November 16, 2006
Two months ago we moved around the peninsula from Hart’s Cut Bay to the Coral Cove Marina in Chaguaramas. It was only a half hour trip motoring, not enough wind to sail the whole distance. It sure did feel strange going into a marina, but "experienced" dockers that we are, the two of us got into the slip and tied up with just a little help from the dockmaster, Winston, who tied the bow lines.
A few days later we were on our way to the Piarco Airport at 4:30 A.M. to make sure we made our 8:00 A.M. flight to Miami-JFK-Buffalo. The flight leaving JFK departed two hours late, and our bags didn’t make it to Buffalo until Tuesday morning, but otherwise the trip was uneventful. We saw our kids, grandkids, new great-granddaughter, Mom, relatives in Vermont, and friends in both Buffalo and Vermont. We enjoyed visiting with everyone.
Many people take a vacation to the Caribbean...we took our vacation to the North and got some beautiful pictures of Vermont at peak autumn color (take a look at the latest pics)!
Our time in the States was over all too soon, and two weeks later we were on our way "home" to Trinidad and S/V M’Lady Kathleen. The first project was to replace a part in the water pump for the onboard A/C, and, WOW!!!, IT WORKED!!! We lived in air-conditioned comfort for two more weeks at the marina, hating to come out of the cabin during the day. The bonus of the A/C was how much the interior humidity was lowered, plus enabling the fridge to run more efficiently at a lower setting.
The disadvantage of being in the marina was the daily changes in the height of the tide which meant that the bow of the boat could be even with the dock or the dock could be as much as four feet below the bow. Climbing over the bow platform and anchors was always interesting but not aesthetically pleasing. Fortunately, neither of us tripped nor fell in the water, so all was well. Actually, the water was rougher in the marina than in our previous anchorage as the boats passing by always left good wakes. We sewed up a long, wide sunshade out of Sunbrella to replace the plastic tarps we had been using.
Back to the anchorage in TTSA, and most of the same boats we left a few weeks back. This time we finally adapted to the warm weather much better and started several projects. We now have a working forward head. All the plumbing connections from the thru-hulls to the toilet and the holding tank, and the pump-out to the outside deck, took some time, but so worth the effort. Most of the labor was done by Roland with Kathleen playing gofer.
The next project was to work on "isinglass" side panels for the cockpit to keep out the rain and seawater while traveling. The panels can be rolled up or removed since they have zippers on the edges. Eventually we’ll have similar panels totally enclosing the cockpit, and we’ll be dry and cosy when it rains...and the cockpit cushions will stay dry!
October 12th may be Columbus Day in the U.S., but in Trinidad it is the day the first Chinese were brought to the island as workers after slavery was abolished. This year was the bicentennial, and dragonboat races were held in a bay to the east of ours. The boats were rowed by twenty people to the accompaniment of a drummer on the bow and the coxswain in the stern. One boat had the misfortune of being swamped (actually over-turned) by the wake of a passing powerboat who got a little too close to the action. The entertainment included dragon dancers in beautiful costumes, and young ladies dancing with ribbons, balls and fans. Lots of food and drink stands as well as souvenier vendors made the occasion much like a small county fair...certainly not like the Erie County version! And just like St. Patrick's Day when everyone is Irish, everyone is Chinese for a day.
In October we took an evening off to go with a large group of cruisers to the town of Felicity for the celebration of Divali (the Festival of Lights), the Hindu equivalent of our New Year’s. The presentation at the Hindu temple included traditional dancing by a young lady and drumming by a group of three musicians. Afterwards we strolled the narrow streets of the village, visiting with people at their homes where they were lighting hundreds of little oil lamps. Most of the houses and businesses were also decorated with Christmas lights, including the icicle lights we all know and love. A typical holiday dinner was served back at the temple, served on huge palm leaves... pumpkin, curry dishes and roti bread. Forks were not necessary because you use the torn pieces of roti bread to scoop up the food. When we walked around some more, after our meal, the streets were crowded with cruisers and locals who had driven from miles away to see the lights. Just like the Christmas holidays in the U.S.!
A small trade show was held at Crews Inn Village one Saturday. The Snake Man was at the booth of Jesse James’ Members Only Maxi Taxi Services. One of the services that Jesse offers is hiking treks in the rain forest, accompanied by the Snake Man. That’s something we might consider next summer. Maybe we won’t have to work too hard on projects and will have time for more excursions.
Kathleen observed another of her 29th birthdays again last week (the 31st anniversary this time). No big deal...you’re as old as you think you are! Her birthday request was a portable Singer sewing machine so she’s been making a few new items of clothing to replace some that have worn out after a year and a half. Clothing sold here is not the same as the good old J. C. Penney or Target. A size large in the states is 2XL here and still too tight! Size 3XL in some styles is still too small for the average American woman. Many of the cruisers have clothing made here by a couple of enterprising local women who come each week to one of the marinas. Fabric is so inexpensive here that a trip to the fabric stores can yield enough material to make several pairs of shorts, several tops and a few shifts for $25-30 U.S.
The cruising community keeps a "Cruisers’ Net" operating on the VHF radio every day at 8:00 A.M.. Each day is hosted by a different volunteer net controller. Security issues are covered, help needed, treasures of the bilge for free, barter or trade, and weather reports. Recently the fellow who had been doing the weather for the last few weeks departed for Antigua, leaving a void for a couple days as no one came forward to volunteer. Since we have the ability to get three separate sources for weather reports, Roland decided to give it a go just for this week while we are still here, particularly since we now have a new computer. The old one simply was no longer repairable.
He listens to Eric (the local TV weather forecaster) on the single-sideband radio, Chris Parker (a professional weather forecaster for the Caribbean) on another channel on the SSB radio, and downloaded NOAA weather reports by computer on the SSB. By putting all these reports together he has been able to give a good weather report to share with fellow cruisers.
So here we are planning our escape from Trinidad...thought we would have left by the first of November, but we were paid up at the TTSA (laundry, showers, wi-fi, etc.) through today, the 16th. Tomorrow we’ll go to customs and immigration to check out to Tobago. It will be delightful to anchor in clear clean water again, with a beautiful sand beach as our backyard, or front yard, depending on which way the wind is blowing.
