Travels In Song (excerpt from chapter 18)

On day four of a Windjammer sailing adventure in the Grenadines, we passed Mustique, a "Rich and Famous" island occasionally inhabited by such rock persona as Mick Jagger and Sting. However, it was not the rock celebrity thoughts but rather that evening's event when some real music emerged while anchored at the small island of Bequia. The captain recommended karaoke at a local place called Schooners, so our group of 10 tendered over for a barfest. When we arrived, the bar was closed and our tender had returned to the ship. We were ready for fun and song but, for the moment, we seemed temporarily stuck in an island town that had gone to sleep early.

As we waited for the tender's return under a star-filled sky, someone from Schooners turned on a light and motioned us inside. We helped flip plastic chairs over as the owner opened his bar and cranked up the karaoke machine. Our shipmate friends, from different places around the United States, took turns singing songs as locals gathered inside and out. The place started hopping! I grabbed the microphone for my first ever attempt at karaoke and sang awkward versions of "Runaround Sue" and "Your Mama Don't Dance." Without question, I was no match for a guy who made his living as a television weatherman and sang an incredibly polished version of the Richie Valens classic "La Bamba."

As the Americans took their karaoke turns, the Bequian natives, who had merged into the crowd, politely clapped, though they held out for songs they knew well. When all of us travelers exhausted our efforts, the Bequians stepped to the microphone. Young men started singing American country and western songs in strange but delightful accents. We were hundreds of miles from any real night life where polished professionals sang for their supper. But this was one of those timeless, magical nights of momentary joy where cultures merged in song. It was also the first time viewing of the Southern Cross star formation -- an instant link to the song lyrics of "Southern Cross," by Stephen Stills.