Caribbean Bones: Tales From a Paradise Lost

The British and US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean was the frontier paradise of the 60’s and early 70’s where adventurers used the islands as a base of operations for nefarious activities in the Caribbean and South America. There were treasure hunters, counterfeiters, assassins, Black Panthers, rock stars, movie stars, wealthy industrialists, and lots of other folks looking for an escape from their boring ordinary mainland living. Others brought their yachts to join the large charter fleet in St. Thomas, stop to visit or continue on to other ports. The islands would enter into a frenzy of development in the early 70’s that would change forever their free, frontier paradise character. Native fishing schooners would disappear; high speed ferries replaced colorful native transportation, a mega yacht marina would be built on the bones of Yacht Haven Marina where most stories in this book had their beginning; where the people who made adventure their way of life inspired the short stories of Caribbean Bones. The ghosts of Yacht Haven, and its Marina, still haunt Dick but in a good way. Not a day passes that he doesn’t remember sharing a drink and laugh with Mama Cass; playing darts with “Mad Dog,” Fairchild on Virgin Gorda; liars’ poker with actor Bill Davis at Trader Dan’s on the waterfront or the “The Lovin’ Spoonful,” a stoned rock band neighbor at the marina. He went to the islands to find adventure and explore the wonders of freedom and found more than he had ever hoped for.