safe arrival Trinidad

So.we're walking out of the Peake's Marina compound, where poor Cat Tales is on the "hard", we're carrying a 4' long, 3-1/2" diameter black cylinder, which happens to be the membrane for our watermaker, due for rebuild, when we turn to the security guards at the gate and explain that our "potato gun" has to go in for service. We get a laugh from them. Dawn and I are a little further along the road, when she starts to debate: "Down here, they don't use potatoes as much as they use the daschene root. Would that make it a daschene gun? That sounds a little more significant." On the return trip through the security gate, we get a much bigger laugh!

Our flights down were without incident. Amazingly, we traveled from Fredericton, just before noon, and landed in Trinidad, just before 11pm, same time zone, but ~ 3000 miles (a lot quicker than last year). After clearing customs, which was a little bit of adventure but ended in us getting away easily, our friend Blue, a worker at the boat yard, drove us the 40 minutes to Peake's compound and Cat Tales. Although the cockpit was as filthy as in 2005, there was no break-in and everything was just as we left it. We have toiled all day, much of it in the energy-draining heat and sun, and are now enjoying a drink at 7 pm in air conditioned comfort in our little salon. Lots of work to be done yet, but we have 6 more days to do it, before being splashed next Wednesday.

We have the old, trashed tarpaulins removed from the boat, gave her topsides a quick scrub and rinse, put away 80% of the stuff we brought, and are amid dozens of other little chores. We might even get a day of eco-touring, which would suit us fine.