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Larry's LogTuesday was a busy day but it didn't seem like we got much done. We ran errands during the day and the stove repairman finally showed up at around 10:30. He replaced the thermostat and valve and the oven now works. He tested the connections with soapy water and all is now OK. I went over to get more estimates on some of the work I wanted done and then picked up the updated KISS wind generator. Doug, the owner-manufacturer, had replaced the old thermostats for free, as he said they were not quite up to par. I thanked him for that but now of course, I have to reinstall the unit and pole. I guess it will be worth the effort. That evening we had Ken and Vesta over for drink and snacks. We hadn't really caught up with them since we had arrived and it was nice to talk with them again. We enjoyed the evening and after they went home, we had a light dinner and went to bed. Wednesday was like Tuesday except I fixed the broken catch on one of the galley cabinet doors and checked on some prices for various supplies we needed. More errands while Diane went shopping at a local warehouse outlet - not much fun, but we did go to a potluck dinner in the evening that was nice. It was given at a local restaurant/bar and the owner supplied the main course (fried fish tonight) and the cruisers brought a side dish to share. Unfortunately, she didn't anticipate the number of people and there wasn't enough fish to go around. We were also supposed to buy our drinks there. We didn't know about buying the drinks and so the bartender told us later when we had our own. Oh well, we would know for another time. Thursday, Joyce was coming back from a trip home. Joyce was Jack's girlfriend aboard Second Try, the big 45 foot trimaran we had first met in Dominica. We saw them several times after that in Martinique along with Tom and Stephanie. It was also her birthday. On the net that morning, Stephanie made an announcement that Joyce was back and that it was her birthday - unfortunately, she also announced how old Joyce was! I won't make that mistake here, but I will say it was a big one. Anyway, Jack had ordered a cake and Diane and Stephanie had planned a small party for Joyce that night. The other excitement that day was Tropical Storm Chantal that was moving very rapidly towards the Windward Islands. There was a storm warning up for St. Vincent and St. Lucia, with watches given for Martinique, Dominica and Grenada. It would probably not go any further south, toward Trinidad, but feeder bands could cause some wind and rain. Also the westerly and southwesterly winds from the storm's rotation would cause a nasty swell to build in the Gulf of Paria. The swell had been bad enough in the past to cause some damage to boats, like snapping lines and pushing them into docks. As a result, the boats in Chaguaramas Bay were advised to move to the other side of Point Gourdes if it started to get bad. Boats in the marinas added dock lines and adjusted fenders. Naturally, I did the same and also checked on the boat next to us. They had gone home for a visit and we offered to check the boat periodically. They had hired a local to look after it and wash it regularly but we also had the key so we could look inside. Everything looked fine though and I did see Sam, the guy they hired, also looking over the lines. As I finished adjusting lines and fenders, Jack and Joyce stopped by. Joyce had just come back the night before and we were going to see them that night for Joyce's birthday party. After giving Joyce a big hug, they invited me to go to lunch with them at TTSA (Trinidad and Tobago Sailing Association), which is where they had their boat. Since I was done with my storm preparations, and Diane wasn't going to come back from shopping until much later, I said sure. TTSA is on the other side of Point Gourdes and is a kind of local yacht club although there is also a TTYC (Trinidad and Tobago Yacht Club) a few miles away, nearer Port-of-Spain. Jack had rented a car to pick up Joyce at the airport and still had wheels. After a nice lunch, we took a short tour around that area and I saw some of the old US military base that was built during WWII. The base was very large and the US government gave most of it to Trinidad shortly after he war. The US military had even built a beachfront area so the men could relax. There is a nice museum explaining the role of Trinidad in the war but we hadn't been there yet. After our ride, they dropped me back at the boat and I ran some more errands. By the time I got back to the boat, Diane had returned and we got everything ready to go to the party. Diane had made Eggplant Parmesan and Stephanie was making pasta and salad. We were supposed to go over via dinghy but we asked Stephanie to ask Jack to pick us up by car since it might get rainy and rough later. It would also have been difficult to get the hot casserole dish over there in the dinghy. A little after 6, Jack came by and we went over to the marina to have the party under the little gazebo there. The food was good, the drinks flowed and we all enjoyed the party. The cake Jack had ordered cost a fortune - $50 US because he wanted it made fresh instead of frozen, and Diane brought the trick candles, the kind that won't blow out. There was no rain and only a little breeze during the entire evening. Tropical Storm Chantal was, for us anyway, a non-event although the southern part of Trinidad got torrential rains that evening. Jack drove us back to the boat later and we fell soundly asleep in minutes. Friday morning was bright and sunny and hot. Diane went into town to bring our sandals into a shoemaker who would resole them, while I did some more errands. When she got back we were about to leave the boat when a canvas vendor stopped at the boat. He was supposed to come by the day before, and he apologized for it but he explained that most businesses had let all employees go early because of the threat of the storm. OK, that was understandable and so we stayed and described the work we wanted done and he took several measurements. We asked him to give us a quote based on a recommendation from Ken on Great White Wonder. Riad was the owner of Calypso Canvas and it was obvious he knew what he was doing and seemed a very nice guy also. He promised a quote by Wednesday and asked that we let him know one way or the other after we had time to look at the estimate. Fair enough, and we said we would do that. After Riad left, the rest of the day was taken up with more errands. We ordered some custom woodwork projects and brought some more fabric to the seamstress. Diane had bought some more cloth for a shirt for me and a dress and shirt for herself. She had done a nice job and Diane had bought the fabric on the last shopping trip with Stephanie. |