January 15th, 2014
Chaguaramas, Trinidad – (-4 on UTC)
If You Don’t Go….You Wont Go!…..
This is exactly how it has felt these last few weeks since we arrived back in Trinidad to start the 2014 sailing season. Firstly, the boat was brought onto the hard,(dry dock) for the bi-annual bottom scrape & paint in addition to transmission and through-hull maintenance. Then we had an unscheduled delay of having to go back to the States for a week or so after I needed some medical tests done. No worries, it\’s all good! The bonus of that short trip was a quick stopover with friends Debbie and Leon in their gorgeous West Palm Beach, Florida home. It was nice being able to welcome in 2014 with them. Hugs and kisses to Duffy, Deb\’s Mum too!
While in Florida, we even managed to slip in a couple of days at Disney World in Orlando. It was great fun and got Scott in touch with his inner child which is always worth seeing. En route back to Miami, we stopped in Jupiter, Florida to visit friends of Scott\’s parents – Bob & Cyra Lewis and Grandson Sam.
Finally upon our return to Trinidad in the new year we have done some last touristy bits, including a hike up to the old WW2 tracking station and Bamboo Cathedral in Tucker Valley on the north side of the island.
With all bottom scraping, water-maker refurb, transmission, steering hydraulics overhauled, decks scrubbed, hulls waxed and even a new washing machine installed – its time to check out with Trinidad Customs and Immigration here in Chaguaramas. Shortly, we\’ll untie the dock lines and head off around the Northwest corner of Trinidad to Scotland Bay anchorage. This will give us an opportunity to test all our systems before leaving at \’0’dark-thirty\’ tomorrow morning for Prickly Bay, Grenada.
Funny enough, this first jolly North, which should take us about 12 hours (85 miles) in total, will be one of the longest passages we’ll have this season. The long voyages and mammoth provisioning requirements of the last few years are for the most part a distant memory now until the boat goes through the Panama Canal; most likely next year.
This season as well – we hope to have reasonable internet so we can post photos as we go along.
So in the words of Mark Twain… \”Throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover\’. And in the words of Scott Stolnitz, \”If you don\’t go…you won\’t go\”!….:-)
We’re off again
Nikki & Scott