More to come soon - take care till next time!
David and Susanne
Postcard from Trinidad
David has been upgrading our tired, leaking plastic salon vents to metal ones. Later he will build dorade boxes for them so they can continue to ventilate even when we are sailing. Dorades are those funny horn looking things that stick out of boats’ decks - they are designed to provide airflow to the boat’s interior even when the deck is awash. Next, he will work on the leak in the port hull between decking and topsides, which looks like an old repair that may have worked loose.
We have also been investigating canvas and upholstery upgrades. The local tailor is highly recommended, especially for coming up with ways to make things better than they were before. He is a quiet, kind, busy man - also named David! So he is working up an estimate to replace our funky old mattresses and ancient vinyl salon cushions. We also want to add some awnings to reduce the solar heat load on the boat (imagine that, Washingtonians!). We started today with a good old silver tarp which covers the cockpit and middle of the boat, and is already providing very effective heat relief.
Upon our arrival, we made contact with fellow Olympia expat Ken Kleinhoff, who arrived here on Sangreal via the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and South Africa. In the latter place he met and married his delightful wife Gail, who makes a mean Bloody Mary and helped us get the proper antifungal cream for David’s feet (she is a nurse). We have also been hanging out with a couple of American solo sailors, Mike and Larry, who are sadly going back to the states for the summer and leaving their boats here. But I don’t think we will lack for company, there is a pretty active cruising community here.
Every day except Sunday there is a radio “net” at 8 AM for about 20 minutes, to exchange information about goings on. On our first day here I got drafted to host the net on Wednesdays, and I will start next week. I feel a bit underqualified, but I figure it will be a good way to learn about things here. I’m also organizing a workshop with the internet café to help get those of us new to wireless more familiar with how it works, and I’m looking into starting up a yoga class if I can figure out a way to charge for it legally. Trinidad is pretty strict about limiting visitors’ ability to sell products (eg excess boat gear) and services. So we will see what can be done.
We joined Mike and Larry last Sunday in attending a local jazz concert, billed as the artist Anthony Woodruffe and his friends. Anthony began with a nice rendition of the national anthem on his sax. The next several pieces were somewhat high school talent show, and we weren’t sure about staying past intermission. But then the pros came on - a great pan (steel drum) player named Ray Holcom; pianist Clive Sander, who also sang terrific scat; and several others. They were able to galvanize the other players and raise the performance to a much higher level. Several calypso pieces became audience sing alongs, which we joined in on the chorus. It was great - a totally different experience than you’d have in the states. I am looking forward to some upcoming concerts in the “panyards” where the bands that play in Carnival are based.
To get David’s foot cream, we had to go to a local mall, which I enjoyed more than I expected. They had good stores, including 2 real bookstores, and some scrumptious chocolate hazelnut ice cream. I have generally been able to accommodate my voracious reading appetite with novels from book swaps, but I might need to treat myself to a few new books before we leave!
Today we went into to the big open market downtown. It goes on for several blocks, and has a meat and fish section as well as produce, clothing and canned items. Our allotted hour went by quickly, but we made sure to catch our ride back as he had arranged for a discount at the local grocery store. So we stocked up on soda water, beer and other items, and were dropped off right at the dock. Now we are set for a while. It is very convenient to eat ashore, as food is cheap and cooking is hot, but we try to do this no more than once per day or less. However since Trinidad has a large East Indian population, I am looking forward to our next trip to town to search out some palak paneer and other tasty dishes. Till next time - staying cool in the airconditioned Internet café!
David and Susanne
It's been kind of exciting down here…
This morning, we had a brush with Tropical Storm/Hurricane (Evil) Emily. The sailing community has been anxiously tracking her progress over the last 48 hours. Despite a forecast that predicted that she would head towards Dominica or St. Lucia, her position remained at 11 degrees north as she moved westward - less than 30 miles north from here. This was very similar to what happened with Ivan last year, as the several survivors pointed out repeatedly. Tuesday night she was assessed as a hurricane.We moved around the corner to a more protected anchorage yesterday and began hurricane preparations. We stripped the sails and other things from the deck, set 2 anchors and organized the interior including an emergency grab bag with key documents. Emily was downgraded back to a tropical storm, and began finally moving north, so we didn't take the final step of stripping the solar panels. It was raining, cloudy and a little windy in the PM and night, but not bad. We stood anchor watches most of the night. The wind built in earnest just before daylight as Trinidad was lashed by Emily's "tail", reaching 42 kt around 6:30 AM with rain in sheets. It came from the opposite direction than we expected (east) so we were concerned as to whether the anchor would hold - but it did. We are VERY glad we invested in this new larger anchor (a 44 lb Delta) and 150 feet of chain - we used about 120 feet. I do not think the old set up would have held although we had it ready as a reserve. By 9 AM, the winds decreased, and we could go inside and eat breakfast. We have spent most of the rest of the day tidying up, and also checking out another possible hidey hole nearby (unfortunately there is an underwater wastewater pipe right down the middle). One boat did drag onto the beach (don't know who yet) but everyone seems to be OK. There was a lot of flooding in Trinidad, and loss of power for several hours. I think Grenada received the brunt of the storm, which was upgraded again to hurricane status (100 mph winds), and there was some onshore damage. Fewer boats were affected because there were a lot fewer there to begin with (and Emily was Category 1). The funny thing was, I had scheduled a talk on hurricane preparation for Wednesday, which I cancelled since we were all busy with the real thing. We may reschedule it again though, as for many of us this was our first brush with this kind of weather, and we got off fairly lightly. So far so good - but we all know that it is probably that more storms and maybe worse will hit here again this summer and fall. It will definitely affect our planning as to where and when we move. Otherwise things here are good. We went on a great turtle watch on Tuesday, where we saw both baby leatherbacks hatch AND mama leatherbacks lay eggs. It was fun even though we were starting to stress about Emily. I'll write more about that soon. Now it is time for an early night!
Cheers from a damp Trinidad
David and Susanne
So, what do you do for fun in Trinidad?
One of the most popular things to do here is to go on a “turtle watch“. Several beaches on the north and east coasts of Trinidad are nesting areas for the endangered leatherback turtle. On Tuesday July 12, we drove 2 hours across the island to Matura Beach, access to which is restricted during 6 months each year for turtle nesting. A permit is required and strict rules must be followed, or one faces a large fine and jail time.
Leatherbacks are huge (around 800 lbs) and long lived. The age of the female we observed was estimated at 80 years. They begin laying at 20-25 and continue for the rest of their life. The turtles who come to Matura are tagged and tracked through a microchip implanted on their shoulder. One was tracked diving to over 4000 feet, probably to escape a killer whale, one of their few predators (besides man). They breathe oxygen but can store it very efficiently, limiting their need to surface. They mainly eat jellyfish, and unfortunately sometimes mistake plastic bags for them. Leatherbacks swim amazing distances - they travel from the edge of icebergs, down the coast of Europe, and across the Atlantic.
While she might not return to exactly the same beach, a female will come back to the same area year after year to lay her eggs. She mates with several males, then comes in to the beach to lay several clutches of up to 100 eggs, about every 10 days or so (sounds exhausting to me). She lays at night, crawling out of the ocean to dig a hole with her rear flippers, and throws sand across her back, to try to camouflage herself. 60 days after they are laid, the baby turtles hatch, also at night for camouflage (triggered by temperature). Eggs laid in a warmer spot produce more females, in a cooler spot (eg near tree cover) more males. They climb over each other, out of the nest and head straight for the water, normally the brightest thing around. They swim straight out to sea, sustained for 2 weeks by yolk retained in their bellies. Less than 5 percent survive to adulthood as they make tasty snacks for fish, birds, etc.
This was a great trip, marred only by the approach of Hurricane Emily, which was moving steadily closer and ricocheting back and forth between tropical storm and hurricane status. Since hurricanes draw all the moisture and weather in the area to them, it made for a beautifully clear night for the turtle watch. But in hindsight, it was not the wisest choice especially since we had not been through the fire drill of preparing for a hurricane before. We got back after 2 AM, and were up again at 6:30 for the weather forecast and to move the boat to a more protected spot. Fortunately we were able to complete our preparations and even take naps before we got the blow, but it was stressful.
It took us a couple of days to unwind and get ourselves back to normal, especially since we were also settling into a new location. Our new anchorage is a bit removed from the center of Chaguaramas, but it has a workshop and will cost about ½ of our moorage last month. We are back to working on various boat projects, though not at breakneck pace (a bad idea in the heat). I have been checking our finances and getting charts for the next part of our journey. David has gotten us another watermaker, a reconditioned PUR 40 which will hopefully actually work. In a couple of days we will get our lovely new salon cushions (I can’t wait!). David will soon begin work on our new, integral gasoline tanks, so we can stow or get rid of the jerry cans that occupy almost half of the cockpit.
Big decisions that are still hanging out include a new outboard for the boat, one for the dinghy, and a new dinghy. Other projects, such as a mainsail cover, await us although some could be done elsewhere (like in a lovely secluded anchorage where we could actually swim off the boat).
That’s all for now, and probably enough! Hope you have plenty of time to enjoy summer where you are,
David and Susanne
No, we haven't been swept away by Hurricane Katrina...
Wow! It’s September already. Here in the land of eternal summer, this still means it is back to school for little Trinidadians, with the usual sales. Since my 4 pairs of shorts and 6 T shirts are getting a little tired, I indulged in a little shopping today, which also meant air conditioned splendor for most of the day. I also treated myself to Mira Mehta’s latest book, Yoga Explained, as I did not bring any of my yoga books with me. It is nicely organized, with philosophical references as well as good pose guides. I took a class with her a few years ago and was very impressed - she is someone who has spent her life studying and teaching yoga, and still finds new things to share.
But life here is not much about trips to the mall. I have been waiting to write until we had reached a decision regarding the purchase of a new, larger 25 hp engine, which we initiated Monday past. At US$3800, it is our largest single investment so far, thus the deliberations of a month before decision. There are several complicating factors:
1) This is a pretty unusual outboard engine because it is high thrust and low power. Therefore locating a dealer was a challenge - one person David talked to told him Yamaha did not make one (even though it is on the web page).
2) We needed some dimensions to see if it would fit in the cockpit. Yamaha pretty much doesn’t deal directly with customers, and when we were finally able to get some specs, we got 2 different measurements for what appeared to be the same section. So, we created a purchase agreement that requires the engine to be measured before it is sent to ensure we don’t get something that won’t fit.
3) Installing it pretty much requires a haul out. Not every yard here can haul us (due to our 20’ width) and most of those that can are booked. We will also want to redo our bottom, as the paint we applied in Portugal has worn off and the rear sections of the hulls are sitting low in the water (yep, our butts are too heavy…). Our shipper has offices in Curacao and Panama , so we could have the engine shipped there, but haven’t yet gotten a solid recommendation on yards in either of those places. It’s also possible we could get the engine and go somewhere else to install it, but at 200 lbs and 53” it’s a bit awkward to stow.
We also debated whether we needed it. We think it will give us another knot of speed, and greater ability to punch through adverse conditions (such as entering an atoll with perpetual current against us). We have heard a few stories of pirate attacks off of Panama’s west coast, so having a larger engine will also mean greater ability to get away from them if there is no wind. We will keep the current engine, which we could use if something happened to the new one that we could not immediately fix. We expect to continue to sail most of the time, but engines are handy for the beginnings and ends of trips, and getting through doldrums or away from nasty weather as well as dubious people. So, as they say here, “there ya go.”
We remain anchored off TTSA, about a mile from the main yachtie/cruiser center of Chaguaramas. This means a near daily walk or bike ride for our errands, which is good exercise. It’s a bit scary at night, so most of the time we spend US$0.30 for a maxi taxi. I’m still doing my weekly stint as net controller, and have started sharing weather reporting duties with another cruiser. This means I get up early to listen to the NOAA forecast for the region, as reported on a ham radio net, then summarize it for our area. Naturally we were all very interested in Hurricane Katrina, even though it was thankfully never a threat to us. This next month is the peak of hurricane season, so we are watching the Atlantic weather very closely and keeping our stores topped off in case one comes this way and we have to go to a safer anchorage to hide.
David is still working on building our new fuel tanks, and is about to begin demolition in advance of reconstruction. I have procured paper charts for us from here all the way to Fiji . We still don’t know yet if we will go further west than that, although David is in favor of spending our next hurricane season in the Marshall Islands so he can see the places he was not able to visit when he went there on Capricorn Cat a couple years ago. I have some copies of electronic charts too, but am planning to rely for now on the paper as it does not require power to operate. We are doing other little projects, and making sure to play as well as work.
Last week we did a joint tour of a pan (steel drum) workshop and the Angostura Bitters factory. The workshop is run by Rory Pascal, who makes steel drums by hand for local and international use. He gave us a detailed overview of how steel drums have evolved, and how they are constructed and tuned. Tuning is an art form and quite individual, as it is possible to bring out different levels of overtones in the drums. Different bands have different sounds, determined by how their pans are tuned.
The bitters factory was on a whole different scale - a very large, modern facility with an excellent guide. The center of the operation is the secret mixing room. Only 5 people know the secret formula for the bitters, and periodically they go into the room to mix up the herbs that are it’s basis. The herbs are then steeped in alcohol and distilled before bottling. We were allowed to see and smell a batch of the herbs that had been steeped. I could identify cinnamon, cloves and lavender - I noted with some concern some dead bees lying on top and hope that they are not part of the formula! The tour concluded with a sampling of Angostura products at their bar. They bottle a number of different rums, punch mixes, and as well as gin and vodka. An incentive to go on the tour was the availability of Bounty rum in the gift shop for a little over US$3, so we purchased some to try. Rum is generally less cheap here than we had hoped, probably due in large part to high government tariffs.
Yesterday was Trinidad’s 43rd anniversary of independence, marked in the usual way with parades and fireworks. We made it in to Port of Spain for a picnic before the fireworks, which were quite nice, and our intrepid driver managed to skate through the side streets to get us back on the single main road before the rush.
We wish we could say when we will be moving on, as the islands off Venezuela and further west sound lovely (snorkeling, fishing, no overpowered Hindi or Soca bands serenading us from the cars on the beaches…). It will be a few weeks yet, I think. In the mean time, I hope that you have thoroughly enjoyed your summer and even the beginning of fall!
David and Susanne
Back on the sander, again
My goodness. I started this e-mail over a month ago, when we scheduled our second haul out. Time flies when you’re … sanding? Well anyways, here we are at Peake’s boatyard, still in Trinidad. We hauled out September 19, in the hopes of receiving the new Yamaha in a few days. It actually arrived last Friday, October 7. Not that we were bored, mind you. There were the twice daily calls or visits to the shipper, and the sanding. Most of the paint below the waterline that we applied in Portugal is now off, as we found a number of little, and a couple big, blisters when we hauled. We got a quote from the boatyard to remove the paint, but decided buy a sander to do it ourselves. It’ll only take a week or so, right? Three weeks later, I’m down to the dagger boards, which I think have gotten bigger since the last time I did this. We have treated ourselves to the rental of an air conditioner, which has made it bearable, and in fact cool enough at night that I usually need a blanket as well as a sheet! But David sleeps comfortably, so it’s worth it.
Susanne
Merry Christmas - still in Tdad
Most important, we have made many friends and learned a great deal from them to prepare us for the journey ahead. In fact, our decision to stay longer and do more work in Trinidad was in part due to advice from others who had gone through the Caribbean and Pacific, and counseled us to take care of all major needs here. In the yard, we inspected the rudder posts and chain plates to the extent possible. We will inspect all the other major boat systems, repair and maintain elements as needed, and acquire or order spares for retrieval in Panama before we leave here.
The record setting hurricane season continued through November with the development of tropical storm Epsilon, the 26th named tropical system this year. Some of our friends, who left in early November, were anchored north of Grenada and had TS Gamma form on top of them, making for very unpleasant conditions! So it is not necessarily bad to be sitting here in Trinidad, out of the way. We hope to continue to avoid nasty weather as we begin to make our way west.
We celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with other cruisers, mixing traditional dishes with new favorites. For New Years, we plan to finally head out to our favorite local anchorage of Chacachacare, a former leper colony. This will allow me to test out the single sideband radio, and do a little swimming and hiking. The weather here has improved; it is noticeably cooler and dryer, and thus much more comfortable.
Looking ahead, we have been getting reports from other boats who left before us, to help our planning for the passage to Panama. While we haven’t settled on a firm itinerary yet, we will probably not stop often before the San Blas Islands, off Panama’s Caribbean coast. We’ve been hearing and reading about these islands for years. They are supposed to be one of if not the nicest destination in the Caribbean, and we hope to stay about a month there before proceeding to the Canal.
I haven’t been very conscientious about photographing things here. But I have taken a few parting shots to share with you. The first is with Ken and Gail Kleinhoff, to whom we bid a tearful adieu to in November as they head up island and eventually to Europe. Then there is my four footed girlfriend Princess, one of the dogs in the yard who came to regard us as family. She would escort me around the yard and around Chaguaramas, waiting patiently outside establishments where she was not welcome. She has an unfortunate tendency to run in front of cars in the yard, so we don't expect her to survive terribly long.
David and Susanne
We are finally leaving Trinidad!!
Probably Wednesday or Thursday. We are taking care of last little jobs now, like putting together things to be sent to us in Panama. It is definitely bittersweet. After more than 8 months here, we are really ready to go sailing and other cruising stuff like swimming off the boat. But we have gotten to know some great people here, including some of you, both fellow cruisers and Trinidadians. While we have no definite plans to return, I would very much like to someday.
From here we plan to sail to Bonaire, a trip of a little over 400 miles, probably 3-4 days. We’ll spend several days there as there is supposed to be great diving, then head to Curacao and Panama’s San Blas islands before going to the Canal.
I will write more, including some of the Carnival activity we have been squeezing in between boat projects, but may not be able to send it off till Bonaire. Hope those of you in the US are staying warm and dry, and those of you in the Caribbean are in lovely protected anchorages.
SusanneMarch 6, 2006
Latest
We’ve spent a week in Bonaire, mostly relaxing. Apart from friendly residents and a history of colonization by a European country, Bonaire has little in common with Trinidad. There are only 14,000 residents, so the arrival of 2,000 tourists on a cruise ship, which happens about 2x week, is noticeable. Most residents speak at least 2 languages, the local Papiamento dialect and Dutch, the official language. Spanish is also widely spoken, and those who deal with tourists speak good English and sometimes French, German and/or Italian. Papiamento appears to be influenced by Spanish, Dutch, and local Indian and African dialects. It is spoken and written throughout the ABCs: Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.
So here are 2 friendships which developed at the end of our Trinidad stay: Fanny Ray, aka Miss Fanny, works at KNJ Yacht Services at Peake’s, overseeing contractors working on client boats. She is a Venezuelana, and lives on the sailboat Santa Rita with husband Billy, who is American and runs his own business, Billy’s Rigging, with their daughter Iliana. I had the good fortune to get to know Fanny through Chris and Duff of Sudiki, and was invited to join her on trips to the downtown market. This is no mean commitment as she likes to leave at 5:30 AM! We would spend a couple hours, first in the fish and meat section, then browsing the fruits and vegetables, looking for the best deals in price and quality. She showed me the best herb lady, tucked in the back of the market, who always has fresh dill, yum, and the best egg lady, whose eggs have rich, bright yellow yolks. We would round out our shopping at the HiLo supermarket, and I would be set for groceries for more than a week by 10 AM. We’d gossip about Peake’s and the people there, and talk about lots of things. I grew to look forward to these trips and Fanny’s pleasant company.
Micheal Gianetti manages the travelift crew at Peake’s and can usually be found driving the hydraulic trailer. He’s been there since Peake’s opened, and says that he has never gone a day without completing the work scheduled, even though he and his crew have had to work late into the night. I first got to talking with him after thanking him for reblocking our boat during a particularly busy week. In many ways the challenges he faces are similar to those in my old job, even though the circumstances are quite different: competing demands on short time frames, keeping employees performing, high expectations, hearing about it when you don’t meet them and being expected to continue to perform miracles without always getting thanks. One day he took me for a spin in his immaculate silver Lancer through the Tucker Valley, in the park near Chaguaramas, at high speed. Very fun! His father worked for the park, and their family lived there within walking distance of a beach, and many trails into the hills. By his own admission, he isn’t the easiest person to get to know, but I am very glad I did. Hopefully this lengthy email compensates a bit for our lack of communication over the last few months! Stay tuned for more news of our adventures as we head to Curacao and Panama’s San Blas Islands. Love, David and Susanne
