Chaguaramas,
Trinidad: October 15-November 14, 2011
Click on the above thumbnail for a map during this time period
Projects
After a three-day stop-over in Florida -- during which we rented a car in
Miami and drove up to Green Cove Springs in order to fetch our mail and enjoy a
dinner near Jacksonville with Steve and Linda (Seaman's Elixir) and John
(Sojourn) -- our return to Trinidad from Spain was marked by a busy time
for Tusen Takk II and her owners.
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Chuck in front of our "home" at St. Brendan's Isle mailing service in Green Cove Springs, FL
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One of the staff members at the mailing service
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Some of the "high-rise apartments" at St. Brendan's Isle
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Before our departure in July, we had engaged Billy Wray for an insurance survey,
and his findings required that some work be done before our departure from
Trinidad. Some items I could handle myself, such as repacking the gland on
the rudder (which I did although the doing revealed that it need not have been
done); cleaning and re-greasing the winch on the mast; and agitating and
weighing the many fire extinguishers on board; while other projects required
professional assistance, such as repairing cracks in the gel coat that had
blossomed on the forward deck and the swim platform. We postponed
replacing the lifelines on the lower deck, alleged to be necessary due to
hair-line cracks in the hardware, since appropriate vinyl-covered lines were not
available in Trinidad and we chose not to convert to bare braided stainless
steel lines, given reports from other cruisers that such lines (a) tend to get
dirty and soil anything hung on the rails and (b) tend to "grab" the hair on any
passing legs. We also hosted Justin, a Trac technician, who flew in to
work on the stabilizers, replacing a leaking hydraulic ram and a sticky sensor
that caused a fin to "chatter" when in the centered position. And then
there were the "usual" non-insurance-related maintenance items to be done by
workers at Peake Yacht Services: cleaning and applying anti-foul paint to
the bottom and the rudder; cleaning the propeller so that Barb and I could apply
Prop Speed; and cleaning and waxing the hull and cabin. Meanwhile, Barb spent
weeks sewing window treatments, pillows, and curtains for the saloon (pictures
of which we neglected to take but will eventually provide -- so check here
later) and I varnished the name plates and dealt with the problem of replacing
two failed Trojan L16-HC batteries -- the problem with the latter being that
they were too heavy to lift out of the battery box, given the low ceiling above
the box. In the end, I cut an opening in the side of the box and later
installed a hinged gate in the opening. Another project was the
replacement of the continuous-duty 110-volt fan that brings fresh air into the
engine room. The old one had gotten noisy; the new one was in the package,
along with the batteries, that came in to Marine Warehouse shortly after we
arrived back in Trinidad. Among the many other minor maintenance tasks was
the cleaning and water-proofing of the canvas cover for the dinghy and for the
fly bridge.
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One should always consider carefully before naming ones boat
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Cutting a "gate" in the battery box
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Consulting with Hunter (Arctic Tern) about the best way to install a gate in the opening
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Gland on rudder shaft
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Old engine-room fan
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Water-proofing fly bridge canvass
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TRAC technician Justin at work on the starboard stabilizer
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Taste of Trinidad
On Nov. 7 ten cruisers joined Jesse James on his "Taste of Trinidad" tour
through the island and its local eateries. This was not a taste of high cuisine,
but rather a sampling of some of the local fare offered at roadside stands.
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First stop: salt fish and smoked
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Sign at our first stop -- note the spelling of "herring"
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Hunter is ready for whatever comes
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Our next stop was for cow heel soup ...
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... which Chuck found to be delicious
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While still in Port of Spain, we stopped to listen to a pan band (composed of fire fighters) practicing
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We then stopped to fix a tire ...
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... with the tire shop conveniently ...
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... across from a Doubles stand ...
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Adjacent to the doubles stand, a fruit and vegetable stand, with papaya ...
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... and pineapple ...
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... and sorrel ...
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... and egg plant ...
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... and much much more
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Buttered cassava
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Pigtails ...
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... were delicious -- just ask Chuck ...
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... and Jesse
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Trinis don't pronounce the "h" in "th", which can lead to some spelling errors -- note the word "thigh"
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Cassava and pigtails were washed-down ...
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... with "rainbow" slushies
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Sign across the street from our saheena stand
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At this friendly stand we had polourie ...
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... and aloo pie ...
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... and saheena ...
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... the latter made w/ calaloo
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Three items very popular, as this sign at another shop attests
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Assembled guests enjoying the many tastes
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Hindu prayer flags across the street from our friendly stand
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Hush-puppy-like treat ...
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... that Devi seems to enjoy
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Beach front at Manzanilla ...
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... where some palms are resisting erosion ...
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... and others have succumbed
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Interesting sign at the beach
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Jesse unwraps the roti and buss-up shot skins that will be used with the six fillings he has purchased
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For the rotis and buss-up shots, there was beef ...
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... and curry eggplant ...
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... and curry goat ...
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... and curry mango ...
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... and pumpkin ...
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... and curry liver
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We all crowd around the table for the six treats
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Jesse and Devi dive in for clean-up duty
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Jesse making pineapple chow for "dessert"
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Pineapple and garlic and HOT spices
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Hunter and Jesse in the surf
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Others just visited while some swam
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As we procede down the east coast, we sometimes stop to bird-watch; here caracaras
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Our southern-most spot is where a river meets the sea ...
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... yielding this panorama
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Muslim mosque
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We stop briefly at a stop ...
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... where Jesse cuts us some sugar cane
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At one of our last stops, we have beer, sorrel, and a curry duck "cutter" (appetizer)
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Pan, Parang and Pork
On Nov. 13 Jesse's driver Derek took a number of us to the annual "Pan, Parang
and Pork" concert which featured a number of parang bands -- the Christmas music
with Venezuelan roots -- and the steel pan band The Invaders and an evening meal
with pork cutters and main course.
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Front row of the Invader steel pan band
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Parang band "Los Hombres Sexuales", whose motto is: the more you drink the better we sound
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We sat next to this friendly preacher ...
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... and his wife, seen here chatting w/ Devi
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It was raining when we arrived, so we sat under a tent
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Another view of our group
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More of our group
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Pan and parang and singers in a combined act
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The "Terns" enjoy a dessert-sicle
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