Security-Update for Chaguaramas, Trinidad, W.I. -- Th., 17 August 2006

Security-Update for Chaguaramas, Trinidad, W.I.  --  Th., 17 August 2006

 

Things in the anchorage seem to deteriorate.  Last night between 2:30 and 3:30 am, an aluminum dinghy or pirogue coming from Fisherman's Village near Cruise Inn, came alongside a Norwegian yacht, which was anchored in front of Peake Yacht Services right in the mooring field. 

 

The people on the Norwegian yacht were still up and talking in the cockpit.  At first the fishermen only asked for cigarettes but suddenly several of them boarded the boat wielding a gun and machetes.  They then took their time, perhaps 1 1/2 hours to search the boat and rob everything that was of any value.  Computers, money, credit cards, cigarettes, alcohol, and so on.  In fact, the boat was pretty much stripped.  Then they destroyed the inflatable, sank the outboard and took off towards the sea and the west. 

 

The Norwegians called for help on several channels but the only immediate response was from a few yachties in nearby boats that came to help.  The coast guard was much more concerned with getting the spelling and the paperwork right and didn't do anything at all until about 5:00 o'clock in the morning. 

 

For us, this means that we will barricade us in every night and go to bed with our UHF handhelds as well as our cellphones.  (Those are incredibly inexpensive here - I paid US$ 6.50 for a brand-new one.)  Our VHF radio will stay on all night and at the first sign of trouble we will broadcast on all channels and phone 999 as well.  Whether that will do any good, is a different story altogether. 

 

Since I did not talk to the people involved personally, there may be a few inaccuracies in this account, but the gist should be correct. 

 

Greetings from Aurora Ulani, Liping & Holger Jacobsen  --  S/V DHARMA BUM III  --  YSATT mooring #2

 

 

S/V DHARMA BUM III in Chaguaramas, Trinidad, W.I. -- Mo., 24. Juli 2006

S/V DHARMA BUM III - Privilege 39 Catamaran - 3 Foot Draft - Mo., 24. July 2006 

 

                                                     Chaguaramas, Trinidad, W.I.

 

I have left my home country of Germany in 1982 and have been sailing (with lots of interruptions) since 1987.  I have also visited around 50 countries in my various travels. 

 

~~~~~

 

After a whole spate of thefts, burglaries and armed robberies in Chaguaramas, yachties convened a security meeting this morning at 10:00 o'clock in "The Bight" at Peake Yacht Services.  Andy of TIXI LIXI organized and chaired the meeting and about 100 yachties and cruisers showed up (at a similar meeting in March about 10 people came).  Especially invited were the Yacht Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago (YSATT), the police in Carenage, and a representative from the ministry of tourism.  Unfortunately I did not see any of the representatives and the local paper covering the boating scene understandably didn't want to print things that might keep people away from the place. 

 

Quite a few of the people present had lost dinghies, outboards, generators or other things from their boats and not a few of them were victims of armed robberies where the attackers held guns to their heads.  One French sailor had his boat broken into at the reputable marina Crews Inn.  The boat got completely ransacked and the thieves had taken absolutely everything of any value.  Even the diesel generator and the engine were gone. 

 

One person stopped his car at a red light, when a robber smashed the window and held a gun to his head.  Another was robbed in his house and received multiple serious stabs in the front and the back.  One woman about 70 years of age was robbed three times while taking a maxi-taxi (minibus) from Chaguaramas to Port of Spain.  She now has obtained a permit to carry a gun.  These were all local people, not visitors, tourists, yachties or cruisers.  In the capital of Port of Spain, which is relatively small as capitals go, on average 1.7 people get murdered every day.  This is not only a yachtie problem - but yachties are prime targets for thieves and robbers. 

 

Naturally some of these people were extremely upset, with tempers rising and flaring.  Some cruisers called for the formation of an armed militia, which suggestion didn't receive much enthusiasm.  Other people were quick to demand all kinds of things from the local business community and the local government.  Finally, most yachties present signed a petition to send off to the authorities, while a subgroup discussed forming a dinghy-watch run by yachties in a revolving manner on a voluntary basis.  One circumnavigator, whose wife was on the most recently robbed maxi-taxi (minibus) suggested a concerted boycott of all the local businesses to draw their attention to the security problem.  He received a round of solid applause. 

 

Amongst the other numerous suggestions was the idea to suggest a harbor watch to the local marinas and YSATT, as they already have most of the necessary infrastructure in place.  And pretty much everybody agreed that the SSCA, Trans-Ocean and similar organizations and publications should be made aware of the atrocious and worsening security situation here in Chaguaramas and Trinidad. 

 

As it stands right now, there are quite a few boats leaving for Venezuela and elsewhere, many of them never to return.  They will do their best to spread the word amongst their friends, acquaintances and fellow cruisers. 

 

As one of our engines is currently down and as we still haven't received any compensation whatsoever after being hit by a local boat (we were stationary, at anchor, with no one on our boat) on 30 May (we informed the coast guard, the police, the harbor authorities, YSATT and the Trinidad and Tobago Sailing Association (TTSA) right away), we can't leave right now.  Otherwise we certainly would.  Our dinghy is chained to a lamppost, the outboard engine is chained to the cockpit-table and these days I never carry more then $15 to $30 on my body.  I don't walk the streets of Port of Spain in the dark, but try to be on the boat by then. Still, most of the people who got robbed were just as careful as me. 

 

Eventually, we'll move on to Venezuela (hopefully not from the frying pan into the fire) and then move back home into the Pacific.  We have many friends in the Marquesas, the Tuamotus, in Papeete and Tonga and we are quite sure that at least over there the peaceful yachtie-life will have us back.  But hopefully it'll be a lot earlier on. 

 

Greetings from the Venus-Flytrap, no, from the Trini-Boattrap from

 

Aurora Ulani, Liping & Holger Jacobsen

S/V DHARMA BUM III  --  Privilege 39 Catamaran

Chaguaramas, Trinidad, W.I.

 

http://www.wownet.net/~holger/ -- http://mail.im.tku.edu.tw/~jacobsen/  

After a whole spate of thefts, burglaries and armed robberies in Chaguaramas, yachties convened a security meeting this morning at 10:00 o'clock in "The Bight" at Peake Yacht Services. Andy of TIXI LIXI organized and chaired the meeting and about 100 yachties and cruisers showed up (at a similar meeting in March about 10 people came). Especially invited were the Yacht Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago (YSATT), the police in Carenage, and a representative from the ministry of tourism. Unfortunately I did not see any of the representatives and the local paper covering the boating scene understandably didn't want to print things that might keep people away from the place.

Quite a few of the people present had lost dinghies, outboards, generators or other things from their boats and not a few of them were victims of armed robberies where the attackers held guns to their heads. One French sailor had his boat broken into at the reputable marina Crews Inn. The boat got completely ransacked and the thieves had taken absolutely everything of any value. Even the diesel generator and the engine were gone.

One person stopped his car at a red light, when a robber smashed the window and held a gun to his head. Another was robbed in his house and received multiple serious stabs in the front and the back. One woman about 70 years of age was robbed three times while taking a maxi-taxi (minibus) from Chaguaramas to Port of Spain. She now has obtained a permit to carry a gun. These were all local people, not visitors, tourists, yachties or cruisers. In the capital of Port of Spain, which is relatively small as capitals go, on average 1.7 people get murdered every day. This is not only a yachtie problem - but yachties are prime targets for thieves and robbers.

Naturally some of these people were extremely upset, with tempers rising and flaring. Some cruisers called for the formation of an armed militia, which suggestion didn't receive much enthusiasm. Other people were quick to demand all kinds of things from the local business community and the local government. Finally, most yachties present signed a petition to send off to the authorities, while a subgroup discussed forming a dinghy-watch run by yachties in a revolving manner on a voluntary basis. One circumnavigator, whose wife was on the most recently robbed maxi-taxi (minibus) suggested a concerted boycott of all the local businesses to draw their attention to the security problem. He received a round of solid applause.

Amongst the other numerous suggestions was the idea to suggest a harbor watch to the local marinas and YSATT, as they already have most of the necessary infrastructure in place. And pretty much everybody agreed that the SSCA, Trans-Ocean and similar organizations and publications should be made aware of the atrocious and worsening security situation here in Chaguaramas and Trinidad.

As it stands right now, there are quite a few boats leaving for Venezuela and elsewhere, many of them never to return. They will do their best to spread the word amongst their friends, acquaintances and fellow cruisers.

As one of our engines is currently down and as we still haven't received any compensation whatsoever after being hit by a local boat (we were stationary, at anchor, with no one on our boat) on 30 May (we informed the coast guard, the police, the harbor authorities, YSATT and the Trinidad and Tobago Sailing Association (TTSA) right away), we can't leave right now. Otherwise we certainly would. Our dinghy is chained to a lamppost, the outboard engine is chained to the cockpit-table and these days I never carry more then $15 to $30 on my body. I don't walk the streets of Port of Spain in the dark, but try to be on the boat by then. Still, most of the people who got robbed were just as careful as me.

Eventually, we'll move on to Venezuela (hopefully not from the frying pan into the fire) and then move back home into the Pacific. We have many friends in the Marquesas, the Tuamotus, in Papeete and Tonga and we are quite sure that at least over there the peaceful yachtie-life will have us back. But hopefully it'll be a lot earlier on.

Greetings from the Venus-Flytrap, no, from the Trini-Boattrap from

http://www.wownet.net/~holger/ -- http://mail.im.tku.edu.tw/~jacobsen/

Damage!

Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association                                                   Fr., 6/2/2006

 

Indian Arrival Day last Tuesday was not a good day for us.  A local Freedom 44 ketch with many party guests on deck apparently didn't see DHARMA BUM III and plowed right into our port bow while going very fast.  Now there is a hole in the bow, the crash bulkhead is delaminated, the pulpit is destroyed entirely, all but one of the stanchions are ripped out of the deck, bent and destroyed.  The rubbing strake is bent and there is extensive fibreglass and gelcoat damage all over. 

 

It appears that LA BALEINE is not insured, but belongs to a famous Trinidadian and was skippered by his grandson, Sebastien Paddington.  We went to the Coast Guard and the Police in Carenage together, and the next day I went to see the Director of Maritime Services by myself.  According to him, everything is very simple.  I was stationary and he hit me, end of story. 

 

The owner of the boat is expected to arrive here today and our respective surveyors have already had a good look and taken plenty of pictures.  Everybody agrees that we will have to come out of the water and that it will take quite a long time until ourboat is shipshape again, especially as all the yards are booked out and the rainy season is beginning. 

 

It will certainly cost us plenty money, plenty time and plenty nerves, that's for sure. 

 

That's how it goes...

 

Inside the ROSINANTE (1972), Karl & Libu's boat which they designed, built, maintained and sailed around the world all by themselves.

 

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

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 

 

http://pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=KE6PIB 

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>

 

http://pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=KE6PIB

Aurora Ulani's new pet :-)

 

Sa., 11. February 2006 - Progress!

Sa., 11. February 2006 - Progress!

 

After our successful sailing trip with Cam we stayed out on a mooring in order to enjoy the clear waters, privacy and quiet out there.  On a mooring, you don't have to worry about the ramp or bumping into the dock when the weather is bad or there is a swell.  Also the steady stream of tourists, which has inundated these islands for many years, doesn't get that far.  When one (or more!) of the big cruise-ships is in Road Town, things get uncomfortably tight around here. 

 

Unfortunately this blissful state of affairs didn't last all that long.  Although I ran both 40 HP engines for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening, the voltage in our batteries kept going down.  What was worse, was the fact that not only our house-bank (lights, fridge, etc.) were affected, but the starter-batteries as well. 

 

I had managed to change the transmission oil out there without any major problems, but that one requires a permanent solution as well. 

 

So back to the dock we went.  Many days of hard labor from sunup to after sundown (professional sailor Ian Henderson (Sydney-Hobart Race, Newport-Bermuda Race, and many others) said to me one day at sundown:  "You are working really hard,man!"  <grin>) followed our return to civilization.  My mood was far below the freezing point at that time.  It didn't help at all that I woke up every morning from nightmares in which little Aurora Ulani played the main role... 

 

I finally found the cause of all my problems. 

 

On the one hand, the isolator was wired incorrectly and on the other hand, one of the connections to the starter motors was badly corroded.  Once I knew what the trouble was, it took only moments to rectify the issue.  So, the last few days we are running only on batteries to see if anything else crops up. 

 

The next project is going up the slip once more.  I already have the seals and housing and just need to line up the travellift, the mechanic and Joey to help me get the boat over there.  The work itself could be done in an hour and when that is finished we are planning on getting out of here. 

 

We might go straight to Trinidad or we might first check out Puerto Rico.  We haven't quite decided on that one yet. 

Double Rainbow

 

11 January 2006 - We Repair Our Way Around The World ;-)

We have been up on the slip, got the propeller-shaft replaced (all in all more than US$2,000), got a new alternator a while ago, just got the regulator fixed or replaced - and we are exactly where we were half a year ago. 

 

We STILL have water coming into the transmission and the alternator is STILL putting out 15.5 Volts, no matter what I do.  I could go down drastically with the RPMs, but that way I can't charge my batteries. 

 

Because of the way the boat is wired and the combination of problems, both engines are down, the only electrical power we get is from the battery-charger and we are effectively tied to the dock. 

 

Well, we are down US$4,300 plus so far and a few experiences richer.  It is pretty annoying that we are making zero progress here, mainly because of the absurd prices.  Customs is making trouble and on top of that we have to pay surreal amounts of duty on everything we shipped over here.  Never mind that "Yacht-In-Transit" business. 

 

These days I read things like Troubleshooting Marine Diesels by Peter Compton before going to bed.  I highly recommend it to any insomniacs out there. 

 

One thing keeps popping into my mind and that is to simply load up on batteries for the GPS and hightail it out of here.  To Puerto Rico, Trinidad or Panama, I don't really care where as it feels more and more that we have fallen into a rat-trap here.  It doesn't help when friends tell of other people who never managed to leave this place here, losing their cruise, their boat and/or their marriage in the process.  Well, we are not going to fall into that category, no matter what.  If all else fails, we gonna go without engines and electricity - just like we did from Papeete in Tahiti to Nuku'alofa in Tonga.  Not the way I'd like to do it, but better than getting stuck here. 

Life in the Marina

Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay

Now we've been on board for almost four weeks and are slowly settling in. The accent here is on slowly, as we have adapted to island time almost right away.

There is plenty of work to be done on the boat, but as usual I have no idea how to go about it or even just where to start. On top of that, prices, duty and taxes are exorbitant which means that we have decided to have all the work except for the really essential parts done elsewhere. The chandleries don't stock much at all which I find rather surprising with the number of boats on the island.

Early in the afternoon all the mooring balls are taken - forget about getting a slip in a marina - and there are no places to drop the anchor either. For us it doesn't matter as we have a long-term slip at the dock, but I'd hate to be on one of the charter boats. And at US$25 a pop the moorings aren't exactly for free either, especially when you consider that you have to pay for every single night.

Still, we are snug and we are enjoying ourselves. When we have finished tightening belts, tracing electrical wiring and repairing numerous small problems for the day, we go for dinghy rides or meet with a few likeminded people at around sunset and chat for a while.

Our propeller shaft has arrived by now and we are waiting for a place on "the railroad" as the locals call the slip in the boatyard. Our brand-new water-tanks have completely disappeared somewhere on the way down here, so that I don't dare to order anything else any more. I paid for them already, you see. All that ordering stuff will have to wait until Fajardo, Puerto Rico or even until Chaguaramas, Trinidad.

Plans are slightly unclear as to how we will proceed, as we have to have our saildrive fixed first. And although we got a visa-extension until Valentine's Day, we still have to wait for all the stuff we had shipped from Taiwan. Even airmail from Germany doesn't seem to get here in a reasonable time-period. At the same time we have to arrive in Trinidad before April Fool's Day or Liping's visa will expire.

Right now I am looking forward to another night with the silvery moon shining down on the calm waters, sliding down the palm-fronds to illuminate the water as only the moon can do it. And when I sit there contemplating the scene, I think that we are perhaps not 100% crazy to go for a boat and another sailing voyage yet again. Sometimes, it really does have its moments.

Aurora Ulani, Liping & Holger Jacobsen on SY DHARMA BUM III

Now where was I supposed to go to get Diesel fuel?

 

Now whose party is this? Sydney (left, in white) is turning 60! 

Back on the boat, finally!

Traveling with about 140 kg of luggage wasn't as bad as we had feared. We were quite glad that we had booked the hotel in New York in advance though. And when the customs inspector here asked us whether we were moving here, I could barely manage to keep a straight face and answer in the negative.

So, back on the boat we are. One of the first things we found out was that the new water tanks hadn't been put in yet and that one of the saildrives still had water in the oil. Not good that. Then the air-conditioning died...

I have since replaced the submersible 110V seawater pump and now it is working again. Let's see what happens next. Apart from the usual technical details the weather is very nice with about 29°C. Humidity is extremely high and this early morning we are having our first few drops of rain.

While our fridge was in good shape, we had apparently forgotten to open the freezer door with the result that alien life-forms mutated in there. The most impressive one was a jellyfish-size amoeba-like lump of mold which floated on the remains of an exploded Coke can. It didn't get us first and so we murdered it on the spot.

Right now we are waiting for the shop to open at 8:00 so that we can have a proper breakfast with whole-wheat baguette, brie, salami and so on accompanied by two mugs of ice-coffee. :-)

Dharma Bum III (Bird's Eye View)

That red dot represents DHARMA BUM III :-)))

Here you can find the current position of DHARMA BUM III:

 

http://www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=KE6PIB (Radio Amateur Callsign)

 

(GPS-Receiver --> Computer --> eMail --> Radio-Modem --> HF-Radio --> YOTREPS-Server --> Map in Browser)

 

http://www.wownet.net/~holger/blog/voyage.html

 

http://mail.im.tku.edu.tw/~jacobsen/blog/voyage.html 

Liping & Aurora Ulani on DHARMA BUM III

The First Few Weeks On DHARMA BUM III

I arrived in Tortola on a Sunday and bought DHARMA BUM III the next day. The next morning the former owner departed and I was alone with my new boat and home. We had gone sailing for a few hours the day before, but that was going to be all the sailing I was going to do this time around.

 

Instead I hitchhiked into Road Town almost daily. I like hitchhiking, but here an added reason were the outrageous prices for the taxis. More often than not the very first car stopped right away and I got into an interesting conversation with the driver.

 

After a few trips into town it became increasingly clear that it wasn't only the taxis that were out of line pricewise. I got a quote to replace my standing rigging - $13,520! And so it went pretty much with all the work I wanted done on the boat. Also, I finally really understood the meaning of "bareboat". There's nothing on it. Not even a bucket or a sailbag. Everything was reduced to the absolute minimum, which gave me some pause initially.

 

The next discovery was that apparently quite a few charter guests do absolutely everything wrong that one can do wrong. Lack of experience and sheer carelessness cause a myriad of small problems. And some not so small ones.

 

One fine day the big motor cruiser "Virgin Dancer" from "Virgin Traders" rammed my boat. He then proceeded to hit two more boats in the immediate vicinity. My stern crashed into the dock and fiberglass emanating a nasty smell flew in all directions. I was not pleased, especially as it reminded me of a similar accident at the San Diego Yacht Club in 1994. This time I didn't even get an apology. Nothing at all, in fact.

 

For the last two weeks my wife Liping and our daughter Aurora Ulani joined us on the boat. As Aurora is just one and a half years old, I watched her with some trepidation. I needn't have worried. After just a couple of days she navigated the steep steps down into the main hulls without having fallen down once. When she found all the wonderful switches for pumps, the inverter, lights and so on, I reassessed the situation. Maybe better to hoist her up to the masttop or something....

 

Since I started with serious sailing in 1987, this was only the second time I had been in a marina. I soon made friends with people on boats next to mine, with the operators and their employees and pretty much all the cool people in the vicinity. Instead of a sundowner on the boat, I headed for the marina office, where everybody met for beers and a chat. Very pleasant indeed.

 

Right next to the boat there were tarpon and mahi mahi swimming around, sometimes a pair of dolphins came by and our "favorite" pastime became the chasing away of pelicans. When sailing I had seen a big turtle, too.

 

Most of the people I met, were either directly or indirectly in the charter business or having their boats in the BVI more or less permanently. Not many real yachties seem to make it up there. Jean-Pierre Cauvy-Zaehringer had been all over French Polynesia, Brian had sailed his tiny Wharram catamaran all the way from South Africa and John had spent years and years cruising in the South Pacific.

 

All to soon my four weeks were up and to my dismay I realized that I hadn't gotten done anything. Most of that will have to wait until the next trip when we plan on sailing DHARMA BUM III down to Trinidad, where things like that are supposed to be cheaper. Before I go there, I will have to have my transmission fixed and my alternator replaced though. Ah, well... Boat-life, here we go again.