Well after a few wonderful sails we have made it back to Trinidad. The transmission repair held and the boat was performing really well without all the barnacles and weed on her bum. We managed 8 knots on more than one occasion – so were really pleased with the performance. Whilst the sailing was great there were occasions when we had to motor sail so it is questionable just how long it might have taken us to get here if we hadn’t got the problem fixed. When we got down to St Lucia from Guadeloupe we decided that we would not hang about for fear anything else would crop up and hinder our return to Trinidad. The sail to Bequia was fast and wet. Then we continued on down to Grenada the following day. It was just so good to be having a terrific sail – you managed to forget all the frustrations and concerns of the last few months and remember what it was all about. We officially registered in and out of Grenada having yellow flagged it from St Lucia but is seemed some folk didn’t bother with that and just hovered for a couple of days before heading over. Don’t fancy having any run ins with the custom and immigration guys out here – they just love their uniform too much. We met up with Be Quiet 2 (part of last years convoy) in Prickly Bay and agreed that we would once again travel down to Trinidad with them. There hadn’t been any reports of attacks on cruisers for quite some time so we decided just two boats should be fine. We left at 2.00 a.m. The forecast predicted 15 – 20 knots of wind from East and a 1 – 1.5 metre swell. Not the best conditions but it would do. It meant we would be doing most of the sailing in the daylight but first we had to get out of the bay in total darkness. We had 50 metres of anchor chain out so I guess we weren’t most popular as we hauled it up whilst most of the bay was asleep. Fortunately it is not too difficult to get in and out of once you know where the reefs are. On the other hand our night vision was impaired as we had been working with deck lights etc. Doing most of the sailing in the daylight ensured we would arrive through a tricky entrance called the BOCA during daylight hours. There was a lot of current and at times we were being pushed eastward, also the wind had a lot of south in it, so occasionally we had to put the engine on and push ourselves back in the direction we needed to go. By the afternoon the winds increased from 20/25 knots to over 30 and so we had to reduce the sail. It was great sailing though and we managed to keep Be Quiet within our sights all the way.
We have checked in to Crews Inn Marina for the first 2 weeks before the haul out.
Where life can be full of hardships
And the neighbours can be a bit crabby!
A crab climbing the pontoon leg
It is always a bit of a relief when you reach a destination without incident. Our friends who travelled down a couple of days later were not so lucky. They were approached by a suspicious group in a large piroque and had to call the coastguard for assistance. Fortunately they had additional crew with them and after a Mexican standoff involving threatening behaviour they left them alone. They were pretty shaken up though. It is also a timely reminder to the rest of us not to get complacent out here. Since arriving it has been all cleaning and disinfecting the insides and outside of the boat in anticipation of her being laid up for quite a while this year. John has been busy contacting tradesmen to get various things checked. Electronics looks to be the next headache for us. Experts say things need replaced/serviced every 2 -3 years but the gear on JJ is now almost a decade old and the conditions out her are very harsh on every bit of the boat. The rigger came today (alas no Fraser out here) to do a survey on the rigging and reckons it is in good condition with the exception of one thing. That at least is good news for approaching the insurers this year. We also still need to replace the torque limiter for the start of next season despite all the expensive repairs that have been done to it. On a cheerier note -we have met up with a few acquaintances but at this time of year most folk just want to get packed up and head for home so there isn’t much happening socially. This year we are in that group. We have brought our haul out date forward a few weeks and hope to be home by 2nd June. This is despite tales of dreadful weather, erupting volcanoes , the results of elections, the price of fuel etc, etc. So that’s it for this year – many thanks to those of you who have taken the time to read the blog. Thanks also for the many e mails and comments which are really sustenance to the soul out here – we just love to get mail. We will be back on line in January – provided we can beat the blizzards out of UK and get back here!!!
