Greetings friends and family, just a quick update as to our progress and plans here. Eliana is fortunately, back in the water with a clean bottom and prop. Sails have been repaired and 4th reef installed so that the mainsailcan become a storm sail easily.I have had my spray dodger/clears repaired and having a piece fitted to the rear so it will fully enclose the cockpit during inclement weather. I still have a page and a half of repairs in my 'boat to do ' list but that's boating.
I am in the marina at Coral Cove, Chaguaramas , Trinidad next to the beautiful Australian built 'Moon.eet' a Van de Stadt, Samoa , 48 feet, and 'Elevation' a $2m. Aust. built Buzon 48. I have other neighbours from Sweden, USA, Britain, Canada, Israel +? And friends from Poland and France so as you can imagine its a very international group.I was nearly persuaded by my latter friends, Matthew and John- Louis, to leave the boat here for the hurricane season as most do then return early next year to cruise the Caribbean . However, that would add another 2 years to this trip if I wanted to spend the season here or would mean a quick trip then getting a little late to Panama and cut my time in the Pacific too short.
I am in the marina at Coral Cove, Chaguaramas , Trinidad next to the beautiful Australian built 'Moon.eet' a Van de Stadt, Samoa , 48 feet, and 'Elevation' a $2m. Aust. built Buzon 48. I have other neighbours from Sweden, USA, Britain, Canada, Israel +? And friends from Poland and France so as you can imagine its a very international group.I was nearly persuaded by my latter friends, Matthew and John- Louis, to leave the boat here for the hurricane season as most do then return early next year to cruise the Caribbean . However, that would add another 2 years to this trip if I wanted to spend the season here or would mean a quick trip then getting a little late to Panama and cut my time in the Pacific too short.
So I have decided to stick to my plan which is to go north to Granada in a couple of weeks ( to try to avoid piracy from Venezuela ) then west to the ABCs and hang out at Spanish Water, Curaçao for a while before heading southwest down to Bocas del Tora, north of Panama where Iwill leave the boat in the hurricane safe marina and .y somewhere before coming home later in the year. I may go to Santa Marta inColombia then bus down to Cartagena which are supposed to be amazing 15 th century cities, then to the San Blas Island before Bocas,but only if I have crew.....so watch this space.
I got some diesel fuel yesterday which costs 50 cents a litre in the servos or $7- TT, from the marina next door, we are the cash cows! We had a fantastic night recently organised by Jill from 'Elevation' a West Aussie boat and went to a Calypso Evening at de Nu Pub where we were privileged to see the King of Calypso ' The Mighty Sparrow' who is 78 years old and has trouble walking but is a truly amazing singer with great stage presence.
Mostly I have been working on the boat in 35 degrees heat, covered in anti foul, solvents and sweat and have seen nothing of Trinidad apart from the road to the dentist where I have had root canal work for my abscessed tooth.Dr Kassam was trained in Leeds and is a fantastic dentist who did a great job. Today is yet another public holiday in T&T so most shops are closed and we can expect the incessant Reggae blasting out for the next few nights. They don't do quiet here! I still have to reinstall Sailmail etc to my computer which crashed causing it to be wiped clean. Fortunately, I had recently saved all my photographs to HD plus whatever else I could but it would not copy all . That's about it for the moment, I would like to hear how youse all are going!
Hope alls well
Cheers
SV Eliana
qTrinidad.
I got some diesel fuel yesterday which costs 50 cents a litre in the servos or $7- TT, from the marina next door, we are the cash cows! We had a fantastic night recently organised by Jill from 'Elevation' a West Aussie boat and went to a Calypso Evening at de Nu Pub where we were privileged to see the King of Calypso ' The Mighty Sparrow' who is 78 years old and has trouble walking but is a truly amazing singer with great stage presence.
Mostly I have been working on the boat in 35 degrees heat, covered in anti foul, solvents and sweat and have seen nothing of Trinidad apart from the road to the dentist where I have had root canal work for my abscessed tooth.Dr Kassam was trained in Leeds and is a fantastic dentist who did a great job. Today is yet another public holiday in T&T so most shops are closed and we can expect the incessant Reggae blasting out for the next few nights. They don't do quiet here! I still have to reinstall Sailmail etc to my computer which crashed causing it to be wiped clean. Fortunately, I had recently saved all my photographs to HD plus whatever else I could but it would not copy all . That's about it for the moment, I would like to hear how youse all are going!
Hope alls well
Cheers
SV Eliana
qTrinidad.
