Gill and Pauls' Time in the Grenadines

We (Paul and Gill Slater) followed Reinhard as guests on the 'Piano'. We have known Sue and Malcolm for many years as I used to work with Sue. Paul and I retired last year, giving us the opportunity to take up Sue and Malcolm’s invitation to join them for some sailing. Our previous experience of sailing is in dinghies and on flotilla holidays around the Greek islands. 'Piano' is definitely a step up from this!

We arrived in St Lucia late afternoon on 26th February, getting to Rodney Bay about 5 o’clock. After a meal at Bosun’s Locker we collapsed into bed, ready to be up bright and early.

The following morning we joined Reinhard and Sue on a trip around St Lucia, exploring the island before we set off on our sailing trip. In spite of the jet lag, we really enjoyed getting a feel for the area, visiting Castries,

Reinhard was here too 

 Marigot Bay and Anse de Raye. Edward, our driver, pointed out breadfruit, calabash, avocado, mango, banana and cashew fruits with nuts forming on them. At Place cassava we watched a farmer digging for cassava roots. These were used in the bakery to make cassava bread and sell cassava flour. 

Cassava Root.

We also stopped at several view points, giving us the opportunity to see Dennery and Font a Dir. We followed a detour where the road had been completely washed away during the Christmas storms. We arrived back at Rodney Bay in time for sundowners and pizza.

On 28th we used the dinghy to reach the large supermarkets at Rodney Bay, stocking up on provisions before motoring out into the bay and anchoring. We had our first experience of snorkelling in the beautiful, warm Caribbean waters with an astounding variety of fish.

1st March gave we set off early on our first sail on 'Piano'. Malcolm and Sue had planned a fantastic trip for us, combining plenty of sailing with the opportunity to visit and explore the islands of the Caribbean, particularly the Grenadines. This was a fairly short sail, arriving at the Pitons in time to snorkel before lunch. Malcolm and Paul then went in the dinghy to sign out while Sue and I sheltered from the rain showers, had a dip and baked a cake.  Dinner on board followed by 2 episodes of Black Adder.

2nd March saw us on one of the longest sails of the trip, leaving by 7 and arriving at Bequia just in time for sundowners at 6.00 p.m. The weather was very mixed, We had a good start, then the wind dropped and we had to motor sail. This was followed by rain showers, some with no wind and some with squalls of 20-30 knots. It was also choppy, with quite a swell. Eventually arrived at Admiralty Bay in evening sunshine. We were followed at one point by a large pod of dolphins. The next morning we went ashore and took a truck to the top of Mount Pleasant, giving views of St Vincent. We walked back down then visited the market to stock up on fruit and veg, getting the chance to try various fruits before we bought them. We had lunch in the Fig Tree before returning to Piano for a refreshing swim. Hazel and Tony (S/Y Longbow of Itchen) were in the bay and joined us for sundowners. We returned ashore to Port Elizabeth the next morning for a bit more shopping, then took the dinghy for some spectacular snorkelling. In the afternoon we sailed round to Friendship Bay, where we dropped a stern anchor as it was a very rolly mooring.

What Fun...

5th March we left Bequia and sailed to Mustique. I had my first experience at helming, which was great. Malcolm’s advice and support made sure that we stayed on course and arrived without incident, in time for lunch. The variety of fish we saw when snorkelling was again stunning, also a turtle close to the boat.  We went ashore for sundowners at Basil’s bar and all had one of his famous cocktails. 

The next morning we went ashore to explore Mustique, an island that is quite different from the other Caribbean islands. It is well manicured and beautifully kept. We walked around the northern end and past the library to Endeavour Bay, eating a picnic lunch on the white sand and swimming in the turquoise sea. We carried on to Sandy Bay, then called in at Basil’s for beers before returning to 'Piano' for dinner of roast pork. We woke the following morning to find an oil tanker moored in the bay, with a pipeline to the island. Paul and I snorkelled from the boat while Malcolm used the dive gear to renew the propeller . We went ashore in the afternoon and walked through the nature reserve on the south of the island, which had mangrove swamps and a lagoon. We finished with a swim from  the white sand beach. 

8th March we sailed from Mustique to Canouan, a 2 hour sail with good winds behind us all the way. Paul helmed most of the way, I also took a turn as it was choppy and my first experience of helming across the waves. We arrived in time for lunch and went to pick up a bit of shopping from the one town on Canouan. Unfortunately the ATM wasn’t working. We had lunch on board, then went snorkelling, seeing many fish that we hadn’t seen before – not sure what they were because it is much harder to identify them back on the boat that you think! Ian and Jackie (S/Y Blackthorne Lady) were in the bay, so they came over for sundowners, bringing a large jug of rum punch. The next morning Paul, Malcolm and I explored Canouan, walking over to the other side of the island and back passed the salt flats. It was a bit of a rainy afternoon, so Sue and I went to the dive shop to try (unsuccessfully) to get the regulator fixed  while Malcolm fitted a new bow propeller. As the ATM was open, we were able to go to the Mango Restaurant for dinner – our first taste of Caribbean fish. Very nice, but we got soaked on the way back to 'Piano'.

Land Iguana, Baradal Island Tobago Cays

10th March  we had a good sail to the Tobago Cays, arriving at about 11.30 am. This is a beautiful group of uninhabited islands that form a Marine Park. There are so many different shades of blues and turquoises in the sea, it is unbelievable. We dropped anchor between the islands and were immediately visited by a number of small boats, offering to help us anchor, sell us fruit and veg and various other items. We bought a fresh loaf and ordered croissants for the next morning. We also bought tickets for a beach BBQ from Michael, who arranged to pick us up at 7.00 pm. After coffee, we took the dinghy to Baradal Island and snorkeled just off the beach. There were turtles everywhere, we just swam above them and watched them.   Also, lots of coral and different fish, including a Flying Gunard. After lunch we walked on the island, seeing land iguanas. Michael took us to the BBQ in the evening, fresh lobster with a selection of Caribbean vegetables and fresh fruit. We spent 2 nights here, admiring the huge variety of coral and sea life.

12th March we left after coffee and headed for Union Island. As it wasn’t far, we only had the yankee up. Good wind. We arrived in time for lunch, then headed ashore to stock up on provisions. There is a very colourful market area. We went back ashore to Barracuda Bar for sundowners – cocktails and tapas. The tapas were so big it doubled up as dinner! Definitely a place to be recommended. Next morning Paul, Malcolm and I walked up to the fortress at the end of the island. It was quite a climb but the views were fantastic. It was a very clear day and we had fantastic views of all of the Grenadines. We got back to 'Piano' to find the toilet door had broken and couldn’t be opened, so Paul and Malcolm had to take it apart. We then had a short sail to Chatham Bay. We anchored for the night and went snorkelling, seeing lots of starfish.  The following morning we snorkelled, seeing a French Angel fish, then after coffee motored the short distance to Mayreau. This is the only inhabited island in the Marine Park, with one small town.

16th March A really good sail of about 5 hours back to Bequia. There was quite a bit of rain but really good winds.  We went to Mac’s for pizzas for dinner. The next day was spent in Bequia, stocking up on provisions,

 (we discovered Doris’s, a real emporium) Malcolm tried the dive shop, and snorkelling. We were entertained by a small turtle swimming around the boat. Last night’s pizzas were so large, they did lunch today as well.  The final day at Bequia gave us the opportunity to walk to Fort Hamilton at the end of Admiralty Bay, giving good views. After a quick swim we joined Elkie and Franz, (S/Y Yan Pleziere) with their visitors Ingrid and Bordo, for sundowners at the Fig Tree.  

19th March we left Bequia at 6.30 am and arrived at Martinique at 9.00 pm. An excellent days sailing, good winds all the way except for about 1 1/2  hours when we were in the lee of St Vincent. Reached 7-8 knots all the rest of the time. Big seas between St Vincent and St Lucia, but this time it was in the sunshine! We arrived and anchored in the dark in St Anne’s bay. We were a bit taken aback the next morning, when we saw all the fishing buoys we had managed to avoid. We went shopping at the large supermarket, then explored the small town of St Ann’s. Martinique is totally different from the other islands we have visited, totally French and far more roads and traffic, also some very nice buildings.

21st March we left St Anne’s by 7.00am for a very fast sail to Fort de France, arriving by 11.00, much earlier than Malcolm expected. We made some sandwiches and went ashore to explore. This is by far the biggest city we have seen in the Caribbean, with lots of interesting buildings, especially the library. Lots of French boutiques.

22nd March we left Martinique at 8.30am, for our final sail back to St Lucia. We arrived back in Rodney Bay for lunch. This gave us a day to try to remove all the salt from 'Piano' and get it back to the pristine condition it was in when we arrived. We finished the holiday a we had begun, with dinner at Bosun’s Locker, before returning to the airport on the 24th via Pigeon Island. This was a fantastic trip and we would like to thank Sue and Malcolm for their hospitality and their planning.

Reinhards Time in The Caribbean Feb/March

Leg: St. Lucia to St. Lucia 6th to 27th Feb 2014

This blog is not written by Sue. As Malcolm and Sue’s first time second mate in the Caribbean I volunteered to write down what we experienced during this time.

I am Reinhard Struefing and I know Malcolm back from the seventies when he worked and I studied in Kiel/Germany. In the eighties we both worked in Reading and shared our past time: windsurfing and sailing. Since then we always kept in touch , in the nineties together with Sue.

Working part time now, I gladly accepted Malcolm and Sue’s invitation to accompany them in Caribbean waters.

Arriving at St. Lucia in the evening after 10 hours flight from Hamburg via Frankfurt I experienced a very warm welcome by Malcolm and Sue. Next morning at day light I could marvel at 'Piano’s' new gelcoat, what an elegant yacht!

Since we wanted to do a lot of sailing we set off immediately. Despite a lot of clouds and some rain sailing was very impressive: warm weather, just T-Shirt and shorts, Atlantic swell, deep blue water, all this I hardly had experienced during my Baltic Sea cruises. We arrived in St. Anne on Martinique a nice, not too touristy place in the south of Martinique. On the 8^th the dinghy first was used to check in at immigration, by the way, this job kept the skipper busy at all anchorages. Then we used the dinghy to visit the local supermarket to buy French food, Chilean wine and German beer and pay with Euros, global world. The afternoon I enjoyed swimming in turquoise waters so warm that it almost felt like silk, a daring comparison, but in this area one has to become enthusiastic.

The 9^th saw us sailing to Fort de France, the capital of Martinique which protected by a big fortress developed to a city, though remarkably quiet on a Sunday afternoon and so we went to immigration on Monday. So we started our longest leg of this trip on Monday 10^th aiming for St. Martin 250 miles away. Passing the Mount Pelé, the big volcano in the north of Martinique, we encountered a lot of dolphins busy with hunting their lunch. During evening and night we sailed along Dominica and later Guadeloupe, of course in a moon lit night, just to meet the stereotypes, and still with just T-Shirt and shorts.

Passing some more islands we arrived at the French part St. Martin on Wednesday 12th and dropped anchor at Marigot Bay. Here I first saw the super sailing yachts (in the Baltic you hardly find them) with masts so high that red lights mark these as air traffic obstacles, perhaps a status symbol of the very rich. Malcolm immediately went to work to find out why the generator’s cooling was not working. He identified the exhaust elbow but could not fix it because of lack of spare parts. So the engine had to charge the batteries. For tea Mike from S/Y Right Turn came over , one of the many friends Malcolm and Sue know from their former cruises. For dinner we went by dinghy into the lagoon, very stylish to park your dinghy next to the table.

The next two days we spent snorkeling, exploring the lagoon (with many more super yachts) and sailing to Grand Case Bay, very nice for its beach and the restaurants. On the 15^th we started very early for the British Virgin Islands in order to arrive there still at daylight but after some hours we realized we would not make it in time. So we turned back again. By the way, our early start was more than compensated by a sunrise and a simultaneous moon set. After passing St. Martin we headed for Ile Fourchue near St. Barths. This uninhabited island is nice for snorkeling. All these different kinds of fish are fascinating, especially for someone like me who just knows cod and sole.

During the 16^th we moved on some 3 miles to Columbiere beach at St. Barth, on a Sunday very busy with local yachts. Here we could observe a turtle unimpressed by human beings. Next day it was a short trip to the main anchorage of St. Barth. Needless to say, that we passed more super yachts. The former Swedish, now French island seems to me almost like the St. Tropez of the French West Indies.

Tuesday 18^th we were sailing again: On our way back Malcom and Sue wanted to show me Antiqua. We had to beat one more time, sometimes in squally conditions. We arrived around midnight and anchored at Five Island bay waiting for day light to enter Jolly Harbour, a nice tourist settlement where one can park the boat next to the terrace. After the usual check in we took a bus into St. Johns, a lively “normal” Caribbean town and capital of Antigua. However, the highlight of

 Antigua is Nelson’s Dockyard, a very pleasant place, to which we sailed on Thursday 20^th. Walking around the restored buildings I almost felt like a contemporary of Nelson specially after having visited the museum. Although there are lots of super yachts around this place feels not so posh because these boats were in use by many sailors.

With not many remaining days we left Antiqua during the afternoon on Friday the 21st and had a nice overnight sail along Guadeloupe to Dominica where we arrived during the morning. At Portsmouth anchorage we were welcomed by Titus, one of the boat boys. He arranged for us an excursion on Sunday 23rd, quite an adventure as it turned out. Paul, our guide, was reluctant to guide us because to his opinion one should rest on Sundays. The minibus he drove had seen better days: The bumper had to be but back in position occasionally by a kick, the engine overheated in the middle of nowhere,

 but some bottles of water revitalized it. Two boys, apparently on drugs stopped our bus asking for trouble but as Paul mentioned his black belt in martial arts they backed down immediately. Apart from this Dominica has all the ingredients of stereotype Caribbean Island: abundant, often unspoiled  vegetation, big mountains, quite a number of beaches, waterfalls, rain forests. Paul is a flora expert. So we learned a lot about plants but why he often related to the nanu(?) plant remains unknown for Malcolm and me: it has a good impact on the prostrate.

After a nice barbecue organized by the boat boys we said good bye to Dominica, sailed south and arrived at St. Pierre, Martinique on the 24^th. This place is a bit like a modern Pompeii. In 1902 St. Pierre was destroyed by an eruption of the volcano Mount Pele. 30000 people died , only 2 survivors, one of them a death sentenced prisoner. Unlike Pompeii this little town is rebuilt but some ruins still can be visited.

On the 25^th we hoisted anchor for my last leg on this trip. After a pleasant reach we entered the marina of Rodney Bay during the afternoon. Suddenly game( or sail) over for me. For sun downer,  Susan and Andrew (S/Y Andromeda) came to greet us, small world as they are members of the Burghfield Sailing Club. But before and on the next day maintenance had to be done: rinsing the boat with fresh water, taking the spray hood to the sailmakers, laundry, preparing the generator for the engineer and so on. In the afternoon the new guests arrived: Paul and Gill. So we tested “Piano” for hosting 5 people which worked very well.

Going to the airport on the other side of St. Lucia we wanted to have a closer look at St. Lucia. So Sue, Gill, Paul and I (Malcolm had to stay with the engineer) took a taxi along western route to have a look at the two pitons at Soufriere. The sulfur springs and botanical gardens can be found there as well and are worth visiting.

Then it was time to say good bye: I have to express my gratitude to Malcolm and Sue for enabling my best sailing holiday. I think we got on really well but I apologize for not being an expert cook, I did not meet their standards but I will work on it in case there is a second chance. And I apologize for my English: it has got a bit rusty over the years.

Most of February into March.2014

   This week we find that the new water-pump is at customs with the wrong yacht name on it! By Thursday they have sorted it out and Alwin has fitted it.  A minor cleaning to the wires which caused it to cut out after a minute or so and it was working as good as usual.
  Vincent made a social call and fixed the Nav instrument problems yes another loose screw was all that needed tightening. Is he a whizz or wot?

  Meantime I had the bimini roof repaired by Harry (one of Vincents’ drinking buddies) so that should last until it can be serviced in Trinidad. Now that all the niggely little jobs are done we move back into Rodney Harbour Bay.  We hear of the Diamond Rock Race on the 1st of February and before I could blink Malcolm had popped over to see Derek and asked him if he would like to sail it with us.  So we moved onto his jetty and slipped at 07.30.  We even had full sails up.

  We passed a First and flew to Diamond Rock! In just over three hours, passing two other yachts on the way.  We were third over the line –and incidentally third on handicap in the race !

This is Derek, he helmed most for most of the race while Malcolm trimmed the sails and I delivered his hourly shot of ‘Piton’ larger.  Derek has many years of local knowledge in these waters so we really had an advantage!

This is one of us finishing 

Thanks John on Salts Car III

Bridget had Tea ready when we arrived back, then off to the prize –giving not even realising that we had a prize to collect.  Later that night we joined in with the Yacht Clubs 50th Anniversary.

   Thursday, 6th February, last minute shopping and preparation for Reinhart to arrive later today.  He made good time from the airport and was hungry enough to eat Pizza before an early night.  He had been travelling for 18 hours!

Friday we sail again for Martinique for Orangina, beer wine Real French bread and cheese.  We soon found out that the Generator was not producing any coolant water so started looking for the answer, meanwhile we begin using the engine to recharge the batteries and other kit which needs the same. Pooh just what we don’t need !!!  We move to Fort De France to show our visitor his first taste of Caribbean Europe on a Sunday.  It didn’t rain !

2014 Grenada to St Lucia

2014

Not too much of a hangover, the Roast Lamb dinner was to die for.  We started with aperitifs aboard ‘Piano’ with Jacqui & Ian and continued in Taffies Bar with all the regular team.  For a mature bunch of Yachties we certainly had some fun.  At 20.00 hours we raised a glass to all in the UK—whom we later heard were having some bad weather.  It was also Elizabeths’ ( S/Y Viking Angel) birthday so cake and the birthday song took place.  Then dancing until at least 12.  No fireworks—apart from a few sparklers -this year but great fun all the same.
New Years Day, we took the tender and walked around Hogg Island with Ian & Jacqui.  Most was done barefoot by me at the ground was glutinous mud which proved very slippery.  This due to all the overnight rain.

 Thursday we did internet and made preparations to sail.  After hearing there would be Fish & Chips at Taffies we stayed ‘til Friday to enjoy them.  Afterwards a small group sang songs and limed in Clarkes Court Marina Bar.
  Up early to store the tender and engine for the short trip to Carriacou.  After waiting too long for a squall to pass we tacked only to find that the current was taking us back where we had come from! So a change of plan and we sailed the inside passage to Carriacou.  It was mostly to windward but very pleasant and no rain at all.
Anchored safely in Tyrell Bay at 18.10.

     After a couple of nights here we sailed again for St Lucia.  Yet again upwind , it took almost 20 hours! And as we came into sight of the Pitons we started the engine, minor panic when it didn’t fire first time but with my magic touch it started for me! So we left it running and motor sailed for Rodney Bay.  By the time we got there it was dark—so with no depth sounder we anchored farther old than usual.  Time for a shower to freshen up and Malcolm found no water being fed through so showers had to wait until the high pressure pump was serviced and repaired.  That done I then did two loads of washing and no sooner had I hung it our than it was dry!  Meanwhile Malcolm was trying to trace the leak in the generator without success—so I had a look and thought maybe it was from the freshwater pump.  We then decided to move into the marina to be near repair men now that we needed Vincent for the Nav instruments,  Prudent for the freezer and Alwin for the generator.  The new part has been ordered—from the States so should only be a week (good more washing to do ) Meanwhile we wait for Vincent and to reach the top of his list!
  Wednesday I was able to join the Womens’ lunch crowd at the Bay Gardens Resort, Deb and Marsha still preside over an exhilarating session of yachting stories and chat.
Thursday we visited Derek & Bridget on the lagoon and they are looking as fit as ever! The weather certainly promotes good health.
So time to sort out the 4 hard drives with films on them.  This ended up taking all day ! But I feel reasonably confident that they can now be found.  Malcolm decided to service the roller reefing drum on the staysail and found that all bar one of the screws undid easily.  The last was not an allen key screw but a regular stainless steel one which had corroded into place.  Numerous screwdrivers later it still wasn't free so watch this space.  The wind is still blowing but each day more yachts arrive from the south while others leave for Islands North.
Saturday, we went to a Potluck at the Brig Unicorn which is berthed in the boatyard.  Attended by 50 couples it was a great success.  Good old Coronation Chicken is by far the easiest and quickest dish to prepare for large numbers, but there was no need to have enough for 50! Everyone took a regular sized dish and there was more than enough food to please all.  Incidentally the Brig was built originally for the TV series ‘Roots’ and has been more recently used in three of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films!  It is now refurbished as a hospitality venue where you can lime, have a party, meal, sunset cruise—whatever.
Sunday I bumped into Malachi who was pleased to see me again.  He is looking well and introduced me to his latest girl-friend.  He wondered if I had heard about the British couple who were attacked by criminals on Friday (?)  As it happened I had just heard while at the Potluck and also found it on Facebook too.  Here there was a link to the Daily Mail Newspaper so I was able to tell him about it.  Naturally we feel awful that it was a British Couple! especially as all the Americans we know say we ought to carry 'a deterrent'.
  Either way, the publicity will damage St Lucias reputation as a Cruising area and have a knock on effect for local businesses.  On that sad note, I'll go do some baking...

Christmas & New Year 2013 Grenada.

2013

A Very Merry Christmas

With a Prosperous

Healthy

and

Happy

New Year

To all our Family, Friends,and Avid readers!

         This snap is one of the Malls in Trinidad, by the time you read this we hope to be on our way (I hope).  The air con has departed so it's getting warm down below. Just customs & immigration to satisfy, duty free to pick up and a few last goodbyes to peeps around us.

  Next time I go on line I hope to see some Christmas letters etc from you all.  Only those with Blogs are spared.

So all that remains is to say drink responsibly and enjoy the festive season.

Thank - You sail

Curtis Helming on the way out.

As promised to those who came along, here are my meager efforts with snaps.

Al posing

 After hoisting a full suit of sails 'Piano' really showed her heels. even though she has just had her 18th birthday!  In flat water she made a fair 8 knots.  This to the amazement of first time sailor Joel.

Graham taking it all in his stride while Joel looks on.

We all had a brilliant time, as did 'Piano', who almost made it to Venezuela!

Meanwhile here is Ian from 'Winchworks'  who also has a special relationship with 'Piano' so deserves a mention.
Let me know if I have missed anyone out and I'll update this blog.

Another week has flown by with Grahams team aboard to sort out minor items which the Captain is not happy with.  Falco found a minor problem, he disconnected a pipe which was feeding seawater into the exhaust elbow, discussed his reasoning with Graham who then took his advice and fitted a long pipe to vent the seawater from the exhaust and potentially the engine.
The main winches had made a ‘funny noise’ on the shakedown sail so were taken by Ian the winchman to be sorted out.  Curtis and Al came by to re-seat the Smart pilot processor.  Jimmy stopped by to screw a few more screws into place,  run a line of sealant around the kitchen sink and some cosmetic work in the cockpit. Dennis from ‘Goodwood Marine’ fitted a new battery to the B & G instruments processor.  Jim from ‘Shore Power’ meanwhile is procuring another switch for the generator so that we can run it without holding the stop toggle down.

Now for a sea-trial with Team Dynamite. We slipped at around 11 o’clock after a coffee and welcome aboard. Then motored out to set sails and fly down to Chacachacare then as the helm was enjoying it so much decided to continue around the island and before we knew it we were very close to Venezuela! Lunch on the hoof a simple meal of Coronation Chicken, rice and guacamole tortillas with a sour cream and spring onion dip. Everyone had a go at helming and for some (their first day aboard a sailing boat did extremely well!) Back to Crews Inn for tea and cheerio to a fantastic Team.

We managed to stay a few more days at Crews Inn until the Managers Christmas Party, in the square.  Live entertainment meant a karaoke session in which Malcolm sang, a short quiz of theme tunes from TV programmes, and of course disco music to dance to.  The food was international with a Caribbean twist and truly delicious. Rather a shame that the picture were naff.

   Wednesday no more excuses, we signed out at C & I, collected our papers and picked up the duty free allowance and slipped for Scotland Bay.  Here we prepared for an early morning cruise to Grenada.

  Up at 04.30 we motored through the Bocca and set sails.  Along the coast at first to make a good course for St Georges.  It was a fast sail, whether due to the rigg tuning by Jonas of the clean hull , whatever the sea was flat and ‘Piano’ showed her heels yet again.  A whole hour of over 7 knots put us at anchor off Grand Anse by 20.00,  Dinner and bed.

We had at least a week here shopping and meeting up with Dave and Jan S/Y Mistral, who suggested a jam session on the beach before they sailed on Christmas Day.  This was at a beach bar and lunch was available from the BBQ The guys on guitars were very professional and a great time was had by all.  Next day we sailed around to Whispher Cove and found many more of our old friends there.

Christmas eve we celebrated at Taffies Bar and watched the start of a Christmas storm.  The sky bloomed with natures light show, thunder lightning rain and wind.  This continued overnight and into Christmas Day.  Snug aboard ‘Piano’ we roasted a small Duck with Christmas trimmings and raised a glass to absent family and friends. 

Friday we went for Curry at Taffies and booked a place at the New Year Celebrations too.  Saturday we were invited aboard S/ Y Blackthorne Lady for a late lunch of Christmas left-overs.  Jacqui did us proud the food was sumptuous they company dazzling! 

New Years Eve saw us shopping with Patrick the maxi driver together with a dozen other needy yachties. All the major shops were covered, IGA supermarket, Island World and Budget Marine Chandleries, and a cash & Carry.  Once again stocked up we were able to enjoy our New Year Celebrations without too much to worry about.

  Having just updated this issue we sail for Carriacou tomorrow, winds have dropped so if the sea is quiet we should do it in a day.  

More emails as to the weather in the UK, keep the stories coming!

Return To Trinidad!

I am greatly in remiss my avid readers, for the lack of updates to this blog!  Also equally sorry that you have the knitty gritty details to wade through, since this is my personal diary as well as your favourite reading!  Thank- You all for your hospitality and we are so sorry we couldn't have stayed longer.

To begin, we left a very cold UK 8 C and returned to the warmer climes of Trinidad 23 C—cool for once– checked in to the Power boats apartment and chilled out after the long flight.  It seems an age ago and so much has happened.

The first day back and we arrive bright and early at the shed to have an inspection of the work.  We are thwarted by the lock on the door which WILL Not undo! Even for Al who arrives and finally gets it open.

As we take a first look at the shiny new gel coat we are amazed to the perfection of the workmanship.  Colin and Spanish have excelled themselves.  It must be an optical illusion that in some lights the whole boat looks cream but if this is the case it certainly looks great!  The question is how long will it stay so pristine??

Thanks to Susan & Andrews for these snaps.

Spanish doing the polishing

Colin checking justice has been done to his craftsmanship.

Now begins the hard labour of finding items needed for on going work and humping boxes back aboard to unpack into their usual homes.
One of the first items needed are a couple of pieces of headlining one of which, Al manages to uncover in the container, the other still needs to be made,  by Carlos.  While I help the carpenter (Jimmy) and his mate (Leroy) Malcolm busies himself with more technical work which needs his personal attention.
When the workers leave I can resume box humping to my hearts content and by the end of the week I have re-homed the majority of the container.  All that remains are items to large or heavy for a 'girl' and they are moved by the lads with the aid of a truck and chain gang.

Friday 22nd

First the mast is re seated.

Bang on Schedule, Thanks to Graham and his team at 'Dynamite'.  We are launched smack on the set day. We arrive at Crews Inn to our same berth which we left in the summer.

Thursday 28th
Another day of scrubbing the decks and polishing the mainbraces , plus all the usual housekeeping jobs of running about shopping washing clothes etc etc etc ! topped with Potluck at Crews Inn.  Andrew (S/Y Andromeda) baked a large fillet of Sea-Trout in wine , butter and herbs to perfection—my goodness did we really eat it all ???

November 29th Friday.
  Final preparations for the shakedown sail, a few items of shopping, a long dip in the pool and at last the mast has been re-wired such that I can re-cover it in the saloon and repack the shelves behind it.  Which also means I now have access to the shower so can hang the curtain and scrub it ready for guest use!

December 1st
  First a quick run up to Debbie the swimsuit lady to collect Malcolm’s new shorts, he liked them so much he wore them on the shakedown sail!
Susan & Andrew (S/Y Andromeda) arrived with their overnight bags to join us on this epic adventure.
We slipped lines at 10 ish and motored out into the bay to hoist the mainsail and set the reefing lines as we went.
Then hoisted the Yankee and Staysail, somewhere here the instruments on deck went off and the helm was steering blind.  Fortunately Susan , (like me ) is an ex dinghy sailor and coped easily. ( But I know that when she is dancing she only needs my forefinger to steer!) With full sail up we then turned the iron horse out to pasture and had a terrific sail down to Chacachacare Bay.  On the way we were greeted by a few huge and battered Dolphins who cavorted under the bow, one even doing a tail dance with pleasure alongside!

  The close we got to our destination, the sky became more ominous, with grey patches under the clouds.  We telephoned S/Y Quicksilver to ask the depths, for anchoring and with the aid of the lead-line dropped the hook in about 5m of water.  The stern was close to the shore with 2.8m so we floated peacefully all night.

S/Y 'Piano' Chacachacare Bay.

  We were then taken for a short hike to the old leper colony and Nuns graveyard, by Irene and Ray, which ticked the box for exercise nicely.  Ray and Irene (S/Y C–Drifters) stopped for the first drink of the evening and made admirational noises as to how beautiful ‘Piano’ was looking.  A quick shower to freshen up and we all went across to C-Drifters for a Chilli supper.  As before the hospitality of Irene and Ray was profound!  There were eight of us in total Sharon and Chris (S/Y Quicksilver) brought home made garlic bread and Chocolate chip cookies (yum yum).
  The evening ended with a natural bonanza of Fireflies in the jungle ashore and Bioluminessence in our wake.  Even the jumping fish were silvery with a coat of light giving water !

December Wednesday 4th

Much rain today so we treated ourselves to Ribs and Swordfish at the ‘Wheelhouse’ Bar.  Instead of cycling we took the rib and motored across.  Thanks to Jeff for the major service and over haul he gave the engine it sounds like new!  Welcome back to Mark and Willie (S/Y Liahona) Just back from Guyana.

December 5th.
Another week has flown by with Grahams team aboard to sort out minor items which the Captain is not happy with.  Falco found a minor problem, he hastily disconnected a pipe which was feeding seawater into the exhaust elbow, discussed his reasoning with Graham who then took his advice and fitted a long pipe to vent the seawater from the exhaust and potentially the engine.
The main winches had made a ‘funny noise’ on the shakedown sail so were taken by Ian the winchman to be sorted out.  Curtis and Al came by to re-seat the Smart pilot processor.  Jimmy stopped by to screw a few more screws into place,  run a line of sealant around the kitchen sink, and those in the heads and shower room also some cosmetic work in the cockpit. Dennis from ‘Goodwood Marine’ fitted a new battery to the B & G instruments processor.  Jim from ‘Shore Power’ meanwhile is procuring another switch for the generator so that we can run it without holding the stop toggle down.
 We hope to set sail towards Grenada sometime next week.  Today (7th December) I heard about the floods in the UK.  In Kent mother has sand-bags around the door and much of the town is under water.  I sincerely hope that all of you reading are not suffering too much, our thoughts are with you all.