Toil and Trouble

We’re quickly forgetting how to sail and fast remembering how inept we are at fiberglass work. Still, we’ve managed to overcome our incompetence and are only a few nuts and bolts from completing the reinstallation of our deck hardware. This has involved plenty of drilling, prying, hacking, heavy-duty gluing, and liberal use of our hammer, […]

On the Hard in Trinidad Part II

The verdict is in; if you haven’t seen “Troy” yet, keep waiting, for as long as possible. Moving on, we have established ourselves in the boatyard at Chaguaramas, Trinidad. Our first full day was rainy with occasional precipitation and intermittent drizzle. Fortunately, our work detail was scraping, sanding, and wiping the bottom, where we were […]

On the Hard in Trinidad

Saturday and Sunday were slow as the weather was bad and we were getting restless waiting for Monday, when our boat was scheduled to be hauled out. Sunday our plans for a good meal and sports on TV were smashed when we learned that our favorite restaurant, Joe’s, was closed on the Sabath. We spent […]

Passage to Valhalla

On the evening of the 11th, Aaron and I set out for Trinidad with high hopes and tempered sails. A 15-20 knot wind made the close reach brisk but uncomfortable, and we got little sleep on our first shifts off. The monotony of my 12am-2am watch was broken by the sudden sound of cellophane at […]

Thwarted Passage and Much Rain

The 6th was busy. Besides tracking down and testing a “cruising ‘chute,” or large foresail, that we were looking at purchasing, we had to prepare for our passage to Trinidad. We planned on leaving shortly after dinner and sailing through the night, arriving in the morning. But whether we be mice or men, our plans […]

The Ugly Side of Grenada

As the wind became light and variable in St. George’s, Grenada, our anchorage suffered. The heat became oppressive with the water of the lagoon too putrid for swimming. Bugs of all sizes found the boat, making us sick on the inside and riddling our bodies with bites on the outside. Fortunately, it was no Riviere […]