Back in Trinidad to retrieve our boat

March 14-18, 2012

We arrived back in Port of Spain airport and were transported to Chaguaramas to Power Boats where our boat was on the hard. We had a new barrier coat and bottom paint job done as well as the exterior brightwork (teak wood trim). We had an apartment rented until we put the boat back into the water. We worked hard to load our three duffle bags, computers, 2 overnight bags, etc onto the boat using the block and tackle from the Life Sling as the cockpit was some 10-12 feet up in the air. We also had the plastic cover tenting the boat taken off so we could put the canvas dodger and bimini back on. All of this was done between rain showers in high 80 degree weather.

The boat was put back into the water on March 16 about 10:30-1100. The engine started and we proceeded to a slip at the Crews Inn Marina. This area has a little bigger grocery store, a very good restaurant and a nice cafe for sandwiches and sweets. The Crews Inn also has a lovely swimming pool which we used the first afternoon! We are plugged into shore power so we can run our AC and refrigerator/freezer, though not at the same time. So far the freezer and refrig are doing OK, so we guess we had no loss of freon. One less thing to worry about.

Since then we have been stowing all our gear on board the boat, cleaning the storage places. We had an infestation of moths which liked grain products so much had to be thrown out as well as outdated can goods. We spent most of Saturday putting the lazy cradle, the main sail and the Yankee jib back on the boat. A rigger and his helper helped us. I was glad of that since it made it easier on Charlie's back. Unfortunately the rigger reversed the first and third reef lines so they had to be redone. Charlie kept telling all of us that we had it wrong and Charlie was correct! Sat. night Charlie checked out all the navigation lights on the boat to make sure they were all working. The refrigerator and freezer were started and I went grocery shopping. What was available was still short of all we should start out with on our journey north.

We got a shock this morning (Sunday) with an e-mail from Charlie's brother that his almost 97- year old Mom had taken a fall, cracked her pelvis, and had a small bleed in her brain. She is in ICU and seems to be doing well. We pray she continues to get better!

Today we put on the staysail, a much smaller and less complicated sail. Though the generator, which runs or refrigerator and freezer when we are not plugged into a dock, worked when tried, Charlie noticed debris in the fuel filter, so we need to solve that problem. The engine fuel filter was quite full as well, so all fuel filters will be changed before we proceed north. We may have to have the fuel polished.

The weather today and Sat was not rainy but was very hot (90). At night it has been cooling down which gives us some relief. Rain is expected again the next few days so we installed our cockpit surround in late afternoon. We had some difficulty with some "frozen" zippers, but we finally prevailed so we can stay relatively dry when the rains come again.

I will try to update our progress before we start for Grenada in a few days.