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Caribbean Travel / Hermit Crabs / Crab Races / Hurricane Frederic / Wild Animal Travel / → All Tags

It's Crab Racing Season in the Caribbean

True story: in 1979, I went on a vacation with my parents and sister to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, and our timing couldn't have been worse. The day after we landed, Hurricane Frederic began lashing the island with rain, and we spent three long, boring days playing charades in our darkened hotel room as water leaked from the ceiling. By the time the storm had passed, our vacation was over, and we made arrangements to fly back home. A rush of people doing the exact same thing, however, necessitated one more night in a hotel near the airport, and while killing time there I noticed a sign advertising crab races at a certain time and place in the hotel. My eight-year-old mind thought that nothing could be cooler than a crab race, and I insisted that we all gather to witness the spectacle. Sadly, the appointed time came and went with nary a crab in sight. The hurricane had ruined the last hope I had to have fun in St. Maarten.

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Hurricanes / Hurricane Frederic / → All Tags

Tropical Storm Fay Eyes Hurricane Status, Hopes To Ruin Your Vacation

Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean are in the midst of hurricane season, with a series of storms knocking down power lines, battering buildings, and ruining vacations. Here, Victor Ozols thinks back to a long-ago hurricane experience, and the boredom it entailed.

Tropical Storm Fay is on its way to Florida right now after roaring across Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it left four dead and caused untold damage. Forecasters warn that the storm could soon strengthen to hurricane status, triggering a severe weather alert across the Florida Keys.

News of the storm reminds me of my own Caribbean hurricane experience, way back in September 1979. My family had flown to St. Maarten for a few days on the beach, but our timing couldn't have been worse. Hurricane Frederic was on the way, and we were in for several days of virtual house arrest as sheets of rain lashed against our cottage at a resort called Mullet Bay.

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