OUT OF AFRICA

6-30-11

A rusty colored residue was found settled in the grooves on deck this morning as we swayed on a mooring ball off of Christiansted, St. Croix.  We clean and polish Exit Strategy’s rigging on a regular basis, so it was odd to find so many rusty traces about the topsides.  Astute “First & Last Mate” that I am- I immediately alerted the Captain.  He merely tsk-tsked at my report and said that had I been up early enough, I would have heard the radio news reporter explain that an immense African dust storm loomed over the Sahara Desert last week and the dust was carried here and deposited throughout the Caribbean Islands over the past few days. 

So, we have seen the sands of the Sahara without stepping one foot on the great continent of Africa.  (AND the cleaning of the rigging can be stalled for another time.)