Whenever one talks to folks cruising between Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago and Grenada, the topic of piracy inevitably comes up. There have been a few confirmed cases over the years, and a few near misses.... But not very many. Its a bit like the probability of shark attacks while swimming or plane crashes while flying. In reality, more people are killed in car crashes, but the hype and fear of that fact does not carry the same impact.
Thats not to say that one should ignore the threat.... that would be like crossing the road without looking left or right! The last confirmed case was in December last year, where a German yacht was boarded, and the crew robbed and traumatised, 37miles off Trinidad, by Venezualan fishermen ( More likely, drug runners).The Coastal Marine authorities in Trinidad and Grenada, assisted by pressure from the private yachting services groups,Ysatt and Mayag, are making efforts to advise sailors of best stategies and time to sail, offering contact numbers , email addresses, and offering advice and updates in the sailing publications.
As no attacks have ever taken place at night, we decided to make a night passage. We hid our second passports, our handheld VHF, most of our cash, a GPS, and decided on what our appropriate level of resistance should be in the event we were attacked. We wanted to sail across in stronger winds, and boistrous seas, believing that there would be less liklihood of the bad guys wanting to be out there in open power boats, and, reasoning that if they were, they would find it impossible to board a yacht carving through those seas at 7knots.... and if they did try, it would most likely be one guy at a time..... giving me a chance to fire a couple of parachute flares into their boat to distract them, while Mary threw the helm over .We would have been filling the emergency waves, VHF ( DSC), and SSB all the time, giving positions, descriptions and situation updates.... and simply hoping for the best!
We checked out in the morning, and then holed up un Scotland Bay until 17.00, where we were going to be joined by another yacht, heading down to Colombia . The heavens opened at 17.30, and we had a serious squall, which delayed our departure, making us rethink our 1 reef strategy. A 2nd reef was taken, and we headed out through the Boca, into the sunset, to find a lumpy sea, and no wind! We motored on for half an hour , feeling sure that the weather forecast was wrong, and wondering when to shake out the reefs. Suddenly, 20knots from the east and we were away! It stayed between 18 and 25 knots all the way to Grenada. Our planned route was a 27mile beat taking us to the east of the Hibiscus and Pointsetia oil rigs, about 30 miles out, after which we could bear away by 40degrees, and hopefully enjoy an easy broad reach down to Grenada. We knew there would be a fair current from the east, but underestimated how strong it could be when combined with the outgoing tide at springs. Instead of clearing the Hibiscus rig by 10 miles as planned, we passed it with 3 miles to spare, having given away 7 miles leeway in 27 miles of beating hard on the wind. Well, that took care of 25 degrees of my planned dogleg route,so we eased off just 5 degrees, leaving about 10 in the bank, and thundered along in freshening winds, and a short choppy 2 to 3 metre swell. Its in conditions like this that one appreciates once again, that a Shearwater is a fantastic sailing boat! With 2 reefs in the main, my tiny staysail, and about a number 3 sized headsail, there was no stopping her. She ploughed through the swells, hardly wincing when we hit a big one, and we maintained a steady 7knots . I seriously doubt if any a pirogue pirate would have been able to get close!! Mary said the crashing down below was alarming, but then she has never sailed in a Farr 40 in rough seas!!
We also really enjoyed all our new equipment, which perfomed well, after being asked some serious questions. We really liked having the Radar side by side with the chartplotter, and AIS as we piloted our way between the oil rigs. We were followed out by a big Danish Galleon, and were able to watch as her echo and nav lights fell further and further behind us, and we then caught up an echo that turned out to be Hunter 46, when we anchored in Prickly Bay. We were picking out yachts in poor conditions up to four miles away, and this was of some comfort too, as we kept our eyes on the look out for the bad guys!
And so , as we sit back savouring our traditional anchoring beer, feeling very pleased with ourselves and our boat, for having "run the gauntlet", we are also forced to admit, that about 6 yachts per day do exactly the same trip, so whats the BIG Deal????
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Back in the Water!
After nearly six weeks of hard work "on the hard", we are finally back in the water, and doing sea trials. We are thrilled with our new white non skid deck, which is so much cooler, and all our new equipment which is up and running, including ( I think) the SSB radio ! Mary kept reminding me, when I moaned about the dust, the heat, the sweat etc, that we did not come to Trinidad for a holiday! We came for the boating infrastructure, and to make sure everything on our checklist was done ..... until we start the new checklist!
It was certainly the right call to come to Trinidad, and we saw enough to want to spend more time here during the hurricane season, and perhaps seeing a bit more of the Island. Our visit to Caroni swamps was interesting and worthwhile, although it certainly made us appreciate once again, the rich and wide biodiversity we have in RSA.
We saw the Spotted Caymen, one only......, and were lucky to see a little silky anteater, curled up in the fork of a tree ( all 500gms of it). The flocks of Scarlet Ibis were impressive, and their vivid colouring is such a bright contrast in the mangrove swamps, where the carotene in their staple diet of crabs , produce the bright red feathers. We also saw a number of Blue herons, and little four eyed fish ! Actually, four retinas.... two for below the sutface, and two for above the surface! But that was it, really! We could not help but think about what we would have seen in a four hour boat trip through the mangrove swamps of Mapelane, or the St Lucia Estuary. We really have been lucky to have done and seen so much in Africa, but it takes a trip into other Ramsar Heritage sites, like Caroni Swamps, to appreciate it all over again!
On our first day of sea trials, we discovered the alternator pully was incorrect, and chewed up the belt in an hour, and the water pump which was rebuilt in Brasil, sprung another leak... But we did manage to spend a day up in lovely Scotland Bay. We went back to Chaguaramus, where all the problems were tackled, and while there, we witnessed a real Pelican Pig out . There is a huge resident population of Brown pelicans, who spend all day fishing around the anchored yachts, and sitting on every available post. There is also a big live bait netting industry, for the fisherman going out in search of game fish and Tarpon. When the net keepers turn their backs, or retire for the day, the Pelicans think its Christmas!! Hundreds of greedy Pellies squabbling and bickering in twenty square metres of keep nets!
We are now back in the quiet, calm, and beautiful Scotland Bay, with about 6 other yachts. Here the water is clean , and inviting . The only sad thing is to see all the litter around the shore line, and its not from the Yachties , but the locals, who just dont seem to care. There is a tempory fishing camp on the shore, about 100mts away, and we watched in fascination and horror, as one fellow just raked the rubbish from the clearing , into the surrounding bush. There is a big green notice around the corner on a little beach, which says NO LITTERING, punishable by XYZ, but the rubbish just piles up around it, and the locals just keep going there and doing zipo Sad!! Today we head back to Chaguaramus, for dinner with friends, and to stock up prior to clearing out with Customs and Immigration on Monday/Tuesday for our sail to Grenada, where we are looking forward to being joined by Kate, who will be flying over to be with us. More from Grenada!
It was certainly the right call to come to Trinidad, and we saw enough to want to spend more time here during the hurricane season, and perhaps seeing a bit more of the Island. Our visit to Caroni swamps was interesting and worthwhile, although it certainly made us appreciate once again, the rich and wide biodiversity we have in RSA.
We saw the Spotted Caymen, one only......, and were lucky to see a little silky anteater, curled up in the fork of a tree ( all 500gms of it). The flocks of Scarlet Ibis were impressive, and their vivid colouring is such a bright contrast in the mangrove swamps, where the carotene in their staple diet of crabs , produce the bright red feathers. We also saw a number of Blue herons, and little four eyed fish ! Actually, four retinas.... two for below the sutface, and two for above the surface! But that was it, really! We could not help but think about what we would have seen in a four hour boat trip through the mangrove swamps of Mapelane, or the St Lucia Estuary. We really have been lucky to have done and seen so much in Africa, but it takes a trip into other Ramsar Heritage sites, like Caroni Swamps, to appreciate it all over again!
On our first day of sea trials, we discovered the alternator pully was incorrect, and chewed up the belt in an hour, and the water pump which was rebuilt in Brasil, sprung another leak... But we did manage to spend a day up in lovely Scotland Bay. We went back to Chaguaramus, where all the problems were tackled, and while there, we witnessed a real Pelican Pig out . There is a huge resident population of Brown pelicans, who spend all day fishing around the anchored yachts, and sitting on every available post. There is also a big live bait netting industry, for the fisherman going out in search of game fish and Tarpon. When the net keepers turn their backs, or retire for the day, the Pelicans think its Christmas!! Hundreds of greedy Pellies squabbling and bickering in twenty square metres of keep nets!
We are now back in the quiet, calm, and beautiful Scotland Bay, with about 6 other yachts. Here the water is clean , and inviting . The only sad thing is to see all the litter around the shore line, and its not from the Yachties , but the locals, who just dont seem to care. There is a tempory fishing camp on the shore, about 100mts away, and we watched in fascination and horror, as one fellow just raked the rubbish from the clearing , into the surrounding bush. There is a big green notice around the corner on a little beach, which says NO LITTERING, punishable by XYZ, but the rubbish just piles up around it, and the locals just keep going there and doing zipo Sad!! Today we head back to Chaguaramus, for dinner with friends, and to stock up prior to clearing out with Customs and Immigration on Monday/Tuesday for our sail to Grenada, where we are looking forward to being joined by Kate, who will be flying over to be with us. More from Grenada!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Time out in Trinidad!
As we head towards Sheer Tenacity's 3rd birthday, (A Bring Beer and Braai outside the Roti Hut at Power boats on 11th April), we are beginning to realise why we have been working so damn hard! After a wonderfull month in Tobago, chilling out with Steve and Kim, who flew over from Mozambique, we desperately needed to haul out and tackle a refit that just grew like Topsy!
We have repainted ,all the chicken pox patches caused by the incorrect colour touch ups necessitated by of our friend Frog's ( Stainless steel genius with problems!) work in Hout bay. We have repainted the bootstripe at the correct level, and repainted the non slip deck with Epiphanes White, to replace the too hot, and uselessly slippery International Interdeck pale Grey( ! X grey, mixed with 4 x white).So far, we are very impressed with the improved non slip as well as the new cool deck, and cooler interior. We have reluctantly replaced all the B & G network kit with Raytheon; Not because we think it is superior, but because it has the best representative coverage and warranty situation around here. There are just not enough agents who carry spares for the old B & G kit At this stage I probably know as much about the inner workings of B & G Autopilots as anyone, but we have had just too many failures to keep the faith! I have however kept the B & G Hydrolic Ram ( Serviced and reconditioned), as well as the B & G Network Pilot, the PCU.and Switch, which is fully connected with a cross over link, as a backup to the new Raymarine Kit! We have also had to replace the Furuno Radar with a Raymarine Chartplotter/Radar unit, and fitted new Tridata and wind instruments. We have done all our own wiring and fitment, but have to allow the Raytheon Installer, to do the final connections, so that we an get the warranties signed off! The problems with the Icom 710 SSB have also been diagnosed, but the parts will not be available from Icom until May, so we are fitting a new, old Icom 700, to use until then, at which point we will repair the 710.md sell the 700. We have converted the Mase Genset from an Impeller water cooled unit to an electric pump water cooled unit, because I am sick and tired of crawling into spaces too small for an old man, to change failed impellers, in a stupidly designed position ! We are also fitting a High Output Alternator(100a) and Smart Charge regulator, which was suppossed to be a direct swap on the Perkins, but isn't! Two days of re engineering, and we are getting close! We are also waiting for the replacement heat exchanger rubber elbows to arrive from Miami for the Perkins. Nick Van Zylen told me they were useless ,expensive, and would fail, and he was right!! The Perkins version cost 4 x the price of the almost , but not quite, identical Westebeke ones!
We have however , also had some fun!! Right alongside us in Power Boats, we have "Ukulele lady", well know to Hout Bay sailors, and have become very close to Nick Marvin & Lynette, who have arrived here after the2004 Cape to Bahia Race and are doing a total, and very good refit.Many of you will remember how Nick Taylors video, "Singer and the Sea" kept me going as I laboured through the building of "Sheer Tenacity". Rumour has it , Via Piet Van der Westhuisen, who zipped through last week, that Chris Hull, and Sea Lion could be heading this way too! And we know of two other Shearwater 39's in the Carribbean as well, so it it could beShearwater rally time in the near future!
We have had to learn new words, expressions and accents ..eg,.. "She Vex me!", Bus up Shot, Lime, Wine, Bacanal, etc etc We squeezed in a day trip to Maracas Bar, where we had traditional "Shark 'n Bake", at the famous Richards. ( Basicaly a deep fried chunk of shark in a damn great Vetkoek,) with a huge choice of salads and spices! On another occasion we drove over to Macqueripe bay, where the tourism authorities have done a very impressive job, with Walter and Jacqi, South Africans (from Jean Marie), for sundowners. Tomorrow, all the South African contingent are heading towards Caroni swamp to see the Scarlet Ibis population, and hopefully the Silky anteater.
And lest you think its all been one big "jol", there has been a fair bit of physical pain and anguish,(to go along with the financial anguish!) I trod on a triangular scraper with my bare feet, which made a pigs mess of the boat and my foot! Should have been stiched, but it was a Friday evening, and Mary was a whizz kid with steristrips and plaster, and three weeks later I am back to walking normally! I lost a thumb nail to a Rivet gun while up the mast, and actually managed not to drop the damn thing in the process! I also managed break a molar eating peanuts, which, because of the way it broke required extraction last Saturday! At the moment I have some tropical malaise, which has the glands in my armpits behaving like painful acorns !!!!! All this is playing havoc with my blog writing, for which I feel duty bound, to apologise.
We hope to get back in the water next week, to do sea trials with the new kit, and to share a few days in Scotland Bay with Nick and Lynette, who also need reminding , that boats are meant to be sailed!!
It sounds like we've had masses of equipment failure but bearing in mind that most of the electronic kit was fairly elderly and that we have just completed a 9000mile shakedown sail, we can't complain too much. If one seeks perfection, one is in danger of never leaving homebase...............and there's a big and exciting world our there just waiting to be explored!
We have repainted ,all the chicken pox patches caused by the incorrect colour touch ups necessitated by of our friend Frog's ( Stainless steel genius with problems!) work in Hout bay. We have repainted the bootstripe at the correct level, and repainted the non slip deck with Epiphanes White, to replace the too hot, and uselessly slippery International Interdeck pale Grey( ! X grey, mixed with 4 x white).So far, we are very impressed with the improved non slip as well as the new cool deck, and cooler interior. We have reluctantly replaced all the B & G network kit with Raytheon; Not because we think it is superior, but because it has the best representative coverage and warranty situation around here. There are just not enough agents who carry spares for the old B & G kit At this stage I probably know as much about the inner workings of B & G Autopilots as anyone, but we have had just too many failures to keep the faith! I have however kept the B & G Hydrolic Ram ( Serviced and reconditioned), as well as the B & G Network Pilot, the PCU.and Switch, which is fully connected with a cross over link, as a backup to the new Raymarine Kit! We have also had to replace the Furuno Radar with a Raymarine Chartplotter/Radar unit, and fitted new Tridata and wind instruments. We have done all our own wiring and fitment, but have to allow the Raytheon Installer, to do the final connections, so that we an get the warranties signed off! The problems with the Icom 710 SSB have also been diagnosed, but the parts will not be available from Icom until May, so we are fitting a new, old Icom 700, to use until then, at which point we will repair the 710.md sell the 700. We have converted the Mase Genset from an Impeller water cooled unit to an electric pump water cooled unit, because I am sick and tired of crawling into spaces too small for an old man, to change failed impellers, in a stupidly designed position ! We are also fitting a High Output Alternator(100a) and Smart Charge regulator, which was suppossed to be a direct swap on the Perkins, but isn't! Two days of re engineering, and we are getting close! We are also waiting for the replacement heat exchanger rubber elbows to arrive from Miami for the Perkins. Nick Van Zylen told me they were useless ,expensive, and would fail, and he was right!! The Perkins version cost 4 x the price of the almost , but not quite, identical Westebeke ones!
We have however , also had some fun!! Right alongside us in Power Boats, we have "Ukulele lady", well know to Hout Bay sailors, and have become very close to Nick Marvin & Lynette, who have arrived here after the2004 Cape to Bahia Race and are doing a total, and very good refit.Many of you will remember how Nick Taylors video, "Singer and the Sea" kept me going as I laboured through the building of "Sheer Tenacity". Rumour has it , Via Piet Van der Westhuisen, who zipped through last week, that Chris Hull, and Sea Lion could be heading this way too! And we know of two other Shearwater 39's in the Carribbean as well, so it it could beShearwater rally time in the near future!
We have had to learn new words, expressions and accents ..eg,.. "She Vex me!", Bus up Shot, Lime, Wine, Bacanal, etc etc We squeezed in a day trip to Maracas Bar, where we had traditional "Shark 'n Bake", at the famous Richards. ( Basicaly a deep fried chunk of shark in a damn great Vetkoek,) with a huge choice of salads and spices! On another occasion we drove over to Macqueripe bay, where the tourism authorities have done a very impressive job, with Walter and Jacqi, South Africans (from Jean Marie), for sundowners. Tomorrow, all the South African contingent are heading towards Caroni swamp to see the Scarlet Ibis population, and hopefully the Silky anteater.
And lest you think its all been one big "jol", there has been a fair bit of physical pain and anguish,(to go along with the financial anguish!) I trod on a triangular scraper with my bare feet, which made a pigs mess of the boat and my foot! Should have been stiched, but it was a Friday evening, and Mary was a whizz kid with steristrips and plaster, and three weeks later I am back to walking normally! I lost a thumb nail to a Rivet gun while up the mast, and actually managed not to drop the damn thing in the process! I also managed break a molar eating peanuts, which, because of the way it broke required extraction last Saturday! At the moment I have some tropical malaise, which has the glands in my armpits behaving like painful acorns !!!!! All this is playing havoc with my blog writing, for which I feel duty bound, to apologise.
We hope to get back in the water next week, to do sea trials with the new kit, and to share a few days in Scotland Bay with Nick and Lynette, who also need reminding , that boats are meant to be sailed!!
It sounds like we've had masses of equipment failure but bearing in mind that most of the electronic kit was fairly elderly and that we have just completed a 9000mile shakedown sail, we can't complain too much. If one seeks perfection, one is in danger of never leaving homebase...............and there's a big and exciting world our there just waiting to be explored!
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