We're still in Trinidad!!!

Yes, we are still in Trinidad working on the boat. The davits are being fitted tomorrow and the stern stanchions re welded – hopefully! Since the last update we have done very little other than work on the boat, either repairs or cleaning. It has given us a chance to get lots of things sorted out and to ensure we leave with the boat in good order and with lots of provisions on board. The only outstanding problem is the batteries which seem to be discharging very quickly so looks like we may be buying 5 new batteries.

Hopefully, we will be leaving Thursday if not Wednesday. This depends on us getting all the safety gear put back on the pushpit after the welding is done. We're worried that we will be compared with the American's if we stay any longer! They seem to spend most of the season here waiting for a 'weather window'! Given the winds are consistently 10-20 knots and from the NE we are not sure what they are waiting for. The water is never flat, there is always an Atlantic swell of between 6-15ft but the winds never exceed 30 knots and are all quite manageable for a boat our size.

We have had a bit of relaxation meeting up with friends we have made. People are very friendly and very helpful. Most of them have been sailing the Caribbean for years and then go home for the hurricane season. There is a cruisers net every morning where you can get help and also pick up items other people are getting rid of. Its a real expat community mainly run by the American contingent. We have recently met a Canadian couple who have sailed the Pacific for years in a 30ft boat, very brave. They now have a bigger boat and seem content to base themselves in Trinidad and cruise the Caribbean.

Hopefully our next update will be from somewhere other than Trinidad!