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This note came to us by email today and greatly touched us:

"Hi, I work with your sister, Lorna. I must say I will miss the blog till November. I have never traveled but do so with you guys through your blog. The many stories and pictures are something I look forward to and thoroughly enjoy. To me, you have a dream life. As I sit here in the sunshine, I cant believe I am longing for November to start traveling with you again. Thanks and enjoy you time on dry land."

So...we'll keep writing as long as you're reading!

Home in New Brunswick, Canada

Its time to fill you folks in on our whereabouts and the gaps in the blog for the last week or so.

First, putting Cat Tales to bed. Some might wonder about the hole we found in the boat that would not stop weeping salt water. The crack went through over 5 mm of hard fibreglass, and allowed the salt to permeate a large area of the PVC foam on the inside. I cut a 30 mm x 30 mm square of the outside skin and removed it to expose the foam. We attempted to vacuum the water out of it, and indeed got about 200 ml of water out. I drilled holes around this square, and found no water, which doesn’t mean there was none. Water would come, so the path could easily have been missed.

I got a lot of advice from passers-by, as we were in a high traffic area of the yard; and indeed, I was happy for it. The solution we chose, was not provided, however. Because of the high humidity and constant rain, we decided to repair the patch on the outside, and drilled holes on the inside of the repair, exposing the foam to the air conditioned side of the hull. We’re pleased with ourselves. In November, we’ll patch the internal holes and think no more about it.

The rest of the decommissioning of Cat Tales went smoothly though was still lots of hard work, and we boarded the plane with only one oversight. Dawn left some French cheeses in the closed refrigerator, cheeses she intended to smuggle back to Canada. A few notes back to friends in the yard fixed that, and the door was left open and the friends were richer for the cheese.

Over the last ten nights, we slept in 8 different beds, which tells our story:
1. Cat Tales;
2. Lorna and Brian’s spare room, London suburbs;
3. Valerie’s spare room, close to downtown London;
4. The v-berth of a 25’ C&C sailboat at the Kettle Creek Marina, Port Stanley, Lake Erie;
5. A Port Stanley cottage belonging to our friends Linda and Garry Graham, of the sailing vessel July Indian;
6. Spare room of Mississauga Maritime Net controller Don Demeza (and wife June) in Belleville, Ontario;
7. Econolodge Hotel, east of Quebec City
8. Home at Grand Lake.

Besides mentioning the accommodations, we had great times with these people, Dawn’s niece Kendra and her husband Steve, Brian’s mother Shirley, the friends at the Kettle Creek Marina, the sailors of the Port Stanley Power and Sail Squadron, and others. We also got hosted for lunch in Montreal by Ham Radio friend Marty Hornstein and his wife Pesel. It was really great to visit with both Don and Marty, and talk about the Mississauga Maritime Net and the characters we share it with.

Don Demeza in his Ham Radio shack in the basement in Belleville. Laurie has spoken with him for the past 7 years and finally got to meet him!


Here are Don, June and their borrowed dog Merlin from their neighbors house. They get all the benefits of a pet without owning it! Great visit and accommodations!


Here are Marty and his lovely wife, Pesel in Montreal. Just like the situation with Don, Laurie has enjoyed talking to Marty on the Ham Radio for the past 7 years. They took us to lunch and we were able to chat in person. It's great to be able to finally put faces to these voices we hear every morning at 8:30! While we were in the French islands, Laurie often asked Marty to help him with certain words or phrases he needed to get by.


We had two little stops for tourism as well: Under advice from Don Demeza, we stopped in Trenton and toured the Air Force Museum. Thoughts went to my father and how much I would have enjoyed touring this amazing place with him. We also were able to copy pages out of a most complete book of WW2 Air Force fatalities; and walked away with information on my uncle Charles Douglas who died in Burma, and my uncle Kenneth Corbett who died on a training mission in Canada.

Here are some pictures of our side trip.








The second stop was of the falls and gorge at Grand Falls. Although all the falls we hike to in the Caribbean are wonderful sights, these falls are really something – and to think that was the first time I had bothered to see these, less than 3 hours from my home!



So, now here we are at home, with its rainy, cold weather, shoes and socks, household chores, dry skin, piles of mail with bills and tax information, necessary highways, dental and medical appointments. Still, we are already enjoying the break from boat chores and salt, friends and relatives we were missing, television (until we can’t stand the commercials), showers and flush toilets, being able to take 12 steps without falling into the sea, cool nights that allow blankets and cuddling, the tremendous selections in grocery stores, and watching the gentler seasons arrive and roll by.

The cottage is in fine shape, and didn’t seem to need much dusting, and we’re putting into priority the chores to enjoy the next 6 months.

Thanks for spending your time on our winter blog, and we’ll start up again soon, or at least by November.

Heading for Canada

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we'll catch the flight to Toronto. We'll be in Fredericton around the 26th of May after spending time with my sisters in London, Ontario

Take care,

Dawn and Laurie

Leatherback Turtles in Trinidad

Jesse James, a local Trinidadian with a wonderful sense of humour, is a devouted asset to the sailing community at Chaguaramas. His company is called "Members Only" although everyone is welcome. He organizes tours, grocery shopping trips, trips to the mall, hardware stores along with endless help to the local needy. When we listen to the morning cruisers net on the VHF radio, Jesse announces trips coming up and cruisers sign up depending on their needs. If we were in real trouble here, Jesse would be the individual to call.

We've been coming here to Trinidad for haulout since 2005 and haven't done much in the line of tours until last night. We have been hearing so much about the trip to see the Leatherback turtles laying eggs on the beaches of Trinidad and decided that it was time to join in. The event only happens from April to June, so this would be the perfect time. The fee included a 2 hour drive to the east coast and a meal along the way. Of course, Jesse teased us with trivia tests and gave us much information along the way. When we arrived at the beach, we were to meet the guides and volunteers who protect the turtles during this time. The hatchlings will come out in July and August and only a few will survive after the birds and sea creatures get their share.

We arrived at the site at around 9:00 pm and were told by the park rangers/guides/volunteers, that there was a turtle on the beach who had arrived there about 15 minutes ago and was already digging a hole for her eggs. Jesse James, our tour guide from the Chaguaramas Bay area had given us quite a few tips before we were to arrive at the beach. We were NOT to take pictures with flashes at any time other than when the turtle was actually depositing eggs into the hole. We would then be able to touch her because she would be in a trance-like state. All flashlights were to be turned off at this point and we could watch by moonlight. The whole episode would take approximately an hour and a half at which time the turtle would be exhausted and head back to the ocean through the surf.


The guides found that this turtle had not been tagged, so while she was busy, they went to work and gave her a bit of turtle 'bling'. They'll collect information to learn more about how to protect this species.


She shed a few tears while she was out of the water for the hour and a half just to keep her eyes moist.


We are told that once the female begins to deposit the eggs, she is in a trance-like state and is not bothered by touching, or photo flashes.


The red that you see in front of Laurie is a red light from a flashlight. It's a little less noticeable to the turtle.


The back of the turtle lived up to its name, it felt soft, plyable and very leathery.

After her eggs were deposited, she spent about 20 minutes covering them up with her large flippers. You could see her muscles working hard to tamp down the sand. When the hole was completely filled in and tamped, she took her flippers and flicked sand everywhere. We really had to move back because the sand flew for about 12 feet in all directions. She eventually worked her way to other areas so that a very large area was affected and the actual small hole she had made was unrecognizable as a turtle nest.

She was gone and we were able to take pictures again. The tracks remind one of tractor tread prints on the beach.


We watched her slowly making her way back to the ocean. This is the last time she'll deal with these eggs, they're entirely on their own from here on.


While we were there, 2 other females made their way up the beach, but it was time for us to go. One of the guides told me that during peak season, there can be over 60 leatherbacks on the beach at one time.

Diving deep and fast is their only protection from predators, namely sharks and killer whales. In fact, some of these turtles arrive without hind flippers and still go about their business. In these instances, the local volunteers dig the holes and help fill and tamp down the sand. We assume the turtle thinks she is doing it!

Here are some additional facts I found on the Internet today:

The leatherback is the largest, deepest diving, and most migratory and wide ranging of all sea turtles. The adult leatherback can reach 4 to 8 feet in length and 500 to 2000 pounds in weight. Its shell is soft and unlike many other turtles, it can’t retract into it. Jellyfish are the main staple of its diet, but it is also known to feed on sea urchins, squid, crustaceans, tunicates, fish, blue-green algae, and floating seaweed.

Adult females require sandy nesting beaches backed with vegetation and sloped sufficiently so the crawl to dry sand is not too far. The preferred beaches have proximity to deep water and generally rough seas.

Nesting occurs from about March to July. Female leatherbacks nest 5 to 7 times within a nesting season or about every 9 to 10 days. The nests are constructed at night in clutches of about 70 to 80 yolked eggs. Typically incubation takes from 55 to 75 days, and emergence of the hatchlings occurs at night. Most leatherbacks remigrate to their nesting beaches at 2 to 3-year intervals.

Haulout - May 9th in Chaguaramas, Trinidad

We've been called on the VHF radio by Peake's Boatyard and it's our turn to get hauled out of the water.


A swimmer makes sure the straps are placed at the strong points of the boat. These boys work like a well oiled machine!


Up and up we go.


In slides a second huge piece of equipment to transfer us for the ride around the boatyard.


Getting ready to transfer and go for that drive.


After the blocking is complete, the mother ship pulls away, and we're on our own.


Sometime along our 6 month visit to the Caribbean, Cat Tales was injured. We had no idea until the boat dried and the weeping began. Laurie is outside working away on a repair while he weeps. More than likely, a boat boy trying to sell us bananas, or something very important hit us while hanging on to the side of our boat. Many of these guys have fenders to protect us, but some don't and they can have nasty nails and screws sticking out here and there!




Laurie has already drained the sail drives (2 engines) and fogged them both. He has also made a few repairs to hoses in the engine room that were leaking over the past couple of years. Hopefully, that will be the end of that! He has agreed to crank Andrew up to the top of his mast at 5:00 when it's perhaps a wee bit cooler. (Andrew is from the boat Zepher's Zest)

We have plugged in the air conditioner which works very well at night when the sun is down, however, it's a mean 35 degrees Celsius inside the boat during the peak of the day. I do what I can to work inside, because the outside is so hot, it's crazy! Poor Laurie is outside right now. Shower time and then a cold beer at the end of the day is sooo lovely!

The Crossing from Grenada to Trinidad

Laurie here; Dawn will finish off with photos and commentary on them.

I found myself awake and wondered why. I went to the bathroom, thinking: Well, that must be it. Crawling into bed, I become aware that Dawn’s awake as well. She tells me she’s been awake since midnight, and it is now 0145h. (I’m betting now that she nudged me awake). Well, it is time to go.

The reefing lines, sailbag ties, anti-chafe, and dinghy stabilizing was done before bed, but it still took us 40 minutes to have a coffee and “up-anchor”. We used the large floodlight to meander through the other boats in Prickly Bay, and to light up the channel markers in the dark. The GPS took us safely past the rocks a half-mile out called “The Porpoises”. The name suits them as they are continuously jumping out of the water between surges. Very dangerous.

The seas were down somewhat, and the wind was light. Dawn went back to bed, and I stayed on watch til 0600h, motorsailing mostly, but sailing some. Then Dawn got up and I got a 45 minute nap. We checked in to the Mississauga Ham Net, then took stock. The wind seemed as if it would stay light, there were clouds threatening some squally activity, but we took all the reefs out of the sail anyway. Still, we only sailed without engines for a total of about 6 of the 16 hours of the trip. The sea was irregular, but almost no salt entered the cockpit. No fish came aboard either; although my hook went missing, and had to be replaced. We listened to good music most of the day. All in all, it was an enjoyable crossing, with us entering the Boca on a slack tide and swinging into Scotland Bay to anchor.

We had worked hard in the last hour to ensure we could dinghy away from the boat almost immediately, as we had accepted an offer of drinks aboard s/v Zephyr’s Zest, a British Oyster. It was a great end to the crossing, and a good way to end my birthday.

We have since cleared in, and started our many chores. Still, yesterday, we took time to visit Zephyr’s Zest at Cruise Inn, where we spent time in the resort’s swimming pool. They are tied up to the dock over at Coral Cove and have A/C running aboard. We, on the other hand have opted for a mooring ball out in the bay. We are pretty sure that the next time we have to wait it out here, we’ll pay the big bucks and stay at Cruise Inn as well! As the pictures show, we had a major rainstorm while there.

Last night, we dinghied into a restaurant for a “Bake & Shark” with salad. The meal consists of a burger made with breaded shark. It is actually very tasty.

Tomorrow, with our morning haulout, the real work starts. We hope everyone enjoyed Mothers’ Day.

Dawn's turn:
Happy mother's day mom! I'm sure that Kathy is treating you royally on your special day!

This is our view today from our mooring ball in Chaguaramas, Trinidad. Of the many boatyards, this one pictured below is Peake's where we'll be hauled. (Peake's is also the BIG name in Air Conditioners!)




Here is Crew's Inn, complete with rooms to rent, restaurants and shops and of course this lovely pool.



When it pours rain in Trinidad, you needn't worry about being cold! Just go for a swim, or sit by the pool! (Or work on your boat in the boat yard...tomorrow!)







Here is Andrew, from the boat Zepher's Zest


Last night's menu for dinner at the "Wheelhouse Pub". 40 TT is around 7.00 Canadian! I have no idea how much those rum punches were!:)

arrived in Trinidad

We arrived in Trinidad at 6:30 pm yesterday after leaving Grenada at 2:15 am on Thursday. After about 2 hours out at sea, we heard from another sailing vessel who said he was also heading for Trinidad for haulout at Peake's on the same day as ours. After chatting with Andrew (from Zepher's Zest), he said in a British accent 'We have some dandy rum punch, and he would be pleased to have us come to our boat in Scotland Bay for a sundowner or two after we make landfall'. So, after dropping the hook he dropped the dinghy, packed up some munchies, ice and more rum punch and had a great visit with Andrew and Jo.

We'll do a better blog over the weekend as this afternoon will be filled with errands while the stores are open. Tomorrow is Saturday and we'll have difficulty getting anything done around here.

...more later,
Dawn

heading for Trinidad

Tomorrow morning, some time after midnight, we'll lift anchor and slip out of Prickly Bay and head for Trinidad. We hope to make landfall before dark, which is around 6:30 down here. Once we're there, we have to wait until Monday to get hauled out, but we've got to get to customs and immigration before that can happen. The wind is predicted to be very light tomorrow, but we've topped up the fuel and will go anyway. We'll be in touch when we arrive.

It's Laurie's birthday tomorrow - there will be NO cake baking on this boat!
Dawn