We checked in at Charlotteville on the recommendation of other cruisers and what a pristine & delightful place at the  far NE end of the NE island.  A small fishing village at the end of a large natural harbour.  Fishing nets hanging out to dry; people sitting around liming (socializing with friends on the street); aging rastafarians that reminded us of middle aged hippies with big smiles and long dreadlocks sometimes tucked up into brightly coloured berets.

We were greeted by South African friends Theo and Augusta from Plumbob whom we had not seen since we were in Brazil.  They lent us some TT$'s and a dinghy tow into the dock (outboard not working again) to check in with the local authorities.  No bank only a few small mini marts and vegetable stalls.  The next day we took the small local bus through high hills to the Capital at the other end of the island passing through tiny villages with glimpses of the coast far below.  A chance meeting resulted in lunch with the crews of 2 English boats which we knew from Brazil.

We spent a relaxing two weeks, anchored off Pirates cove, an idyllic sandy beach with palm trees behind, waiting for Mark & Neil our two sons to arrive.  Heavy, warm, rain would pour down every few days as a tropical waves passed through.  We went on walks through the forest that used to be a cocoa plantation.  The older people of the village could reminisce about the hurricane that passed through Tobago in 1963 wiping out most of the vegetation.

We moved down to Store Bay at the west end of the island to meet the boys.  A five minute walk from the anchorage to the airport and a wait in an air conditioned restaurant...what bliss.  We sailed back to Charlotteville.  The boys made good use of the small yellow kayak that we had bought second hand in Brazil.  The snorkeling was good with many brightly coloured reef fish to be seen.  The BBQ came out of storage as we are back in the land of North American propane fittings.

An overnight sail took us to Trinidad where the boys left to fly back to Canada.  Trinidad is much larger and more commercial than Tobago.  Oil was discovered here in 1819 and the first oil well in the world was drilled in Trinidad in 1867. The island enjoyed the oil boom while it lasted up to the 1980's and oil is still the mainstay of the economy.  As a result there was no need for an extensive tourist trade and Trinidad and Tobago are much less affected by tourism than the other Caribbean islands.

We spent most of September in Chaguaramas bay near Port of Spain.  This area was a major base for the Americans during WW2.  The row of shipyards are now a hive of activity for the cruising community.  Trinidad is south of the hurricane belt and many boats spend the hurricane season here.  The yards were a forest of masts.  Chaguaramas is still a commercial port, and we found it dirty with garbage and fuel often to be seen swirling around in the water.  Strong surges and strong currents sweep through the anchorage causing boats to swing around at different times.  Two boats were hit and badly damaged and many boats dragged anchors in the time we were there.  We chose to anchor away on the south side of the bay with a stern anchor and two lines to shore.  A large 100ft sailboat beside us went in and out at weekends and usually had problems picking up his mooring.  His stern end did come dangerously close to Harmonica and Mark did a great job pushing it off!!  Insects were a problem so close to the shore and we moved into the anchorage for a few days and into a marina for the last six days.  Most days there was heavy rain in the afternoon in fact torrential rain at times.  The humidity and heat made it quite uncomfortable.  This was the first time for seven months that Harmonica had been docked.  While in Trinidad we replaced our batteries and installed a KISS wind generator.  The KISS generators are made in Trinidad by a Canadian, Doug. Also, we bought a second hand, hard bottomed dinghy, larger than our old one.  We repaired our auto pilot by installing new brushes & added capacitors to suppress radio interference.  We bought locally grown teak at the wood-work shop.

While in Trinidad, we rented a car for three days.  We drove along the high rocky North coast stopping at the popular Maracas bay beach and then inland through the thick forest to the ASA Wright nature centre where we spent two days.  It used to be a privately owned plantation.  For years the birds have been fed and there are now 103 species that visit the centre.  We took afternoon tea sitting on the Victorian-style verandah looking down the forested valley, and watch the humming birds come to hanging feeders a few feet from us and other birds feeding at tables below.  Large lizards and agouti fed under the tables.  Brightly coloured butterflies flitted by.  We could see over the top of the vegetation to the valley falling away below, and had a distant toucan pointed out to us before breakfast.  We were fed excellent creole food at regular intervals.  Coffee and jams made from the fruit on the plantation.  Guides were available to conduct tours through the many trails nearby.  It was a very special visit.  The third day we went to visit the pitch lake in Southern Trinidad.  It is one of three known pitch lakes in the world.  The village nearby had pitch oozing into the gardens and under the houses.  We were told it is good for keeping the weeds down!  Torrential rain forced us to stop driving and eat lunch early.  It also flooded a metal shop nearby delaying the installation of our wind generator.

Leaving late in the afternoon, we sailed to Chacachacare island for our last night.  A small island that once housed a leper colony until the last 30 patients left in 1984.  Venezuela lies only 15Km away across the "Dragon's Mouth".  The old decaying wooden houses are interesting to poke around.  Large black vultures sat watching as we passed by.  We did not have time to visit the lighthouse which we were told has a light operated with a pendulum.  The light house keeper is the only resident on the island.  There are none of the luxury holiday homes found on the other islands.  We spent our final evening visiting with the two South African catamaran's beside us.  They both had the same make of cats: bought new in Cape Town a year ago, & both having electrical problems.

We are now heading for Venezuela where we shall put Harmonica into dry storage while Dave visits UK to help his mother move house and Jan flies back to Canada where Dave will join her after the move.

Dave Jan & Harmonica