Tobago and Los Testigos

It's the start of our third cruising season!


Before leaving Trinidad we took a quick trip to Tobago to arrange the sale of a piece of land we have owned there for ten years. It's a long slog in Argo at 6 or 7 knots so we took the 'fast cat' ferry which made about 38 knots and got us there in 2 1/2 hours. We stayed at a somewhat dilapidated little beachside resort which once was a plantation and still has great landscaping which attracts tons of birds. Once again we met the mot-mot







lots of hummingbirds


















and bananaquits (known as sugar eaters all down the island chain).















Lapin made good friends with the resident parrot.

But at last we did manage to emerge from one of the black holes of the cruising world. We've met boats which stayed years in Trinidad!

A good forecast and we headed for Los Testigos off the Paria peninsula of Eastern Venezuela - an area known for piracy. Unable to find a 'buddy' boat which wanted to leave on our schedule we did it alone but carefully - running north away from the coast for 30 miles before turning west for the islands. We also cranked up the speed since fuel is cheap in Venezuela (the boat uses much more fuel at higher speeds). We left Scotland Bay at 2 am and made it into Playa Real in Los Testigos at 3 pm - plenty of time for a nap before dinner.

The next morning C took a bottle of 2 Euro Martinique rum to the local Guardia Costa to ensure they would be happy to let us over stay the 2-3 day limit usually allowed then we went to explore the sand dunes which you can see from 10 miles out to sea.



















We stayed for four days - enjoying the beach and the peacefulness but not swimming much due to giant pink jellyfish!

On the fourth night the wind came up a little and the anchorage started to roll - so we headed on to Puerto La Cruz via Isla Margarita. It took two days and we are once again in a marina - the ONLY safe way to see mainland Venezuela now. We are told not to walk outside the guarded compound even to the marina next door. Taxis to the town are safe. Do this; don't do that. We are still gathering advice while waiting, waiting, waiting for the local agent to clear us through customs, immigration and the port captain - something you cannot do for yourself in much of Latin America, though we could in the islands.




Below is the story of Argo's first two cruising seasons.

The Bahamas to Dominican Republic

Argo left Fort Lauderdale in early March 2005 bound first for the Bahamas. We were on a fast track south - needing to get to Trinidad by the start of the hurricane season at the end of June.

At Shroud Cay in the Exuma chain of the Bahamas we rowed our little sailing dinghy into the interior of the island to see the wildlife. It turned out to be a tough trip for the little dinghy - both the oarlocks broke and we had to beg a tow back to Argo. Later in the year we sold the dinghy in Grenada and bought an inflatable which is easier to take to beaches.



Further down the chain, at an uninhabited island with the odd name of Big Majors' Spot, we met these domestic pigs. Their enterprising owner discovered they could fend for themselves by swimming out to cruisers dinghies begging for scraps.











Water colours in the Exumas are the best we've seen - only Antigua in the Leewards of the Caribbean came close.

After three weeks in the Bahamas we left Georgetown, a cruiser hangout, headed for the Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic. These were two long overnight trips and our stay in the Turks was cut short. The weather for the second leg was perfect - if we stayed we might not get another window for at least a week.








After the dry islands of the Exumas and Turks the Dominican Republic was a big change. Lush and tropical.

We stayed a week with Argo anchored in a muddy mangrove lagoon - touring the island and waiting for a weather window to make the crossing of the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico. The nastiest passage of the whole trip south.

Puerto Rico to Grenada

More by luck than planning we had an easy passage to Puerto Rico and then along the south coast to the Spanish Virgins. On Culebra we met this iguana at a restaurant.

By the time we reached the Virgins we felt the bulk of the trip was behind us and we slowed down in the US and British Virgins.




Here we often picked up moorings in the National Parks rather than anchor.































From the Virgins we hopped across to Saint Martin then down the Leewards with a stop in Antigua and Guadeloupe. We loved Les Saintes - a small group of tiny islands just south of Gaudeloupe.



Daytrippers come from the main island to browse the boutiques in the little town known simply as Le Bourg,

to sample the French food,

to enjoy the beaches,

and to tour the Napoleonic fort.





While Gaudeloupe itself is mostly very wet, the Saintes are arid and the cactus garden at the fort is inhabited by iguanas.















All down the island chain we saw a variety of fishing boats. But most were small, high bowed wooden or fiberglass pirogues like this one working off Martinique in the Windwards.











We had been looking forward to our stop in the National Park at the Tobago Cays in the Grenadines. Hoped to see water as clear as the Virgins and colourful as the Exumas. That was not to be but the anchorage is still unusual - no island to block the wind you anchor in a big blue lagoon directly behind the reef - and it is windy!








The last stop before our hurricane season stay in Trinidad was Grenada. Ravaged by Ivan a year earlier there was still plenty of evidence of the destruction. We took an island tour with cruisers from 3 other boats.


Some of the crops survive - cocoa, cashew for example but 90 % of the nutmeg trees were brought down by the storm - a huge blow to this small island.






Here rum is still made the old fashioned way using 200 year old equipment.

Trinidad

In Trinidad at last. We realized our trip down the islands was too fast. We weren't ready to leave the Eastern Caribbean. So the plan for year two was to return north as far as Puerto Rico and summer over once again in Trinidad before heading west.


We spent nearly a month at anchorages in northwest Trinidad - mostly in the lush rainforest at Scotland Bay which is just inside a pass called the Boca or the Dragon's Mouth. Here the tide rips through the pass at 3-4 knots - and the sunsets are spectacular.

Between boat work and lounging around the pool at Crew's Inn we made several trips inland with other cruisers.




The first was to see leatherback turtles come ashore to lay eggs and, simultaneously, the hatchlings from earlier clutches emerging and making the dangerous dash to the sea. Both these things take place at night.












































We wandered around the main city of Port of Spain - characterized by these wooden buildings covered with fanciful fretwork.














The best trip was to a world famous bird sanctuary called Asa Wright high in the mountains of the Northern Range. Hummingbirds and motmots (known to the locals as 'king of the forest') are two of the common sightings from the verandah looking down the lush Arima valley.

















































Before turning north we made a side trip to Venezuela in search of cheap fuel. It was something of a mixed experience - we did get very, very cheap diesel. But had some fretful nights worrying about pirates - here Argo is at anchor in Laguna Grande with scenery which reminds some people of the desert landscape of the Baja.














The most expensive of our Venezuelan fuel was brought out to us in Porlamar on Isla Margarita.

This gentleman brings fuel from the dock to the cruising boats at anchor just as his father did - in the same 60 year old boat. And pumps the fuel by hand from 55 gallon drums into your tanks. In our case he pumped 3000 litres one hot afternoon.

Year 2 Northbound

Our second year cruising felt much easier than the first. While we visited many islands we had missed the first time we also made long stops at some of our favourites. Familiar landfalls are so-o-o-o much easier.

First stop was Grenada where a local choir was tuning up for Christmas.














We had a long stop in Prickly Bay waiting for a new gauge to be flown in from the US - and enjoyed many fine sunsets.




We wanted to be in Bequia for the holiday - it is a traditional stop for cruisers at Christmas. Particularly for Scandinavian boats since a Norwegian ex-cruiser now living ashore throws a gigantic party for anyone who can understand the language. We were taken by our friends on Galadriel - he speaks Swedish.















Beaches and sunshine at Christmas still feel odd!









Many stops are less scenic but feature nice little towns with comfortable anchorages and good services (such as a nice bakery to buy a baguette or two) within easy walking distance. This little square is in Ste. Anne on Martinique.






This is coming in to St Pierre also on Martinique, but not a very comfortable anchorage. However, we really wanted to see the ruinsof the old town destroyed when Mt Pelee in the background erupted a hundred years ago. A flourishing town of 30000 was destroyed.


Now a much smaller village has regrown on the same spot - nestled under the tropical greenery on the steep hillsides right behind the town.







From Martinique we visited our old favourites - Iles des Saintes - once again. And gained a new crew member. A small French stuffed rabbit named Lapin came aboard. Lapin features in many photographs we take now. We add captions and make the photos into picture story books for Ella and Nico - the grandkids. Lapin gets to show them Argo

and all the sights ashore - much more fun than pictures of Grandad and Grandmum doing those things!















Lapin's first trip ashore was a hike to the top of the island - a lookout tower left over from the Napoleonic era gave a great view of Le Bourg.



Les Saintes once again felt like home - with a French accent and we stayed for a week before rolly anchorages drove us north. The so-called Christmas winds blew well into the New Year but we found one tranquil day to make the passage from Gaudeloupe to Antigua starting from Pointe a Pitre well before sunrise in order to pass under the bridge which crosses the Riviere Salee on it's only daily opening at 0-dark-30.

Year 2 - Northbound 2

In Antigua we came across many of these complicated seed pods from the mahogany tree. On the tree they look a little like chestnut coloured pears. The outside splits into 4 and opens to let the seeds fall out - only often the whole thing falls first.













We also continued our collection of Lapin photos on one of Antigua's many lovely beaches.



















We worked north rapidly stopping briefly at St Kitts and Nevis (which we loved) and Saint Martin - then on to the Virgins for a stay which stretched for many weeks when we discovered Clayton's passport needed renewing and there was a three week wait.


But there's worse places to be trapped for three weeks.


























We got to spend a little time with Galadriel - and they got to try out the Optimist dinghy:
Even Saint Thomas (skipped by many cruisers) had a pretty side:

In company with Galadriel we made one more hop north to Fajardo in Puerto Rico. One day there we rented a car to go to Old San Juan - well worth the trip: