Goin' down de islands

Dropping a Dragon’s Jaw: 26 Sep 08

Our Frying Pan

Ahoy, our Cap’n has been struck asunder - too much walking! His foot is sore and swollen, his temper fractious; he’s been dubbed Cap’n Cripple. After bobbing about in the frying pan for a couple of days, his trusty crew were determined (a mutiny brewing?) to head for Trinidad. 

It meant an overnight sail across waters that had somewhat of a reputation due to strong currents and squalls that race over the islands. Shiver me timbers!  

Approaching a Dragon

We had no sooner set sail (4pm) than Boy Wonder was reeling in his first catch; a nice 8lb tuna. Luckily, we had stocked up on fishing apparatus at Island Water World that day and so had an assortment of lures, nets and storage bags to contain said beastie, well out of the cockpit area. Tuna are rather bloody leaving, in the aftermath of battle, an unpleasantly strong smell! A smell attracting sharks - albeit small ones!! Having reeled in one tuna, we then hooked a second and much larger! If nothing else, we wouldn’t starve in Trinidad.

Real Green Dragons

Columbus discovered Trinidad on his third voyage in 1498. There’s something wild and untamed about it that’s very appealing. We approached in the night past stands of weirdly lit monsters (oil & gas rigs), dodged lightening storms, navigated through strong currents and could smell its earthy smell from quite a distance away. The troubled waters surrounding Trinidad were like liquid oil, all mossy green and velvety.

Chaguaramas- A Forest of Masts

The Motleys navigated through Bocas del Dragon (Dragon’s Mouth although some call it Dragon’s Breath). Either way, it’s spectacular scenery with some nasty underwater surprises if you’re not careful. Well, we were and did arrive safely in Chaguaramas, which we were quick to dub, “chuck-a-ramus” due to all the rubbish swilling around the anchorage. (We later learned it had washed from land during a huge deluge the week before!). 

Line of Sight (just a bit too close!!)

Chaguaramas is both a huge marina complex and a bustling sea port, so the scenery varied from tiny traditional fishermen’s pirogues and boofy tugs to huge cargo carriers in one area to monster superyachts and really small but definitely long term, cruising yachts in the other. (I even saw Receta from that "Mangoes" book!) What a mix! The anchorage was less than peaceful given the tidal chop and traffic slop that moved in and out of the bay day and night. Off course we had been warned about dingy/outboard “teifs” too. We approached with caution….

WJ3 in Pyjamas

I would like to tell you that the Motleys had a great time sightseeing, however we managed to time our arrival on the weekend (yet again!). Combine this with a mid week public holiday, trips to see a doctor (Cap’n Critical), re-confirm flight details (BW), put WJ3 up on the hard again and of course thoroughly clean both WJ3 and ourselves, we saw little else but Budget Chandlery and marina complexes. We did cross paths with some fellow Aussies, Margaret and Brian, who left home in ‘94 to sail the East Coast. They arrived in Darwin in 2000 and thought, let’s keep going! Well, why ever not! Their little jaunt took them through Indonesia to Thailand, then India and the Red Sea to the Med.  Now they are continuing a circumnavigation (as you do), heading for Venezuela, the Panama Canal, the Pacific and home with a little cat they picked up in India. Inspirational stuff!

An Aussie in the West Indies

We are now well below the hurricane belt, WJ3 is safely tucked in bed at Powers Boat Yard and the Motleys are travelling home by jet. (As they say, nothing goes to windward like a 747!) Let’s see what next year’s adventures bring. 
    

 

From:  St Georges, Grenada  Lat/Long: 12 03N  61 45W  Date/Time: 26/9/08: 1600

To: Chaguaramas, Trinidad   Lat/Long: 10 41N  61 39W  Date/Time: 27/9/08: 1000
Time Taken: 87nm (18hrs)  Distance (this year): 849nm (178hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 849nm  (178hrs)   Fastest Speed: Excellent sail – best yet
Weather: Winds E turning NE closer to Trinidad; 10-15kts; 2-4ft swell; thunderstorms

Happy Birthday to BW; we’ll make a cake for next year!