So, after a few more pleasant days in Store Bay we departed for Trinidad. Even the taxi drivers in Tobago warned us that Trinidad was dangerous, and we had to take great care.
The sailing guide said the passage was rich with fish and true to form we caught 4 tuna in the first hour of fishing, so with the freezer stocked we took in the line and had a magnificent sail on a broad reach. We headed for La Vache Bay with a plan to risk the wrath of customs and overnight there. However, when we saw that we were the only boat in the bay and that due to the steep-to nature of the shore that we would have to anchor a few metres off the beach, it did not take long for us to abandon the plan and make direct for Chaguaramas.
After clearing customs, which was a breeze compared to Tobago, we spent a night on a buoy and then moved to Coral Cove Marina nose-to between wonky piles with a short concrete finger. This is only relevant because a few days later the wind went into the southwest and built up a vicious and dangerous swell. Happily, the boat on the other side of the finger was much smaller than us and we had no one in the adjacent berth. This was because once the swell had built up, we were trapped and the rolling was sufficient to have caused terrible rigging damage if the masts had touched. The rolling was sufficient for Moonbeam to relieve the concrete finger of a substantial cleat, but otherwise there was no other damage.
Apart from that we had a pleasant stay which was longer than we originally planned. We met up with Mike and Shiho on Calypso Flyer, last seen in Las Palmas and who were still living on their boat awaiting their house to be finished. They had been recently married and we met them for a shark and bake, a dinner on Moonbeam and as a guest of a friend of Mike’s. They were very kind to us and shuttled us around and showed us where to provision etc. Now it is true to say that Chaguaramas bay is filthy but apart from that extremely convenient for getting things done and getting spares etc. Moonbeam was properly placarded at last, her generator and engine serviced. Repairs to the dinghy and davits were completed and even the oven ignition made to work (it needed a new battery)! Her hull was cleaned with gunk to get the diesel stains off her and after much dithering Scuba equipment was acquired and a kayak ordered for collection in Curacao. One really nice surprise was filling the tank with diesel priced at 25US cents per imperial gallon!
After three weeks of indecision, we finally made up our minds to give Venezuela a miss and leave Trinidad direct for the ABC islands. A number of things conspired to arrive at this decision. Firstly, the dangers alluded to in Trinidad were real. Even around the busy marinas it was not recommended that you go out of the security gates at night unless in a taxi. In fact, one of the staff of a nearby restaurant was gratuitously murdered on the way home whilst we were there, and much the same sort of threat was evident along much of the Venezuelan coast. Secondly, we had both spent time in Caracas when I was flying and the hassle of checking in and out for what would be a short stay did not appeal.
In the end it turned out to be a good decision. Our email to friends and loved ones is re-printed:
"Just a quick email in case you saw or heard in the news about the weather in the Caribbean.
To quote from Chris Doyle’s cruising guide for Venezuela and the ABC islands:
“This whole region is considered to be south of the hurricane belt, which is why many people visit during the summer. However, one or two have hit during the last few hundred years…………….”
We have just experienced the passing of hurricane ‘Felix’ whose eye passed 45nms to the north of us a few hours ago! So, we should be OK for the next 50 years or so. We are remarkably lucky. We had lingered in Trinidad longer than we originally planned before setting off for Curacao to meet Annabel who is due to arrive next Wednesday. Part of the reason for this was so we could experience a long sail (475nms) on our own to see how we would manage short-handed. The other issue is that it seemed like a real hassle to go via Venezuela for a short stay, and we could spend more time on the way back to Trinidad if we wanted.
Initially we set off for Bonaire and picked up a buoy off Kralendijk on Thursday evening. However, next morning, we could not start the outboard motor for the dinghy and at the same time we were met by friendly ‘yachties’ who were talking about the adverse wind reversal that was expected later over the weekend. Faced with the thought of paddling the dinghy and standing off for the wind reversal, we decided to forget Bonaire for the present and head off for Curacao. We had a quick look in the cruising guide and booked a slot in Seru Boca marina in Spaanse Water.
After a quick crossing we duly tied up in the marina and when I did my daily check of NOAA’s web site for the weather was horrified to see that the tropical disturbance that was due to cause the wind reversal had developed into a tropical storm ‘Felix’. This later developed into a hurricane which we tracked continuously on the website.
Now as luck would have it the cruising guide happens to say “……Seru Boca is seen as a protected hurricane hole in the mangroves……” and here we are safe and sound, albeit that Moonbeam has had a severe deck wash!
Of course, the only downside to this story is that I cannot say that I planned it!
Will be in touch shortly once we have dried out!"
In fact, the anemometer at the top of the mast never registered over 30 kts although we could hear the wind screaming at over 100kts above us. However, apart from the deluge, Curacao and Bonaire came through remarkably unscathed. Nevertheless, it is as close as I ever want to be to a ‘named storm’ if I can help it!!
After this unexpected excitement, Annabel arrived on time, with luggage and bearing spares and we spent a few days exploring the Island before setting off for Bonaire again. Annabel completed her PADI course and Sarah the theory but only two confined water dives. She had a major confidence problem which will need lots of time to sort out.
All too quickly it was time to return to Curacao so Annabel could go home via JFK. On our way back she caught a dorado, but as she was reeling it in it was taken by a much bigger fish together with the lure and a 100mtrs of line. We were able to check the Law Society’s Register before she left and were delighted to see her listed as a solicitor. Qualified at last!
We returned to Bonaire because our kayak had not yet arrived on the Island. We knew this because when I checked in at Seru Boca, the manager told me I had come to collect it – a small island indeed! Also, there was no need for a car in Bonaire whereas being without one in Curacao was inconvenient to say the least. However, on 5th October, the anniversary of our departure from Ipswich, we returned to Curacao to become proud owners of a kayak. We had come to the conclusion whilst we were trying to land the dinghy in the surf in Antigua and Tobago that we would not be able to manage to pull it up with just the two of us. It weighs 90 kilos without the 25HP Yamaha on it. We knew from our reading that dinghy docks in the Pacific islands are few and far between, and apart from that kayaking is fun!
With the kayak on board, we returned to Bonaire only to experience total autopilot failure. This was, of course, to remind us of how difficult it would be to sail a cruising boat for long distances without one. Fortunately, I have a spare a/p computer and a spare linear drive unit, of which there are two on the steering quadrant. After a couple of telephone calls and much troubleshooting, the problem was revealed as stripped gears in one drive unit and a failure of a drive pinion in the other. One problem had probably been hiding the other for some time. The upshot was that I was able to rob the spare drive unit to get both working again whilst spares were ordered up from England.
We had lots of fun with Nigel and Chelsea from ‘Amuri Mina’ and Tony and Heidi from ‘World Citizen’. Chelsea was a marine biologist and took me for a dive which helped raise my confidence level a fraction. We had lunch with Louise and Gary from ‘Lulu’ last seen in the Oyster regatta in Antigua. We shall always remember their opening question when we met them – “do you sail?” They had just returned from a two-month trip to China and had had a great time. It was good to meet up with them again.
Finally, it was time to return to Curacao. We had booked Moonbeam to come out of the water at Curacao Marine in Willemstad for early November. Sarah wanted to fly home on 31st October so that she could be with Gemma for the last few weeks of her pregnancy and to greet Eloise Poppy on her safe arrival into the world on 19th November and I planned to go home at the end of the month. On the way back we were just saying that this was about the place where Annabel lost her fish when the reel screamed, and we had a strike probably from a tuna. Whilst I was reeling it in the rod bent double and the line snatched off the reel. This time a huge Marlin jumped out of the water. Now how weird is that?
During our time in the ABCs, we had to come up with a schedule so that Willem and Jane Westermann could book flights. They had planned to join us for the trip through the Panama Canal and out to the Galapagos islands. By now a long-term plan for us was what we were going to do after lunch, so looking further afield was somewhat of a challenge. We came up with the following: