Still on Land

Happy birthday, Gavin!

We are still sweating buckets, trying to live and work on Sal Darago in heat and high humidity. We recorded 111 degreesF as we waited for Shaun to arrive to fit our new bimini (sunshade over the cockpit) and sprayhood. He arrived two hours late and had to work in the hottest part of the day. Jeremy, in an unfamiliar role for him, worked as Shaun’s assistant. Together they drilled and bolted the frame in place. As always with boat maintenance, there were one or two blips, but once the ceiling panels had been removed, the curtain rails hacksawed 6 inches shorter, the wardrobe emptied of clothes and a locker emptied of shoes, the new fixings could be accommodated. Four hours later, we had a new blue bimini and sprayhood and a week later we had two side panels to go with them.

Here in Chaguaramus, there is a Cruisers’ Net over the VHF radio Mon-Sat. We heard someone was giving away memory chips for laptops and walked to the Trinidad and Tobago Sailing Association (TTSA) anchorage to meet Alan from Kia. Our memory has now been doubled and everything is working much more quickly than before.

We went on a shopping trip organised by Members Only, the company that has taken us to and from the airport. We were able to buy fresh produce and check prices and dates for reprovisioning before we launch. As I was feeling more confident, I went on my own on the next shopping trip, leaving Jeremy sanding, filling and painting the bottom of the boat. We had a special visit to a gourmet deli on the way back, where I was amused to see Heinz baked beans displayed for about £2 a tin! I didn’t buy any.

We have had a launch; the dinghy is now afloat! Quite by chance, as we were motoring across to another marina, Jeremy recognised a yacht we knew called Moonshiner, last seen in Gran Canaria a year ago. Dick Emery was on board and the next day we chatted with him and Sarah for about two hours, exchanging experiences of crossing the Atlantic and visiting different places. They are going to Panama but probably not at the same time as us. Anyway, it was good to meet up again.

The heat finally became unbearable and I was finding it hard to cope, so after a brief altercation with Jeremy, I went to the office to rent an air conditioner. Would you believe, they had none left, but we’re first on the list?

Today, Selwyn is cleaning and polishing our topsides (the green bits). I’ve been scrubbing the decks and Jeremy has painted the bow and side decks. We are getting nearer to being ready to launch. I’ll let you know when we do.