Back in Trinidad

Hi Everyone

Well here we are again in Trinidad getting ready to continue our travels. Our last six months in the UK were hectic. The obvious highlight was Emily and Ben’s wedding. Congratulations once again to Mr and Mrs Deacon! We were reunited with most of our family at the wedding. It was wonderful seeing Simon and Erin again. They are engaged and soon to be married – where and when are yet to be decided – somewhere abroad. Good luck to them as they finish their teaching in South Korea and start travelling in Indonesia.

I have officially retired from teaching, been given my P45 and my last pay cheque. Soon I hope to start to receiving my half pension. Jeremy has his pension now, so we’ve been able to eat out twice in one week! The house should be let but our first tenant cannot make up her mind, so our agents are advertising again. Does anyone want to rent a 3 bedroom house in West Lancashire?

Our journey here took 26 hours. We arrived in Trinidad about 6.00am on 30/10/09 and spent the next 2 hours stuck in the morning rush hour in our taxi/minibus. Sal Darago was in fine shape. The old tent cover had disintegrated but she was clean and dry inside. We had to go to Immigration and Customs here in Chaguaramus, even though we had been cleared at the airport. We checked into our apartment at 1.00pm. The air conditioning was lovely but we got cold as we slept! The next day the water went off, just after the office had closed for the weekend and stayed off until the following afternoon! It was distinctly unreal for Jeremy to have to carry water in containers from the boat tap across the yard, so that we could wash, cook and drink! It was even more bizarre to be standing in a washing up bowl in the shower!

We have worked hard when the heat would let us, getting up at 5.00am when it’s only about 70 degrees F. By mid morning it’s 90plus. Yesterday, when Jeremy was replacing our hot water tank, it was 100F! After 4 nights in the apartment, we moved on board. The heat was unbearable – too much for our UK blow heater on cold and our 12v computer fans! I hired a fan from the boatyard and I’m sitting here in front of it now at 7.55am, wearing a bikini top and swimming shorts! The down side is the biting insects! You can see the mosquitoes and they are not really a problem. Some tiny, Scottish midge type creatures, called locally “no see-ums”, bite you round the ankles and knees as you walk. It’s only later, when the red marks and itching start that you know you’ve been bitten. We’re going to get through a lot of deet and sun lotion!

So far, we’ve replaced the spinnaker pole and had to move the housing on the deck as the new one’s a little shorter! Jeremy bought a second hand hot water tank and fitted it. The broken dinghy floor boards have been replaced and painted, all the halyards and sails are on and tins of antifoul paint have been sourced. We still have a long list of jobs to do before we can launch.

I am sure my colleagues at Skelmersdale will be relieved that inspection week is over. I hope you all achieved the usual high grades and have no more inspections until next year!

All the best to everyone.