Rainforest Hike - Tobago

Tobago's 14,000 acre virgin evergreen rainforest has been protected by law since l776 which makes it the oldest in the Western Hemisphere.
While hiking the muddy trail in our rented wellingtons we spotted many extraordinarly colourful birds. I was thrilled to get a photo of a blue headed mot mot.
We saw a termits nest on a tree, vast amounts of huge bamboo and 2 waterfalls during our 3 hour hike.
As well, we saw a snake in the rafters of an outdoor shelter and heard about the boa constrictors that live in the area.

The Skink Incident

As David Rooks drove us to our forest hike location he told us an incredible story of his last hurricane experience.
While the hurricane roared across Tobago he slept snugly in his secure home which sits on a hill over-looking the sea. At midnight he was abruptly awakened and found himself flying through the air. Unable to grasp the tree branches flying by he did manage to get hold of a wire and pulled himself back to safety.
The wire turned out to be the hydro line to his home; fortunately the power was out. He took refuge with his neighbour and in the morning he could see what had happened. At midnight a tree had smashed through his roof, landed on his bed and catapulted him out through the roof's hole and off the cliff. The abrupt awakening, darkness and hurricane force winds and rain made for a totally shocking experience.
While David was enlightening us with his tale I happened to glance down and saw that I had a 4-5" skink (lizard like creature) on my chest looking back at me. I screamed (more than once, I fear); David who was much more composed than I pulled the vehicle over to the shoulder, reached over and in an instant grabbed the skink and tossed it out the window, all the while telling me that I had to get used to this sort of thing as I'm now in the tropics, and that was that.

David Rooks - Tour Guide Extrordinaire

While anchored in Store Bay, we made plans with friends Wendy & Giorgio (Argonauta)and Debbie & Michael (Free Spirit) to go together on a hike in Tobago's rainforest with guide, David Rooks.
Mr Rooks is highly recommended in the guide book and upon meeting him we fully understood why.
Following is a list of some of his many credentials:
- lifelong naturalist, student of natural history
- former President of the Trinidad & Tobago Field Naturalist Club - founded the conservation sub-committee in l975
- one of the official hosts of H.R.H. Prince Phillip (l985)
- accredited photographer for the visit of Pope John Paul
- dined with her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on board the Royal Yacht Britannia
- former chairman of Tobago Chamber of Commerce, Environmental Committee
- named in credits on 3 major films (David Attenborough)
- featured in an article in National Georgraphic "Adventure" magazine and its cable program
- lectured in many universities
On route along Tobago's eastern shoreline David brought to life some of the island's history for us including how it was a war zone from l941-l943 with battles being fought at sea, and enemy ships and subs sunk right within view of shore, while bombers flew overhead.
We passed gorgeous Hope Bay where such famous movies as "Swiss Family Robinson" and "Heaven Can Wait" were filmed.

Tobago - Terrific
Statistics

- 116 square miles
- mountainous island surrounded by turquoise water, beautiful beaches and bountiful reefs
- population 47,000
- long used as a holiday spot by Trinidadians
- all goods imported through Trinidad (no farming anymore on Tobago)
- 210 species of nesting birds - many brightly coloured (usually fewer than 80 on other small islands
Our anchorage in Store Bay allowed us easy dinghy access to the protected marine park of Buccoo reef which the late oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau, ranked as the 3rd most spectacular reef in the world.

Tobago - Dream Passage

For cruisers, Tobago is a little out of the mainstream and a less popular destination than the islands to the north because it is too far to sail in a day and too often a struggle against wind and current. However, because of this it is one of the last unspoiled Caribbean islands.
With apprehension we charted our course into the easterly trade winds and against the 1-4 knot (Atlantic) current.
At 1600 hours on October 25, 2007 we felt luck was with us as 3 dolphins escorted us out of Chaguaramas and through the Boca to begin our eastward journey along Trinidad's north coast, then offshore to Tobago; ending our 3 month stay in Trinidad.
Shortly after the sun set a "delicious" night-lee breeze out of the south, helped us make easy work of the journey. When we turned north for Tobago, under the full moon, a perfect 10-15 knot east wind allowed us to skim along the smooth sea. As we approached the island the lights of Tobago sparkled like a precious gem in the night.
Since our passage had gone so well we found ourselves arriving before daylight, therefore we decided to sail the 9 miles up the east coast to check in at customs in Scarborough rather than take a bus across the island from our anchorage destination of Store Bay.
As we sailed this course a rainbow arched from the sea behind us over to the island which made the whole passage seem even more surreal.
As is the case in all dreams, they must come to an end and ours did as we were confused by the repetition of south cardinal buoys marking the reef in the entrance to Scarborough harbour and had to put out to open water twice as 2 squalls brought us back to a wet reality.
After we checked in to Customs we set sail south again to anchor in Store Bay - carefully - as the anchorage area is upwind of the submerged electric cable. Barry joked that if we should drag anchor at least there was something to eventually catch us - let's hope we don't!
Anchor to anchor - Chaguaramas, Trinidad to Store Bay, Tobago - 23 hours - 83 miles (includes stop to check in to customs in Scarborough)

What's new?

By the time we sailed into Trinidad at the end of July we were greatly in need of many repairs. Fortunately, for us, we were in the perfect place for them and under-took several during the 3 months we spent there.
While still in Grenada we had to purchase a new dinghy. We also got our first cell phone (ever) there.
We sailed, almost without a single light, through the night to Trinidad. Once there we under-took repairs to the anchor and mast-head light as well as the steaming light.
We re-wrapped the spreaders and re-wired the VHF radio.
We had extensive canvas work done. Since it was raining every night we had hatch covers made. Our sail cover was rotted right through in spots, so a new one was ordered (ocean blue instead of white). As well, we replaced the UV protection on the genoa, also with blue instead of white.
We purchased 2 Mobri radar reflectors and a DSC VHF radio.
We installed side hand rails on the deck side of the dodger, both starboard and port.
We contacted Datamarine in the U.S. and they mailed us a replacement LCD module to repair our malfunctioning depth sounder.
We commissioned teak slats for our boarding ladder and a teak fender board to tie our jerry cans in position on the deck as they regularly wash overboard when the sea comes over the rail.
We freed up room in the cock-pit by strapping the life raft on to the stern rail and we purchased anti-fouling to be applied in December (after 18 months continually afloat), when we haul out in St. Martin to fly home.
Due to all the improvements and repairs we will leave Trinidad considerably poorer but much more "ship shape" and seaworthy than when we arrived.

The Bathing Suit Lady

When I left home 16 months ago I had 5 bathing suits on board. Due to the heat since February when we entered the Bahamas they have been the mainstay of my wardrobe while on board.
By the time we reached Puerto Rico I started an earnest search for replacement suits.
While still searching unsuccessfully in Grenada another "yachtie" told me of a seamstress in Trinidad who specialized in swim wear, at bargain prices yet. She embellished with details of how one could select and purchase one's own spandex for the suits, at discounted prices, from the huge selection in the many fabric shops in Trinidad. My heart was a flutter - could there be hope?
When we arrived in Trinidad we heard by way of the cruiser's net that the "sewing ladies" actually visited the marina there on a weekly basis - no searching for them -could it be that easy? When they arrived that week I was there to meet them and have happily enjoyed a wonderful relationship with them since.
The bathing suit lady's name is Debbie Otway and the stories I had been told about her were indeed true. She specializes in custom swim wear. She miraculously made a pattern from my 2 remaining, dry-rotted suits and made for me a one piece suit, 3 tankini tops and 6 bottoms. I will enjoy her brillant handi-work for months and miles to come.
Other garments are left to Debbie's friend, Bernice. She kindly custom made for me a sun-dress, 2 pairs of shorts and 5 t-shirts.
I feel like I have a new lease on life thanks to these talented women and will happily be singing their praises right up the island chain.

What's in a name?

As we travel along and meet other cruisers we enjoy asking about their boat's name.
Many different categories can be used for the names.
Some names are a combination of the names of those on board e.g. Lorraine and Graham on "Lorrigray".
Some names evoke greatness and are very noble or majestic - "Victory", "Perseverance".
Some names are mythical - "Nausicaa", "Rhiannon", "Veleda", "Frejya", while others are more perception - "Bliss", "Dream Chaser", "Sandcastle", and "Monet".
Some names pertain to actual sailing and cruising - "Slow Dancing", "Meander", "Sojourn", "Windswept", "Molasses", "Vagabond" and "Voyageur".
Some names are just fun such as "Puddle Jumper" or Bob's boat which is named "Good Time Charlie" while others are just too much - "Kindness to the World".
Some names are taken from nature such as "Southern Cross", "Jet Stream" and "Sea Star", of course.
Some names give hints to the Captain's former profession, such as "Psyche", "Remedy", while others hint at the owner's land of origin - "Ngoma" (drum beat that travels across long distances - Zimbabwe),or "Beothuck" (native people of Newfoundland). The best boat name, showing place of origin, we've seen is "Famous Potatoes". Can you guess where this American boat is from?
But, hands down, the gay couples seem to be the most imaginative with their boat names. We met the two men sailing "Grace". They professed to us to being a couple of Queens and they were from England. Definitely a perfect name.
We didn't see the other gay couple's boat but did hear that they were both former American Airlines employees - both had been let go. Their boat featured the American Airlines logo of the 2 "A"s in circles, with a slash through each one. The boat name is "Double Shafted". They are gay men.

Adding International Flavour to our Thanksgiving Feast

We never like to think that we're missing out on a turkey feast so we undertook hosting a traditional Canadian Thanksgiving dinner on board Sea Star.
We found a Butterball turkey, albeit halal (we believe meant for Muslims to enjoy), and even ingredients to make apple pies.
We enjoyed an excellent feast served in our cock-pit with 5 of our friends who added a true international flavour to the occasion: Robin & Sondra (Ngoma) Zimbabwe; Bob & Dawn (Kudana) South Africa; and our English gentleman friend, Neal (Dream Chaser).
We exchanged stories of traditions associated with celebrations in our different countries.
Gifts of a personal and hand-made nature were exchanged and we found we were not only thankful for the feast, but also for each other's company.

F1 Fans Being avid fans of Grand Prix Formula One racing, we make every effort to view each race and follow the sport on-line. Sadly, we had no way of knowing that a whole year of failed attempts lay between viewings for us. Sunday, September 30, 2007 was a momentous day as we watched (and I use that term loosely) the Japanese Grand Prix race. The last race we saw before this was in a bar in Annapolis, Maryland, one year prior. Many difficulties prevent us from viewing the races. Often we are not in an area with a satellite t.v. bar, or internet access, but sadly when we are the aggravation becomes even worse, for even though we are in a situation to see the race, the coverage is usually blocked as the viewing rights have not been purchased. Because of this we have now "learned the trick" of trying to catch a rerun, and that's exactly what worked for us in the case of the Japanese race. At 3 p.m. on September 30th the race came on to the projection screen in the bar at Peak's marina (Chaguaramas, Trinidad). Unfortunately the projector was not functioning properly and the colours were off - way off. The scarlet red ferraris were green (very green), the blue cars were black and so on. And, of course, there was no commentary as we were in a bar (lots of tunes to enjoy though). However, it was still a momentous moment for us. It far outranked our previous practice of watching the text unfold off of the BBC radio web-site, and we enjoyed it to the fullest.

Touring Trinidad

When touring with "Jesse" your day includes a taste of local cuisine.
On our most recent outing we enjoyed "doubles" for breakfast and "rotis" for lunch. Both included lots of curry and of course, hot sauce if desired.
We also savoured "brigadine fruit" flavoured home-made ice cream.
We viewed teak plantations, water lilies in the reservoir surrounding pitch lake, frangipanis and fields of bird of paradise flowers.
We also got a glimpse of Trinidad's extensive petroleum industry which supplies an amazing 75% of the U.S. liquified natural gas needs.