TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

THE END OF THE ROAD IN TRINI

Our dock at Coral Cove

We were reluctant to leave Grenada to come to Trinidad. We came to Trini only to get out of the hurricane zone and to have our upholstery covered and had no great expectations. I'm glad to say we have been pleasantly surprised. We've realised that every place we have visited in the Caribbean has something unique to offer and is special in it's own way.

Beautiful Trini sunsets

It's far from ideal spending time on a dock in a marina where the water is dirty and it's incredibly hot with no breeze. It's very frustrating that we can't jump into the water and swim off the boat, especially in the heat. We've hired an aircon, spend a lot of time indoors and have done a lot of work on the boat.

Filipino spotlights replace the usual sunset on the horizon

Living on the dock

Walking to Power Boats Marina

We're definitely never going to become 'dock rats' but if there is a good dock to be on, this is it. We're at Coral Cove Marina, in the centre of all the activities in Chaguaramas. Getting work done on the boat is easy, everything is within walking distance and the yacht chandleries are close by. Stephen cycles everywhere, our bicycles have been so well used. We have free water and electricity, hot clean showers, a laundry, great Internet, good cafés and coffee shops, a nice swimming pool and even a newspaper delivery every morning. Small luxuries but when you've battled without these amenities for so long, you really appreciate it.

There is a great modern shopping mall a short taxi ride away and a movie complex called Movie Towne in Port 'o Spain that rivals any in America. We catch local 'Maxi Taxi's' wherever we go. These are like our minibus taxi's back home. We stand under a tree opposite the marina and wave one down as they come along. The taxis have different colour stripes along the side, indicating what route they take. They are clean, the people are friendly, greet everyone when they get in and the reggae music blares from the speakers. It costs us 5tt (about R8) per person for us to get anywhere. There are different hand signals that indicate where you want to go, we've even learned these, so we're becoming very local!

Movie Towne for Tayne's birthday

So who's who in the zoo....??

West Mall

Waiting for the bus in Port o' Spain

Taxi times

Power Boats Marina

We've had our 3 Leo birthdays in Trinidad. We went out for meals and went to movies but we spent them quietly compared to our usual celebrations.

Stephen turns 53.....

....Tayne turns 15

.....and Michaela turns 23

We've found the local people with their beautiful Trini accents to be the nicest we've met along the way. Everything is done with a smile, nothing is too much trouble and they're friendly and gentle. There is no racial animosity, this is an ideal example of how diverse cultures can live happily together. There is Caribbean time and then there is Trini time.....so nothing happens in a hurry and everyone accepts that. It's relaxed and laid back. They have their own slang that's sometimes difficult to understand. I had to laugh the other day when someone said they're going 'DDI'. When I asked them what they meant they were going 'Down da Island' :)
For once there have been a lot of children around the anchorages. It was great coming back to boat one night to find a bunch of teenagers sitting around listening to music. The kids reckon some of them are real wierdo's but it is company for them, non the less. Shaun has been staying on our boat and he has been helping out where he can. He has found a good job in construction so is heading back to Grenada to fetch his boat then sailing back to Trinidad to carry on working.

Good times at Sails

The best cocktails in the Caribbean

For once we can afford to eat out and do grocery shopping without watching every cent. The currency is the TT which is 1.7 to our Rand. It's great to be able to have a few cocktails at a restuarant and have a good meal for the equivilent of what it would cost back home. We had some great 'real SA boerewors' at Sails, a restuarant owned by Didier who originally owned Papino's in Hout Bay. We've got to know him and his lovely Trini wife Danille and have spent good times with them on the water and at the restaurant.

With Didier and Danielle watching the Great Race

Half of Trinidad was on the water watching the race

Petrol costs only R2.50 a litre!

Power Boats Marina where we hauled out

Crews Inn Marina

Because of the amount of cruisers sitting out the hurricane season here, there is a lot of activity. There is a BBQ at Coral Cove on a Thursday, a Pot Luck at Power boats on a Friday and hikes and activities planned over the weekends. It's as sociable as you want it to be. There is a local guy, Jesse James who arranges tours to the market and to the shopping mall. A cruisers net is broadcast every morning at 8am where the weather is given and everyone has a chance to communicate with the other cruisers. There are so many South Africans around and it's always good to hear a familiar accent on the net.
On sadder note, this is the place where we sell our Katz and leave the Caribbean. We received an offer from a Belgian, Laurent Claes, who flew here from Belgium last week to view the boat. We did a good clean up before he arrived, the whole family pulled together worked so hard. We scrubbed the decks, detailed the interior thoroughly, to the point of using toothpicks, and she was looking absolutely beautiful when he stepped on board for the first time.

The Katz crew hard at work

Our new upholstery

Tony Brewer, our broker from St Maarten (ex Hout Bay) flew here to assist. They had a survey done, did sea trials and the boat was hauled out of the water to check the underside. Other than a few minor issues, she was declared fit and healthy to carry on sailing and after a family meeting, we accepted his offer.

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Just after the deal was signed - the broker, the new owner and the surveyor

Waking in the Trini forest

Because the boat was already out of the water the new owner wanted the antifouling to be redone. This meant living up in the air, hi and dry for 5 days at Power Boats Marina while the work was done. This was not the most pleasant experience as we couldn't use our toilet and showers, had use the ablutions and had to climb up and down a ladder to get on to the boat. I will always find a positive though........the Roti Shack was right next door serving the most delicious roti's in the Caribbean. I think my skin is turning yellow from all the curry already!!

Sitting Hi 'n Dry

We put Katz on the market, hoping to sell at the end of the year so the sale caught us a bit off guard. I was adamant that we should stay on because Damon was due to join us for the last few months and our plan was for the whole family to end our journey off together. But we weighed up the pro's and cons and there is always the possibility of not selling when we want to, so we decided to let her go now. This was done with a heavy heart and a few silent tears from my side when the deal was signed. To me it's the end of our dream that we've worked towards for such a long time and the end of a magic time in all of our lives.

Katz goes back on the water

A tight squeeze

Eeeekkkkkk.....

Back in the water at last

The captain takes the helm for the last time

Our last time on the water

The final bow for the fender girl

We couldn't wish to hand it over to nicer people who I'm sure will carry on having fun and enjoying Katz as much as we have. Laurent and his wife have 5 children between the ages of 8 and 14 so I'm sure the happy family vibes on Katz will continue.

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