The Man Who Sailed Away

An interview with the author of Yes, No Bananas and Tomorrow contributor, Julian Putley. 

PHOTOGRAPHY Julian Putley

There are few places on earth where you can catch a glimpse of celebrities as easily as in the Caribbean. Some of them own private islands, like Richard Branson, Nicolas Cage, Eddie Murphy and Johnny Depp – to name just a few. Perhaps a better way to spend your money would be to invent your own island, like our man of the moment, Captain Julian Putley, who masterminded his story on and around Dominada, a fictional luxuriant, green and pristine island in the eastern Caribbean. 

Q: Why ‘Dominada’ from a billion other options?

Dominada is a cross between Grenada and Dominica, both banana-growing and exporting islands and, as such, very pertinent to the story. 

Q: After being raised and schooled in England, you spent three decades in the British Virgin Islands, working as a yacht captain. Why would someone leave this paradise and move back to a decadent, noisy and polluted Europe? 

The BVI is a beautiful, tropical archipelago of 60 islands, islets and cays. It is also subject to tropical storms and hurricanes. My family of wife, Monique, daughter Amanda and son Jason spent many wonderful years here. In 2017, we were severely impacted by Hurricane Irma. The children were now grown up, so we decided to sell our large but badly damaged home and move to Portugal. My wife is Brazilian and yearned to go to a Portuguese-speaking country. We researched the whole Algarve coast and decided on Praia da Luz. 

Q: Your 37-ft yacht’s name was Starry Night. Do you like Vincent van Gogh’s art, or was it just a coincidence?

The yacht was already named Starry Night when I bought it. Some say it’s unlucky to change a vessel’s name, but I am not superstitious in that way. I really liked the name – every sailor on long passages hopes for starry nights. Yes, I do like Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting, but most of all, I love Don Mclean’s ballad of the same name; in my humble opinion, it’s one of the most beautiful songs ever written and he sings it perfectly. 

Q: There was a long-haul sea captain I met once who spent the long, dark nights at sea reading, translating and writing poetry. Is it true that you also started writing while sailing the world’s oceans?

I’ve been writing short stories and poems since my early 20s, but my first published feature story was about a cruising sailor whose boat was a beautiful gaff-rigged ketch named Flying Lady. It was chartered by a researcher who was looking for a lost flying lady, aviatrix Amelia Earhart. The story of their adventure was so fascinating I had to write it down. I sent it to Pacific Island Monthly, and they bought it immediately. It was the beginning of many more.

Q: You initially wrote Yes, No Bananas, 14 years ago. Has anything changed since then in the dark side of paradise described in your book: locals’ poverty, refugees’ policy, scheming preacher teachings, money laundering, political corruption, amateurish law enforcement, and banana wars, to mention a few.

The story is a satire and, as such, it is an exaggerated look at life on the islands. Having said that, all the elements you mention are there to a greater or lesser degree. Caribbean island life lends itself to comedic storytelling. The book’s premise, the Banana Wars, is absolutely accurate and a dark part of US history and its assault on Central America that has impacted the economies of many countries and Caribbean islands. It is a satire on Caribbean island life with moral undertones.

Q: Rumours say that you are already prepared to turn your book into a short Caribbean TV series. Is that correct?

I wrote a full feature film script of the story but was then advised that it might work better as a TV series. I have now completed the first episode as a TV pilot. Getting it in front of the right eyes, though, is a challenge. 

Q: What is the inspiration for your writing?

The most wonderful experiences I have enjoyed in my life have involved sailing. I have sailed many oceans and have enjoyed unparalleled freedoms. The sea provides nourishment in so many ways, not just food – of which there is an abundance if you know how to harvest it – but in adventure, excitement, camaraderie and interesting challenges. Sailing the world in a small boat encompasses so many facets of life. 

Q: You write and submit sundry articles for Tomorrow magazine. What are your top three favourite subjects, and what is your message to the readers?

Nautical subjects, maritime adventures and history, but there are so many topics of interest. My message to readers is – try writing. 

Book Review

Yes, No Bananas is a compulsively-readable and thought-provoking book. Julian ingeniously engineers the 25 chapters of the book, with all its symmetries and fine-tuning: from the island to the yacht, then back to the island, gradually increasing the tension in the multi-layered plot. Then the epilogue comes just in time to close the circles of colourful main characters and tie up a few loose ends. 

If you want to discover Julian Putley’s Yes, No Bananas, you can find it on Amazon.co.uk from 0€ (KindleUnlimited) up to 7.60€ (paperback), or at Amazon.es with 9.31€ (paperback).

Dan Costinas: “As far as I’m concerned, there is no such thing as good books or bad books. Some of them resonate more with certain minds, while others resonate with others. Therefore, I am not entitled to tell anyone what they should and shouldn’t read. What I do is invite you to read and ponder whether this or another book resonates more with your mind. It’s as simple as that.”

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