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Larry's LogAfter clearing in and going back to Destiny, we talked with Steph a bit while Ken and Vesta had to go and do some errands. After a while Stephanie said she would go get Tom while we had some things to do on the boat. Ken had recommended a guy, Cosmos, to rent an air conditioner from and the marina had contacted him already. He was there within an hour and said he would be back a bit later to bring the unit and install it. After getting the boat straightened out a bit, Tom and Steph came over and we ate lunch at the marina restaurant. Before we had finished, we saw Cosmos come back so I finished my beer and went down to meet him. I could see that he knew what he was doing and was a very nice guy on top of that. I could also see, from standing out in the 90 degree heat and 95 percent humidity that an air conditioner was necessary if we were to stay in a marina with no wind to cool anything. The unit was installed and working in about an hour and the cool air was working its magic below. I could see that we would not be sitting in the cockpit too much during our stay, particularly if we could hook up the cable TV. The connection was free but I didn't have a cable. Either I would have to buy one or get one from somewhere. Eric on Driftwood had a cable, and somehow found out I needed one and brought one over that he thought would be long enough. I would try hooking it up tomorrow. That night was the CrewsInn Managers monthly cocktail party and Diane had gotten an invitation for us. The staff there was really nice and made sure that everything was in order and that we got our invitation. I was feeling the effects of the heat, from working on the boat and setting everything up and had gotten a terrible headache so I didn't go, but Diane went and had a really good time. There was food, rum punch and live music. While Diane was at the party, I rested and had taken some Tylenol. After an hour or so, I got up from bed and threw up a couple of times. After that, I felt better and went to take a shower, which I knew would be nice. The facilities there were great and I took a hot shower for the first time in months. Usually the temperature outside is such that I don't want hot water, but here the Men's Shower Room was air-conditioned and a hot shower felt wonderful. I got back to the boat and Diane came back about an hour later. We slept in air conditioning for the first time in over a year. The next morning, Wednesday, Diane woke up to listen to the morning cruisers net on the VHF radio. It's a very useful tool for all concerned as there are announcements and questions posed and answers given. Local businesses also participate and announce services and make arrangements for transactions. There is also a section devoted to new arrivals and imminent departures. Of course, Diane wanted to make sure our friends who were here already knew we arrived. We heard lots of people that we had met on our way down. We also spoke to Ed and Julie on Free Radical who we had last seen in St. Martin. It's nice to hear familiar voices. They were anchored on the other side of the point of land that makes Chaguaramas Bay so we wouldn't see them soon, but eventually we would catch up. I spent the day doing boat chores while Diane changed some currency, did a little shopping and got the feel of the place. Cosmos stopped back to check on the AC unit and to say he would be able to give me a piece of PVC pipe to use as a dinghy extension handle. I had been looking for a small piece for a while and although I could have bought a 20 foot length, all I needed was about 3 feet. He said he would drop it off tomorrow. He also helped me get the TV cable through the Styrofoam he used to mount the air conditioner. I connected everything and it worked. I would need to reprogram the TV to get all the cable channels later. The rest of the day was spent putting chafe gear on dock lines and moving the lazy jacks under the sail cover to keep them from rubbing on it. I also cleaned the boat a bit with the hose. Later that evening, we went over to Mima, at Coral Cove Marina for dinner. We brought over the crab quiche that Diane had made and some lettuce, and drank their rum. The next day Steph, Tom, Diane and I went into Port-of-Spain to look around. They also wanted to buy some fabric for new cockpit cushions and maybe some fabric for some shirts they could have made. It seems that there are some good sewing services and Tom and Steph both had clothes made that looked really nice for a very reasonable price. We got there and walked around Port-of-Spain which us unlike any other Caribbean city we've been to. There were the run down parts but in general it was well kept, fairly clean and had many modern buildings. We got to the fabric place and it was overwhelming, there were stacks and rows of bolts of fabric in a large store. The staff was very helpful though and we picked out some fabric to have a shirt made for me and a top made for Diane. After that, we walked a bit more but it started to rain. When it rains in Trinidad, it pours. It may last 20 minutes or an hour, but it generally rains every day during the rainy season. We decided to go to the TGI Friday's restaurant for a real American style hamburger. It was a bit expensive by Trinidad standards, but it was worth it! We did a bit more shopping and then took the bus (12 seat van) back to the marina. Friday morning Diane and Stephanie went shopping with Jesse James, a local vendor who operates a van service to local stores and supermarkets. She got back around 12:30 and after lunch we just relaxed a bit and then went to the pool and showers. Saturday during the day was not very busy, except Diane went in very early to a local market to get some shrimp that were supposed to be very good. She left at 6:30am and got back around 10:30. She had gotten 5 pounds for us, 5 pounds for Tom and Steph and 2 pounds for Cary and Wally, a couple we had met who had a boat near Mima. That night, we went to listen to a steel band playing at a local hotel, I hadn't heard a good steel band play at all in the islands and I was looking forward to it. Stephanie and Tom had invited us to dinner and that was really good - marinated steak over rice. We then went to the hotel by a van that was hired to bring us and 8 other cruisers there. We weren't disappointed. They were really good. It was a 6 piece band, with drums, percussion (large round drum that sits on the floor) and 4 steel pans, as they're called. They also had a vocalist who was pretty good. The hotel has a different steel band play every Saturday night for a 25 TT (1 USD = 6 TT) cover charge, and I think we'll go again. |