by chris ayres | Jun 2015 | UK to New Zealand
It is 80 miles from the south coast of Grenada to the north coast of Trinidad, too far for a daylight passage, so an afternoon or evening departure was the way to go, but what time exactly. Leave too early and with a fast passage it would still be dark on closing the Trinidad coast, something to be avoided, leave too late and with a slow passage the risk of arriving as eve falls the following day. So a noon departure was fixed on, the forecast looked good and leaving Wednesday should ensure an arrival before the weekend so we wouldn’t have to pay overtime to customs and immigration. Ian decided to leave at the same time.
Raising the anchor I headed out to sea, taking care to give a good clearance to some offshore rocks, the Porpoises, sometimes hard to see but identified by the breaking waves over them. Once past I could set a course, allowing for the west flowing current. It soon became apparent that the current was strong so I had to adjust the course to windward, not the nice beam reach I was hoping for but a close reach about 60 degrees off the wind, which was nice and steady at 15 to 17 knots and the sea state was kind. Time to settle back and enjoy the passage, “Martha” seeing to the steering I just had to monitor progress and watch for shipping. Indeed about 3 hours out 2 ships appeared, one in front and one behind, in the event one passed safely across my bows about a mile off and the other overtook me on my port side about a mile off.
Sunset and although it was cloudy the moon, about three quarters full, shone through them so the night was not dark and it was a pleasant sail.
There are a couple of gas platforms about 25 mile north off the Trinidad coast and they provide a good seamark, lit up like christmas trees they can be seen miles off. Dawn saw us about 10 miles off the coast but gradually the wind was dropping, a little later I spied a sail and then the AIS beeped, it was Ian in “Naomi”. With him being a bigger and faster boat I was very surprised to see him again and be so close after such a long passage. Transpired he had been worried by the set of the current and gone a good way to windward to avoid being set to the West whereas I had sailed a slighter shorter course.
Calm fell so we motored the last miles. closing the Boca de Monos, a passage between the mainland and Monos island. The coast was very dramatic, steep wooded cliffs falling to the sea and there were hundreds of pelicans flying in formation. Through the channel and then turned into Chaguaramas bay, threading a way through all the boats large and small we tied up alongside the customs dock to report our arrival. 80 miles plus, the log had stopped working awhile probably blocked by seaweed, there has been a lot of pelagic Sargasso weed this year. Ian had logged 100 miles.
Boca de Monos
Chaguaramaras
by chris ayres | Jun 2015 | UK to New Zealand
Chaguaramas was where I had decided to haul the boat out and lay her up for the hurricane season. It is a busy commercial shipping area but ashore there are several boatyards with very good layup and work facilities, everything from sailmakers to steel fabricators and several chandleries. A couple of days were spent on a mooring buoy in the bay, a bit rock and roll at times because of all the wake from passing boats but then it was lift out time. First I wanted to fill with diesel, a full tank limits condensation forming in the tank leading to water in the fuel. 7.30 Monday morning though there were two fishing boats alongside the fuel jetty and they didn’t look like they be moving soon. There was room inshore but space was tight, I thought I could get in OK but could I get out again? Hell lets try! I manoeuvred in OK , got tied up and filled with diesel. Getting out was even tighter than it had looked at first, well it had to be done, crunch time you might say only I managed to avoid the crunch and turn around unscathed with inches to spare. Next stop the lift out dock where the yard hands were ready to take my lines and soon Sea Bear was hoisted from the water and on stands in the yard. It felt very strange to be on the boat and it was not moving.
The next few days were spent laying up – hosing the boat down to wash all the salt off, stripping off sails and rigging and washing them, general cleaning, polishing the stainless work. I did take a day off to take the bus to Port of Spain for a look around, visited the botanical gardens etc but that was the limit of exploring Trinidad before catching a plane back to UK. There should be plenty of time to explore later when I return to the boat later in the year. Meanwhile I am back in the UK for a few months, to enjoy the English summer? and catch up with family and friends.
Ashore in the hoist
Fruit stall, Port of Spain
by chris ayres | Oct 2015 | UK to New Zealand
I spent some of the summer time in the UK. It was was nice to catch up with friends and family and also to be able to get out and ride the bike. Besides some good rides in the Peak District and elsewhere, I also rode the Devon coast to Coast route from Ifracombe to Plymouth, there and back again. Hilly in parts, laden with camping gear but a great ride.
Back in Trinidad and at the boat my first task was to make a list of jobs to be done. I quickly filled a sheet of A4, some essential maintenance like service the seacocks, other more cosmetic like repainting the red sheer line band. But it was a daunting list and I was glad I had plenty of time before the end of the hurricane season. Back in UK boat maintenance, mostly done in March was always a cold affair, bundled up in many layers to try and keep warm in a boatyard on the edge of the Straits with a cold NE wind blowing.
The novelty here was that it was hot, almost too hot, but so much easier to tackle washing the boat down clad in just shorts and a pleasure to turn the hosepipe on oneself. Painting too much easier, no worrying about minimum temperatures and such like.
First job I tackled was the red band, it had never looked smart even when I bought the boat. I decided it had to be sanded down, an exploratory attempt made me realise the magnitude of the task with no power tools and led me to enlist some help. I contracted Rawle to do the job and after agreeing a price he set too. He would turn up at 6 in the morning because he wanted to get started before the heat of the day. I’d make tea and we’d chat a bit. A few days later the band was repainted, and small GRP repair to the bow effected and the topsides cleaned down, buffed up and polished. Sea Bear was looking OK for a 29 year old lady.
Red band repainted and hull polished
Not all work no play.
I’d missed my bike so when I flew back one item of my baggage was a bike, a folding one so that it would stow more easily aboard. One morning I cycled up the road though the forest to Morne Catherine at 540m – well actually it was hard work but nice all the same passing through the forest, a multitude of different types of trees and vegetation and lots of noisy birds and insects, with plenty of butterflies. A glorious freewheel downhill for 6 miles led back to the coast.
Another day I cycled along the Tucker valley to Macqueripe Bay on the north coast. Here I swam along with plenty of pelicans who were fishing unconcernedly amongst all the bathers – quite an incredible experience.
The other day I decided to have a roti for lunch, time passed in queuing at the roti shack watching an iguana in the trees nearby and a butterfly as big as my hand with flashes of incandescent blue, flitting about the shack. Mmm the roti was good too.
Bamboo cathedral
Bathing with pelicans
bathing with pelicans
Macqueripe bay
by chris ayres | Dec 2015 | UK to New Zealand
Before I leave Trinidad some miscellanea that you might find interesting.
A nutmeg gathered from the forest.
Nutmeg
The bike came in useful – looks unwieldy but I managed to pick up two sails from the sailmakers.
Loaded Bike
The coast from the road up to the old tracking station.
N Coast from tracking station road
A trail through the forest.
Forest track
Some fruit and veg bought from a roadside stall, soursop, grapefruit, portuguals, favour peppers, pumpkin, squash, hot peppers, tomatoes, capsicum, maize, courgette, onion, garlic, bananas.
Fruit & veg
Finally managed to see some monkeys in the forest which was a nice thrill.
by chris ayres | Nov 2015 | UK to New Zealand
After all the work, all the worry, Sea Bear is back in the water. I always find it a nervous business watching the yard staff move the boat with the stacker to transfer to the hoist. Then there is always the thought of have you remember everything, will there be no leaks. Added to that this time was moving to a bow to berth in the dock in the little creek around the side of the yard. A tight space to manoeuvre into with boats either side and a pile to avoid and stop in time not to bash the hard dock!
Well I managed it OK, great relief. Had a beer at sundown to celebrate.
Being picked up
by the stacker
View of the dock
In the berth
by chris ayres | Dec 2015 | UK to New Zealand
Finally everything was done, the rigger had adjusted the rigging as the forestay was a little on the loose side. In the morning immigration and customs visited, duty free Gin and Rum purchased and provisions bought with the last of my Triny dollars. Noon and time to cast of the lines and reverse out of the dock. I’d been a long time in Trinidad. I motored out through all the moored and anchored boats in Chaguaramas Bay and then through the Boca passage to the open sea. It was a bit windier and the sea a little rougher than I would have liked for a first sail after such a long lay off but you just have to deal with what the weather gods send you.
It turned out to be a long hard passage, hard on the wind the whole way and with leeway and a very strong westerly current I had to point 30 to 40 degrees to the east to achieve a heading of north. No sleep, cooking was dismissed due to the conditions so just cold snacks. Plenty of spray came aboard but at least it wasn’t cold. 22 hours later I sailed into Prickly Bay Grenada and anchored. No rest yet though, the dinghy to inflate and ashore to visit customs and immigration then a hot walk to the bank for funds. Later Martin and Martha, a Dutch couple I had met in Trinidad came by and took me to happy hour at the bar and then it being Sat night half price pizza. So fed and watered so to speak I could retire to my bunk 36 hours after last lying down.