conch Fritters, etc. Dinner Menu will be available from Dec 07<br />
Full Cable TV • Air Conditioning • Sportsbar • Pool Table<br />
BEQUIA, Port Elizabeth, Admiralty Bay<br />
Tel: (784) 457 3443 • e-mail: saltydog@vincysurf.com<br />
New location at<br />
former Le Petit Jardin<br />
Wir sprechen Deutsch<br />
Credit Cards<br />
welcome!<br />
in Bequia<br />
Special 8-grain bread<br />
Fresh Croissants daily<br />
YACHT PROVISIONING<br />
Fine Wines<br />
Imported Cheeses & Pastas<br />
Daily Fresh Herbs & Produce<br />
and other Gourmet Foods<br />
VHF 68<br />
Tel (784) 458-3625<br />
Fax (784) 457-3134<br />
doris_freshfood@yahoo.com<br />
JANUARY 2008 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 39
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