Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine June 2017

HELP TRACK HUMPBACK WHALE MIGRATION
Your contributions of tail fluke photographs of humpback whales
from the Caribbean region are critical for conservation efforts.
INTERESTED in Helping? Go to www.CARIBTAILS.org
LOOK OUT FOR…
Australian Pines:
Not Conducive to Barefootin’!
by Lynn Kaak
As you travel through the Caribbean, every month there’s something special to look
out for.
Pines in the tropics? Casuarina equisetifolia, known as Australian Pine, is pretty
much everywhere in the Caribbean, and in the tropics and subtropics in general.
While they may have originated around the western Pacific and eastern Indian
Ocean basin, they have travelled well, and have flourished. They have adapted to
their new homes so well that they’ve been labelled as an invasive species in a number
of places.
COMPASS
CARTOONS
BILL ABBOTT
JUNE 2017 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 38
MERIDIAN PASSAGE
OF THE MOON
JUNE & JULY 2017
Casuarina is a bit of a catchall name, and there are 17 species. Equisetifolia is most
commonly found in the Caribbean, with its name derived from the Latin word for
horse, in reference to the foliage that is reminiscent of a horse’s mane or tail. They
are also known as Ironwood, She Oaks, and Whistling Pines.
While they may look like a typical conifer, they don’t have needles, but very small
scaly leaves clumped together that, from a slight distance, look like needles. The tree
splits into many twigs, and the trunk may be bare on larger trees. These trees can grow
from six to 35 metres (20 feet to 115 feet), making them a standout on the beaches.
Casuarina equisetifolia has small red female flowers that grow together in a long
strand. The male flowers are spikier. The seeds, when they develop, are tiny “winged”
seeds, encapsulated in a small woody, oblong container that is very much like a tiny,
spiky pinecone. These are extremely unpleasant under bare feet!
The wood can be used for shingles and lumber, and is excellent for cooking fires
as it burns at a high temperature. A fast-growing tree with trunks up to about one
metre (three feet) wide, casuarinas can be useful sources of local lumber.
One of the problems with these trees, besides those prickly “pinecones” underfoot,
is that not much can grow under them. If enough shed material sits on the ground,
the chemical composition of the organic material makes the environment hostile to
Crossing the channels between Caribbean islands with a favorable tide will
make your passage faster and more comfortable. The table below, courtesy Don
Street, author of Street’s Guides and compiler of Imray-Iolaire charts, which
shows the time of the meridian passage (or zenith) of the moon for this AND next
month, will help you calculate the tides.
Water, Don explains, generally tries to run toward the moon. The tide starts
running to the east soon after moonrise, continues to run east until about an
hour after the moon reaches its zenith (see TIME below) and then runs westward.
From just after the moon’s setting to just after its nadir, the tide runs eastward;
and from just after its nadir to soon after its rising, the tide runs westward; i.e.
the tide floods from west to east. Times given are local.
Note: the maximum tide is 3 or 4 days after the new and full moons.
For more information, see “Tides and Currents” on the back of all Imray Iolaire
charts. Fair tides!
June 2017
DATE TIME
1 1823
2 1904
3 1953
4 2052
5 2120
6 2204
7 2249
8 2335
9 0000 (full moon)
10 0022
11 0110
12 0158
13 0247
14 0335
15 0422
16 0509
17 0557
18 0645
19 0735
20 0828
21 0924
22 1022
23 1124
24 1227
25 1324
26 1428
27 1524
28 1616
29 1704
30 1758
July 2017
1 1835
2 1919
3 2003
4 2047
5 2132
6 2219
7 2307
8 2355
9 0000 (full moon)
10 0044
11 0132
12 0220
13 0308
14 0355
15 0442
16 0530
17 0620
18 0717
19 0808
20 0907
21 1008
22 1110
23 1210
24 1309
25 1408
26 1455
27 1543
28 1629
29 1714
30 1706
other plants. This can be good or bad, depending on your landscaping requirements.
The fact that they also reproduce quite easily means that they are bumping indigenous
plants and trees from their natural setting.
Australian Pines prefer soil with good drainage, and they seem quite happy in the
sand. They are extremely tolerant of salt, and can even take a good soaking of seawater
during flooding or excessively high tides. While normally found on the coasts,
they can be found up in the hills in the areas affected by the rain shadow, as they
prefer not to have a great deal of water.
Their ability to withstand high winds has made them popular for windbreaks,
especially on beaches, and they assist with erosion control. So while not the most
decorative tree, nor do they have an edible fruit, they do serve a purpose.