Chores on Chacachacare

Our anchorage here in Chacachacare is paradisaical. The water is blue and clear. We see fish swimming by and bigger fish chasing them. Birds, especially pelicans, swoop and soar (we ignore all the vultures). There's a turtle that makes a regular appearance near the boat. It's been hot and humid, but tolerable with a light breeze. If we could just sit in the cockpit and veg out, it would truly be paradise. But, of course, we live on a boat and we're hauling out soon and catching a flight back to Boston soon after that. The list of chores is long, and so, we've been hard at work each day. We typically rise with the sun, around 0530. That's when we wake up, have our coffee, write and decide on the day's activities. Any foray ashore is usually done as early as possible while it's cool and calm, and we place a time limit on how long we stay. Chores really do come first when the days to accomplish them are few.

We decided that several of the saloon and galley lockers are long overdue for painting. I've been methodically going through lockers, removing all contents, discarding all outdated, never-used and gnarly-looking items and scrubbing out the lockers. When I've finished each locker, David comes along with sandpaper and masking tape to prep for painting as soon as we haul out. He plans to apply three coats and then we'll let it hard cure while we're away.

In order to remove and stow all the locker contents, I cleaned out several crates and bins from the forward cabin (lots more discarding) to make room. All the crates are now lined up on the port settee with seat cushions piled above them. It's absolute bedlam … my least favorite state of affairs on Cups … but all will be clean and sparkling when we return. Of course, we'll have to stow all that stuff on the settee again, but that's a few months from now, so no worries.

All the filled-to-capacity trash bags, and the quantity of them keeps growing, are piled up in the cockpit at the moment (so they don't get sopped when it rains), ready to be discarded as soon as we get to Power Boats. I hope their trash bins are empty when we arrive because we'll be offloading at least 100 pounds of “stuff”. Just watch our waterline rise.

I've stowed gifts and souvenirs in various and sundry hidey-holes as we've sailed along and now I'm finding them and putting them in yet another crate in preparation for packing for the trip home … something I've given absolutely no thought to as yet. David has hauled out the duffel bags from under the forward bunk, but they're now hidden somewhere beneath the sail bags in the aft head.

Since we'll need winter clothes (what's that?) for our trip to Boston, I've gone through lockers and I've been airing out jackets, slacks and sweaters that we plan to take home. They smell like … well, they smell like “boat” … a mix of salt, sea, diesel and probably a bit of mold/mildew. They need airing, believe me!

Using up open and fresh stores has been a current preoccupation of mine. We have cheese, butter, eggs, bread, potatoes, onions ... beer/wine … that need to be consumed before we leave. All menus lately have taken these ingredients into consideration and we're making a dent in the larder (some items more than others ;-). So … what goes with a nearly outdated can of spinach (really? did I buy that? where?), outdated UHT cream, a chunk of cheddar, olives, two small potatoes and marinated squid? I'm sure it's a frittata or omelet or quiche of some sort … I'll figure it out at dinner time. Hmmm...maybe not the squid.

Do I sound as if I'm complaining? Perish the thought. There's work … 9 to 5, at the office or the shop, every day … and then there's “our” kind of work. Everything is getting done, but it's in Carib time. Clean out a locker...take a coffee break and watch the turtle for awhile, then clean out another locker. Repeat as necessary. Replace the bilge pump and get all sweaty and filthy … take a cool swim and wash off. Find all the souvenirs and stuff we want to take home (it's like a scavenger hunt) … take another coffee break. Write a blog … time for a beer. Fix the snaps on the dodger cover … time for another refreshing swim. Make dinner … have a glass of wine, watch a movie. Nah … I'm not complaining.

Unwinding at Chacachacare Island

Customs and Immigration are pretty strict in Trinidad. They require a tie-up at the Custom's dock (though they don't inspect the vessel) and immediate check-in upon arrival. We were all secure and tied up at the dock at 0845 and standing in line at 0900. The lines at Immigration and Customs were long and slow. We filled out all the requisite forms in duplicate and triplicate, using well-worn carbon paper that Columbus had no doubt used sometime in the past. The waiting area had lots of seats and a movie was playing on the TV. When we were finally called to the front counter, the Immigration officer was pleasant and informative. An hour later, we headed to Customs. We filled in several more forms providing all the same information we had provided to Immigration, paid our TT$50 (~US$9) and headed back to Cups. We dawdled long enough to pick up a SIM card and a data package for Internet, check with YSAT for a mooring and say hello to Sharon Rose and Jesse at Members Only, the SSCA Cruising Station Hosts whom we'd met on our last visit to Trinidad in 2002. YSAT had no moorings available and observing the crowded anchorage on our way in was discouraging. What to do? We remembered enjoying the anchorage off Chacachacare Island back in 2002. New Customs rules required a permit to go there. David went back to the Customs office to ask, and amazingly, the officer provided the permit within minutes.

We threaded our way back through the madding crowd of masts and frenzied boat traffic, past all the marinas, past Gasparillo Island and out of Chagaramas Bay. Just 7 nm away was a calm, beautiful paradise. We dropped the hook on the north side of Chacachacare Bay in 15' of clear, we-can-see-the-bottom water. Not another boat was in sight.

First things first … we considered this the end of our passage from Cape Town to Trinidad and Neptune was due his tot of rum.

We had a long list of chores and things to accomplish before we hauled Nine of Cups, but we had a few days to complete them and after several nights with minimal sleep, we opted to take the rest of the day off. No work … just relaxation … and a little planning. We had a late afternoon lunch and sipped cold beer, then took a refreshing dip in the cool, clear water. We watched some brown pelicans sitting on an old cement pier watching their cousins swoop and dive and soar gracefully inches above the water. Vultures circled overhead, but they weren't waiting for us. We had our work schedule and lists all planned, but tomorrow is another day.

Chacachacare Island, by the way, is quite an historical place. Over the years it has been a whaling station, a leper colony, a cotton plantation and, during WWII, an American military base. We can see an abandoned building ashore and other abandoned buildings across the bay. Midst the planned work schedule, I'm sure we'll do a bit of exploring. Hmm … I'd better let the Captain know.

En Route to Trinidad - Day 3

Day 3 Miles to go: 61

In the early morning hours, we threaded the needle through Galleons Passage between the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. It was still dark, and the horizon was lit up like a sprawling city … oil platforms, tankers, cargo ships, bulk carriers, car carriers, fishing boats, tugs … an endless stream coming and going through the channel. On watch, our eyes were glued to the AIS. We radioed at least a half dozen ships that seemed to be either bearing down on us or heading straight at us. All answered their hails promptly, found us on radar and managed to avoid colliding with us or running us down. It made for a high stress, less than peaceful night, but overall, we were pleased to remain unscathed.

As we rounded the northwest corner of Trinidad, we left the North Atlantic Ocean and entered the Caribbean Sea. Hallelujah! Unfortunately, when we turned the corner, we also lost our good angle on the wind. We slowed to 4 knots … too slow for a “business hours arrival”. We couldn't make it by 4 pm, and we were reluctant to pay an extra $100 for arriving outside business hours. The only other alternative was to slow down even more, spend another night enroute, and try to arrive after 8 am tomorrow. We reduced sail to the staysail only. Through the morning mist, Trinidad came into view. By 10 am, with 61 nm to go, with little wind, we were moving along at 2.5- 3 knots with the help of a favorable current.

It rained and remained misty for most of the day with alternating squalls and calms. We dawdled along, resigned to spending another night at sea in order to arrive at the Customs dock at the proper time. As if to provide entertainment as we plodded along, a pod of dolphins appeared out of nowhere.

I heard the familiar dolphin breath sounds and ducked below quickly for my camera and the dolphin ID book.

These were big guys … 8 feet or more (2.5m+), with distinctively tall dorsal fins, blotchy coloring and lots of scars. We identified them as rough-toothed dolphins. This was a playful lot and in no particular hurry, it seemed. They played with us for nearly two hours, diving under the boat and riding the bow wake. When I stood at the bow to take pictures, the dolphins turned on their sides to look directly up at me. I thought it was my imagination at first, but the eye to eye contact was repeated several times.

I sat at the bow for nearly an hour, my feet hanging over the rail, the dolphins nearly close enough to touch. Though entertained, I finally returned to the cockpit. I heard a sharp slap sound, then a thud and then another slap, and another thud. David watched as one dolphin slapped his tail on the water, another slapped against the hull, and yet another jumped into the air. He walked to the bow and the dolphins followed. He returned to the cockpit and the slap/thud began again. These guys liked an audience. No matter how many times we've seen dolphins, they never cease to amaze us. Not to mention, dolphins are good luck for sailors and we considered their visit an auspicious welcome to Trinidad.

Night came and with it a calm and loss of current. We were two miles offshore and bobbed and rolled gently. For all intents and purposes, we were hove-to and remained so till 0630. We estimated two hours to the Customs dock, cranked up the engine and headed for Boca de Monos (Monkey's Mouth), a narrow channel between mainland Trinidad and Monos Island.

We altered course to allow the fast ferry between Trinidad and Tobago, T&T Spirit, to pass and then entered the channel.

The channel was picturesque with interesting caves carved into Monos Island and large, craggy offshore rocks covered in greenery. Scotland Bay, on the opposite side of the channel, looked serene and inviting with two sailboats peacefully at anchor.

We turned the corner heading into Chaguaramas Bay. Gasparillo Island came into view and beyond it, the congestion and frenzy we associate with this port.

Freighters, fishing boats and ferries, tankers, tenders and tugs … all competing for space. David threaded his way carefully past anchored ships, fast boats and through the mooring field of sailboats. We passed Power Boats and noted the location of the haul-out pen for future reference. We finally found a fairway to the Customs dock, tied up and sighed ... 0830 … perfect timing. Whew … we're in Trinidad.