S/V Jean Marie

Orinoco Delta Lodge

2008-09-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

The Orinoco Delta Lodge is located about 50 miles up the Rio Manamo in Eastern Venezuela's Orinoco Delta region. We stopped here while exploring the area, and had a great time. Yachties were quite welcome, but the mainstay of their business is European eco-tourists. The lodge is only available by boat, and the guests and the supplies to operate the lodge all are transported on the river. The main lodge building has a bar, restaurant, and lounge area. The guests are housed in separate screened-in bungalows, and the grounds are beautifully landscaped. The staff guides take the guests out on the river each day, exploring the local canos and jungle. If you are looking for a real different type of vacation check them out.

Pedernales Pilot

2008-08-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Several of the international sailors who explored the Rio Orinoco Delta before S/V Jean Marie have contributed to various Orinoco Delta Pilots. These helpful documents are passed down to the succeeding generations of cruisers that call at Chaguaramus, Trinidad each year. They can be obtained for a reasonable duplication fee from Jesse James’ “Members Only Maxi-Taxi Service” (you do not have to be a member, because there are no members – it is only a name…) at his office at Tropical Marine in Chaguaramus. To all those who have gone before us, and taken the time and effort to write down your notes and pass them on, we say thank you – they were quite helpful to us - and here is our contribution.
There are hundreds of cruising sailboats that call at Trinidad each year; mainly during either Hurricane Season (June – November) or Carnival (February). However, only a relatively few boats explore the Rio Orinoco Delta, just 50 miles across the Gulf of Paria – a day sail. Considering the over-crowded, over-priced, typical Eastern Caribbean port-of-call, it is a mystery to us why so few boats take advantage of exploring a remote yet easily accessible, un-crowded and interesting place like the Rio Orinoco Delta. These pilot notes are provided so that perhaps more folks will give this area the serious consideration it deserves as a cruising destination.

Point-of-view is important when deciding just how to use cruising information that someone else put together; especially someone you don’t know. Deciding how this information applies to your boat, and your cruising objectives, is important. So to help you sort it out, here is a brief description of our crew and our boat:
Tom Service
Tom is a retired US Navy Salvage Officer. I have owned the boat for 21 years. My 14 pound 12 year-old dachshund “Schatze” is the Ship’s Dog. Tom & Schatze cruised S/V Jean Marie on the Rio Pedernales and the Rio Manamo for 19 days in company with Tony aboard his boat S/V Tarnimara in July and August 2008. When in Trinidad, we use the Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association at Harts Cut in Carenage Bay as our base of operations.
S/V Jean Marie:
1977 CSY 44 walkover
44ft X 13.3ft X 6.9ft – we use 7 feet as our navigational draft
(Note: the boat was designed at 6.5ft draft, however like TBS’s belt, it has been expanded 3 times in the last 20 years…)
Displacement is approximately 40,000 pounds (she was designed at 37,000 pounds, see above note)
Fuel 160 gallons
Potable water 400 gallons
(No water-maker, we do have a deck rain water catching system)
Engine 60HP naturally aspirated Perkins Prima Diesel
VHF / SSB / GPS / Chart Plotter & Radar with CMAP
Speed Log / Fathometer
Wind Vane Self-Steering Gear / Electric Autopilot
Lofrans Falkon 1500 watt anchor windlass
Primary Anchor: 66 pound Bruce on 200 feet 3/8 chain
Secondary Anchor: 45 pound CQR on chain & nylon doublebraid
40 pound Danforth on the utility arch
75 pound Fisherman in the bilge
Center cockpit dodger & sun fly
Primary dinghy: 10.5 ft Cape Dory sailor & rowing boat
3.3 hp 2-stroke outboard
Back-up dinghy: Achilles SPD-4 rubber ducky

Getting across the Gulf of Paria, making an approach to Boca Pedernales, and then running the Boca up to the Pedernales Village is quite straightforward, and can be accomplished in a single (but long) day. Here are the waypoints we used:
CARBAY 10-39.65N 061-36.67W (Carenage Bay)
BPAPCH 10-05.30N 062-08.30W (Boca Pedernales Approach)
These two waypoints cross the Gulf of Paria from Carenage Bay, Trinidad to Boca Pedernales, Venezuela. A distance of 46.43 miles at 222 degrees true.
PRECHL 10-03.83N 062-09.17W (Preferred Channel Buoy)
Between BPAPCH and PRECHL we saw no less than 12 feet - corrected to low tide.
PLTENE 10-01.68N 062-11.71W (Platform “ENE” at Punta Tolete)
Boca Pedernales
These three waypoints – approach / buoy / platform – lay out safe passage of Boca Pedernales in a southwesterly direction between the Middle Ground extending seaward from Isla Cotorra to the west, and the shoal extending seaward from Punta Tolete to the east. Safe water around the shoal to the east is marked by buoys, as shown on the charts – but these buoys were well in the distance as we transited the Boca Pedernales. There is a strong current running WNW out of the Serpents Mouth, and care must be taken not to be set on to the Middle Ground while transiting the Boca Pedernales. The CMAP chart show a 7 foot bar oriented NW-SE crossing Boca Pedernales at the Preferred Channel Buoy location, but we saw no less than 15 feet - corrected to low tide - on a direct line between waypoints PRECHL and PLTENE.
Rio Pedernales to Capure
Once abeam of Platform “ENE” stay on the south side of the river (Isla Capure side) between the Punta Tolete and Capure. We saw no less than 20 feet – corrected to low tide – on this leg.
Note: Between Punta Tolete and the Village of Capure the CMAP charts (using a Furuno chart plotter) showed us aground and ashore in several places, but we were actually quite safe and in 20 feet of water; this was our first notice that the CMAP CHARTS ARE NOT ACCURATE FOR THE RIO ORINOCO DELTA REGION. However, they worked fine for the approach – when we needed them most. Once in the rivers and canos we navigated by fathometer, and watching the banks.
Rio Pedernales Town Anchorage
Our first anchorage was at 09-58.09N 062-14.7W in 12 feet – corrected for low tide – in the Rio Pedernales across the river from the Guardia Costa Station. We stayed over on the east side of the river for the first night because there is less traffic in this area than on the Pedernales Village side. After a long day getting there, we elected to check in at the Guardia Costa Station the next morning. The next day we shifted anchorage to the west side of the Rio Pedernales and anchored in about 30 feet just off the Guardia Costa Station. Note: the bottom is foul off these docks, and anchoring in closer invites a fouled anchor… We used the Guardia Costa Station pier to moor our dinghy and gain access to the Station. It is a good secure place to leave your dinghy while in the Village, and the Guardia Costa personnel do not mind. If you come back to the Station and the gate is locked, simply push the buzzer button at the gate to alert the watch.
When we transited from the Rio Pedernales to the Rio Manamo, based on the inaccuracy of the CMAP charts in this area, the fact that there is an extensive shoal off the village in the Boca Pedernales open roadstead, and that strong current flows in the Boca, we went all the way over to the Isla Cortorra side of Boca Pedernales to clear that shoal. This production facility is on Isla Cortorra across the Boca from Capure.

To navigate around the extensive shoal NW of the Pedernales Peninsula when transiting from the Rio Pedernales to the Rio Manamo we used these waypoints:
RPRS01 09-58.73N 062-14.69W (Pedernales Roadstead #1)
RPRS02 09-58.99N 062-14.99W (Pedernales Roadstead #2)
RPRS03 09-58.93N 062-15.35W (Pedernales Roadstead #3)
RPRS04 09-58.56N 062-15.90W (Pedernales Roadstead #4)
RPRS06 09-58.37N 062-15.99W (Pedernales Roadstead #5)
RPRS07 09-57.49N 062-16.21W (Pedernales Roadstead #6)
The least depth we saw while making this transit was 14 feet – corrected for low tide – NW of Capure. The majority of the time we saw 22 to 25 feet. Watch the set and drift on the cross-current legs as you work your way around this shoal: it would be very easy to get set right down on it - with a couple of knots of current on the beam.
There is an absolutely incredible amount of water that flows in and out of this huge Delta every day: To start with, the Rio Orinoco is the world’s 8th largest river with a watershed that extends from Columbia, to Amazonia in Brazil, and most of Venezuela. During the tropical rainy season this entire area is subject to torrential rains almost daily. Superimposed on all of this freshwater running out to the sea, is the saltwater tides ebbing and flowing in the Lower Delta – which experiences about a 4 to 5 foot tidal range, swinging the current around every 6 hours. What a dynamic place – from a hydrological point of view! If there ever was a place that set and drift need to be taken in to account while maneuvering and navigating – this is it.

When entering the Rio Manamo, and skirting the west side of the Pedernales Peninsula, we stayed to the east (close to the Pedernales Peninsula side), until the Rio Manamo narrowed (and deepens). In this area we saw an average of about 22 feet, with a least depth of 16 feet – adjusted for low tide. The CMAP chart shows a lot less water.
Once in the Rio Pedernales or the Rio Manamo proper, navigation is pretty much to keep her between the trees, watch the fathometer, and forget the chart plotter.
General Notes:
1. In river navigation the bends have the deepest water. So, if you need more water, always try the outside of the bend first. This system worked well for us.
2. The wider the river was, the shallower it was likely to be. When the river narrows down (bank to bank) it has to carry the same volume of water, so it tends to be deeper. We slowed down and paid a lot more attention when the river was wide.
3. We hit the “WAYPOINT” button on the chart plotter every mile or so to keep a record of our track. This made returning much easier. There are a lot of islands and forks in the river, and it can become quite confusing when returning from whence you came. The river looks very different when travelling in the opposite direction. (I hesitate to us the terms upstream or downstream, because we were always in areas that had reversing tidal currents.)
4. Running with the current (flood or ebb, depending on which direction we were heading) to get free miles seemed like a good idea until we grounded S/V Jean Marie going upstream on a 2 knot flood (current going in the same direction we were travelling) on a broad stretch of Cano Angosto . We did not have the power to back off with that much current going with us, and when we tried to pivot around and get the bow into the current to power off, she would not go beyond broadside-to. We found ourselves with a 2 knot current on the beam (and a rising tide) setting us further and further up on to a mud bank. This is when having another boat in company paid off. S/V Tarnimara had less draft and Tony was able to get close enough to take a tow line from our bow and pivot us around, then we easily powered into the current and off the mud bank. If he was not there to help, we would have been taking anchors out with the dink to kedge off, and we probably would have needed an additional tide cycle to get off. (Read that - working in the dark with LOTS of friggin mosquitoes…) After this experience we did not go exploring in shallow canos running downstream, we waited until the tide turned or slackened, and did our sniffing around by depth sounder with the current on the nose. This problem was not an issue in the main river as there is usually enough water to navigate. Also, after this experience – which occurred early in our cruise - I always kept a tow line rigged to the bow ready to deploy.
5. We used the hand drawn chart from the September 2006 version of the Manamo / Pedernales / Angosto Cruising Notes (S/V Do It, S/V La Gitana, S/V Sea Loon) extensively for daily planning purposes and VHF radio discussions with our cruising mate Tony on S/V Tarnimara.
6. Although we saw no security problems on the Rio Pedernales or the Rio Manamo, we were warned by the local authorities that there was drug trafficking in the Delta, and that was the greatest threat security wise. Having another boat in company seems to increase the odds in our favor.
7. The land throughout the Lower Delta has very little elevation, and at high tide during the rainy season there isn’t much dry land anywhere. Consequently, we spent a lot (almost all) of our time aboard our boat or exploring in the dinghy. There just are not many places to go ashore other than the Eco Lodges or Pedernales Village. So, our social life while on the Delta consisted of visiting the other boat in company (S/V Tarnimara).
8. When we were exploring the side canos with the dinghy we had to be independent and ready for most eventualities. Here is some of gear we carried in the dink on these expeditions: spare fuel, effective oars, good anchor with plenty of chain & rode, O/B motor repair kit (shear pin, spark plug, starting cord, tools), powerful flashlight, headlight (we only explored in the daylight – these were in case we screwed up and found ourselves in the jungle at night), handheld VHF (but there was NOBODY to talk to…), machete, pocket knife, strong bug repellant, long-sleeved shirt / long pants / neckerchief / hat, lots of water, granola bars, apples. It took a long time to collect all this stuff, and all we ever used was the machete, water, and apples. BUT, we took dinghy ops away from the big boat very seriously, we absolutely did not want to spend a night in the jungle …
9. We kept the camera and binoculars handy in the cockpit, or the dink at all times. We wish we owned a good South American bird book, because we usually had no idea what we were looking at or what just flew by. It was actually easier to see birds from the dink in the mid-sized canos as they flew from bank to bank. When we were in the sub-canos in the thick forest or jungle, we could not see much of the canopy, and that is where the birds were.
10. Our bug drill was as follows: We screened-up every night about 30 minutes before sunset. A bug coil was lit and set in a dish on the cockpit deck, just outside the main companionway screen. A large citronella candle was lit and set out on the dinette table in the main cabin. Then the interior of the boat was given a quick shot of aerosol bug spray. We tried to spend nights on the relatively bug free broad areas of the main river, and then move the boats into the more confined, and buggy, areas during the day. We often found that during the night, beginning about 2 hours after sunset, we could usually go on deck with few bug problems. Cano exploration during the day in the dink was another matter entirely. Every time we brushed a palm frond or overhanging limb, here they came. We just had to cover up pretty good, and dress like it was cold out – in the mid 90’s…
11. The water hyacinth fouled our anchor chains almost every night. The most effective, and easiest, method that I found for removing it was as follows: I would remove the chain hook and then power straight up into the current for about half the distance to the anchor. I would then turn hard to starboard and back full (we have a right-hand propeller). This would usually get the boat broadside to the current, and as we backed away the weed came off. We would then settle back on the chain, stemming the current, and if any weed was left it was easily removed with the boat hook. We then recovered the rode and anchor in the usual manner.
12. Be prepared to anchor in 30 and 40 foot deep water, with plenty of current. This is typically the depth in the middle of the channel, and away from the banks, where there are fewer bugs. Wind and waves were never a problem, and even in 40 feet, if we deployed 180 of our 200 feet of chain (less than 5 to 1) she still stayed put. We found that our Bruce did a great job of anchoring the boat in the usual thick clay and heavy marl bottoms that are prevalent in the Delta. Also, the Bruce has a good reputation for resetting itself - and the current reversed direction every 6 hours or so. Bring good ground tackle to this show, so you can sleep well…
13. The water in the Delta is very turbid, with a heavy content of silt. Although it is clean dirt, not biologically dirty water, it will foul expensive water-maker filters very quickly. This is another reason that a proper cruising boat should have plenty of potable water tankage.
14. Anytime we anchored on the main rivers or large canos, we showed an anchor light at night. There is boat traffic on the river during the hours of darkness – and they don’t seem to slow down even though they can’t see…
15. We were not very interested in trading with the Waro, they simply did not have anything we wanted. We were interested in having contact with them, and the principal way that we did this was when they paddled out to our boat as we passed by their villages, we slowed to bare steerageway, and distributed hard candy to each person in the canoe – usually kids. We did bring some needed material to a family farming on Isla de Monos, and we did bring some school supplies for donation to the Indian schools.
16. We don’t usually get involved in “buddy boating.” However, since we (Schatze the dog and Tom) went down to the Delta alone, we found it was quite worthwhile to have another boat in company. Tony aboard his boat S/V Tarnimara was also single-handing, and we agreed that there were a lot of benefits to this system for this particular cruising area. We recommend a pairing of boats. Any more than two makes for a gaggle that just seems to go into paralysis whenever any decision needs to be made – and that happens multiple time a day. Also, it just doesn’t make sense to overwhelm the relatively shy Waro people with too many visitors at the same time in the same place. This is a really big area and there is plenty of room for several boats to cruise, and not be crowded.

Tony aboard his yacht S/V Tarnimara on the Rio Manamo

The Gulf of Paria has a lot of Oil Patch infrastructure. Capped well-heads are common. Although these structures are required to be lighted, I would be surprised if anyone in either the oil companies, or the Coast Guard, is paying much attention…

This abandoned Platform (vicinity 10-08.44N 062-04.21W) is close to the track, and 5 miles NE of the Boca Pedernales approach waypoint.

This is the Preferred Channel buoy located in the vicinity of 10-03.83N 062-09.17W. Since the topmost band is red, it should be honored as any lateral red buoy in IALA B region - when returning from seaward keep the buoy on your starboard hand.

Platform ENE (just off Punta Tolete) is clearly visible from the Preferred Channel buoy. We headed straight for this structure, and the channel was 15 feet – corrected for low tide, or deeper, all the way to Punta Tolete.

This production facility is located on Isla Cotorra, or north side of the river. Check out the orientation of that gas flare – there can be a lot of wind blowing up the Boca Pedernales from the Gulf of Paria, and if it is opposing an ebb, the Boca will be rough.

The fellow on the left with Tony is a Lieutenant in the Guardia Costa, and he is the Commander of the Guardia Costa Station Pedernales. He was quite pleasant and helpful, and he spoke good English. All they wanted from us was to see our passports and boat papers.

When returning back to the Guardia Costa Station from town, this is the back side of the compound. There is a button next to the gate that activates a buzzer to notify the watch that you want to come through.

Well there you have it, our input to the ongoing development of cruising information for the Rio Orinoco Delta. Our cruise on the Rio Pedernales and the Rio Manamo has encouraged us to see more of this wild and remote area. We intend to enter the Rio Macareo from the Serpents Mouth and cruise upstream to the Rio Grande, and then work our way downstream in the Rio Grande to the Atlantic Ocean. If you are looking for something different from the usual Eastern Caribbean anchorages – perhaps a bit of exploring in the Rio Orinoco Delta will put some adventure back in cruising for you – it certainly has for me!

Rio Manamo

2008-08-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

Recently, my friend Tony of the British cruising sailboat S/V Tarnimara and I returned from a 20 day cruise exploring about 175 miles of tropical rivers and canos in Eastern Venezuela's Rio Orinoco Delta. The indigenous people of the Delta are the Waro Indians, and their current lifestyle and customs bridge about three centuries. The area is quite remote, and we had to be completely independent with respect to fuel, water, and supplies. The majority of our exploration was done in the dinghy, working our way up narrow canos through the middle of the jungle. Here is some of what we saw and did on the Rio Pedernales and the Rio Manamo:

Chacachacare Island

2008-05-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Recently an old Navy shipmate, Steve Womack, visited us in Chaguaramus, Trinidad. Like most yachties, we wanted to show Steve a good time, so we decided to take him out to the islands, or Bocas, in the western approaches to the Gulf of Paria called the Dragons Mouth. The island we visited is named Chacachacare, and is the site of an abandoned leper colony. The leprosarium, established in 1924 by Dominican Nuns, was known as the “Hansenian Settlement.” It included wards for men and women patients, a doctors house, a chapel and a nunnery. The leprosarium was in operation until 1984 when the patients were moved to the Port of Spain General Hospital.

We landed the dink at the Government Dock in Perruquier Cove on Chacachacare Bay for a hike some 800 feet up to the lighthouse on the north point of the island; this light was constructed by the British in 1896. The road up to the lighthouse is paved, and was really quite a pleasant walk, with wildflowers along the way.

Wildfloweres brightened up the hike up to the lighthouse.

There were many Corbeaux, or black buzzards, living on the island.

The top is in sight. As we gained altitude the climate of the island changed from quite arid at sea level, to tropical rainforest at the top.

The area around the Lighthouse has some lovely old trees; that's a mango tree on the left.

At the top we met the lighthouse keepers, toured the grounds, and took in the beautiful Bocas. This is a strategic location as the principal source of Trinidad’s wealth is derived from natural gas exports, and all of the huge LNG tankers pass through the Dragon’s Mouth between Chacachacare Island and the Venezuela's Paria Peninsula just 6 miles to the west-northwest.

This radar looks like a typical air search FAA type airport radar. It may be used by Piarco Airport air-controllers to keep track of approaching commercial flights, it may be used by the T&T Defense Forces to watch the Bocas and Venezuela for military activity, it may be used by the Caribbean Drug Task Force to watch for drug traffic and smugglers, or probably it is used for all of these purposes...

This LNG tanker represents the wealth of Trinidad. They are one of the largest exporters of liquefied natural gas in the world.

This Corbeau is enjoying the shade of this beautiful Poui tree.

The old lighthouse keepers quarters is now a tool shed.

Looking down into Chacachacare Bay and across to Stanislas Cove we could see the nunnery where the Dominican Nuns lived who cared for the lepers.

Returning to Government Dock and our waiting dinghy,we moved S/V Jean Marie to an anchorage just off the Nun’s boathouse, and toured the abandoned buildings including: an administration building, chapel, dormitory, and out-buildings that included a scullery, laundry, and tool shed. The Trinidadian Government has made some effort to preserve this beautiful site and these historic buildings for use as a camping and educational venue for Trinidad’s youth. However, the project is sadly lacking for funds…

The boathouse at the entrance to the nunnery.

The lower deck of this building is the Nun's Chapel, and there were living facilities topside.

The architecture and construction of the buildings is really first-rate.

They must have brought over some skilled European craftsmen to build this facility, as we have not seen this level of construction anywhere else in the West Indies.

\

The out-building that housed the kitchen, scullery, and laundry.

The back of the chapel.

The front porch on the second deck of the Chapel / Living Quarters.

Can't you just imagine the Nun's bent over these wash tubs, singing hymns in French as they hand-washed their laundry?

The out-building housing the laundry, galley, and scullery.

S/V Jean Marie lies to her anchor off the Nun's Landing.

The Nun's graveyard.

Although most of the Nuns were from France, here lies a Trini who passed away while serving some very unfortunate Trini's.

After touring the Nunnery, we pulled the hook and motored S/V Jean Marie across to the north side of Chacachacare Bay to Sanders Cove and the women’s ward. Once ashore, we pushed our way through dense tropical growth to view the Receiving Building, Chapel, Hospital, Boat Shed, Electric Generating Plant and Morgue. This area has not been preserved, and vandalism and the tropical climate have taken their toll. The dock at the Receiving Building is where the goods and supplies for the leprosarium were landed.

The walls of the Boat House have collapsed.

The Chapel in the Women's Ward.

The floor of the Chapel has been vandalized, and nature has taken her toll on the roof.

The veranda of the Hospital is just about gone.

This is the dispensary on the second deck of the Hospital,

The shelves of the Preparation Room in the Dispensary still have many of the drugs used to treat the patients.

The wards were tropical open-bay style with curtains separating the patients.

One of the Service Buildings has collapsed around it's foundation, this place was full of fruit bats.

A leaning privy.

The Electrical Generating Plant was diesel driven.

The morgue is set back from the main facility.

Mr. Corbeau is keeping an eye on TBS while I investigate the morgue.

The cooler in the Morgue was full of bats.

The Doctor’s house and boathouse are located on the northeast shore of Chacachacare Bay, opposite from the Nunnery on the southwest shore.

The Doctor's Boathouse.

We really enjoyed our 2 days touring Chacachacare Island, and we hope to return. Our visit made us think of another world, not that far in the past, of sick lepers and dedicated nuns and skillful British lighthouse builders. As you can see, cruising isn’t just about palm trees, beaches, and Jimmy Buffet. Actually there is a very interesting world out here ready to be explored.

TTSA Pot Luck BBQ

2008-04-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

Each Monday night we do a Pot-Luck Barbeque at the Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association (TTSA). Lately, we have been combining the meal with home-grown entertainment from within the cruising community.
Evelyn of S/V Sierra Echo supervises the grille.

The best stuff goes first, so don,t be late at the serving table. William the boat kid from S/V Alouette digs in.

The bar staff at TTSA takes good care of the international yachties, and they do a good business on Monday nights when we have one of our BBQ's.

The boat kids make toasted marshmallows to sell to the cruisers for desert: Emily S/V Avallon, William & Katie from S/V Alouette. Ten TT cents buys a delicious toasted marshmallow with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and a cherry on top. YUM YUM - and they are GOOD for you!

Once dinner is done, the tables are cleared, and it is SHOW TIME!

Tony of S/V Tarnimara plays the keyboard as Smitty of S/V Sarah Noble (aka "The Mighty Yachtie") strums his quatro and sings. Tony is the core of the entertainment as he accompanies the various acts. Tony also plays the bass fiddle - and he has one onboard his boat!

Candice runs the Cajobe Restaurant at TTSA, and even though Monday is her only day off, she still came in and sang for us. What great Trini hospitality! She has classical music training, lots of personality, and all the old-guys love her!

Josie from S/V Cover Shot was a professional jazz singer in a former life. She and Tony really sound great together.

Suzanne & Smitty of S/V Sarah Noble never miss a chance to dance.

Serge of S/V Sierra Echo enjoys one of the boat kids' marshmallow specials. He never had a marshmallow before - apparently they are not sold in France. cruising life exposes us to all kinds of new experiences - including marshmallows!

Even the curmugions seem to be having a good time; r to l Ian S/v Marsha Claire, Hunter S/V Arctic Tern, Don & Heather of S/V Asseance.

TTSA

2008-04-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association (TTSA) has become our base in Trinidad for the past 3 years. TTSA is located on Carenage Bay east of boatyard row.

The open air Spinnaker Bar is a great place to relax and take in Trinidad's sailing scene.

The TTSA dinghy dock is used primarily by the international cruisers, as the members come and go to their boats on the mooring by club launch. The main docks are available to visiting internationals to bring their boats for daytime use during the week.

The Cajobe Restarant serves good food at reasonable prices, and is operated by "Kajobe Candy" and her parents.

There is an adjacent boatyard owned by TTSA, with a small Travel-Lift. 40 foot is about the largest size vessel that can be safely accommodated.

It is an absolute joy to watch the young Trini sailors learning to sail in the associated Sailing Association's well organized training program. This program is producing some really crackerjack young sailors who presence will be felt on the international sailing scene.

The affiliated Sailing Association has excellent facilities with a wide range of sailboats available for training and for hire.

Several Caribbean sailing regattas are staged out of TTSA, and race day festivities really liven up the club on weekends.

We enjoy meeting and being around Trini families, and their is no place better to "lime" with the locals (just hang out) than around TTSA's pool.

Ed "The Pan Man" is an American artist & sculptor who sailed here, and fell in love with Trinidad's foremost art form, the Pan. He has performed with some of Tridad's very best pan bands. As you can see Ed pays a lot more attention to his music that his boat maintenance...

Regarding boat maintenance, the work shed on the back lot of the TTSA grounds is available to visiting Yachties for their projects. It is really great to have a place to get those dirty / dusty jobs off the boat, and have a secure area to spread out. We did some extensive work on our hard dinghy in this shed.

Hart's Cut, immediately south TTSA's mooring field is perhaps the best anchorage in the Chaguaramus area. The beautiful Pui Trees that surround Harts Cut and TTSA bloom twice a year to mark the seasons; first in January to mark the beginning of the dry season, and the second blooming in May indicates that the wet season is starting. Does anybody else see Big Bird here?

S/V Jean Marie lies quietly with her head to the northeast Trades. Things can get a little boisterous when the wind pipes up, so bring good anchors and plenty of chain!

Duquesne Seine Fishing

2008-04-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

The fishermen deploy their nets; all the work is done by muscle.

The village of Duquesne is located on a picturesque cove on the northwest corner of Grenada.

Most of the residents of Duquesne turn out to help pull the nets to the beach.

Many of the houses in Duesquene are built on the cliff overlooking the cove.

Tom went down to the beach and helped these fellows pull their net in.

The exciting part was when the net came ashore on the beach full of tuna.

While we were watching the seine net operations, this fellow came down the road selling his bananas.

Belmont Cocoa Estates

2008-04-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

Belmont estates is an old cocoa plantation in northeastern Grenada. Today they buy cocoa beans from the farmers, process the beans, and then sell them to the cocoa exporters. Henry the plantation foreman took us on a tour of the processing facility where the fermenting, drying, polishing, and bagging of the beans takes place. Henry has been at Belmont Estate for over 40 years, and he really knows his cocoa! The remainder of the grounds are kept up for the enjoyment of the tourists that visit the estate.

Antione River Rum Distillery

2008-04-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Antoine River is located on Grenada's northeast coast. There has been a rum distillery on this river using the power of the running water to crush the sugar cane for over 200 years, and make their signature 150 proof River Rum.

The river is diverted to the waterwheel by a system of channels and gates down the hillside.

The huge waterwheel was made from cast iron segments in England.

The waterwheel drives the cane crusher.

The juice flows to the boiling room by way of this gravity trough.

Crushed cane waste is dried and stored, and then used for fuel to heat the boiling pots.

Once the juice has been extracted from the cane it is directed to the boiling room where it is boiled in large pots.

After the cane juice is boiled and reduced, it is sent to the fermenting room to be fermented in large concrete tanks. It certainly isn't very appetising looking yet!

Once the cane juice is fermented, it is directed through a system of gravity fed pipes to the still where it is distilled in a triple effect process.

Patty was our guide, and she was quite proud of the final product. The chalk board is used to keep track of the various batches of rum being processed.
River Rum is at least 150 proof (that would be 75 percent alcohol). Here, some of the cruising ladies sample to final product. Their expressions are testimony to the power of this stuff!

If you get to the Spice Island of Grenada, come visit the Antione River Rum Distillery - it's an interesting part of Caribbean history.

Grenada the Spice Island

2008-04-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

While we were anchored on Grenada's south coast at Hog Island, we hired Mike - a local Taxi-Man with a mini-van who operates out of Whisper Cove Marina to take 12 of us yachties on an all-day tour of the Spice Island - GRENADA! The above pic is a panoramic view of the harbour at St. Georges, looking down at the yacht Lagoon, and the ship's Carenage.
Below:We stopped at a roadside spice stand and were educated on all the various spices that are grown locally.

Annandale falls was a beautiful spot, unfortunately the natural attractiveness has been diminished by it's development as a cruise-ship tourist stop...

Cocoa is grown throughout the island, and is a major cash-crop in Grenada's agricultural economy - which is eclipsed by their major industry - the cruise-ship trade.

We stopped in Carlton at the Cocoa Growers Association to see how they process Cocoa. The farmers sell their beans to the Association, where they dry, and sort them, and then they export the bagged cocoa beans to chocolate users all over the world.

First the beans are fermented in these fermenting bins. They are worked every few days to ensure that they are evenly heated by the natural fermenting process.

Covered with banana leaves, the heat really builds up, and the moisture sweats out of the beans.

After they leave the sweat boxes, the beans are spread in the sun on these drying racks to reduce their moisture content. The drying racks are rolled in under the shed during the night, and in the event of rain. This work is all done manually.

The machinery in the warehouse is all built on site and is quite ingenious and well crafted. They have dryers, sorters, husk removers, and baggers.

After touring the Carlton Cocoa Growers Association, we proceeded north up the east coast of Grenada and stopped for lunch at Ebony's Restaurant in Grenville. We had a great lunch and enjoyed discussing the mornings adventures.

This is the view of the main street in Grenville, looking down from Ebony's restaurant with the Police Station just across the way. Grenville is a busy little town, typically Caribbean, with thankfully very few tourists. It is a good place just to nose around and meet folks, and getting the real flavor of the Spice Island - Grenada. From Grenville we headed north up the east coast to the rum distillery, and the Belmont Cocoa Estate, subjects of following posts.

Asa Wright - Caroni Swamp

2008-04-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

The Asa Wright Bird Sanctuary is located on the southern slope of Trinidad's Blue Mountains in a tropical rain forest. It was formerly a cocoa & coffee plantation, and the manor has been converted to a quaint hotel and conference center. The Asa Wright center is one of Trinidad's national treasures. We visited there with Jesse James' Memebers Only Maxi-Taxi Service from Chaguaramus. (By the way you don't need to be a member of anything to tour with Members Only - it is just a name.)

The Caroni Swamp is located on Trinidad's south shore. It is a huge mangrove swamp inhabited by quite a variety of flora & fauna. This little Boa was taking a nap in the heat of the afternoon.
Perhaps the greatest draw for visitors to the Caroni Swamp is the return of the Scarlet Ibis each evening to roost in the safety of the mangroves.

Greetings from Grenada!!

2008-04-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Yep, you’re right – Grenada is the opposite direction from the Venezuelan rivers of South America. Since my Trinidad visa was due to expire on the 17th of March, we sailed up here for the rest period and will return to Trinidad in April. Earlier, back in Trinidad, we did take in a few Carnival festivities culminating on Tuesday, the 5th of February, with the “Pretty Mas” road march. We were able to enjoy a kid’s parade of Old Time Carnival (Viey La Cou) characters, where each school group had studied these historical characters and then made their costumes for the parade and judging. Viey La Cou in 2006 was one of our favorite activities, and we were pleased to see some of the adults who traditionally portrayed these characters on hand to help the youngsters get the “feel” for the presentation of the various characters. The traditional street Mas on Tuesday was in the typical Trini-style – very loud music, bright colors and teensy tiny costumes for women of all ages, shapes and sizes. Men are also in costume, but there are more women participants and they draw the attention, naturally. Prior to any departure, we always have a “work list.” At the top of our current work list was inoperative solar panels – a very important part of our electrical system. Within very short time span both of our Kyocera 120-watt solar panels quit working for no apparent reason. We were days away from ordering two new panels ($1500) when, through the cruiser grapevine, we learned that Kyocera had some faulty production of panels in late 2000. Our panels were, in fact, manufactured in October 2000. One phone call to Kyocera and THREE days later we had new solar panels in Trinidad – no charge! They also bore the cost of shipping the old ones back. We are Kyocera fans for life!! In the middle of our departure “To Do” list – canning 36 jars of meat, repair parts and stores load out, engine and transmission repairs, scrubbing the boat’s bottom and propeller, and new alternator installation – was a day off to visit two of Trinidad’s renowned nature conservatories, Asa Wright Nature Centre and Caroni Swamp, which is where the pictures in this post were taken. Avid “birders” come from all over the world to pursue serious bird watching at Asa Wright. We have finally found a weirder group of humanity than the American Ham Radio Nut; it is the English Birder… A brief guided tour from the main house on the nature center gave us an overview of the nearby grounds, as well as some of their more abundant species and their habitats. I could have spent the entire day sitting on the veranda at the main house just watching the humming birds! Such diverse species! The vibrant colors After a delicious buffet lunch, Jesse (of the famous Jesse James Maxi Taxi Service) had us back on de bus for a 1600 arrival at Caroni Swamp, where the Scarlett Ibis nests at nightfall. Our guides gave us an “up close and personal” swamp experience in their open pirogue, pointing out many of the swamp’s inhabitants. Thousands of Scarlett Ibis fly in just at dusk, and they are a beautiful sight. Our overnight sail up here to Grenada on the 11th of March was exciting, boisterous, even surprising. The weather forecast was for 10-15 knot NE to E winds, falling off to less than 10 knots after midnight; so we left Trinidad with the expectation of having to motor sail the last half of the voyage. However, the winds held all night, more in the range of 15-20 knots; and we averaged 7.5 knots for the passage, sometimes even reaching up to 9 knots!
Things have been quiet here in Grenada. We’ve renewed some old cruiser friendships, and made new ones. The highlight of our stay has been a tour of the island we did with nine other cruising friends. We hired a local taxi (mini-van) driver for the day and organized our own personalized tour of some of Grenada’s most interesting areas. Some of those included: Grand E’tang Lake in the rain forest, lunch in the seaside town of Grenville, a tour of the River Antoine Rum Distillery with a tasting of their white rum, a Belmont Estates Cocoa Plantation tour followed by a chocolate tasting (yum, yum!). Our driver Michael was also a very knowledgeable and accommodating guide, as he made several unscheduled stops to point out various crops growing and buildings or areas of historical significance. One of the highlights came toward the end of the day as we were driving south along the west coast by Duquesne Bay, where we came upon fishermen laying their seine nets, and then pulling them in full of fish. This stop offered Tom his first opportunity at seine fishing as he helped them pull in a net (after taking a few pictures).
Later this week we will be heading back to Trinidad. Fair winds to all…..!!

Tom Service and Schatze the Dog
S/V Jean Marie
Hog Island, south coast of Grenada

Chilling-Out In Grenada

2008-03-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

30 March 2008
Hi All,
Just a quick note from the Hog Island anchorage here on the S coast of Grenada. We are nearing the end of a 3 week sabbatical getting Jean's right knee (15 year-old artificial joint) rested up for upcoming physical therapy sessions in Trinidad. Tom has been busy sailing our 10 foot Cape Dory dinghy around the Hog Island anchorage. This dinghy is our principal tender; she rows, sails, and we ocassionally put a 3.3 HP kicker on her. So far Schatze has survived his intoduction to dinghy sailing, but not with much enthusiasm...

We had to leave Trinidad & Tobago so that we could restart the 3 month immigration clock - and the change in scenery, and attitude, is refreshing. This last Tuesday we hired a local mini-van, organized 9 other cruisers, and set off on an all day tour of Grenada. We had a fantastic time, and Jean will post some pictures and a description of the tour on the Blog in the near future. We plan on sailing for Trinidad Thursday evening (3 April), arriving back at the Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association on Friday morning. The following Tuesday morning (8 April) Jean has her next doctor's appointment in Port of Spain.

All is well onboard S/V Jean Marie: unfortunately, that is not the case with the southern Windward Islands of the Caribbean in general. Hog Island is one of the few islands off the S coast of Grenada that has not been bought-up, developed, and fenced off for the rich white folks. (Similar to what is going on throughout the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, and most of the Caribbean...) Roger's Beach Bar (actually just an open shack with a solar powered refrigerator) provides an isolated spot for the locals, yachties, and cruise ship tourists on local catamarans to just hang out and socialize on the beach in the manner that one often visualizes as being typically the laid-back Caribbean style. Yet this scene is rapidly vanishing throughout the over-priced, over popular, over visited Lesser Antilles. Apparently the Four Seasons Hotel Chain has bought the island, building lots have been laid-out and bulldozed, an access road is being cut, and there are plans for a short bridge to the mainland.

Roger, a hard-working Grenadian (but a squatter) and his beach bar will be pushed out, and that will be the end of another piece of paradise open to average people - black or white. Understandably, the local people are quite upset, and frustrated because there is very little that they can do about it. Hog Island is the only local beach available to them. The reality is that money is power, and the rich guys can take what they want. Unfortunately, a very small minority of the locals have miss-identified the mostly white, mostly middle-class, yachties as part of the rich white folks who are actually driving them off Hog Island, when in fact we cruisers will be just as unwelcome here as the locals once this place becomes an upscale resort. The situation has boiled over in violence during the last month or so. Three weeks ago shots were fired during the popular Sunday evening barbecue, and last Sunday afternoon, in broad daylight, 3 of the visiting yachties were beat-up by local young-toughs. One of the men attacked was a father of a cruising family with two young children (present on the beach along with their Mom) who were coming to S/V Jean Marie that evening for a pot-luck supper.

The vast majority of locals are just as put-off with this behavior as are the yachties, but the anchorage has noticeably fewer boats present than before these incidents. Roger is trying to get police or Coast Guard presence at Hog Island for the weekends, but he has very little horsepower, and the politicians who control the government are part of the problem of selling-out the island in the first place. Currently, we only go ashore at Hog Island when there are no large gathering of locals present - too bad, we all loose... Soon there will be one less place in the Caribbean for yachties to hang out.
PIRATE ATTACK - Last Friday evening (28 March) our Kiwi friend Richard and his Canadian crew Svetlana were in transit from Trinidad to the S coast of Grenada aboard Richard's 30 foot steel sloop S/V Mr. Hopper, and were attacked approximately 25 miles N of the Bocas of Trinidad, in the vicinity of the Hibiscus natural gas offshore production platform.

This 70 mile stretch of the southern Caribbean across the old Spanish Main is a very well traveled route, with hundreds of boats coming and going in these waters every year. A large colorful open pirogue of the Venezuelan style with 3 outboard motors and a crew of 6 latino men approached them at sunset, and opened fire on them with small caliber high-velocity rifles. Several rounds impacted the vessel's coach roof, and the upturned dinghy on deck. Richard fired his flare pistol at them, and they fell back astern of him. The sea was quite rough, making it difficult for the pirates to fire their weapons accurately, and fortunately, neither Richard, Svetlana, nor Trouble his dog were injured. Apparently Trouble was putting up quite a fuss, and after being the recipients of the white phosphorus flare-ball that Richard fired back at them, the pirates reconsidered the attack and then departed the area. Richard called the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard on VHF channel 16, they then switched to a working channel and took down the details of the incident. Richard said that the T&T Coast Guard made follow-up calls to him throughout the night on the radio, but to his knowledge no vessel or aircraft were sortied in response to this act of piracy. As he approached the S coast of Grenada in the early morning hours, he was intercepted by a Dutch warship on patrol, but after illuminating S/V Mr. Hopper with a powerful searchlight, and hailing them on VHF channel 16, the Dutch ship gave no indication that they were aware of the earlier attack.

When Richard cleared-in with Grenadian Immigration & Customs that morning, they did say that the authorities in Trinidad had been in contact with them regarding the incident. As you can imagine, this situation has us quite concerned. Just a few weeks back a similar attack, conducted by pirates with a similar description, took place against a yacht anchored in Los Testagos (nearby offshore Venezuelan island) when other cruising friends of ours were present: and sadly that incident resulted in a fatality. Three weeks ago we sailed through these same waters, and we will return to Trinidad through this area again on Thursday night. We will take all necessary precautions: flare-gun out and ready, VHF radio on channel 16, HF radio on 2182, searchlight at the ready, close radar watch, and darken-ship with running lights off. (Schatze sez: Attack dog on watch and at the ready - GURRR!) Actually, after this incident - and the attention it has hopefully attracted from the maritime authorities - we suspect that the pirates will be laying low, and that this particular area will be relatively safe.
Well, there you have it. All is not perfect in Margaritaville, but then again it never was. We will check-in once we safely arrive in Chaguaramus at the end of the week.
Warm regards,
Jean & Tom Service, and Schatze the Dog
S/V Jean Marie
Hog Island, south coast of Grenada

Arrival Grenada

2008-03-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
We arrived at Prickly Bay Grenada early this morning and anchored at the mouth of the bay at 0249 local. We had a boisterous passage north from Trinidad, averaging 7.5 knots for the 80 miles with the wind NE-E 16-20 knots. We were close-hauled for the first half of the passage, and then were able to ease the sheets just a bit to full & bye in the second half. Sailed all the way with a single reefed main, stays'l, and high clewed yankee; she drove just like a friggen freight train, hitting 9 knots on occasion - what a great sail. (Schatze sez: Hey, a dog couldn't hardly get his proper rest with all the banging and slamming, decks awash, and folks up talking to all hours of the night...) After a short nap we cleared-in with Grenada Immigration & Customs, visited with some Dutch friends aboard S/V Pappillion whom we had not seen since August in Tobago, and then sailed around to the anchorage W of Hog Island. Hog island is a typical tropical sand anchorage with clean water, mangroves & palms, and a nice beach for Schatze to get his walk. Within a mile or so (a long row in the dink) are three marinas with access to the island transportation system (public mini-van buses). We expect to operate out of this anchorage during our 3 week stay in Grenada. All is well on board.
Warm regards,
Tom Service and Schatze the Dog
S/V Jean Marie
Hog Island, Grenada, West Indies

She Swims Again

2007-11-16T14:06:00.000-08:00

16 November 2007
Hi All,
Our haul-out at the Power Boats Yard is complete, and we (that would be Tom & Schatze) are back afloat again. Schatze the Dog seems to be OK, and appears to have returned to his perky little self after his near-death experience falling off the boat while on the hard last week. He has even regained his Charlie Chapman like jaunty little gait, so his right forefoot must be on the mend. We are really lucky to still have him with us! Our 0830 launch at Power Boats Yard on Monday became a noon launch after the yard's 30 year-old Travel Lift broke down twice with S/V Jean Marie in the slings; no surprise though - it had broken down with a boat in the slings each day the previous three days! Our first delay was to put the drive chain back on the drive sprocket after the initial attempt to move off the working lot, and then we experienced a second delay en route to the launch slip toinspect a wheel-bearing that did not particularly like going around corners; "just being careful Skip..." At any rate, we eventually made the trip back to the water safely, and overall we did have a very positive experience at the Power Boats Yard.

We highly recommend Power Boats as they are head & shoulders above the other yards in Chaguaramas. (That tells you something about Trini 'maintenance programs," doesn't it? Last week Coral Cove Marina dropped their SECOND BOAT this season.) Power Boats does have a superb staff, a clean well-run boatyard,
and when the new Travel Lift gets here (they say that it's on order), their operation should go much more smoothly. (I cannot even IMAGINE trying to import a new Travel Lift, and getting it cleared through T&T Customs - at least 4 bureaucrats ought to be able to retire to Tobago off those "fees"...) Once waterborne, we returned the short distance to Hart's Cut in Carenage Bay, and are anchored off the Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association (TTSA), our Southern Caribbean base of operations.
Tom is busy cleaning and putting the boat back together after a 3 week yard period, and working the Project List. How is it that after 3 weeks of intensive work on the hard, the Project List is even longer than when we started! What's up with that?
Sometime within the next few weeks Tom & Schatze will make the overnight passage to the south coast of Grenada, so that we can restart the T&T Immigration clock, intending to return in January. We will be in Grenada for a week or so around Christmas and New Years, and then sail back to Trinidad. Warm regards,
Tom & Schatze the Dog
S/V Jean Marie
Chaguaramas, Trinidad
Schatze sez: Hey, anybody out there got some food they could spare - this character is absolutely hopeless in the Galley!

Divali

2007-11-16T14:05:00.000-08:00

10 November 2007
Hi All,
One of the really special aspects of Trinidad's culture is the mixture of races that live together here. In the 19th century the English colonists brought in African Slaves to work the sugar plantations set up to provide wealth for Mother England. When the English Parliament outlawed slavery in 1833, a new source of labor to work the fields had to be found. Understandably, the freed blacks pretty much refused, and they predominately lived off the land. The solution was to bring ship-loads of poor indentured servants from India - another tropical British colony on the other side of the Empire - to provide the necessary labor force. That is how modern Trinidad's population was shaped; currently, about 40% of the population is descended from the African slaves, about 38% is descended from the East Indian indentured servants, and the remainder are Amerindians, South Americans, English, Europeans, Chinese, and Syrians. (I still don't have the story on how the Syrians came to settle here...) Many of Trinidad's East Indians are of the Hindu faith, and one of their principal religious holidays is Divali: a festival of light celebrated on the darkest night of the year. After sundown on Divali, Hindu families decorate the exterior of their homes with lights to push back the darkness. This year Divali was celebrated on Friday 9 November, and we took an excursion to the East Indian village of Felicity, just outside of the town of Chaguanas, on the western coast of Trinidad in sugar cane country. Jesse James, a local taxi driver / tour operator / provider of services to cruisers, and perhaps the best ambassador that Trinidad and Tobago has, organized an excursion for about 120 international sailboat cruisers currently here at Chaguaramas. Jesse's vans and chartered small busses picked us up at 1600 at the gates of the various Chaguaramas boatyards, and the drive to Felicity took about 90 minutes. (The name Felicity means happiness.) The ride was quite interesting in and of itself as we drove through Trinidad's many varied land and cityscapes; the National Park of Chaguaramas on the northwest peninsula where the boatyards are located, the poor African seaside village of Carenage, the wealthy Westmoorings area where many of the folks of English & European decent live, the big city and national capital of Port of Spain, the slums of Laventille on the outskirts of Port of Spain, out the Beetham Highway past the suburbs of Barataria and San Juan, then south down the Uriah Butler Highway to the sugar country around Chaguanas. The ride to Felicity was like a tour back through the various periods and cultures that make up present day Trinidadian society. We arrived at the Felicity Hindu School at about 1730, just before dusk and while it was still light. We were greeted by traditional Indian drummers, directed into the school Temple (where we removed our shoes before entering), and were treated to a presentation put on by the local folks from the village. The program included Hindu dancing, an explanation of Divali by the Temple's head teacher, Indian drummers, and general questions and answers regarding the Hindu faith and Indian culture of Trinidad. It was quite interesting to see so many similarities between our Christian faith and the true meaning of Christmas, and the Hindu faith and their celebration of light, rebirth, and renewal during Divali. We consciously decided to look for the similarities between our faiths, rather than dwell on the differences, and our experience of Divali was certainly enhanced by this simple act of inclusion. The night of Divali is preceded by a lunar month of abstinence and reflection, and the holiday meal that they eat this night marks the end of that period, and a celebration of life and light. After the program in the Temple we were directed to the school's dining area, for a traditional Indian holiday meal. We ate off banana leaves and fed ourselves with our fingers. Roti bread was provided which we used to pick up portions of mango, pumpkin, curried potatoes, and other unidentified vegetables (actually names unremembered by us - but we do remember the wonderful tastes). Desert was a kind of sweet roti bread with raisins. We had water to drink. It wasn't the turkey, dressing, and mashed potatoes that we are used to at our holiday meals, but we enjoyed both the food and the comraderie of our fellow sailors, and were quite full when we left to tour the village. After we finished our meal we went out in the village on our own to see the sights and meet the people. While we were eating the sun had set, and the simple farming village of Felicity was transformed to a wonderland by the twinkling of the Divali lights. One would not even consider walking about after dark in most of the cities or towns of Trinidad, it is far too dangerous to be out alone in the night. But this was different. This was a country village, and this was the Indian culture, and this was Divali. We were quite safe, and were warmly welcomed everywhere we walked. Most of the Divali lights consisted of small terracotta pots, that are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Some of the more prosperous families had displays that used the familiar-to-us icicle electric lights, and murals of the various Hindu Gods. But most of the displays were simple, and consisted only of the small pots with delicate dancing flames. They held a few ounces of fragrant coconut oil with a string wick, all homemade. The lamps were arrayed on the lawns and driveways in the Hindu symbols that conveyed God, the moon, and the circle of life. Many homes had their Divali lights displayed horizontally on lengths of split bamboo elevated along the sidewalk. As we walked we visited with homeowners, with a retired Doctor who used to practice in a sugar company clinic and had a daughter in Miami, with the champion drummers that performed for us, as well as with the young ladies and their mother that danced for us during the presentation in the Temple, with a Trini who had just returned from a trip to Los Vegas and the Grand Canyon. It is indeed a small world that we inhabit together. Everywhere we went people were interested in who we were, and where we were from, and they all wished us a happy Divali. The main street was strung overhead with decorative fringe in traditional Indian colors, and the fragrance of coconut oil was everywhere. Many hundreds of visitors came from other parts of Trinidad to see the lights. We particularly enjoyed talking with a Trini couple of about our age who came from the Point-a-Pierre area to the south, where the husband was employed in the oil industry. As we visited, the families of the village were out promenading on the main street in their finest traditional Indian dress. The ladies in their graceful saris were absolutely stunning, the men in their long colorful tunics were quite regal, and the kids were like kids anywhere at holiday times - bubbling over with excitement and anticipation. We stopped at the town Temple, were warmly welcomed, and offered another holiday meal - but we were still too full! We had a delightful time and certainly enjoyed the blessings of Divali. The ride home started out in a traffic grid-lock as our van negotiated the packed roads coming in to Felicity. As usual, the Baby Boomer sailboat cruisers were on the way back to their boats, and heading for their bunks, when the rest of the fun-seekers were just getting going!

Whoda thunk that we would travel to Trinidad to experience Indian Christmas! A blessed Divali to you all,

Tom Service
S/V Jean Marie
Chaguaramas, Trinidad