Thursday, May 25, 2006
Two Months In Chaguaramas, Trinidad
Now we are without a mast and DHARMA BUM III looks rather strange. The KISS wind-generator is the highest point of the boat and there is one lonely solar-panel sitting on top of the bimini.
A few days ago one of the boats on a YSATT-mooring went adrift which is one of the reasons why we are thinking of relocation to the Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association (TTSA), a Yacht Club a few bays further down. Another big reason is that they have a swimming pool, where I can finally teach Aurora Ulani swimming. However, the place is very noisy on the weekend with the disco in full swing and it is far away from shops and other facilities.
Also, one must pay for a whole month over there, so if it is not good, we will be stuck there anyway.
We hope to have our mast standing up again early next week and maybe we even get the frame for the four solar panels within a month. Sooner or later we will have to deal with immigration and then we'll have to think of where we want to go. I am still inclined to forget about Venezuela and go straight to the San Blas Islands and Panama.
Latitude: 10°40.73'N Longitude: 061°38.07'W
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Music, Music, Music!!!
Can't quite believe that I had to go all the way to Trinidaaad (Drinkin' Rum an' Coca Cola, workin' for the Yankee dollaaar -- that base was right here in Chaguaramas Bay) to get to know the Dancehall-Reggae band SEEEDS from Berlin...)
Another really good one is the Internet-Radio-Station & Website Scratch: dub, reggae, rocksteady & ska
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Chaguaramas, Trinidad -- Tue., 5/9/06
Yesterday I tried to reawaken Skymate to new life, but I wasn't very successful. I think it has overheated and died on day #2.
This morning we went to TTSA (Yachtclub), to pick up a couple of bicycles which Karl & Libu - old circumnavigator-friends I met in Kourou in 1989 - had left for us. Jörn (old friend of the Stahlratte & enthusiastic SEEEDS Dancehall-Reggae Fan) offered us the use of his bicycle-seat for small children, so that Aurora Ulani can go with us. She is turning into quite an energetic little girl and her boat vocabulary is really amazing.
When at her friend Zoya's home she remarked; "The house is not floating on the water, is it?! And there aren't any waves here!" She knows what a travellift is for and she is very comfortable in the dinghy now, no matter how rough the ride is.
Later I did some work in the engine room and Peter (Jörn's Partner at First Mate Ltd. -- we went together to the beach at Macqueripe Bay after Jörn's great Thai-Food-Party last weekend) welded the adjustor-arm for the alternator for me.
Yesterday we could observe a big forest fire here, which looked like an erupting volcano at night. Unfortunately it smothered our boat in soot and ashes.
Some of our long-distance and long-time yachtie friends here are a bit worried that we overdo it on the work and might actually get stuck here like so many other yachties have done. What they don't realize is that the visa-situation doesn't allow us to get stuck anywhere for long and that the San Blas Islands, Panama and the South Pacific are beckoning. Never mind 1421... <grin>
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