Back in Bagos Beach Bar - contemplating the navel - polishing stainless steel and even considering varnishing - I was getting bored - surprisingly enough. I had a bunch of jobs that weren't getting done. The days were sliding by and before I knew it two months had past - symptoms of inertia. I was starting to look for something to complain and bitch about - hence finding myself in Bago's Bar. It was time to do something - anything.
On the Sunday I was invited by Ian and Jacky on "Blackthorn" out of UK to Sunday School at Buccoo. Fortunately I knew what Sunday School was and was not going to tread on any ecclesiastical toes - god forbid that I should be so pious. Sunday School happens, obviously, every Sunday night and Buccoo is where the steel pan bands play - in fact they only play there on Sunday. It was astonishing watching a band play in such harmony on a bunch of 44 gallon drums of various sizes. I honestly thought that there was a xylophone in one drum, as I could not imagine so many tunes/tones emanating from the single half drum. The drums are painstakingly tuned to provide a most remarkable sound. It was a very pleasant evening. We left by 2200 hours when the locals started to arrive, then the music becomes more socca/rap.
Friday, August 2 - I visited Immigration and Customs in Scarborough, yet again, to get permission to sail to Charlotteville at the northern end of Tobago. Customs is there to protect the nation or so I'm told - maybe Sadiqi and I were considered a security threat - best not to take it personally. Over the weekend the Store Bay anchorage was rolly and very noisy from the bars and the Wet Fest festival at Pigeon Point. It seemed there were wailing ambulances either going to or from the festival about every hour until 0500am on both Friday and Saturday nights. I had not departed from Store Bay earlier thinking that the north west coast anchorages may be just as rolly if not worse than Store Bay.
On Monday August 5 I decamped from Store Bay and turned Sadiqi back into a sail boat again. That meant taking down all the awnings, wind scoops, sun protectors and securing things generally. By the way, Tobago is only about 22 miles long - a fairly narrow island lying north east - south west. Shortly after leaving Store Bay, motor sailing, the clouds dropped a prodigious amount of rain. Initially Sadiqi motor sailed north east along the coast. When the wind started to fill - 10 to 12 knots also from the north east I bore away and turned off the motor and sailed - beating to windward. I had been anticipating a strong current from the north east. Memories of my badly timed lengthy motor sail from Trinidad came to mind. Fortunately, the current was not as evident and we had a very pleasant sail beating north eastwards, doing several long tacks - Smithy the WindPilot coming to terms with beating to windward after all the down wind sailing crossing the Atlantic. It was a very pleasant sail along a very lush verdant coast line.
On the Sunday I was invited by Ian and Jacky on "Blackthorn" out of UK to Sunday School at Buccoo. Fortunately I knew what Sunday School was and was not going to tread on any ecclesiastical toes - god forbid that I should be so pious. Sunday School happens, obviously, every Sunday night and Buccoo is where the steel pan bands play - in fact they only play there on Sunday. It was astonishing watching a band play in such harmony on a bunch of 44 gallon drums of various sizes. I honestly thought that there was a xylophone in one drum, as I could not imagine so many tunes/tones emanating from the single half drum. The drums are painstakingly tuned to provide a most remarkable sound. It was a very pleasant evening. We left by 2200 hours when the locals started to arrive, then the music becomes more socca/rap.
Friday, August 2 - I visited Immigration and Customs in Scarborough, yet again, to get permission to sail to Charlotteville at the northern end of Tobago. Customs is there to protect the nation or so I'm told - maybe Sadiqi and I were considered a security threat - best not to take it personally. Over the weekend the Store Bay anchorage was rolly and very noisy from the bars and the Wet Fest festival at Pigeon Point. It seemed there were wailing ambulances either going to or from the festival about every hour until 0500am on both Friday and Saturday nights. I had not departed from Store Bay earlier thinking that the north west coast anchorages may be just as rolly if not worse than Store Bay.
On Monday August 5 I decamped from Store Bay and turned Sadiqi back into a sail boat again. That meant taking down all the awnings, wind scoops, sun protectors and securing things generally. By the way, Tobago is only about 22 miles long - a fairly narrow island lying north east - south west. Shortly after leaving Store Bay, motor sailing, the clouds dropped a prodigious amount of rain. Initially Sadiqi motor sailed north east along the coast. When the wind started to fill - 10 to 12 knots also from the north east I bore away and turned off the motor and sailed - beating to windward. I had been anticipating a strong current from the north east. Memories of my badly timed lengthy motor sail from Trinidad came to mind. Fortunately, the current was not as evident and we had a very pleasant sail beating north eastwards, doing several long tacks - Smithy the WindPilot coming to terms with beating to windward after all the down wind sailing crossing the Atlantic. It was a very pleasant sail along a very lush verdant coast line.
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| Castara Bay |
I dropped anchor in Castara Bay at 15.20 after negotiating Sadiqi's passage through some small fishing boats. . There was only one other yacht in the bay. It is a very pretty bay with small fishing village, tourist cottages, beach bars, palm trees etc. and appeared to be blissfully quiet. During the night I was woken several times hearing waves gently breaking on the sandy beach not so far away. Toward morning the village cockerels started their serenade to the start of the day - some a lot earlier than others.
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| Castara |
After two days languishing at Castara Bay I hauled anchor and headed further north to Charlotteville. The winds were light at the start and soon filled the further offshore we went, I was able to turn off the engine and sail. Charlotteville is on a large sheltered bay to the north of Tobago. There were a good number of yachts anchored in the bay. I inflated the dingy and headed to shore to do the obligatory Immigration and Customs business. I checked in and checked out as I was planning on leaving Charlotteville the next day to head slowly back to Store Bay. This was only an exploratory visit.
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| Charlotteville |
The next bay of call, not too far south of Charlotteville is Englishman's Bay - reputedly one of the prettiest bays in the Caribbean. The bay is not large and does not offer much protection in weather from the north or west. I dropped anchor. It is indeed a very pretty bay with lush green forest on the steep sides of the bay and sandy beach with tall palm trees between. There is only on structuKre near the beach - being a restaurant and curio shop. There are houses higher up the hills. An hour or so after dropping anchor my solitude was arrested with the arrival of 3 other yachts in the bay.
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| Englishman's Bay |
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| Englishman's Bay |
In the early morning I rowed ashore braving the beach break and managed to land without an embarrassing incident. I wondered along the beach until the heavens opened and it persisted down with heavy rain. It rained and rained all day and into the night only varying in magnitude. I had opened the water tanks to capture rain water from the deck. I had to close them soon after when I noticed flying ants around not wanting a tank full of rotting insects. The bay was very choppy, Sadiqi rolled and pitched around a lot. I was not able to do much on the boat with out getting thrown about. I kept occupied by reading. Just after midnight I had a look on deck to check that all was well and noticed thousands of twinkling little lights moving about against the dark trees. I did give my eyes a rub and check that I was not hallucinating. I'd seen fire flies before but not that many - it was quite surreal.
On the Sunday during a brief respite in the rain I hauled anchor and headed back to Castara only 2 miles south. It seemed that Castara Bay was a little less rolly. I managed to get some jobs and chores done on the boat.
On the Sunday during a brief respite in the rain I hauled anchor and headed back to Castara only 2 miles south. It seemed that Castara Bay was a little less rolly. I managed to get some jobs and chores done on the boat.
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| Castara |
On the Monday it was time to return to Store Bay. It would appear I had arrested the inertia - I was feeling much better after the sail up the coast. I will be heading back to this area before the end of the month.
It was a great sail back to Store Bay in 12 to 18 knots of wind from east north east. Sadiqi romped along happily at around 6 knots SOG with Smithy on the helm. The sail north, visiting the quiet, pretty bays had certainly lifted me from my lassitude. I received a call from Dwight, the kite surfing instructor, just as I was passing Pigeon Point, to say there was wind. I had to chuckle and say "Yes I know. If you see a sail out to sea that would be Sadiqi heading back to Store Bay." It was indeed a good day for wind the first in many days/weeks.
KBack in Store Bay - not much had changed. There were probably 12 boats anchored in the bay. After visiting Scarborough to do the obligatory immigration and customs I visited John and Katy at Store Bay Marine Services, then visited Bago's for a beer. In the evening the loud tour boats returned their passengers to the beach blaring socca muzak over that bay as they did most days.
It was a great sail back to Store Bay in 12 to 18 knots of wind from east north east. Sadiqi romped along happily at around 6 knots SOG with Smithy on the helm. The sail north, visiting the quiet, pretty bays had certainly lifted me from my lassitude. I received a call from Dwight, the kite surfing instructor, just as I was passing Pigeon Point, to say there was wind. I had to chuckle and say "Yes I know. If you see a sail out to sea that would be Sadiqi heading back to Store Bay." It was indeed a good day for wind the first in many days/weeks.
KBack in Store Bay - not much had changed. There were probably 12 boats anchored in the bay. After visiting Scarborough to do the obligatory immigration and customs I visited John and Katy at Store Bay Marine Services, then visited Bago's for a beer. In the evening the loud tour boats returned their passengers to the beach blaring socca muzak over that bay as they did most days.
