As soon as I turned sixteen I got my learners’ permit, and shortly afterwards my Canadian drivers’ license. Although I didn’t own a car, I drove my family’s old Ford Falcon whenever the opportunity arose. I LOVED driving, especially along the winding country roads in Muskoka, and looked for any excuse to use the car. Moving to Bequia offered little opportunity for me to drive, there were very few vehicles, and as a result I didn’t get behind the wheel of a car on the Island until Mac bought a used Isuzu Amigo in the early 90’s. I DID drive whenever I went to Canada, but I had never driven on Bequia.
The first road vehicle we used as a family was a motorbike that belonged to our friend Klaus Alvermann, who had left Bequia on his yacht Plum Belly to sail around the world. I had bought a small motorcycle shortly after arriving on Bequia, and my dismal attempts to drive it had caused great hilarity on the Island. Mac always drove Klaus’s bike, with Rachel wedged in front of him and Vanessa clutching me from behind, and I was fine with that! The four of us went to De Reef regularly this way, and although it may sound sketchy we were safe, the road was not conducive to speeding plus there were still very few vehicles on the Island.
Next we inherited a funky yellow Brazilian vehicle called a “Gurgel “ from Mac’s brother Nolly. It was a weird car that looked like a dune buggy made of fiberglass, and it served our family well. Because the car had a stick-shift Mac did all the driving, and I was fine with that.
When we were building our house Mac bought an old Toyota pick-up truck, using it to haul building materials and sand for construction. It was a hardy truck capable of making the trek to and from Hope Beach, and we used it to carry food, drinks and people for idyllic days playing in the surf. I never drove the truck myself, it never occurred to me, it had a stick-shift and was therefore something I was not familiar with. Mac did all the driving and I was fine with that.
The day we purchased our first REAL car was a big event, it was a well-used Isuzu Amigo Mac had sourced on the mainland. It was a rather ugly colour (mustard yellow), but Mac was proud as he drove it off the Admiral. Bequia now had a ferry with a ramp, making the transporting of vehicles from Kingstown much easier. That day happened to be my birthday, and Mac had told half the Island he had bought me the car as a present. Hah! I had written the cheque for the car myself, some gift that was! I told Mac that if the car was indeed mine it should be registered in my name, and he laughed at me. He pointed out that the car had a stick shift and I wouldn’t be able to drive it. He stopped laughing when I told him he would just have to teach me how to drive a manual, and the car was duly registered to Judith Simmons.
I owned the car, but discovered that I had stupidly allowed my Canadian drivers’ license to expire. In order to drive my vehicle I would have to get a Vincentian license, and the Inspector was conducting tests on Bequia in just a few days. I had the week-end to learn how to drive the Isuzu, so a very reluctant Mac took me to the flat in Lower Bay to teach me how to drive a standard vehicle. I was pretty hopeless, and entertained the village royally as I bumped and lurched over the playing field all weekend long. Getting used to the clutch was harder than I had anticipated, and Mac shouted at me every time I stalled the car. It wasn’t very much fun!
I felt a little sorry for the Inspector. He had seen my Canadian drivers’ license and therefore knew that at SOME point in my life I had known how to drive a car! I got my license; whether it was an act of charity, pity on the Inspector’s part or a combination of both I never knew, but I got my license. It wasn’t long before I was able to change gears smoothly, but my Birthday Isuzu Amigo and I sure got off to a rough start!