Take a trip from Trinidad to Tortola on a beautiful 54 ft. Hylas sailboat, relive the entire trip beginning with the arrest and incarceration of the the songwriter on th every first day arriving in Trinidad.A true musical journey.

12 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Americana, COUNTRY: Alt-Country



Details:
You about to embark and a journey, not a physical one but a journey of the mind. Sit back, listen and enjoy the ride.

1. It all began when I landed in Trinidad on a silver American Airlines 757. I was singled out of the line by immigration. I had a guitar on my back and a gold pirate sword earring dangling from my left ear. I guess I looked like trouble. The immigration officer pulled me aside. His name was Sheldon Clarke and he didnât like me one bit. After being detained in a small room with a bright light for 10 hours, interrogated, threatened with expulsion, nearly swindled, I was released. As I steeped across the free line into Trinidad, I turned around and told Sheldon Clarke, that he was gonna be famous. He looked at me bewildered and I laughed as I walked out. So hereâs the first song of the journey.
âSheldon Clarkeâ â¢

2. I settle on the sailing vessel Yellowshoes about 3 am after my incarceration and wrote âSheldon Clarkeâ in 10 minutes. It was a labor of love. On the floor of the boat was a brand new Panda Generator still in the box that was supposed to be installed 3 weeks prior. The next morning the mechanics arrived and woke from a sound sleep. I asked them when the generator would be installed. They said âItâll be ready tomorrowâ. I heard that phrase 5 days in a row. That became song number 2. âItâll Be Ready Tomorrowâ

3. We ventured into Port Of Spain, downtown Trinidad and stumbled upon Hooters Restaurant an American icon. We decided to hang out there and eat. On the table were Dixie Crackers which I hadnât seen in years. As we munched on them awaiting our food they played loud, very loud rap music over the house speakers. My Cracker wrapper kept falling off the table as a Dixie Crackers truck pulled into Hooters with more crackers. I was sarcastically rapping with the music and Jake said I was nothing more than a Cracker Rapper. That was the birth of song number 3. âCracker (W)rapperâ.

4. After 6 days in port in Trinidad weâd all had enough. We were ready to sail and see new sites. I waved goodbye to Trinidad at sunset as we motored around the corner Venezuela on our port side. I recalled all that we had done in Trinidad and went down below and wrote âGoodbye Trinidadâ.

5. I had a song title running through my head for weeks before I left for Trinidad. It was called âWithout You Hereâ but I really had no concept or direction for the song. As I sailed in the night I looked over my shoulder and saw the Southern Cross. The milky way was bright and looked surreal. Everyone was asleep and I was alone in the cockpit. I wanted wake someone up to show them the sky but they were all out of it. I just wanted to share the view with someone and the song title popped into my head again. No one to share this beauty with, it seemed like a waste of a perfect sky. I grabbed my micro recorded and wrote âWithout You Hereâ.

6. We sailed for 20 hours straight from the Tobago Keys dead into the wind against strong 8 foot swells making way very slowly. None of us got any sleep and we were all beat up, tired and wet. As we motored into the harbor in Bequia the sun was peeking over the hillside and we all drank coffee and knew the day would be good. We explored the island had the best beer and pizza of our lives. We took a skiff back to the sailboat and I wrote âBequia Kind Of A Dayâ, as we sailed out of the bay towards Dominica as the sunset the day before Christmas Eve.

7. We spent two glorious days in Dominica. It is truly one of the most beautiful islands Iâve ever seen. We took a tree top tour on an aerial tram, and hiked the rain forests to hidden waterfalls. I commented over lunch that Dominica was real discovery. I pencil that song title on a beverage napkin and wrote the song in 15 minutes by the pool overlooking the beach and reef back at the marina. It was a true Dominica Discovery.

8. Iâd been looking for Goat Water (a local Caribbean stew made from goat meat scraps and left over vegetable and whatever else is left at the end of the day at local restaurants. Everywhere I went the locals said âYou donât want Goat Water. I insisted I did and finally got it in St. Kitts. It was delicious. Since it took me so long to find it and itâs such an unusual dish I decided to make it song number 8, âGoat Waterâ.

9. We explored St. Kitts in a mini van we rented. We drove all over the island and saw tons of history. We stopped at several bars that day and snacked and had drinks with umbrellas in them. As we drove around we came upon a troupe of Vervet Monkeys that were brought on a ship many years ago from Africa. We went to a little store bought beer and snacks and partied with the monkeys for a while. They love Carib beer. It was a real blast. Captain Woody of Latitudes & Attitudes magazine was thrilled to see monkeys, not sure why but he loves them. It was fun to write âMonkey Hourâ.

10. We finally arrived in the early afternoon to our destination, Tortola. We tied up the boat in Village Key and opened a bottle of Cuban Rum. We all sipped on it and relaxed till we were starving. We ate dinner at a great spot call âSpaghetti Junctionâ. We had no reservations so they made up a table for us in the Bat Cave, the ice cold bar in the back. Cheryl joking said to us all âQuick, To The Batcaveâ. It was a no brainier what song number 10 would be, âQuick, To The Batcaveâ.

11. Foxy hired me to play New Years Eve which for some reason he calls Old Years Eve. I saw more half naked chicâs and crazy people that night than I had in a long time. Everyone danced and it was great show. After my set I joined the rest of the party and had a blast. It was mathematically inevitable that Iâd write âOld Years Eveâ. Foxy loves the song. Itâs a real rocker.

12. I woke up with a pounding head after the New Years Eve Bash. The wind blew strong that night, very strong, 40 knots at times. I lost my 50 dollar boat crocs with the leather tops. We got in the dinghy and looked around for hours. I finally gave up threw my other croc in the water and we left. Later that day we met Rags whoâd found both my shoes and hand delivered them to me at Myettâs where I had a show that night. The next day I wrote the final cut on the CD. âLost & Foundâ.