MUTUAL FUN - A SAILING ODYSSEY

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FIRST MATE'S LOG - May 2001

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September 2, 2001

We spent one night in the rolly anchorage of Englishman's Bay and then sailed over to Mt. Irvine Bay, where we are still hanging out, waiting for nothing and no one. The swimming is good and there are some reefs to snorkel. There is a restaurant here that has the best bake and fish in the whole country. It's a huge role, but more in the shape of a pita which is light and airy and tastes like the best bread you've ever tasted. Then a few pieces of flying fish, which I choose poached instead of fried and a small salad. The price is the kicker - $12TT, which is $2US. Yesterday Jill and Leons aboard "Kukaro" sailed in. I dinghied over to say "hi" as Jill was getting in their dinghy with a loaf of delicious banana bread for us. We came back to "Mutual Fun" to catch up and drink tea and eat banana bread. We invited them to go o a walk with us, along with "Free Spirit" and "Merlin" and we all gathered at the beach at 1:30pm. It had been raining since 3:00am and we needed to have some fun on this rainy day. We started our trek, dodging into little shops along the way until a huge downpour descended upon us and we ducked into "Under the Mango Tree" restaurant for a drink. The owner was the prettiest and classiest lady I've met in the islands. She was born in Trinidad but had lived in Germany for 33 years and came back to Tobago to open her restaurant. The service was wonderful, as was her company. It was there that our party split up and some carried on to Plymouth while Bob, Sue and I went back to wait for them. We went to the little grocery and bought a few things when we were accosted by the saddest local guy. He had already sponged a $10TT off us for "food" but this time he just wanted to talk. His hands were in constant motion as a Parkinson's patient or someone suffering from severe DT's. He told us how he used to be strong and healthy but now he has hepatitis and he hears voices and sees images. He was the last of 14 children and that poor man is really pathetic. His brother happened by and was in no better condition. We talked with him for a half-hour or so before we were too depressed and continued back to town. Sue and I lamented the rest of the way home how lucky we were and how sad for others. By the time we reached the bake and fish restaurant, we were ok again. The others joined us and we had our feast and went back to the beach where our dinghies were, in the dark. In trying to get out of the way of an oncoming car, I fell off the street into a big hole, which turned out to be a steep cliff but managed to crawl back up before careening over the side. And this just after we all met on the beach the other morning to take a taxi into the main town of Scarborough; I had on my best white cotton shorts that I save for "formal affairs" because they only have one stain, and a nice powder blue tank top my mom got me for my birthday. Once we get within a few feet of shore, it's a mad dash for the driver of the dinghy to give us a final boost with the engine and then tip the engine out of the water so the prop doesn't hit bottom and the other person to hop out and pull the dinghy to safe sand. All of this happens quickly but not always without disaster. If the surf is high, the whole dinghy could flip causing danger to the people and possible disaster for the engine. Well, in this instance, I misjudged the sand beneath me and immediately fell on my hiney. I was soaked and sand-sodden. The taxi driver was waiting but I had to dinghy back to the boat and strip down, towel myself off and start all over again. The weird thing was, nobody on the beach was laughing. Once I returned, I asked about it and it turns out they were gauging my reaction before letting loose with the giggles. I laughed about it the whole day but wished someone had captured it on film.

All else good in Tobago. We're all planning to go to Sunday school tonight. Sounds impressive, I know but it's actually a huge party with many different bands. The locals come from the whole island to party on Sunday nights and if we can stay up late enough, we're all going. It's been raining for the last couple of days and we're all looking forward to this tropical wave passing and leaving us in sunshine once again.

September 4, 2001

Everyone's sick! Bob, Sue and Tim all have head colds, complete with runny noses, sniffles and sneezing. Geoff is fine and I don't have a cold but had to change one of my prescriptions because it's unavailable here and I haven't slept for 2 nights. On the good side, it's sunny, breezy and I taped, sanded and stained one side of trim today. Poor Bob only manages the smallest chores before he's conked out on the couch again. Life will be better soon!

September 5, 2001

Bob, Geoff and Tim took the bus into town to check out of customs in Tobago and other assorted chores. Sue called me on the radio and invited me over. For some reason, I had butterflies as I finished my lunch and hopped in the dinghy to go over to "Free Spirit." Sue got me all settled on her favorite cushion with a glass of water and then turned to me and said, "I suppose you know I had a reason for asking you over." I shook my head but my heart sank. All of the sudden everything came together. Sue looked terrible with red face, eyes and nose and now I knew it wasn't just from her cold. She told me with tears running down her face that she had made the decision to go home. "And I won't be returning" she stated. It happens out here that one has the dream to sail, almost always the man, and the other goes along and tries their best to help them fulfill their dream. In the ideal situation, they both love it and stay, or hate it and go home. Together. But Sue and Geoff won't be going home together. Sue is one of the kindest people I have had the pleasure to get to know. She is patient and always helpful, vivacious, intelligent and has a wit that comes out if she likes you, and she likes almost everyone. When she smiles her blue eyes crinkle up and you just have to smile with her. Her wit rolls off a beautiful British tongue which is sometimes mixed with phrases I have never heard of, but never tire of learning and using. Sue has been out cruising a year now and she explains how she feels, with much understanding on my part. She's bored. She feels she is too young to be out here wasting her life. She has things to do, people to see; a cottage awaits her back in England, complete with a garden that she can't wait to dig her green thumb into and a yellow Labrador she can't wait to get. She misses her routine of working out, a part-time job and being useful in society. She misses intelligent talk of books and politics. She's tired of boat parts and boat maintenance and just plain worrying if the boat is going to make it to the next port. And, if it does, there awaits for her one more beach with more snorkeling and more talk of boat parts with other cruisers. Geoff is retired and has the feel of the sea in his veins and the smell of the ocean in his blood. He would like to sail forever, or as far as he can see in the future. For Sue, this future looks bleak. It's hard to imagine the gut-wrenching pain it took for Sue to make her decision. She is truly not herself aboard their 45- ft. catamaran and needs to go home. And, in going home, she risks her husband and her marriage.

Returning to our boat and passing on this sad news to Bob, we were both quiet and thoughtful. We will miss Sue something terrible, for we looked forward to meeting up with them at every possible port. But more important is that another relationship may be broken out here as two people try to follow the dream of one. Our loss leaves a pit in my stomach and sadness in my heart. I can only imagine what Geoff must be feeling. In my heart, we wish Sue the best and that she finds herself again, on land, with the respect she owes herself. Nothing is worth the disintegration of the soul and one must always do what they can to preserve the peace and beauty which is within us all. Farewell to Sue and may our paths cross again.

September 6, 2001

Our stay in Tobago comes to an end as we get the boat ready for an overnighter back to Trinidad. The conditions are close to perfect, we are thinking but it turns out we have a little less wind and we have to motor sail all of the way. We are one night shy of a full moon and it comes up about 8:00pm and stays with us all night. The stars are plentiful and I even see some falling stars. The seas are quite calm and the current and what wind there is, is with us. We're making good time but in no hurry. We divide our watches pretty evenly and I pull the 1:00am-5: 00am. It's no problem; the navigating, boat watching and light show keep me busy enough to stay awake. The current is so strong that we have to check the GPS every 15 minutes or so and make course corrections. We also have electronic charts on the computer and we keep a close watch on them, as we are sailing within a couple of miles of the Trinidad coastline at night. There are no problems, worries or hitches and we arrive Trinidad and are anchored by 8:00am. Many of our friends are here and some call us on the radio to welcome us back and some come to the boat to see us. We went in for a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and a small salad and then I take the dinghy to see Anne Marie on "Vitrain" while Bob goes to hunt down our solenoid. I then go back to the boat and have a toes-up for an hour or so. Bob strikes out with the solenoid but he is promised it will be in the shop in the morning. It better be! Tomorrow's my birthday and we're going to celebrate at Joe's Pizza with a bunch of friends. "Free Spirit," pulled in before dark and I won't have much time to spend with Sue before she leaves. She's given me a gift that's waiting to be opened no sooner than tomorrow morning. I am 47 years old tomorrow and I still love birthdays as much as when I was little. Bob has promised me a nice gift once we get to Margarita, in Venezuela. Until my birthday, I'm tired and goodnight.

September 9, 2001

What a birthday celebration!

My day started with breakfast in bunk and ended with a big bash at Joe's Pizza with about 20 of my best friends. We asked a couple of people to join us and it kept getting bigger and bigger and we had a blast. Patti on "Passagio" threatened to outdo me in push-ups, which had both of us on the floor trying to outdo each other. Patti used to have a personal trainer and at one time did 500 sit-ups daily and like, 100 push-ups, and I mean the military style. Formerly, she was not to be messed with but she lipped off to me and then elbowed me in the ribs, which got me standing up straight in her face and me being a good 3 inches taller and no wimp myself; well a push-up fest was better than a punch out and we had a good time. So did the spectators, what with Patti in short-shorts and built like a brick�house. Drinks and pizza for all and John on "Gabrielle" topped it off with a pineapple cake that he had pre-ordered. Every time someone walked by our outdoor table, whether we knew them or not, Gord on "Lady Simcoe" would say, "hey, it's Mona's birthday" and everyone would sing "happy birthday" yet another time. Most of us chose to walk back to TTSA, about a 20-minute walk and that worked off the wine and beer and we all happily got into our dinghies and were tucked in by 11:00pm. The next day we had another celebration with Anne Marie and Leo on "Vitrain" because Anne Marie just had surgery and couldn't come to the party. Sue baked a wonderful chocolate cake, which she claimed sunk in the middle when they had to suddenly reanchor. I didn't see any sign of a smooshed cake and it was delicious. More singing and eating and I think I've added 2 years instead of one.

Today is Sunday and back to normal. We'll do some boat chores and tomorrow, Bob has to find someone to help us with the generator. The new solenoid is in and still acting up so we need an electrician before we can get out of here on to Venezuela. Oh, and the really excellent news is that Sue has decided to stay until November and will be cruising to Venezuela with us!!

September 11, 2001

I awoke late and turned on the vhf radio. Someone was announcing that the World Trade Center had been hit by an airplane. We turned on our miniature TV set to CNN and listened, the best we could. Bob went ashore and made a call for boat repair then stayed and watched the big TV at the club center. I waited until we had charged the batteries and ran the fridge and then hitched a ride with "Free Spirit" into town. When I arrived, there were about 30 people sitting around the TV watching. Americans, Canadians and British were all solemn as they watched the disaster unfolding on CNN. We came back to the boat for something to eat and Bob just went back in to watch more. My stomach hurts and I'm going to take a break for awhile. I have no words to convey my feelings or the atmosphere around the anchorage. I will leave it for another time.

September 13, 2001

As you all watch the news with horror, we here, especially Americans are feeling a bit isolated and helpless. There have been a few who have had to call home to check on brothers and sisters, cousins and in-laws. One cruiser lost his brother and sister-in-law in one of the plane crashes. The atmosphere is quite solemn in Trinidad. The locals support us and give encouragement. Tonight at 6:00pm we will hold a vigil for the dead. We all feel we need to get together and have a good cry.

September 14, 2001

I force myself to write as this travesty isn't over. More Arabs were found in the New York airport, waiting to board and hijack more planes. We had a folk singer in last night and we all brought and lit candles. We sang with tears running down our faces. It was a good outlet for those of us that needed to rally with other Americans.

September 15, 2001

Getting prescription drugs is not always easy in the islands. Here in Trinidad, two of my prescriptions were unavailable and I had to substitute other drugs for them. This led to two weeks of no sleep and other unappealing side effects. I was desperate and tore the boat apart looking for just one vial of my much-needed prescription and thanks to my stepfather, Mel, I found a vial he had gotten for me with 22 pills in it. I cut them in half and now had 44 days worth of pills. I took the first one yesterday and slept 10 hours last night. I'm still a bit tired, what with 2 weeks to make up for, but a much happier person.

We spent the day today opening and closing hatches. It rained on and off all day. Bob's up watching CNN and I'm ready for a nap. Tomorrow we'll o around to the fuel dock for fuel and water. Monday the generator guy will come and finish his work and we should be off by Wednesday to Venezuela.

September 19, 2001

Well, it's Wednesday and we're not off. No major catastrophe, though. I awoke 3:00am to high winds and lightning. Bob, who has been so busy preparing the boat, was dead to the world. Just after I satisfied myself that we weren't dragging, I curled up into my warm sheets only to have to get up a few minutes later to close all of the hatches, as the rain started pelting in. Maybe about 4:30 I fell back asleep and awoke as the generator man came to finish his repair. It was raining and overcast and there didn't look to be any relief in sight. "Free Spirit" called and we all agreed to postpone for a day so here we sit. It seemed like a good day for brownies and so they are cooling on the counter. I'll give Geoff and Sue � the batch for our overnighter. Venezuela can wait another day for Mutual Fun.

September 22, 2001

We left for Los Testigos, Venezuela at about 3:00pm Thursday. A huge pod of dolphin were there to greet us as we left Trinidad. Three really big ones were having the time of their lives swimming under the bow of the boat to my hollers of encouragement. It seemed there was the leader, who would turn onto his side and give me the eyeball as I laughed and then he would turn all of the way over on his back to top off the show. His body, from snout to fin must have been about 7 ft. Off in the distance, we witnessed two smaller dolphin jump up from opposite positions and do a semi-circle back into the water, just like an entertainment act. They stayed with us for quite some time. As darkness approached, we took down our bimini (awning) and were exposed to the beautiful pink setting sun and the purple mountains of Venezuela. We had the headsail up but the winds were light. Seas were light as well, with a slight northern swell. We were sailing northwest. The moon was only a sliver but lit up the water in a pretty way. Unfortunately, we didn't have her very long; she set about 9:00pm. After the moon set, the night became pretty boring, only to be livened up by the occasional onslaught of dolphin. At one point, there were so many in the water, the water was lit up by their movement and the phosphorescence. It was like large flashlights all around their bodies. With no moon and calm seas, no lights from land, we got to be pretty bored and without speaking it, we took just 2-hour watches. After two hours, with only the act of keeping us on course to occupy our physical beings, we became bored and sleepy. "Free Spirit" was off our port side most of the night; their masthead light keeping us company. We saw very few lights from other boats and my fears of the much-talked-about pirating off the coast of Venezuela dimmed into the background. It was about 1:30am that the wind dropped low enough and came from behind us that I decided to furl in the headsail. I had never done this myself but I was just bored enough to try it. It seemed to work much easier when I wasn't stepping on the line. That being accomplished, I spent the rest of my watch navigating and thinking of the couch with the fan blowing on me just cool enough for a light cover. Soon my dreams came true and I slept well. As I came back on watch about 5:00am, the sky was lightening and I eyed my fishing pole. It laughed at me and wondered why I even bothered since it's been so long that we have been friends. I let out about 300 ft., said a fishing prayer and waited. I didn't have to wait too long until I heard the drag buzzing and jumped across the cockpit, picked up the pole, but alas, it was too light. He got away. I set it back up and sat back down. About 6:00am, with the rising sun, came another bout of buzzing from the drag on the reel. I scurried over, grabbed the pole and felt some weight. Hot dog! As it turned out, "Free Spirit" was just moving around to our starboard side and passing us. They caught the whole act, just like it was staged. I called to Bob who was dead to the world and didn't get up. Good thing because I didn't need a gaff hook, I just reeled in the bonito tuna, to the "hoorays" of Geoff and Sue. He fought hard (the fish, not Geoff) and splattered blood all over the place but I turned on the hose and squirted the boat (and me) down. I bagged the tuna and threw him in the freezer, whole. An hour later when Bob got up and asked if I wanted tea, I said I had already had breakfast and caught dinner. I was going to go down and catch some more zzz's (zed's, as Geoff and Sue call it) but I thought I might be on a roll so I stayed up. I was rewarded a couple of hours later, as were coming into the anchorage. I had a big one, this time. The buzzing began as I was dozing in the cockpit. I awoke confused, jumped to the other side and grabbed the poll. Instead of stopping the drag, I put my finger on the line and got a nice burn on my finger. Now, let me just say, my reel is broken and the piece used to turn the reel to reel the line in is broken so I had to use a small butt end to reel. Well, if this fish wasn't at least 6 ft. and 30 lbs, I would eat my T-shirt. I fought and fought. Meanwhile, Bob is on the radio telling "Free Spirit" and "Vitrain", who has been in Los Testigos for 2 days, that I got a big one. It took maybe 20 minutes to reel him in and my arms still ache. He was a beautiful albacore tuna. Not 6 ft, more like 2 ft. And not 30 lbs, more like 7 lbs. But, he was fat and meaty and he was mine!

After we anchored, customs came by, boarded our boat and asked us a bunch of questions in broken English. They were quite pleasant but the communicating was a bit rough. We gave them cokes and brought out our flares and fire extinguishers and life vests. They told us we were welcome to stay 3 days. It is so pretty here. The water is a beautiful blue, something we haven't seen for months, and is clear. There is a beautiful sand beach, about 2 blocks long and it's sunny, not humid, with a nice breeze. Figures you find heaven but can only stay a few short days. I swam 3 times already. Last night we had the gang over for a fish meal. I was exhausted from getting the boat ready and Bob from getting the fish cleaned and both of us with little sleep. The evening was nice and short and we slept like babies last night. We're both a bit sleepy still but today promises to be a beaut.

September 23, 2001

What a fun day. We dinghied over to land with Geoff and Sue and had a walk (Sue and I actually crawled) up a sand dune that went almost straight up. Then we had a nice walk down the other side, which took us to the windward side of the island. We were all set to reward ourselves with a dip but the undertow was too great and we only waded. The pull of the ocean was really strong. We walked back down the steep side, which only took about 3 minutes and swam on the leeward side, where we're anchored. After lunch I had some sun time and another swim off the boat. I swam around the boat once but when I tried to do it a second time, I was too pooped. There's quite a current in here. We're getting a bit of a roll as well but nothing we can't tolerate. Matter of fact, we're staying one day longer than the coast guard has invited us to stay but who can understand all of this Spanish? The weather is perfect here; nice breeze, sunshine and cool nights for sleeping. The sand tickles the toes but when we were swimming, Geoff said we better lift our feet off the bottom because there was a sea snake moving around his foot. We pretty much ended our little swim on that note. We never know what is poisonous and what is not. When walking up the dune, Geoff pointed out some crabapples that he said not to even step on because they were poisonous. We've both gotten fungus crud on our skin and I got a cream for it, which works great. Tomorrow, another day in paradise before we sail to Margarita.

September 26, 2001

What a strange feeling indeed, to be in a remote island with no television, radio, newspaper or anyone who speaks English, and receive an email from my mom who touched on the phrase, "impending war." That really shook me.

We sailed yesterday to Margarita, a large thriving island in Venezuela, complete with high-rise buildings. We had a nice sail over but we did have to motor because the winds were light. We made it in 9 hours and are happily anchored in about 9 feet of water. This is a busy harbour yet the water is still clear and I jumped in after getting the boat in order, upon our arrival. Venezuela is the most dangerous place we have been, having been kept informed by the security net via SSB radio. We had to purchase a dinghy strap and we hoist the dinghy up about 6 feet off the water. The locals are aggressive and after the engines. The dinghy itself is almost worthless to them (especially ours.)

Today we're taking a trip into town, which is full of wonderful grocery stores and malls and the like. I'm especially looking forward to a jewelry store, as Bob is going to buy me a birthday present here. I decided on a necklace, with a stone from the islands, as remeberance. Big party aboard "Free Spirit" last night along with "Vitrain." I better go have my tea!

September 28, 2001

Today was a shopping day. It�s amazing that shopping can take up most of a day, but it does. We left in a taxi about 10:30am and just returned at 3:30pm. The store was amazingly big and was in a building with a small mall. One whole section is devoted to booze, beer and candy. The booze here is so cheap. People buy their alcohol, including beer and wine by the case. I tried to get water by the case but couldn�t find it. Go figure. There is a man who stands at the dinghy dock all day and helps to tie you up, shleps your garbage and your purchases. He has a hanging plastic bucket for tips. A typical weekly tip is 1,000B, about $1.50. The Internet is $.05 per minute, $3.00 for an hour. I bought a new bathing suit at the mall today. It wasn�t the deal of the century but it was $32.00US. Not bad. Cute, too. The chocolate is so good here; I have to be careful. Tonight everyone is encouraged to go up to Jak�s restaurant as a picture is being taken for one of the magazines and they would like a full house. The beer being $.30 a glass and the calamari being the best in Venezuela, it shouldn�t be too much of a burden.

- MORE TO FOLLOW -