Goodbye Trinidad

The North Shore of Trinidad

One of the numerous caves in La Vache Bay. There were much biggger ones but our camera battery died. Great dinghy exploration though.

View from the anchorage in Scotland Bay

We have had an interesting time in Trinidad since arriving from Tobago July 30th. As one definition of Cruising is “Boat Maintenance in Exotic Places”, we thought it time to take advantage of all the facilities here. Chaguaramus Bay is a Yachting Haven with over 5 marinas and even more boat yards, numerous chandleries and all kinds of service providers. It is also a commercial working port so there is always lots of activity going on. The anchorage in the bay is the absolute worst we have ever been in. Not only does it suffer from a horrible southwest swell, the water is terribly polluted and is a dark brown colour from the silt of the Orinoco River. The humidity averages around 97% and is unbearable at times. You can’t swim to cool off but the marina we stayed in for a week had a nice little pool. It is also the rainy season, so guess what. It rains every day. Needless to say we have gotten lots of boat chores done, added some improvements such as a 150 watt solar panel, and still managed to have fun.

Rhiannon's New Solar Panel

Jesse James is the local Cruisers Guru. He runs Members Only Maxi Taxi service, does tours on request, has regular runs to the Supermarkets and the Fruit & Vegie Market, helps anyone in need and is a genuinely outgoing friendly guy. While in Chaguaramus we went on a day tour to the Asa Wright Nature Centre, saw tons of birds and a snake in the rainforest before getting drowned by a torrential rainfall. That afternoon was a boat tour of the Caroni Swamp to see the Scarlet Ibis, a beautiful gorgeous red bird.

It is also very easy traveling around by Maxi Taxi, the local public transport system. Port of Spain is the Capital City of Trinidad with more than a million people. It made for very intriguing exploring one Saturday Morning.

The Lighthouse in Port of Spain

painted to resemble the Trinidadian Flag

Monday August 27th marked our 2 year anniversary. That was the day Rhiannon, Pat & I sailed away from the Rothesay Yacht Club. WOW! It’s really hard to believe sometimes. I still wake up thinking it is all a dream. Needless to say we celebrated by going out to the Lighthouse Restaurant at Crews Inn for a nice seafood dinner. To celebrate our last evening in Trinidad (Tuesday August 28) we took Jesse’s bus to Port Of Spain to the Movie Town Complex, complete with 9 cinemas. It was probably the nicest Cinema we have ever been in. We were able to sit back in reclining chairs with more leg room than at home, and enjoy The Bourne Ultimatum. What a good action packed film that was.

Wednesday August 29th. We cleared out with Immigration & Customs Wednesday afternoon and by 4:30 pm we were waving goodbye to Chaguaramus. The forecast was for light winds and calm seas. We motored for about 2 hours then the wind picked up and were then able to sail all the way to Ilas de Los Testigos, 108 nautical miles in 20 hours. The only down side was the fear of Pirates off the North coast of the Peninsula de Paria, Venezuela. To avoid these guys, you leave the Bocas in Trinidad and set your course heading North, so they think you are going to Trinidad. We sailed north to 11° , about 20 miles off the coast and then altered course to 270°, West with an East Wind. Now Rhiannon does not sail the best directly downwind, and since it was blowing 18 knots plus, we ran all night under a reefed main. The genny would have helped cut the roll a little but we furled it in as you don’t want to run the risk of being overpowered at night with a short handed crew (2). During the night we were able to alter course, thanks to the Radar, to avoid a big squall, and enjoyed the company of an almost full moon. By 12:30 pm, Thursday August 30th, we were anchored off a little village on Isla Iguana. We Made it to South America! (Although not the mainland yet) Isla Iguana is one of the small islands that make up Los Testigos, a group of small offshore islands with about 160 inhabitants. There is no customs here, no one speaks English & we don’t speak Spanish, but the Guardacosta gave us permission to stay for 4 days. Yeh!!!. 4 days of playing on sandy beaches and snorkeling. We haven’t done that for a while.

Fair Winds,

Miriam
11°21.4’ N
063°07.8’ W

Hurricane Dean

Hi From Trinidad
It is bright and sunny, almost no wind and we are in a slip at Coral Cove Marina, Chaguaramas, Trinidad. All the worrying about Hurricane Dean is over until the next tropical wave/depression arrives, which happens to be at approx. 19 deg N, 38 deg W. This will have an impact on us probably next Thursday/Friday, if we are still here, which I hope we ain’t. We firmly believe that the best “Hurricane Preparation Plan” is to be somewhere else! So, Venezuela looks good, hopefully heading in that direction in the next day or two.
Some models of Hurricane Dean’s position on last Tuesday had Trinidad & Tobago in it’s direct path. This would have been the first Hurricane to hit here in 120 years. We were in the midst of some boat work, and we did not have time to escape to a “hurricane hole”, plus we were convinced that it would veer north. Not only us, but about 350 other boats in the various marina’s and anchorages in Chaguaramas would have taken a serious hit, probably one that would have destroyed everything. As it was, Dean did veer north and passed between Martinique and St. Lucia, leaving a path of destruction. Unfortunately later today, Sunday 20th, the eye of Dean will be 30 miles off Jamaica then Cancun, Mexico as a Catagorie 4/5 Hurricane. The destruction will be massive and we hope the people have taken the time to seek refuge.
Cruisers who have spent some time here in Chaguaramas warned everyone on the Wed. and Thurs morning “Cruiser’s Net” (VHF radio broadcast @ 8am) of the exposure to the Southeast in the anchorage and some of the marinas. A lot of boats left for refuge elsewhere only to be replaced by boats arriving from Grenada and other places north escaping the storm. The place was packed! There is very little room to anchor here, most of the space taken by moorings which are spaced way too close together. We appraised our situation and decided to stay at the dock.
The ocean swell of Dean was felt here about 8 hours after it passed our longitude. In Coral Cove Marina there are strong concrete docks which don’t move when big waves hit it. But that doesn’t mean that the boats tied up to it don’t move.
First thing after morning coffee was to visit Budget Marine and buy 120 more feet of nylon rode to prepare Rhiannon for the predicted swell. We always felt fairly confident in our “ground tackle” and assumed that we would ride out situations like this on our anchors. We are never in a marina, never tied to a dock and only have dock lines that keep is tied in minimum forces. Not for what we were expecting this day.
Within 30 minutes of adding the extra lines, she started to roll. There were boats on moorings that were breaking loose and piling into other boats, boats on anchor were dragging onto their neighbor and big waves were bashing into boats in the marinas.
Rhiannon was rolling from side to side, (with me watching from the stable concrete dock), but not as bad as our neighbor boats which were closer to the wall of the marina and getting the back wave after it hit the marina wall. The swell lasted about 3 hours and it was awful! Masts banging other masts in fact two hit about 10 or 11 times. Our rig hit the shroud running between the main mast and the mizzen mast of a 54’ ketch beside us only once but broke our wind instrument.
About 200 yards away more openly exposed to the waves a few boats in the marina were litterly picked up and smashed onto the marina wall! The local boat businesses went all out running down with huge fenders, lines and people to help out. All this and not a breath of wind, it was amazing! You might check out www.guardian.co.tt then go to archives for August 18th , which is at the end of the list. This is the local newspaper and the cover page has photos of what was happening. We were too busy to take any pictures ourselves.
Our boat projects are complete now, installed one 150 watt solar panel, added more insulation to the fridge and re-worked the propane locker and we are setting sail to Venezuela, minus our wind machine, where we hope that we will never have to experience what we went through here in Chaguaramas, or the potential disaster that it could have been. First Rule in Hurricane Preparation, Be Where It Ain’t!
See Ya, Fair Winds and Seas
Pat & Miriam
S/V Rhiannon3

Carriacou to Tobago

Thursday July 5,2007
Tyrrel Bay is on the Island of Carriacou, which is part of the country of Grenada. It is a very large but pleasant anchorage with a mangrove swamp in one corner of the bay. The mangroves become a popular spot to “hang out” in case of an impending storm. Fortunately, we do not have to make use of the protection of the mangroves. The anchorage was very crowded when we arrived on Thursday but a lot of boats left Friday morning for the south shore of Grenada. We decided to stay and with more room in the anchorage, let out a lot more scope on the anchor. Saturday morning was very calm and the morning forecast called for the rains and wind to start around 3 pm and expected to last till about midnight. Pat & I took a bus into Hillsborough, to the only Gas Station on the island, to fill up our jerry cans with Diesel (total of 7 gals). One of the drawbacks in a lot of the islands is the lack of “convenient” facilities. There are no wharfs to pull up to to refill fuel and water tanks; so jerry jugs are an essential piece of boat equipment. We bought some fresh fruit & veggies but were anxious to get back to the boat.
Saturday afternoon had a very eerie feeling as everyone was hunkered down on their boats. Waiting. Nobody stirred. Then around 4 pm, the sun came out and all of a sudden dinghies & people started moving about everywhere. It was really weird. The storm missed us!! I will not complain. Apparently Grenada, 20 miles to the south got a lot of wind and rain. Go figure. The unpredictable power of nature will always amaze me and always warrant respect.
We had a nice surprise Sunday morning when we heard about a boat launch that was to happen that afternoon in the village of Windward. We shared a “taxi”, as the buses don’t run on Sundays, with a couple from Toronto, and enjoyed the half hour drive to the north part of the island. Carriacou has a history of boat building and the Carriacou Sloop has a very good reputation. Several Carriacou Sloops participated in the Antiqua Classic Yacht Regatta last April. They are very fast, sturdy wooden boats with an aesthetic beauty all their own.
So what is a boat launch? Well, the boats are built on the beach and when complete, the whole town and all the surrounding villages show up to participate in the launch. The women and children are singing and chanting while the men prepare. Logs and giant timbers are stratigically placed under the keel, a giant rope is wrapped around the hull & gunnels and the supports from the hull are removed. There is lots of yelling, singing and general merrymaking as the hull is eased down the beach on top of the logs; one at a time a log is moved from the stern as it emerges & placed under the bow of the advancing hull. Really fascinating to watch. We stood in the water to observe and take pictures. But as all things related to boating, it did not go smoothly. At one point, the boat slid forward too quickly. After lots of yelling and lots of suggestions from the men, the situation was remedied and with the assistance of a big power boat and several pulleys, she was dragged through the shallow water on her side and eventually floated upright on her belly. It was so exciting to watch such a traditional event. It will be hard to top this one.

July 12th comes to quickly and we are moving on with our goal to make Tobago still in the forefront of our plans. We head back north, clear out of customs at Hillsborough and beat our way to the island of Petite Martinique. There is a lot of current and strong wind against us. Our knot log shows we did 13.7 nautical miles to cover the 7 nm route. But that is what sailing is all about, taking the easy sails along with the challenging ones. We ended up anchoring off the beach at Petite St.Vincent (PSV) as it looked calmer than the anchorage at Petite Martinique. PSV is a privately owned island that has an exclusive resort on it and is only accessible by water. It only costs $500.00 US a night to stay there but certainly offers seclusion and rest and relaxation. Friday morning we dinghied across the channel to Petite Martinique to have a look around. It is a very quaint fishing/boat building village with friendly people & a population of about 1000.
2:40 pm We drop anchor to start off on another leg of our voyage. The wind is predicted to be NE and we seem to have a decent weather window for a night passage. Well the weather co-operated, we did not hit any squalls, but the wind stayed out of the East. Due to the NW set of the Equatorial Current, our speed over ground averaged about 4.6 knots even though it felt like Rhiannon was flying through the water at 7 knots. It was a long hard slog to windward to cover the 90 miles to Tobago (not to be confused with the Tobago Cays). Despite the wind and the current, we made it all the way on one tack to end up less than a quarter of a mile to the west of the entrance to Man of War Bay. Several short tacks bring us into the bay. By 1 pm, we’re anchored off a lovely sand beach in Pirates Cove in Man of War Bay surrounded by steep lush hills and coral reefs.

The trees are constantly alive with the sound

of birds. The fishermen cruise by in their

pirogues on a regular basis.

Was it worth the long hard SLOG?

Most definitely!
Till next time.
Fair Winds,
Miriam
11° 19.7’ N
60° 33.1’W

St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Friday June 29, 2007
Last year we visited Wallilabou on St. Vincent. This was the harbour where parts of Pirates of the Caribbean 1 & 2 were filmed. The “boat boys” were very aggressive & unrelenting therefore we did not have a pleasant stay. There have been problems with thefts and violence against cruisers & “tourists” so decided to bypass the island this year.

The Grenadines are a group of islands that are part of the country of St. Vincent. Our destination this morning was the island of Bequia, pronounced Beck-way. As usual, we had a romping sail across the passage between St. Lucia & St Vincent, at times reaching 8.4 knots (with a little boost from the current). By 5:15 pm we were anchored in Admiralty Bay on Bequia. Port Elizabeth is a quaint but bustling little town and is very welcoming to cruisers (and no boat boys!!). The waterfront is attractive with stone walkways and flower gardens, dotted with lots of restaurants, bars, little shops and a new dinghy dock. Names like The Frangipani, Gingerbread, & Solana’s help paint the picture.

Saturday morning we went into Port Elizabeth to clear Customs & Immigration and also to pay a visit to the market for fresh veggies and fruit. The market is run by Rastafarians and they can sometimes be very aggressive in their marketing techniques. When we were here last year, I was not happy with the reception we got at the market as every vendor demanded that you buy something from them. This year it was a very pleasant experience.

Cruising involves the endless boat chores and maintenance as well as sightseeing and lazy days. The vinyl windows in our dodger had deteriorated so badly by UV damage that it was impossible to see through them, and since the stitching was also coming apart (threads rotted by the sun) we thought we might as well replace the vinyl rather than spend the time restitching it. We found Alick’s Sail Repair and Canvas Shop. Alick was too busy to do the repair for us but he was kind enough to sell me the material to do the job myself. Now I am a capable sewer and the little machine I have on board handles the heavy material fairly well but will not take the heavy duty thread required for a proper application. Therefore when I sew something for the boat, I end up double stitching everything, which means double the time necessary to complete the project. So after the better of 2 days, our dodger now has crystal clear windows. What a pleasure to look through! It was well worth the time.

Monday July 2nd
It was getting too late in the day to pick our way through the countless reefs surrounding our destination of the Tobago Cays so we stopped in Charlestown Bay, on the island of Canouan. It is essential to have good overhead light when sailing in reef strewn waters. Between the hours of 11am and 3pm seem to work best for us.

Tuesday morning we arrived in the Tobago Cays, often referred to the Bahamas of the Caribbean. We anchored in 10 feet of crystal clear turquoise water nestled among 3 little islands that are protected from the ocean by a treacherous reef that stretches for miles.
The Tobago Cays are a protected marine park and offer beautiful scenery, excellent snorkeling and of course a chance to play Bocce Ball on the beach. Unfortunately all good things seem to be cut short by the weather. (It’s hurricane season so we are particularly watchful) Weather systems referred to as WAVES cross the Atlantic Ocean after originating in Africa. Each wave has the potential to turn into a Tropical Storm &/or Hurricane. We keep a close watch on the wave at 48° W as it may combine with a Low Pressure system at 9.5°N 38° W and turn into a Tropical Depression. Time to change plans! We had wanted to go from here and explore the islands of Mayreau and Union Island (all part of the Grenadines) and then leave for Tobago &Trinidad (do not confuse Tobago with the Tobago Cays), instead we head to Carriacou, Grenada on Thursday July 5th. I guess we’ll have to come back next year.
Miriam

St. Lucia

We left Grande Anse d’Arlet, Martinique the morning of Friday June 23rd to cross the Martinique St. Lucia Channel, a distance of about 25 nautical miles. The forecast was calling for 20-25 knot winds and you can usually add 5 knots to the forecast, especially if the wind is forward of the beam; so we put a second reef in the main. Along with a reefed genny, we enjoyed a brisk but comfortable sail in 18-22 knot winds with gusts to 25. This was the first time that we could remember putting a second reef in the main. I think we may do it more often and run with a fuller genny. The main really helps steady the boat when the wind is aft of the beam. Each boat sails differently and it’s fun to experiment with different sail combinations. Rhiannon likes to sail on her feet and Miriam sure prefers a 10 degree heel over 15 degrees.

We arrived in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia shortly after lunch. It’s a great big bay bordered by a pleasant sandy beach and several resorts. You can enter a narrow channel into a protected lagoon which also houses the Rodney Bay Marina. There were a lot of boats traveling together in the same direction with similar time tables, so it made for a more active cruising community than when we were here last year. We enjoyed many Happy Hours at the Scuttlebutts Bar & Grill where it is 2 for 1 beer between 6 & 7 pm. It’s a great way to meet people. Scuttlebutts also offers free Wi-Fi so an even better reason to enjoy cheap beer and internet access.
While in Rodney Bay we enjoyed a hike up to the top of the signal station of Fort Rodney and a pleasant stroll through the ruins of the fort. You could see Martinique very clearly across the channel. We also took the bus into the main city of Castries to get our alternator fixed (it needed a new rotor) as well as have a little tour around.
From Rodney Bay we sailed south to the Pitons on Wednesday June 27th. We had stopped here overnight last year but did not get off the boat. This visit was spent snorkeling, exploring the coast by dingy, visiting the Bat Caves, and a short walk around the town of Soufriere. It was interesting snorkeling around the base of the Petit Piton as the coral was in terrible condition, it was really struggling to stay alive, but the fish were incredible. We hadn’t seen that many different varieties in a long time. Our new friends Chris & Natalie are Marine Biologists and they are searching for an area where they can do some research for their Masters Degrees. They felt the fish count was very low, especially compared to the British Virgin Islands, where they call home.
We had met Chris & Natalie in Portsmouth, Dominica and had given them an old Canadian Flag (as they couldn’t find any place to buy one) so it was fun to run into them again. One morning, they hired a guide and climbed to the top of the Petit Piton, a height of 743 meters (2460 feet) which was almost straight up. We considered joining them but thought our poor knees would not be able to make the descent. Besides we did not want to slow them down, considering they are about 25 years younger than us. After the hike they said it was more challenging than they had expected. Needless to say we were glad we made the decision not to go with them. (Although it would have been nice to say we had climbed another volcano). The Gross Piton is 777 meters tall and has a gentler trail, but apparently is too wooded to afford any nice views once you get to the top.

Petit Piton in the foreground; Gross Piton behind

12°50.0 N
62°04.0 W

It was time to move on and Friday June 29th we crossed the St. Lucia St. Vincent Channel.

Martinique

This is “Meggie” a Bermuda 30 with Mike & Kylie from Thornbury Ontario onboard as we leave the tip of Dominica and head out into the channel between Dominica and Martinique. We met Meggie’s previous owners last year. Dave & Kim from Toronto are now sailing on Amanzi. It truly is an amazing Cruising Community.

We are now in the Windward Islands!
Bonjour Martinique!
We arrived in another French Island on Monday June 18th after one more incredible sail. (Have I mentioned before how much we love the Sailing). I really wish I was bilingual!! These French Islands are astonishing. Not only are they beautiful and full of European Flare, if you attempt to speak any French at all, the people go out of their way to try and assist you in whatever it is you desire or need (like having the alternator for the engine bench tested). If only I had continued with French lessons when our kids started French Immersion in Elementary School. Throughout the Caribbean, in the English speaking islands, the locals speak a Creole French as well as English but on the French Islands they speak Creole and regular French. Very little English here.

Our first stop is St. Pierre, which was once a thriving port city known as the Paris of the Caribbean. It was destroyed in 1902 by the eruption of the volcano Mt. Pelee and took 22,000 lives with it. An amazing museum has incredible pictures of the pre-eruption days & the aftermath.

I mentioned in another blog entry that I have a fetish for Waterfalls. Well my number 2 fetish is Forts. Every island we visit has at least 2 forts and we like to visit as many as we can. Not only do they command the most dramatic views, as they are perched on the top of cliffs and highlands, but the history is amazing. The French and British fought over the islands in the Eastern Caribbean for decades, not to mention the Dutch and the Spanish influence. So much history!

The next day we sailed down the coast to Baie du Fort-de-France and anchored in Trois Ilets, (3 islands). From Trois Ilets we were able to take a ferry across the bay to the city of Fort-de-France. The French influence here is incredible. We had a great walking tour and a nice lunch.

Side street in Fort-de-France

Thursday afternoon we moved Rhiannon to Grand Anse d’Arlet, which is a big bay surrounded by a beautiful beach. It is a good staging ground to leave in the morning for St. Lucia.

Dominica

June 11th we sailed from Pointe-a-Pitre to Iles des Saintes, a group of tiny islands south of Guadeloupe. We had visited the quaint town of Bourg des Saintes last year on the main island of Terre d’en Haut, and since we were just looking for an anchorage for the night, we anchored in Marigot Bay just east of the main town. We were the only visiting boat there. It was very quiet

as well as very pretty.

Tuesday June 12th. Another great sail across the passage to Dominica. You just have to love these open water passages. We arrived in Portsmouth, in the northwest portion of Dominica, to be greeted by a “Boat Boy” (or boat helper as I prefer to call them) named Albert. In some of the islands especially Dominica, St. Vincent and St. Lucia, local men try to make a living by offering services to visiting yachts. They come out in their little wooden boats to your boat and offer to bring you water, gas, take your garbage, sell you fruit, veggies, trinkets, be a water taxi etc. You name it. Sometimes they can be very aggressive and down right annoying but Dominica & St Lucia have tried to organize the boat helpers and they have taken courses in tourism & guiding etc. This has made a great difference. We did not feel as hasseled as we did last year when we had a dozen guys hounding you for the same thing. It has been much more pleasant this year than last season.

Albert was also a certified Indian River Tour Guide. He worked with the film crews while they were making Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3. The scenes where “the pirates” travel up a swamp to visit the Witch were filmed on the Indian River. Albert’s role was to row his boat up the river carrying guns and people. He even met Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Lucky him. The Indian River meanders it’s way through a large swamp and makes for an interesting trek. They do not allow any motors on the river, therefore you have to hire a guide to row you there. (helps the local economy as well). It pays to visit these areas in the off season when it isn’t very busy; we had the river to ourselves for the majority of the trip.

We rented a car for a day for a self guided tour of 2/3rds of the island. Amazing mountains, banana & coconut plantations, rain forests and of course Waterfalls.

This is the Emerald Pool, the reward of a fresh water swim after a short hike through a shaded rain forest.

A typical plantation.

Coconut Palms reach high in the sky.

Banana Trees proliferate lower to the ground.

One Banana Tree produces one bunch of Bananas.

We also saw several other areas where the Pirates were shot. A lot of people back home ask the question “where did you like the best’? That question will probably never be answered. These islands are all so incredibly beautiful. Outstanding, breath taking, every adjective imaginable. I never get tired of the scenery.

On Monday, June 17th, we sailed down the coast to the city of Roseau hoping to take a tour of the southern part of the island from there, however weather dictates our agenda and we decided to continue south. Tuesday morning we headed out across the passage between Dominica and Martinique.