We finally managed to make our long awaited trip to the Asa Wright Nature Center (AWNC) on August 27th, a few days after we retuned from Annapolis. We had originally intended to visit before we left for the US but the need to get Magic ready for her haul-out coupled with bad weather forced us to postpone the trip. The good news about the postponement was that our friends on 'Keesje II', Peter and Wendy as well as our friends on 'Discovery', Carl and Marilyn would also be joining us. We had decided on the overnight trip as other friends who had been day visitors had told us that they would have preferred to be able to spend more time at the center. We were also looking forward to a night off the boat. Since returning to Trinidad we had been living 'on the hard'. In other words, Magic was still out of the water and although we had hired an a/c unit from the yard it was still stifling hot below. In addition, we were making at least a dozen or more trips up and down the ladder a day, moving stuff back on the boat and running to the local chandlery whenever we needed a part. A night in the cool at 1,200ft in the rainforest would be a welcome change.

The Asa Wright Center comprises almost 1,500 acres in the Arima and Aripo valleys. It was originally a coffee, cocoa and citrus plantation but in 1967 was transformed into a 'non-profit' Trust by a group of conservationists trying to protect the Arima Valley and its wildlife. The center is now world renowned as a destination for students of tropical ecology and is of specific interest to birdwatchers. It is also apparently included in the book '1,000 Places To See Before You Die', although we've not verified that ourselves.

Our tour organizer was again the famous Jesse James. We've mentioned Jesse before. He runs a taxi and tour service based in Chaguaramas which caters to the yachting community staying there for the hurricane season. Jesse runs trips to the local supermarkets and malls, the fresh vegetable and fish markets and movie night as well as a variety of hikes and sight-seeing trips. He is a very helpful and efficient resource for the cruising community as well as being a genuinely nice guy. We relied on Jesse a good deal.

We clambered on to the bus a little after 9.30am. We had a long run to the Asa Wright Centre, one road in, one road out and the condition of that road was a worry due to the heavy storms and rainfall we had experienced the weekend before our trip. But Jesse's first concern was our stomachs and an hour or so into the ride we had to stop for 'doubles'. Most of the really good 'street food' in Trinidad is of Indian origin and 'doubles' are no different. The ones we had had from the van that parks just outside the Power Boats gate every morning were pretty good to us but no, Jesse assured us, the ones we were about to experience were far better than anything we could find in Chaguaramas. Who were we to argue with an expert? With mouths watering in anticipation we anxiously awaited sight of the Taj Mahal of doubles shacks. So when Jesse pulled on to a block of concrete outside an industrial estate where two mobile 'hot dog' type vans were parked, we were a little dubious. OK, one had a brightly colored blue and white canvas top, but even so. But again we were proved wrong. The doubles were wonderful (ignore the potential cholesterol issues here). Deep fried dough flavored with saffron which puffed up beautifully filled with a spicy chick-pea mixture. And at TT$4 per item (about 66 US cents or 36p in sterling) we could have more than one! Did we want to sample the other snacks they sell? Silly question, Jesse. We certainly did. So we tucked into Saheena (deep fried callaloo) and a ball made of mashed peas that I've forgotten the name of as well as more doubles. All good vegetarian stuff washed down with mineral water. Duly fed and watered, we got back on the bus to continue our journey.

The road to AWNC had been damaged by the storms but was still passable so we made good time, arriving at the center just after noon. We were allocated rooms, dumped our gear and then went immediately back to the veranda to take a look at the bird-watching area the center is famous for. Every morning at 6.30am the staff set up tables immediately below the veranda where they place fruit and other 'goodies' to attract the birds for observation. Trinidad until relatively recently (in geological terms, that is) was part of South America and broke off from that continent less than 10,000 years ago. As a result, some of the spectacularly colorful birds native to South America are also found here. Now neither Dave nor I can call ourselves avid bird watchers, but we were fascinated by the comings and goings from the table and happily sat and watched. A group of day visitors were about to be taken on an orientation hike, but we decided that we would prefer to be in a smaller group and would therefore take our first hike the following morning. Fortunately for us, one of the staff guides who was actually off-duty happened to overhear our discussion and offered to take us himself. We happily accepted.

The center insists on all visitors taking an orientation hike with a guide before venturing out on the trails unaccompanied. There are a couple of good reasons for this. One is that it gives visitors the chance to learn about the history of the center, and be introduced to some of the more common birds and plants, but the second is snakes. As well as enjoying some of South America's most beautiful birds, Trinidad is also home to four species of venomous snakes one of which, the fer-de-lance, is responsible for more deaths in Central and South America than any other snake. Now for those of you who don't know, our Dave has a slight aversion to snakes and as our guide was happily narrating his tale of the fer-de-lance seen stalking juvenile agoutis across the car park the previous week, Dave, even with his tan, was turning paler and paler. Fortunately he agreed to join us on the hike, with the proviso that he would be second in the line. Why? Well because, as we were reliably informed by a self-appointed snake expert, if there is a snake hidden on the trail the first person wakes it up, the second person causes it to position itself to strike and the actual strike hits the third of fourth person in line. As our guide would be up front, Dave would be second and I would be, well, third. Get the anti-venom lined up please!

As luck would have it, we didn't meet a single snake on our hike. But we did see many birds, wondrous plants and an incredible colony of leaf-cutter ants that was over 15 years old. Over that time, the ants have worn a path to and from the colony that ran for over 200ft before it disappeared into the undergrowth, and was more than 2ft wide. We watched as ant after ant approached the colony bearing a portion of leaf several times their size. Soldier ants guarding the entrances would 'QC' each leaf and turn away any they found to be sub-standard! Even ants are fascinating, who would believe it!

After our hike we returned to the veranda for afternoon tea (very colonial) and then it was back to our room for a shower and to change for dinner. Coming out of the bathroom I found Dave kneeling on the floor gingerly lifting the edge of the cover on his bed. I had a strong suspicion that I knew the answer, but I had to ask the question anyway - "What are you doing?" "Looking for snakes!" "And what are you going to do if you find one?" "Run like hell!" Well, at least I know where I stood where snakes were concerned. Very much second.

A complimentary glass of rum punch was served at 6pm. Well, OK it was a glass of 'punch' with not a lot of rum until, that is, Dave brought out the bottle of rum we happened to have in our room and remedied the situation. We then watched a video on the wildlife of Trinidad before dinner. After dinner we took our guide's offer of a night hike to try to see some of the nocturnal animals of the rainforest. Again, luck was with us, no snakes. But we did see tarantulas, preying mantis, stick insects, various lizards and tree frogs. The noise of the rainforest is actually quite deafening at night, and by far and away the creature responsible for the highest decibel levels is the tree frog. About the size of your thumb nail, this little creature has a size to noise ratio that must be stunning. We found several before heading back to the center for a nightcap, and bed.

For some reason Dave didn't sleep very well. I had noticed a small tear in the insect screen covering the bathroom window and so had made sure that the bathroom door was very firmly shut. No unexpected visitors in the night for me. I slept well, but we were both wide awake and on the veranda by 6.30am the following morning to watch the sunrise special. The coffee was hot and plentiful and the staff had already been out loading up the tables and bird feeders. The number of birds coming to the table was incredible. All shapes, sizes and colors. I couldn't possibly mention all of the species, but a number of them are shown on the AWNC website (a link is below) so take a look if you're curious. We watched for over an hour and then headed for the breakfast table.

Another hike was scheduled for after breakfast and this one took us past the trail that leads to Dunstan Cave, the home of the centers' colony of Oilbirds. This colony was all but wiped out earlier in the century. The juvenile birds are very rich in oils (they weigh up to 50% more than the adult birds) and were killed by the local Indians for lamp and cooking fuel. After the area became a conservation centre the birds recovered and there are now estimated to be over 130 in the colony. All during the hike we were able to hear the call of the Bearded White Manakin. Finally towards the end of the hike we actually saw the bird. It is famous for its spectacular mating display, but our bird was content to sit in its tree, singing its heart out.

We made it back to the center for lunch, and then it was time to leave. Jesse was as prompt as usual and we loaded ourselves into the bus. We were in for another stroke of luck however. Would we like to go home via another route and see some more of the northern side of the island. We could also stop and one of the best 'shark 'n' bake' huts in the north of Trinidad - Jesse was concerned about our stomachs again. Yep, that seemed like a great idea and off we went.

The drive was beautiful and we saw more of the northern rainforest. And finally we stopped at Maracas Bay, a popular spot with locals, got out of the bus and were directed to Richard's Shark 'n' Bake Shack. Now we've been offered shark many times before but have always responded with the same answer - "No, thank you. We are divers and we have an agreement with the sharks. We don't eat them and they don't eat us." So I was surprised when Dave handed over his money and took possession of a bun filled with fried and battered shark meat. He then went over to the condiment bar and piled in onions, avocado, tomatoes and various relishes. I looked at him curiously. "Yes, I know" he said guiltily, "But it looked so good". And apparently it was. But we haven't eaten shark since.

We were back at Chaguaramas by 4pm and back to living 'on the hard', at least for a few days more. But our trip to Asa Wright was wonderful and if we get the chance to do back there again one day, well I won't complain.
Link to Asa Wright

Trinidad

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We flew back to Trinidad on August 23rd, right into what was probably the worst storm of the season so far. Our flights out of Baltimore and Miami had been right on time but as we approached Trinidad a severe thunderstorm was circling around the island and we had to circle in turn looking for a break in the weather so that we could land. After about an hour of dodging the storm, the pilot announced over the PA system that there was still no break in the weather and as we were starting to run low on fuel we were going to divert to Barbados.

So off to Barbados we went. Fortunately we were only on the ground for about 45 minutes before the captain announced that the storm had abated, albeit temporarily they thought, so we were going to make a dash for Port of Spain. This time we did manage to land, but at the same time as four other planes which had also been diverted. Customs and Immigration were swamped and it took us over two hours to clear in. By the time we found Mike, our taxi driver, outside the airport the poor man had been waiting for us for well over 5 hours. We slowly made our way back to Chaguaramas. The effects of the storm were quite amazing. All the roads into and out of the airport were flooded and there had been mudslides in the south of the island. It was said that over 10" of rain had fallen in just over 24 hours, and from our perspective that could well be right. It was gone 8pm by the time we reached our room at Power Boats. We had again rented accommodation for ease of moving sails and equipment back onto Magic over the next few days and that turned out to be a very good move.

Over the next few days we did what we could to get Magic ready to go back into the water. Our efforts were consistently interrupted as the rain that had caused so much devastation a few days earlier continued to fall intermittently. We took a break from our preparations, and from the rain, and went on our planned trip to the Asa Wright Center (see separate log entry), but less than 24 hours after we returned we were due to go back in the water. We weren't in bad shape. Our new anti-fouling had been applied, Magic's hull was waxed and polished and the sails and canvas we had removed before our US trip were back in place. Magic needed a good clean below and topsides, but that could be done when she was back in the water. We were ready for our launch scheduled on Friday, August 23rd. But we didn't splash on Friday. Kril, a steel boat owned by Michael and Ursula, was due to be launched just before us and would therefore need to be moved before Magic could be lifted. Kril was having problems with her new anti-fouling and it would have caused Michael and Ursula a problem were we to insist she be moved. Monday was a public holiday in Trinidad, but we reckoned a few more days wouldn't be a problem for us as we could continue to work, so we re-scheduled for Tuesday.

But Tuesday came and went and we were still on the hard. Another problem reared it head on Kril just when she was positioned for launch. Her lifting keel would not drop into place. Dave spent several hours with Michael and the guys from the yard but no matter how they manipulated the keel, it wasn't going to co-operate. By 3.30pm it was obvious that we would have another night in the yard. Finally the following day all went according to plan and by 11.30am we had splashed. A few days spent back at Coral Cove Marina enabled us to provision and we were then ready for some time away from the heat and bustle of Chaguaramas.

There are a number of bays within a few miles of the boatyards, and so far we had not spent time in any of them. Scotland Bay was the closest, and it was here that we headed first. We spent an interesting few days there, details of which we've already described, after which we motored back to Chaguaramas to see if Tim and Linda on Matsu had finished their work and were ready for some R&R of their own. They were. We decided to spend a few days in Chacachacare Bay, about 7 miles from Chaguaramas, stopping to spend an overnight in Grand Fond Bay on our way.

Grand Fond is very pretty bay, and very quiet. A few holiday homes dot the shoreline but all except one of these was unoccupied when we were there. The bay is quite deep, although the water shelves rapidly towards the head of the bay. The shallower water is marked by some World War II pilings and we anchored just off of these. Apart from one other catamaran, Matsu and Magic were the only boats in the bay. We enjoyed a peaceful afternoon and then joined Tim and Linda aboard Matsu for a wonderful fish dinner. We had a very settled night and the following morning leisurely made our way to Chacachacare.

Chacachacare has an interesting history. Up until about 24 years ago it was home to a leper colony established in 1924 by Dominican nuns. The remains of the patients' quarters, the doctors' homes and the nunnery are still on the island, although nature is fast reclaiming them. When a cure was found for leprosy the patients were moved to hospitals on mainland Trinidad. The island was abandoned although many personal and household items were left in situ and can still be found in the colony remains today. A lighthouse, built in 1896, is also still in operation and is manned even now.

We arrived at Chacachacare Bay mid-morning and were pleased to find 'Quintessence' already at anchor there. Richard and Sarah had Sarah's parents on board and had spent a little time cruising around the local bays. They had been the only boat in Chacachacare for a few days, but assured us that they were quite happy to have other company. Once Matsu arrived, Tim, Linda, Dave and I took a stroll across the island to Latinta Bay. Although the water in Chacachacare is clean, it is still colored a muddy brown due to the run-of from the surrounding rainforest. The water in Latinta was much clearer and we all dived in for a very welcome swim. We spent a very enjoyable evening aboard Quintessence and another peaceful night.

The following morning Tim, Linda, Dave & I decided to hike up to the lighthouse. We agreed on an early start to avoid the worst of the heat and I, for one, am very glad that we did. The climb was a long and steep one and there was little shade along the route. There were also thousands of mosquitoes and I am deeply indebted to the kind person (I wish I could remember who it was) who recommended Avon's 'Skin So Soft' insect repellent to me. This stuff really works! I wish I'd had it back in Vero Beach, but better late than never. After a climb that seemed to take forever (to me anyway) we finally reached the lighthouse. And it was certainly worth the effort. The guide for this area had stated that occasionally the lighthouse keepers will give tours of the structure, but we'd seen them motor down the trail earlier so we knew that the lighthouse itself was unattended. But the view was spectacular and particularly the Venezuelan coast a mere 7 miles away. We wandered around for a little while and even picked some mangoes and avocados from the many trees surrounding the lighthouse and then we made our way back down the trail. Going down was certainly easier than the climb up.

We spent another day or so at anchor in Chacachacare and then decided that it was time to move on. We had very good friends from the UK, Sue and Steve Glennie who were vacationing in Carriacou, north of Grenada, on a diving holiday. It had been our intention to sail up to meet them, but up until now suspect weather kept us in Trinidad. Even though we had not been directly affected, every day we had seen squalls and thunderstorms sweep by five miles or so to the west and south of us. We wanted these storms to be out of the area before we ventured north.

By Saturday, 13th September the weather finally seemed to be settling down. We left Matsu in Chacachacare and headed back to Chaguaramas with Quintessence. We topped up on a few provisions, said 'au revoir' to some good friends, had a final roti and the following day checked out of Trinidad. We dropped our mooring at 8.40am and managed to get the tide right in the Boca so that we were doing over 9kts by the time we reached the north coast of Trinidad. The wind was light so we were motor-sailing, but we were out of Trinidad and heading back north.

Trinidad

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Matura Beach lies on the north-eastern coast of Trinidad and is one of several beaches in this part of the Caribbean used by giant leatherback turtles to lay their eggs. These are the largest of all sea turtles and during the season, which runs from March to the beginning of September, these magnificent creatures haul themselves up onto the beaches during the cover of darkness to lay white, soft shelled eggs which they tenderly camouflage and then leave to their own devices.

The female leatherback turtle can weigh up to 1,400lbs (500kg) when fully grown, and their shell can be up to 5ft in length. They are seriously endangered. Their diet consists mainly of jellyfish and other soft bodied invertebrates and they feed both on the surface and at depth. Many leatherback turtles have been remotely monitored by scientists with tracking devices as part of the effort to further understand and therefore protect these wonderful creatures. One of these turtles was tracked during a journey of 6,835 miles (11,000 km) from Trinidad to north of the Canary Islands, to the Bay of Biscay then to Spain, Morocco and Mauritania before the track was lost back at the Canary Islands. Another turtle was tracked diving to a depth of 4,265ft (1.3km). They are truly amazing animals.

After dark a nesting female will drag herself onto the beach. It is here that she is at her most vulnerable. Unlike other turtles which have a hard shell, hers is soft and cartilaginous and leaves her exposed to attack. Apart from man and feral dogs which will harass her in this helpless state, she is also at risk from dehydration. She has to finish her egg-laying task before the sun comes up. She chooses her nest site with care and then starts to excavate the sand with her powerful front flippers. She digs a pit large enough for her body and then starts to dig the actual nest with her back flippers, clearing the sand first with one flipper and then the other. Once she has dug as far as her flippers can reach, she starts to lay her eggs. Her nest will be approximately 2ft (70cm) deep and once her eggs are laid she packs the sand back into the hole, again using her back flippers. She will then camouflage the nest by moving the sand around with her front flippers until she is happy with the condition of the nest. Only then will she haul herself back to the surf and head out for open water.

The female will lay between 80 - 100 eggs each time she nests, and she may nest between 5 and 7 times each season. She will only nest, however, every 2 to 5 years. She can 'choose' the sex of the hatchlings in each batch; for males she will lay her eggs close to the waters edge where the temperature is cooler, for females she will lay further away from the sea where the sand is warmer. After hatching, the youngsters as a group will climb out of the nest by collapsing the sand above and around them. They time their exit to coincide with darkness (some miss their timing) and then scurry to the sea. It is believed that only 1 in 1,000 will survive. Apart from man, the youngsters are preyed upon by sharks and other large fish, crabs and, whilst they are still on the beach, feral dogs and birds of prey.

Our trip started at 4.30pm with our departure in Jesse James' tour bus heading for Matura. The time of our return was not known; that would depend on the turtles. The drive to Matura would take about 2 hours, not including the stop for dinner on the way. We were also unexpectedly delayed by a flat tyre, and finally reached Matura around 9pm. We were OK, the action hadn't started yet. The turtle watching at Matura is run by a volunteer group called 'Nature Seekers'. The group was formed by local residents in 1990 to try to stop the slaughter of leatherback turtles on their beach. At that time more than 30% of all turtles coming to shore were being killed. Today that number is 0%. For their work Nature Seekers have won a number of environmental awards and have turned their community into a destination for tourists in Trinidad.

On arrival we were given a talk on the turtles, and told what we could expect to see. We then went to a holding area to await a call from our guide if and when a female was seen emerging from the surf. Every night volunteers patrol the beach watching for the females coming ashore. They are in radio contact and when a female is spotted they will notify the guide and the group of observers will be taken to the turtle. Otherwise no non-volunteers are allowed on the beach. We could be in for a long wait.

Fortunately we weren't. Within about 30 minutes our guide's radio crackled into life and we were on our way down the beach. Luckily the moon had been full a day or so before our trip, so we had some light with which to see our way. No torches (flashlights) are allowed. A few hundred yards down the beach we found our female. Her shell was approximately 4ft in length and our guide estimated that she probably weighed in at about 900lbs. She had already started digging her pit, and we watched her put the finishing touches to it and then change to her back flippers to excavate her nest. This whole process probably took well over an hour, but it seemed like minutes so enthralled were we observing this incredible creature.

And then she started laying her eggs. At this stage we were allowed to approach the turtle, touch her and take photos, but no flash. Apparently once the female starts to lay she enters into what is described as a trancelike state and becomes unaware of anything going on around her. I've read several descriptions of the process on various turtle websites (see link below) but somehow cannot reconcile myself to the fact that she is not at all disturbed by a group of people surrounding her, touching her and taking her photograph while she is laying. It just doesn't seem possible. Having said that, I'm sorry to admit that we were juts as eager to get close to her as everyone else and it was a memorable experience to enjoy just a few moments with this wonderful creature. As soon as she had stopped laying we retreated back into the tree-line, and seemingly without undue haste she went on to cover and camouflage her nest before heading slowly back to the ocean.

On our way back down the beach we were delighted to find some newly hatched turtles emerging from the sand and scurrying down the beach towards the sea. While we watched a few, with obviously a similar sense of direction to my own, headed off towards the trees and we gently turned them around and assisted them to the waters edge. The chances of survival for these delightful mini-turtles are small, but the gusto with which they rush towards the open water suggests that each one will put up a fight all the way.

We walked back to the bus with a sense of awe and had a very quiet journey back to Chaguaramas not, as I originally thought, because everyone had fallen asleep, but because we all seemed to be deep in thought and contemplation about the incredible experience we had enjoyed for the last 3 hours. One day we hope to see these turtles again, but it is more of a hope that they will soon be removed from the endangered list and that their numbers will be allowed to grow without risk from man. Fingers crossed.
Link to Leatherback Turtle website

Trinidad

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