SPLASHING TOMORROW YIPPEE

If all goes to plan we should be back in the water tomorow.

Just got to find the guy to do my cutlass bearing. He is running on 'Island time'!

Bootstripe on and looking good and I get a fright as my neighbour burns his boat.

Well it is republic day here in Trinidad so the speedboat launch squad were busy







and so were my painters, taking advantage of a dry day to get the bootstripe done Two coats in 40 minutes, no problemo at 85 degrees!













I was some what horrified when I saw what had been holding the keel up. I have been very pleased with the quality of work done by the previous and suspect they may have inherited this.






To finish the day off I got a hell of a fright when I saw the guy who is my neighbour on the hard fire up this giant gas torch and start to burn his boat. I was slightly relieved when I saw someone standing by with a fire extinquisher.

Apparently he was heating up his teak planking to kill off the marine worms that are turning it into Swiss cheese.

You learn something new everyday.

Bootstripe on and looking good.

IN THE YARD

Grinding, sanding, fairing, filling,







fixing the worn bearing









and watching my local crew hard at work.








Good progress todate.









Apparently the boss Alan wants my boat done by the middle of next week ! Weather permitting!

HAULOUT at POWERBOATS

After a bit of indecision by the travelift driver I got hauled on the given date. I called them up this morning got told not today tomorrow, then 15 minutes later heard them calling Elephants Child Elephants Child and got the news that they would haul me now this very minute and give me as long in the slings as I needed to remove my drop keel








.

So out we came with a couple of locals keeping a close eye on the proceedings.


















The keel came out more easily tahn I could have believed possible but it is a heavy old thing and I needed to get a forklift to move it.





HOME FOR A WEEK OR SO!




Odd sort of cloud at sunset today just the one building out of an inversion plane.

Och it was a braw bricht monlicht nicht and so I set off to Trini.

Arrived safely in Trinidad but am very very tired. I had a great sail down with a full moon and full sail except when entering the Boca Monas.

I got delayed on arrival by a tug towing an oil rig on a kilometer of tow rope and for security they had a one mile exclusion zone. So everybody caught up with me and all of us had to hang about. I was slow negotiating the Boca and the anchorage, just call me extra careful Jones. But it meant that the old hands got to immigration first then when it was my turn he closed for lunch! Still it was an excuse for a consolation Haagen Daz.

CRAP WIFI won't let me load pics

ABORT RETRY II

Well I think it is Maria's fault. The wind was supposed to be favourable for the trip down to trini on Sunday night but Maria slowed right down and spread out so the winds were forced round to the South and making the trip down dead into wind. One boat did try but gave up after 17 miles.

I did not even check out it was so obvious that what was forecast was just not happening.

So it looks like Wednesday evening is the next window.

Third time lucky !

ABORT RETRY

Well when I started the engine to go the pesky alternator showed no charge. It has done this before and I wiggled the suspect connection but no go.

I decided I was tired and it was later than I had planned to go already and Maria was being a problem girl so ABORT.

RETRY A bunch of cruisers had already planned to go Sunday so I guess I will go with them.

Sunsets Sax and Trini bound tonight.

Well the lords of the sunset have been working hard the last few nights with some spectacular sunsets.

Also on one evening as I was lazing in the cockpit making sure they were getting the colour changes right, the sounds of good jazz sax floated over the anchorage. Just made it a little better.














Well the bottom is clean things are back in lockers and the forecast is showing some suitable winds so I am off to Trinidad tonight. Should arrive mid morning on Friday.

Officially I am told it is best to enter Trini waters after 8am. Why well they charge you overtime. Not because you arrived at their offices before 8am but because you entered Trini water before 8am. Hmm got to pay those AC bills somehow.

INVENTIONS , WEED and POT LUCK ENVY

I have been working on a couple of things to help life along on Elephants Child. The first is a water catchment system based on an awning, a funnel and a filter. Well so far despite three attempts at rigging it in different ways this has failed. I would have collected more water by placing a bucket under the corner of the bimini.

But my anchor chain scrubber has been a success at shifting the weed and algae and I am pleased with that. The barnacles were another matter though and required chipping off with a knife, boy o boy is Clarkes Court fertile. Some say it is the run off from the rum distillery that does it.




































Yup that is my anchor chain under those barnacles.


























WEED

The south east and south winds that we have had recently have bought in rafts of weed and in a couple of the marinas staff have been forking it out by hand and carting it away by the lorry load. Bad news for those who suffer weed phobia when swimming. It is creepy to feel it brush by you. I had a few encounters when scraping my bottom. But we have a clean bottom clean chain and those two things are ready to jump down to Trinidad. Just need the wind to cooperate.








Pot Luck Envy

I felt like being sociable and moseyed over to the pot luck at Clarkes Court Bay marina only to suffer a bad case of dish envy, my Louisiana style dirty rice was blown away by iced cakes chocolate brownies stuffed eggs layered sweet potato pie etc. Got to be more creative next time.

OK OK Who said I was competitive.