So sorry for not posting anything over the last week, but we've been very very busy getting Cat Tales all set for launch, which will take place today at 1:00. Besides the routine issues like cleaning, waxing, untarping, getting the dinghy off the deck, filling propane tank, filling diesel tanks, repairing a leaky hatch at the waterline, defogging the engines, we also had to replace all the 6 batteries, which of course took some investigation. The company assured us that they'd be all recently charged but of course they arrived yesterday less than at peak charge. Laurie had to walk back to the company to borrow a charger and has been monitoring them over night last night and is now returning the charger to the company...of course in the rain!
We're not sure how long it will be until we head to Grenada from Trinidad, but we can be pretty sure that we'll have no Internet for the next day or two.
A very sad thing happened in the boatyard on Sunday afternoon. A boat named Bolero had its mizzen mast fall down onto a power line. The woman onboard the boat touched something that would conduct the current and had tremendous burns to her arm. The man ran to her assistance and when he tried to get up the ladder died of electric shock! Sad indeed.
All for now. No pictures to share this time. Maybe when we start having fun, we'll produce!
Dawn
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Rocky Mountain High
We landed in Trinidad without issue at around midnight on Tuesday. Blugh, our friend and off hours taxi driver was waiting for us. We arrived at our boat ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnd found the usual grime and filth, but nothing was out of the ordinary, except for our missing life raft which was reported stolen late in the summer. We know where it is and will be retrieving it before we leave. Here is a terribly brief update of our fantastic trip to Colorado on the way to the boat:
We now have a new appreciation for John Denver's song. On our way south to the meet up with Cat Tales, we scheduled a stop in Denver, Colorado to meet up with sailing friends, Steve and Maria from the vessel "Aspen". We arrived on Friday night and had 3 full days of sight seeing, and exploring the area. I hope you can get a feeling of what we experienced through the few pictures. Many many thanks go out from us to Steve and Maria who entertained us royally. Besides seeing the sights, we had great conversations as Steve and Maria filled us in on their adventures over the past 2 years going around the world. Their boat is presently in Turkey and they plan to reunite with her in February when the weather warms up over there. You can read their blog by clicking on "Aspen" or click on the side bar of this blog. Our own time chatting with them about their adventures were as enjoyable as anything.
We spent a couple of days getting out in the wide open exploring the mountains around Denver. We checked regularly the height above sea level as we meandered up and down mountains and through passes, and traveled regularly from 6000 feet to 12000 feet, ears popping and dry nose complaining, and sometimes aware of not getting enough oxygen. We crossed the "Great Divide" a few times; this is the point where the rain and water drains either toward the east or to the west. Highlights included driving across mountain passes above 12000 feet to see a few of the fifty two 14000 foot peaks in the state, driving through old western and mining towns and trendy skiing resorts, amazing canyons, interesting restaurants, and fantastic geology.
Heading up the long, long stairway at the Red Rock Canyon open-air Theatre.
Here is just one year of entertainment at the open-air Red Rock Theatre!
At the top of the stairway at the open-air theatre, we paused to catch our breath and take a group shot.
Picking up the mail at Steve and Maria's in rural Colorado in "Pine" about an hour and a half outside of Denver.
We saw lots of wildlife, but this big guy was sitting in the yard waiting for us when we returned home from a road trip!
Marie and Steve are renovating their house which they live in when not on board their boat "Aspen". Exciting times watching the progress!
A Forest Gump restaurant at Breckenridge Mountain where we wandered around and shopped ("BubbaGump Cafe").
We took in a 3D movie and have the glasses to prove it! The boys loved "Immortals"; however, the gals decided we would have appreciated the "Happy Feet 2" movie down the hall!
We have been tossed deeply into the social life here in Trinidad! The weekly potluck was last night and the US thanksgiving is tonight here at Peake's boatyard under the mango trees. It's a bit of a challenge to find and cook a dish to share when our cupboards are bare at the moment, but that's a small problem in the scheme of things!
We now have a new appreciation for John Denver's song. On our way south to the meet up with Cat Tales, we scheduled a stop in Denver, Colorado to meet up with sailing friends, Steve and Maria from the vessel "Aspen". We arrived on Friday night and had 3 full days of sight seeing, and exploring the area. I hope you can get a feeling of what we experienced through the few pictures. Many many thanks go out from us to Steve and Maria who entertained us royally. Besides seeing the sights, we had great conversations as Steve and Maria filled us in on their adventures over the past 2 years going around the world. Their boat is presently in Turkey and they plan to reunite with her in February when the weather warms up over there. You can read their blog by clicking on "Aspen" or click on the side bar of this blog. Our own time chatting with them about their adventures were as enjoyable as anything.
We spent a couple of days getting out in the wide open exploring the mountains around Denver. We checked regularly the height above sea level as we meandered up and down mountains and through passes, and traveled regularly from 6000 feet to 12000 feet, ears popping and dry nose complaining, and sometimes aware of not getting enough oxygen. We crossed the "Great Divide" a few times; this is the point where the rain and water drains either toward the east or to the west. Highlights included driving across mountain passes above 12000 feet to see a few of the fifty two 14000 foot peaks in the state, driving through old western and mining towns and trendy skiing resorts, amazing canyons, interesting restaurants, and fantastic geology.
Heading up the long, long stairway at the Red Rock Canyon open-air Theatre.
Here is just one year of entertainment at the open-air Red Rock Theatre!
At the top of the stairway at the open-air theatre, we paused to catch our breath and take a group shot.
Picking up the mail at Steve and Maria's in rural Colorado in "Pine" about an hour and a half outside of Denver.
We saw lots of wildlife, but this big guy was sitting in the yard waiting for us when we returned home from a road trip!
Marie and Steve are renovating their house which they live in when not on board their boat "Aspen". Exciting times watching the progress!
A Forest Gump restaurant at Breckenridge Mountain where we wandered around and shopped ("BubbaGump Cafe").
We took in a 3D movie and have the glasses to prove it! The boys loved "Immortals"; however, the gals decided we would have appreciated the "Happy Feet 2" movie down the hall!
We have been tossed deeply into the social life here in Trinidad! The weekly potluck was last night and the US thanksgiving is tonight here at Peake's boatyard under the mango trees. It's a bit of a challenge to find and cook a dish to share when our cupboards are bare at the moment, but that's a small problem in the scheme of things!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Summer in New Brunswick
A view from our deck at Grand Lake, New Brunswick, fall of 2011.
As our season in New Brunswick comes to a close, and we start preparing to return to Cat Tales on November 22nd, it may be appropriate to write a few lines on how we fared during our northern stay, and provide some pictures as well. The weather in New Brunswick this spring and summer was particularly wet, with areas that used to grow grass often growing moss instead. The water levels at Grand Lake, where we spend our summers, actually broke records, with the result that there was precious little beach to be had. The rainy weather allowed for a June canoe trip down the Bartholomew River for Laurie and his brother Ken; however, the extra water in the river was offset by outrageous attacks by mosquitoes, black flies, moose flies, etc.
Laurie and brother Ken
A big project for Laurie (speaking) was to build a 4-season room on the side of our cottage. With the design help of my brother Mike, I settled on a thickened-edge slab for a foundation, and decided to see how much of the project I could do myself. I got the lumber for formwork from a demolitions landfill owned and managed by our neighbour, Dave Wasson, and did the picking and nail-pulling myself. There was significant work in preparing the ground and forming and compacting the soil under and around the slab to allow proper support and insulation against frost. I hired two labourers who helped me place the concrete, and with a little help from both those two and two of my neighbours, we survived the failure of the form, and got it acceptably braced. However, a laminated beam that was ordered for the roof never showed up, and the rest of the project was cancelled for the year.
Laurie paying off "Inspector Ron!"
It did allow me to spend a lot of time on the landscaping, and I can report that the yard never looked better. We’ll build a little frost protection for the slab before we leave it for the winter, and will start on the structure in earnest next May.
Laurie working on putting the yard back together.
All rocks were hand picked and brought back by trailer, trunk or rowboat!
Dawn’s father, who had been suffering with vascular dementia (making him much like an Alzheimer’s patient) died, ending two years of frustration for him. Dawn’s sisters joined us, her mother Jean, and the local relatives for the funeral and wake; and all had a nice visit.
Dawn and her sisters
Our crowd of “cove-dwellers” are still getting together regularly for a barbecue every Friday night. This was supplemented with many dinners shared during the week, and lots of visits from friends and family in town and out-of-town.
A special weekend in August, was the annual Pig Roast hosted by Hugh Whalen and Liz Abraham, was one of the blurriest yet; primarily as a result of attendance by Scott Kennah and Laurie’s brother Paul, unsupervised and uncontrolled.
Sailing our 21’ Hobie took a bit of a back seat to the construction of the sun-room foundation and the rainy weather; but we did get a couple of really nice sails in. The most enjoyable was after one of the rudder cams broke, and I took the opportunity to reconstruct both rudder assemblies - even redrilling the rudders. The boat, with almost no weather helm is now a dream to sail - and we're looking forward to sailing it next year.
All in all, the summer in New Brunswick has kept us quite busy. The fall brought unseasonably warmer and sunny weather, but of course could not revive beach activity.
The cottage, Hobie, and the construction project are all put to bed, and we're ready to start flapping our wings. We have flights for November 18th to Denver, where we’ll spend 3 days with Steve and Maria of s/v Aspen before continuing on to Trinidad. We’ll write more either from Denver or Chaguaramas.
As our season in New Brunswick comes to a close, and we start preparing to return to Cat Tales on November 22nd, it may be appropriate to write a few lines on how we fared during our northern stay, and provide some pictures as well. The weather in New Brunswick this spring and summer was particularly wet, with areas that used to grow grass often growing moss instead. The water levels at Grand Lake, where we spend our summers, actually broke records, with the result that there was precious little beach to be had. The rainy weather allowed for a June canoe trip down the Bartholomew River for Laurie and his brother Ken; however, the extra water in the river was offset by outrageous attacks by mosquitoes, black flies, moose flies, etc.
Laurie and brother Ken
A big project for Laurie (speaking) was to build a 4-season room on the side of our cottage. With the design help of my brother Mike, I settled on a thickened-edge slab for a foundation, and decided to see how much of the project I could do myself. I got the lumber for formwork from a demolitions landfill owned and managed by our neighbour, Dave Wasson, and did the picking and nail-pulling myself. There was significant work in preparing the ground and forming and compacting the soil under and around the slab to allow proper support and insulation against frost. I hired two labourers who helped me place the concrete, and with a little help from both those two and two of my neighbours, we survived the failure of the form, and got it acceptably braced. However, a laminated beam that was ordered for the roof never showed up, and the rest of the project was cancelled for the year.
Laurie paying off "Inspector Ron!"
It did allow me to spend a lot of time on the landscaping, and I can report that the yard never looked better. We’ll build a little frost protection for the slab before we leave it for the winter, and will start on the structure in earnest next May.
Laurie working on putting the yard back together.
All rocks were hand picked and brought back by trailer, trunk or rowboat!
Dawn’s father, who had been suffering with vascular dementia (making him much like an Alzheimer’s patient) died, ending two years of frustration for him. Dawn’s sisters joined us, her mother Jean, and the local relatives for the funeral and wake; and all had a nice visit.
Dawn and her sisters
Our crowd of “cove-dwellers” are still getting together regularly for a barbecue every Friday night. This was supplemented with many dinners shared during the week, and lots of visits from friends and family in town and out-of-town.
A special weekend in August, was the annual Pig Roast hosted by Hugh Whalen and Liz Abraham, was one of the blurriest yet; primarily as a result of attendance by Scott Kennah and Laurie’s brother Paul, unsupervised and uncontrolled.
Sailing our 21’ Hobie took a bit of a back seat to the construction of the sun-room foundation and the rainy weather; but we did get a couple of really nice sails in. The most enjoyable was after one of the rudder cams broke, and I took the opportunity to reconstruct both rudder assemblies - even redrilling the rudders. The boat, with almost no weather helm is now a dream to sail - and we're looking forward to sailing it next year.
All in all, the summer in New Brunswick has kept us quite busy. The fall brought unseasonably warmer and sunny weather, but of course could not revive beach activity.
The cottage, Hobie, and the construction project are all put to bed, and we're ready to start flapping our wings. We have flights for November 18th to Denver, where we’ll spend 3 days with Steve and Maria of s/v Aspen before continuing on to Trinidad. We’ll write more either from Denver or Chaguaramas.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
email to share with you
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!
Friday, May 27, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
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
Friday, May 13, 2011
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.
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.
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