the schooners (and occasionally sloops) would leave st. martin on the first or second of january. the ships would leave en masse, on a downwind run to santo domingo and la romana. (the wind typically blows from the east in the west indies.) on these downwind legs, the crew of each vessel would often attempt to outrun each other to alleviate the boredom of a journey that often took four days. the return trip in july, being a beat directly to windward, was difficult and long, taking up to twenty-one days. it was also more competitive, with much debate on tactics and weight distribution on each ship. some even breached international navigation rules and switched their starboard and port lights in attempt to fool their opponents. in addition to being a source of entertainment, the schooners that could outrun their opponents were able to deliver their loads home faster. those with a reputation for speed were able to charge more per passenger, and were usually guaranteed a full load of passengers. even after the schooners had been derigged and the crews turned to fishing, their passion for racing and sailing experience carried on into the smaller fishing craft.