Captain's Log Page 7

Tideline Yacht Sales
17 Lockwood Drive
Charleston, SC 29401

PHONE: 843.813.3711
FAX: 866.467.8840
Email: glen@tidelineyachtsales.com

      The anchorage can comfortably accommodate over 200 boats, and there are numerous boats that are stored on the yard. The main area is called Chaguaramas, and is about 10 miles from the capital, Port of Spain. Chaguaramas was used by the allies as a base during WWII, and there are the remnants of the huge facilities one would expect to find used by a navy. There are three main marinas and their boatyards. Each one can repair, rebuild, or build anything to do with boats.

We were sitting comfortably on the deck one morning, enjoying the tranquility, when a boat decided to drop anchor directly behind us. We got up to see that they gave enough scope on the chain, as well as putting enough distance between the boats, and were more than surprised to see our old neighbors from Cape Town! They had no idea we were there, and obviously did not know to look for us in the anchorage. Given the size of the anchorage, they could have been there for weeks and we might never have seen each other. Once they had anchored, and were satisfied that they were securely hooked, we went over to greet them. They had decided to come up from Brazil, and were planning on waiting out hurricane season.

Their dinghy had sunk when they were in St Helena, and the outboard had been submerged. Fortunately they had secured it to the boat, and had found the dinghy and outboard "dangling" underwater. Out boards that have been submerged can be revived, and since he was an engineer he had the skills to resuscitate the engine. That was his project for the first week, and it wasn't long before they were mobile and independent. Trinidad limits the time a cruiser can stay to 3 months. Venezuela has some of the most beautiful waters, and was only 25 miles away. We decided to go with "Three Ships" and spend a month in Venezuela, and then return to Trinidad to renew our permit.

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