Chagauramas, Trinidad
The sail from Grenada to Trinidad sucked. I knew there
wasn’t going to be enough wind but I didn’t fancy waiting for at least a week,
probably two for better conditions, so I set off anyway. I made it through the
night OK, thanks to almost no waves, but in the morning the wind died and waves
grew as thunderstorms started to roll by. I dodged a few but got hit by two big
ones. Massive winds and torrential rain, and got pushed very close to an
oilrig, which when I’d first seen in the night, I’d mistaken for an oil tanker.
I’d wondered why it was going so slowly.
I had to motor for about eight hours. As I approached
Trinidad my engine started making a strange noise – my fan belt was starting to
break, so I stopped and tried to fit my spare, but I couldn’t get it on, so I
put the old one back on and prayed. The very last three miles, in a narrow
channel between rocky islands and steep cliffs were very stressful. I made it
to Chagauramas and picked up a mooring ball. It was too late to avoid customs
overtime fees so I hid and cleared in the next morning.
After an almost pleasant customs and immigration, a big
storm rolled over the mountains so I quickly headed back. Huge winds and
massive rain hit the bay. I was glad I wasn’t on a newly laid anchor. Inside
Sonic Boom I could hear the wind and my dinghy banging against the hull, then I
heard a much bigger bang. In my window a big fishing boat – it had dragged and
smashed into me. I grabbed fenders and tried to push it away. With the help of
my neighbor, I untied and moved to another ball, and we tied the dragging boat
onto the ball I’d been on. Welcome to Trinidad.
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