Afloat again

I

Sitting here in True Blue Bay, Grenada, on 12 December, it's hard to believe that Christmas Day is only 2 weeks away. It's a month since we left the UK, spending 10 days with Warren, Lara and family in Jersey City en route to Trinidad. We found Follyfin in good shape after her 7 months languishing on land over the hurricane/rainy season. Quite dusty and dirty but no mold as we had left an air conditioning unit connected to prevent the humidity building up. Only slight worry is the occasional sighting of a cockroach on board... at first thought they had flown in when the door was first opened but now have killed 5 so I fear an infestation. Boric acid is apparently the thing to eliminate them...the only positive thing about the cockroach is that it hates humans, so it keeps a very low profile.

The climate in Trinidad is 'challenging' for working in, to say the least, with high temperatures typically over 35°C coupled with 70-80% humidity punctuated by frequent torrential downpours. Factor in a dose of nasty Caribbean flu and what do you get? A Skipper and First Mate virtually unable to move! For the first time ever we employed someone else to sand Follyfin's bottom and apply one coat of primer then two coats of antifoul paint. Also employed someone to polish her top sides (usually my job). Finally Follyfin was ready to be launched, and two weeks after arriving in Trinidad, we sailed away North to Grenada. And a cracking sail that was, in stealth mode overnight to avoid Venezualan pirates, but fast (max speed 8.3 kn, average 6.2 kn), so fast indeed that we arrived 2 hours before dawn so had to slow down to wait for enough light to get into St David's Harbour.

What did we achieve in Trinidad, apart from fitting out Follyfin for her next sailing season? One special US visa for entering the US on a private vessel and visits to (1) the Angostura Bitters and Rum factory,  (2) the huge open market in Port of Spain, plus (3) meeting two old school chums (brothers from Trinidad sent to Catholic boarding school in UK) of Mick's whom he hadn't seen for 55 years! 

Michael donated an empty Bitters bottle to the Angostura museum: it was so old that they could not date it but we knew it was at least 42 years old. Also met Miss World 1986, now the Angostura PR director, then Miss Trinidad and Tobago. Unfortunately illness prevented us from any other planned sight-seeing visits.

At another boatyard in Grenada, Follyfin had her gearbox removed and relapped, an operation we had arranged previously. This work completed, we finally got our old friends Wendy and Kevin aboard on Friday 9 December for a short sail west along the south coast of Grenada to True Blue, where we had arranged to rendez-vous with Ivor and Marina who were at the end of their 2-week charter from there with two friends. So in the end we only had 24 hours together, and unfortunately Marina had had to leave to catch her flight to USA before we linked up. Better than nothing though!

You know the saying "there's always something to do on a boat"? The truth of that saying has been driven home several-fold these past few weeks... As we turned on the engine to come into True Blue, a horrible burning smell emerged from the engine. The starter motor plus it's relay had decided to burn out. Since then the outboard motor for the dinghy has given up the ghost too. Other ongoing problems include the internal water pump which has a leak - somewhere - and we have been unable to fit the Duogen (hydro and wind power generation) back into its place on the stern. At least the engineer/mechanic/bosun won't get bored! Assuming the new starter motor relay piece arrives today, we hope to get away this evening or tomorrow, and make for Martinique direct. That will be a good place to stock up for Christmas!

STO PRESS: The outboard was fixed this morning after I drafted this blog. Hooray!