ADVENTURE SAILING TO HAITI

After spending two months in the Dominican Republic, Andy Brown sails west to Haïti bringing medical and school supplies to the town of Mole Saint Nicholas

- Andrew Brown

 Lordship, my Westerly Sealord, had been stranded in the Dominican Republic for two months. I had been sailing from Martinique towards Cuba with two friends. We were having trouble with our batteries, so we stopped along the south coast of Hispaniola. In the evening I went up the mast to retrieve a halyard when I spotted damage to the shrouds. A few strands of the cable were broken at the tang. The Dominican Republic didn’t have facilities to swage new shrouds, so I ended up staying for much longer than I wanted. My crew left disappointed and I spent the time waiting for replacements, planning my next steps.

I started looking at Haïti, and contemplating why I sail. For me, a large part of that decision is the desire to take the road less travelled. Cuba was a start, but Haïti is possibly the paragon of that sentiment. I returned to the UK and Europe to regroup, and decided that Lordship would be bound for Haïti. I raised a small sum of money from friends and family for medical and school supplies, and returned with a used mainsail that was donated by Crusader Sails.

A VOLATILE HISTORY