Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - March 2021

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LOOK OUT FOR…by Lynn KaakBitter Whatsitsface,or Coolie PawpawMARCH 2021 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 32The best anchorages are onlyin Don Street’s Caribbean pilotsWhen cruising the Caribbean be sureto have Street’s guides on board asyour primary PILOT. Only Street has: Inter-island and harbour pilotage Tidal information All eastern Caribbean anchoragesStreet’s pilotage information is timelessand is your key to a quiet night’ssleep in unspoilt anchorages!Other guides are best for shore-sideinformation & are provided to the charterfleets so what harbours & anchoragesthey do include are more crowded.Street’s pilots include: south east & eastcoast Grenada, the south & east coast ofCarriacou, & the east coasts of Cannouan& Martinique. These are not coveredby other guides but Street considersthem the best in the eastern Caribbeannow Venezuela is no longer safe.The perfect pilotage companionfor all the other guidesOrder onlineUSA/Caribbean:iUniverse or Amazon(search Donald M. Street)UK/Europe: www.imray.com(search: Don Street)As you travel through theCaribbean, every month there’ssomething special to look out for.Momordica charantia hasnumerous names, and many ofthe colloquial English namesutilise the term “bitter” — as inbitter melon, bitter apple, bitterpear, bitter gourd, and bittersquash. In the Eastern Caribbean,the name coolie pawpaw may beused, as well as bitter cucumber.Seeing as many of the namesallude to the taste, one maysurmise, correctly, that the fruit ofthe plant is edible.The original home of “bitterwhatever” is not really known, buteducated guesses point tosouthern Asia. After that, itspread out throughout the tropicsand subtropics.This vine can grow just aboutanywhere as long as thetemperature doesn’t get too low. Itisn’t absolutely adamant that itneeds to be in the heat of thetropics, and can do fairly well intemperatures that hover around13°C (60°F), as long as one isn’tlooking for bumper crops. While itprefers areas with decent rainfall, itwill still survive through the dryseason where they occur. Altitude isn’t much of a deterrent to its survival, either, soit can be found from sea level to about 1,000 metres (3300 feet).It likes to climb, making it a decent cover for fences and other stationary objects,but because it can grow quickly, it can also take over the area in an invasive manner.If denied access to something to climb, it will adapt and act as ground cover.Bitter (choose a name) leaves are multi-lobed and almost lacy in appearance. Theyline up alternately along the vines. When in bloom, the plant has a multitude ofyellow flowers, both male and female.If a flower is pollinated, it will develop into the edible fruit. The fruit resembles aslightly rounder cucumber with warts, with the size varying from easily fitting intothe palm of your hand, to the size of a small cucumber, depending on the availabilityof water. Some varieties have pointier ends, but the bumps are a constant. Initiallygreen, the fruits turn an orangey-yellow colour as they ripen. It is the green or justturning-yellowfruits that are normally consumed.Bitter whatsis is best known as a vegetable in India and recipes have travelled toTrinidad and Tobago (where it is called caraili or karela) along with the Indiandiaspora — thus the name “coolie pawpaw.” It is often fried and served with saltfish.At the edible stage, bitter whatsitsname has small, flat, white seeds, similar to thoseof a cucumber. If you choose to eat this fruit, you may want to remove the seeds asthey are very bitter.As the fruit matures, the seeds become enrobed in a sticky red pulp. The fruit willeventually open to expose the seeds.In many places in the Caribbean this bitter fruit is not well known for eating, butbecause of its prolific propagation it may be found anywhere where the ground hasbeen torn up. A typical place to find the vine is on fences or other suitable supportsby the roadside.
READERS'FORUMGOOD WRITING ON SIMPLE THINGSDear Compass,I write to congratulate Bela Brown for her beautifullywritten piece on the Good-Natured Grenada FlyCatcher in the February issue. In these coronavirustimes, a good piece of writing on simple things livensup the day and gives the image of a life beyondlockdown when we can be free to enjoy MotherNature again.Your review on the progress and plans of our BequiaMuseum should generate more enthusiasm. I inviteyour sailors to tell us where else is there a museumplanned for access by boat.Sir James MitchellBequiaSt. Vincent & the GrenadinesANXIOUS TO RETURN TO CUBADear Compass,Thanks for the February issue! I enjoyed the Cubaarticle by Carla Fowler, and am anxious to returnwhen travel becomes possible again.Mary Ann MatterFlorida, USAStock Upon the widest selection and theDear Caribbean Compass,The Compass is for the birds these days — kudosagain to Bela Brown for her article in the Januaryissue on the stylish-looking Loud-Mouthed Yellow-Bellied Elaenia. (I wonder if it might be related to theOne-Eyed, One-Horned Flying Purple People Eater!)Cheers,Speedy JohnS/V Second StarBELA BROWNREADERS IN VENEZUELADear Compass,Thank you very much for such a beautiful andwonderful magazine. I will gladly make it available tothe members of the Organización Nacional deSalvamento y Seguridad Marítima of Venezuela (theVenezuelan National Maritime Safety and SecurityOrganization, ONSA), as it has very interesting articleson the different aspects of sailing and marine life.Best regards,High Commodore Nicolás GoschenkoPresident, ONSA ACVenezuelaKUDOS FROM THE AZORESDear Compass,With much love and gratitude for keeping all theCompass balls up in the air. The Compass team doesa great job! Thank you!With warmest wishes from this little corner ofparadise,Duncan SweetMid Atlantic Yacht ServicesHorta, Faial, Azoreswww.midatlanticyachtservices.comWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Dear Compass Readers,We want to hear from YOU!Be sure to include your name, and your boat name orshoreside location.We do not publish individual consumer complaints.We do not publish anonymous letters, but your namemay be withheld from print if you wish.Letters may be edited for length, clarity and fair play.Send your letters to sally@caribbeancompass.combest prices in Grenada at our twoconveniently located supermarkets.Whether it’s canned goods, dairyproducts, meat, fresh vegetablesor fruits, toiletries, household goods,or a fine selection of liquor and wine,The Food Fair has it all and a lot more.Hubbard’sJONAS BROWNE & HUBBARD (G’da.) Ltd.The Carenage:Monday - Thursday8 am to 5:30 pmFriday until 8:45 pmSaturday until1:00 pmTel: (473) 440-2588Grand Anse:Monday - Thursday9 am to 5:30 pmFriday & Saturdayuntil 7:00 pmTel: (473) 444-4573MARCH 2021 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 33Click here to read a sample or to order:https://amzn.to/2ZaLfzwMarineInsuranceThe insurance business has changed.No longer can brokers talk of low rates.Rather, the honest broker can only say,“I’ll do my best to minimize your increase!”There is good insurance, there is cheapinsurance, but there is no good cheapinsurance. You never know how goodyour insurance is until you have a claim.My claims settlement recordcannot be matched.I have been connected with the marine insurancebusiness for 47 years. I have developed a rapportwith brokers and underwriters at Lloyds and amable to introduce boat owners to specialist brokersin the Lloyds market.e-mail: streetiolaire@hotmail.comwww.street-iolaire.comRead inNext Month’sCompass:Heading to the Azores?Lessons from Hurricane Season 2020Choosing a Boat Work Contractor… and much, much more!Pick up a print copy or read it online atwww.caribbeancompass.com— don’t miss it!
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Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - March 2021

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