Still Rockin’ on the Hard

Welcome to Trinidad!

Approaching the Dragon's Mouth (named by Colombus, 1498)

In sight of the coast, we threaded our way across visible ribbons of strong current. (If you should fall in, next stop Panama!..)  Heading into the Bocas del Dragón, we then braced ourselves for a wild ride in waters swirling through these legendary jaws.  To add to this eerie experience, steep Monos Island, flanking the mainland and named for howler monkeys inhabiting the area, gave us a landscape view straight out of the Jurassic period.  Our next Herculean Labour was facing an onslaught of day-trippers in pirogues (go-fast taxi boats) making an early assault on nearby Scotland Bay.  We made it out in the nick of time! 

We saw masses of Parrots but no Howler Monkeys
in those forested hills opposite the boatyard.

Chaguaramas, since 2008, has become more focused on commercial port operations and it appeared that the anchorage area has shrunk.  This uncomfortable area, exposed to strong currents and plenty of wash from pirogues at the busy Power Boats taxi rank, drove the Cap’n to request an early lift.  Without much ado, WJ3 was hauled, bottom cleaned and re-located to a choice spot just near the front fence, and more importantly, the Doubles lady.  She and her son offer an easy brekkie - starting about 4.30am each day!  GS’s first concern however, was for our resident Trigger fish.  We hoped this little guy, who had adopted WJ3 as its mother ship, had escaped in time.  I know, I know!  Usually, we have a boatyard spider join us for the season but Trigger took up early residence, and made an appearance at every stop.   

Power’s extensive boatyard is fairly quiet, staff as friendly as ever and services & facilities handy, so we set about mixing up our chores list with a few days of fun.  A helpful cruisers’ net operates each morning on VHF68 at 8am and each Thursday at 6pm, live-aboards meet for a BBQ dinner at the Roti Hut.  Of course, being out of the water meant we could only use our WAECO fridge (a small 12v car fridge) and as we had arrived in a “heat bubble” with temps up to 36C, ice (and very cold beer) became the essential ingredient to be housed there-in.  GS hung up the galley implements and sent the Cap’n, on most days, to select meals from the ladies at the front gate.  Daily under market tents, they set up a generous serving of local food for workers.  We ate very well indeed!  

Enjoying a night out on the town (the food was excellent)
& then celebrating with the Birthday Boy

When in need of supplements, like beer and chocolate (mmm!), we took Jesse James’ regular Saturday Market run into the Central Market, in Port of Spain.  It is a friendly local farmers market bustling with stalls selling the freshest of everything imaginable.  The Chicken Lady comes highly recommended!  (Enjoy this fun, local foodie vlog!) The market is a joy to wander, get chatty with vendors and very tempting to buy way too much.  We settle for a few basics, including some huge avocadoes, then retreat to the food hall for a breakfast selection of local specialities.  After the fresh food market, we stop briefly at a nearby supermarket to pick up any other essentials (beer, wine, cheese slices), then are delivered with our goodies, back to our boats by 10am.  

In all, much better than rocking about on the anchorage, wouldn’t you say?

Central Market, Port of Spain, Trinidad - vegetable & fruit stalls

Very Spicy Indeed

Spectacular Costumes: 
All photos from Pretty Mas & Parade of Bands

Spice Island Carnival was the order of the day, so we put on our glad rags and prepared ourselves mentally for this exuberant event.  Toes in the water, so as to speak, with our choice to attend the tamer option, Pretty Mas & Parade of the Bands. Well, we could only hope!   Our driver briefed us before releasing us into the chaos.  He tipped us to watch our belongings carefully, where to find the best viewpoints and tastiest local food.  He also gave us an event overview/history from a local perspective.  Mas, he said was not church mass but a masquerade and dated back to the times of slavery.  So armed with beginners luck,  it was a charge for the Tropicana Restaurant where at 4pm, some of yesterday's revellers were still recovering and trying to regroup for this next round! From Tropicana's elevated vantage point, judges preside over the parade to decide on winners, so we hoped for a good view and to be close to but not in, the action.  

Luckily, we spotted a wall, sheltered by a shady tree, to sit on, then waited – even island time slows down for Mas.  Eventually, stragglers from the previous day’s events filled the streets and before too long, a Chinese Dragon heralded the start of this hedonistic parade.  Lots of music, feathers, sequins, flesh and alcohol. 

Carnival is not a brief affair; it lingers, happily over many, many months.  Lots of fetes (fay-tays) or partying, drinking locally made beer & rum, making (LOUD) music, liming (more partying) and having fun.  Some of the events we had already missed were the Panorama (steel pan bands performing competitively), Dimanche Gras (Soca & Calypso competitions) and Canboulay (local celebrations).  We visitors had the option to attend one or all of Spicemas’s main events.  One was enough for us.  The main program included:

J’ouvert Morning. Day 1.  Starting around 3am, this morning parade offers lashings of oil, paint, chocolate, molasses, alcohol and sequins whilst dancing to some head-splitting Caribbean music.  Huge boom boxes on the back of semi-trailers belt out the local SoCa vibe.  Revellers in sparse but elaborate costumes, make dance moves your mother would not approve.  Locals call this event Jab Jab.  Jab Mas has its roots in pagan traditions and is about playing the devil and mocking fancy costume parties (Mardi Gras) attended by elites back in the days of slavery.  Today, the parade is a contest of bands and their exotically dressed (to a theme) followers.  The most popular in the parade are the theatrical jab jabs who coat themselves in motor oil (don’t forget to coat yourself in Vaseline first!), paint their tongue red, wear a horned helmet and perhaps, for an added touch of bizarre, decorate with a bleeding animal tongue or whole octopus.

Night Mas.  Day 1.  A Street Party follows J’ouvert (obviously to assist with recovery) with the same loud SoCa (Soul Calypso) music and a show of flashing lights.  Apparently, it gets going about 9pm.  Still lots more oil, coloured powder, alcohol and partying. 

Pretty Mas & Parade of the Bands.  Day 2.  Starting at 4pm in the cooler evening, Pretty Mas features bands and exotic costumes, wild colours, and dance moves.  The parade loops along the main road that follows the bend of the Carenage.  We had hoped to see a showing of steel drums too!  Blame the overcast weather?  So, sadly missed out.  

Rain threatened but didn’t eventuate.  Our ear drums will never be the same.  A dance move called “twerking” might cause many grandmothers to faint.  It’s a wonder those scant costumes stayed in place.  It was a warm evening; drink was flowing and music pumping.  Pure bacchanalian.  

The next day, and as a form of "recuperative therapy", our Cap’n & Mr Lozza put their heads together to solve the riddle of WJ3’s diminishing power supply and a not-so-happy alternator.  Unable, between the three of us, to conjure any Gordian knot solutions, a miserable Cap’n decided that Trinidad was the place to be for repairs and maintenance.  We were up at the crack of dawn – it’s a long 80 nm trip (11 hours at the helm) – only to discover that the alternator was MIA.  Whoops…  Well, perhaps we'll leave tomorrow then?  We're in need of a spot of repair work!  

So, we fixed it (well, our amazing mechanic Mr Lozza did), and then, we prepped for yet another early start next morning.  And so, leave Grenada we did!  Just for a change, the weather gods took pity on us, and the Motley Crew left for destination, Chaguaramas, in excellent sailing conditions!