What happens when a 19-year-old trades snow boots for boat shoes and plunges into the shadowy world of Caribbean smuggling? In My Caribbean Run, debut author Dale "Catman" Ballard delivers a gripping real-life account of adventure, danger, and unexpected discovery on the open sea.
Set in the fall of 1977, My Caribbean Run opens with a life-altering phone call. Ballard, restless and craving more than the gray skies of Indiana can offer, answers the siren song of the ocean and finds himself aboard The Mirage, a 76-foot yacht bound for Colombia on a covert mission: to smuggle 13.5 tons of marijuana back to U.S. shores.
However, this is no glamorous cruise. Battling seasickness, internal tensions, and treacherous waters, Dale's sun-soaked escape quickly turns into a test of physical endurance, mental resolve, and moral ambiguity. Through powerful storytelling and raw honesty, Ballard invites readers aboard for every close call, every clash of personalities, and every heart-pounding moment of survival.
"It was supposed to be an adventure," Ballard writes. "But adventure doesn't come without risk—and it sure as hell doesn't come with a map."
My Caribbean Run is a vivid time capsule that takes readers into the gritty, unpredictable reality of smuggling in the 1970s Caribbean. It's a story of camaraderie, freedom, and the perilous price of chasing the unknown.
About the Author
Dale "Catman" Ballard is a blues harmonica musician. Born on an American Air Force base in France in 1957, his family relocated to the United States in the early 1960s. Ballard currently lives in northern Indiana and is married, with two sons and six grandchildren. After retiring, he finally had the time to focus and put down in writing this true adventure of smuggling marijuana from Santa Marta, Colombia, to Miami, Florida, back in 1977.