Have you ever heard of the Caribbean island of Redonda - it's actually a KINGDOM! Not exactly a resort destination, it hasn't been lived on since the first world war, and even then it was only inhabited for a short period of mining. It is really just a big rock, with nowhere to anchor and no easy access to get ashore. No beach, no palm trees, the only thing it does have is some goats, and some unique species of lizards that can only be found on Redonda. The thing that I find fascinating though is that some eccentric Irishman claimed it as his own, named it the Kingdom of Redonda and he was thus the King. He then passed this claim down to his 15 year old son. Somehow this "Kingdom" has survived and even though the island is now a dependency of Antigua & Bermuda, there are apparently 9 pretenders to the "throne" of Redonda. Click here to read a blog post about it.
This photo shows how imposing the island is. Not exactly the tropical island destination you might have in mind when you think of the Caribbean.
One time we were happily sailing by Redonda, until my ever watchful captain spotted a waterspout. Oh how exciting I thought.... let me get the camera! But this waterspout seemingly bee-lined it straight for us, even though we were the only thing out there, closer and closer it came. It wasn't a stormy day, so how could that be dangerous! Here is a photo I found that is similar.
Now as your imagination takes hold of the scenario of this thing hitting us, you kind of go into a panic. We were frantically trying to pull the sails down and secure things on the deck. Then my husband tells me to put our 2 year old daughter down below..... where can I possibly put her that is safe? Here is a photo of her happily playing with her blocks while we were sailing along.
I put her in her bed - with all the pillows & comforters I could find. Left her screaming to go and watch this thing coming. As it got closer is fizzled out and passed behind us, whipping up the water on the surface, but not nearly as bad as my imagination after all.
That is the island of Nevis in the background, and Redonda is just to the right (out of the picture).
You got to keep your crazy imagination in check when you go on an adventure.