Passage to Trinidad Subject: Log June 19th to July 26th Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 21:15:42 -0500 From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org To: rudys03@ibm.net We prepared to leave for Trinidad today. It took us a half an hour to get the mud off the chain to the anchor. Once we had that done, we were off. It was 5:30 p.m. with strong winds just off the coast of Grenada. The winds became more gentle when we cleared the coast. The moon was full and we could see through the night which is very comforting for me!!! We had a good night with Rudy and I taking turns on watch and sleeping. We arrived at 8 a.m. just behind Thor (Miles, Gabby and their toddler Hannah. We went to the bank to get some TT's (Trinidad and Tobago which is 6.18 to $1) Then off to immigration and to customs. After endless forms to fill out we got back onto Boundless to fuel up. Here it is about $1 US/gal. compared to about $2.50-$3.00 on the other Islands. After the rain stopped we docked at Crew's Inn and found the pool and cooled off!!! We took a warm shower in an air conditioned bathroom and then had a great dinner at their restaurant. Rudy and I are very pleased with the accommodations here... we receive cable TV (60 channels), water, electricity (this is a charge), pool, exercise room, food stores, bakery, travel agent, car rental ($15 a day), beauty parlor, newspaper delivered every day and our own enclosed garbage container right outside our boat. I talked to Pat and Fred about the dress I designed for our re-union which we plan to attend. We are leaving for home on July 7th. They are also making Rudy some shirts, covering the cushions in the cockpit and in the main salon. I went with Pat and Fred to choose the material for all of these projects. Rudy talked to a cabinet maker to do some work on Boundless in the main salon. Since Trinidad is so hot and humid and it rains at least three times a day, we put up all the canvas we had and turned on the Air Conditioner!!!! YES!!!!! On Friday June 23rd, Rudy and I went on a free Van tour to a mall. We met Joyce from Mood Indigo on our trip. She told us about the Jazz groups she and her husband have organized for the last 5 years at Powerboats, a local marina. For the next several days, Rudy and I did our chores and met with the people who will be working on our boat. I have used the exercise room and then gone for a swim every day so far....it is great!!! For the first time I feel like I am on a vacation!!!! On Tuesday June 27th, Rudy and I went on a Turtle Watch. We left about 9 a.m. and stopped for a snack and then lunch on the beach on the way to the hotel on the beach in the Northeast corner of Trinidad. The owner of Crew's Inn and his family happened to be on the same tour. He and the driver were very informative concerning the island and it's people. While we were eating dinner, a litter of baby turtles came to visit us. They were quickly taken away to the ocean. About 8 p.m., we all followed our guide to a turtle just starting to lay her eggs. The turtle makes a hole three feet deep and lays about 80 fertilized eggs and then about 50 unfertilized eggs so that the baby turtles will have room to dig their way out. She does this three times in about 10 days. The incubation is about two months. Mamma turtle then fills the hole and packs it down and then rotates in a circle to smooth out the sand around the area so no-one can tell where the eggs are. When she is completely satisfied, she goes back into the ocean. The whole process takes about an hour and a half. Rudy and I woke up at 5 a.m. and saw in the light 5 more turtles laying eggs. Since they go into a trance while they lay eggs, you can touch them and they do not feel anything. We watched this unbelievable happening for a couple of hours and then went back to bed until it was time for breakfast. Chris and Ken Schwenker (Rudy's brother) arrived on July 2nd and the next several days Rudy went over at least 15 pages of notes on how to run Boundless. Cruising is more involved than we ever imagined!!!! We will fly home on July 7th and return on July 26th.