The Crew /34 deg C, and rising.
21/05/2009, Peakes Yacht Services

Wednesday evening saw us setting off on a trip to the north-east coast of the island in search of leatherback turtles. Jesse James (yes, that really is his name) owner of the local tour company, Members Only was our driver and guide for the evening - his regular trips between March and June to Matura Beach to see the nesting turtles is quite a hit with the yachites out here.

Upon arrival at Matura, we were welcomed by a Nature Seekers Guide. Nature Seekers are a group of conservationists who work with more than 50 members of the local community to patrol Matura Beach. Each year, they protect 3,000 nests on the beach, improving the chance for survival of tens of thousands of hatchlings. The tour guiding helps to prevent illegal harvesting of eggs and the selling of turtle meat.

Having been briefed by our Guide, we made our way to the beach. There was no daylight as it was 22:00 but our eyes quickly adjusted as we scrambled onto the sand and saw in front of us an ENORMOUS female leatherback. Looking further up the beach, there were a number of other leatherbacks either making their way up to nest or heading back into the sea, looking absolutely exhausted. The guide took us to see a female making her nest. Using her rear flippers, she digs with such precision about 2 feet deep and amazingly creates a wider base than the opening of the nest. Next into the laying trance where approximately 80 eggs would be produced (at this point we could take photos, touch her, the guide tagged and chipped her). She then covered the nest by slowly compacting sand over the top of the eggs making sure not to break any - each of the eggs was just a bit bigger than a ping-pong ball. The final act is to camouflage the nest site by flicking loose sand over the whole area before the struggle back to the sea ... we felt worn out just watching her! We watched this cycle again and again - really quite something.

In a couple of months, the eggs will hatch and the newborns (the size of the palm of your hand) will scurry across the sand into the sea. When they come to producing their own eggs, after about 25 years at sea they will return 'home' to the beach where they were born to nest. They will lay five or six times in the season a total of approximately 500 eggs. They lay every two or three years. The largest ones we saw were estimated to be over 80 years old.

Some facts about leatherbacks: it is the largest of all living sea turtles. They don't have a shell, their back is leather-looking and if cut, would bleed. They are the reptile world's deepest-divers. Individuals have been discovered to be able to descend almost as deep as 4,000 feet. The leatherbacks are also the fastest reptiles on record, with a speed of 35 kph in the water! The turtles we saw ranged from 5.0ft - 5.8ft in length and weighed approx 1 ton. Their diet is jellyfish and they eat the equivalent of their own weight in jellyfish each day.

Warranty work on Admiral 40
We're now nearing the end of week 13 out of the water and even Peakes (the boatyard) are surprised at the length of our stay. In fact, we had to move last week so as a regular customer can have his usual spot for the hurricane season! Oh well, a change of scenery is always good!

There is steady progress on the warranty work such as the leak in the port locker, securing the diesel tanks and repairing the davits. The big issues for which we still seek a solution from Admiral Yachts are the keels and the repairs to the decking. These are clearly big projects that we're keen to get started as soon as possible in order that we can get back in the water.

Butterfly and Barnacle
A while ago we came across an interesting blog set up by an English couple who seemed to be living a parallel life to us having purchased Butterfly, an African Fastcat 445 catamaran.

Karen and Dick share their challenging experiences in a blog written with flair and humour (despite frustrations). It is an essential read should you be considering signing on the dotted line ....

That's it from the Crew of two for this week.
Wishing our readers in the UK a fab Bank Holiday weekend ... hope the sun shines for you!

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The Crew /34 deg C, Brilliant Sunshine but Very High Humidity
10/05/2009, Peakes Yacht Services

Today has been Mothering Sunday here in the Caribbean and all the restaurants have been full with Mums being treated to splendid meals. To reflect this we have prepared Callaloo which is presented either as a soup or as a side dish. The ingredients are, dasheen leaves, four okra and pimento boiled in coconut milk and then mashed. It closely resembles mashed spinach but has a unique blend of flavours and is yummee!

As we can't write much about sailing (as Oceans Dream continues to stay on dry land), perhaps we will start an on line Trini cookery course - next up Buss up Shut!!

From a Happy and Well Fed crew of Oceans Dream

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The Crew /32 deg C, Brilliant Sunshine
09/05/2009, Peakes Yacht Services

Rum punch has become quite a favourite - this bottle of 'Chairman's Reserve' was a very generous gift from Jackie's parents who have been staying in St Lucia (I'll send her away more often!). All too quickly the level is falling but one needs to drink a lot to avoid dehydration here!

On the boat front it hasn't been celebration time. The evaluation of the fitting of additional webs to Oceans Dream to strengthen the keels was not a success. We have reported this back to Admiral Yachts and the designer and we await their response. In the meantime there are lots of other projects to be getting on with but progress this week has been slower than expected. There is a tendency to get 80% of the way through a job and then move on to the next. We have printed off a list of projects to be completed next week and posted this outside the saloon door in the hope that this will remind us all of what to focus on. Let's hope it works.

Sadly we didn't get away on the 'turtle-watch' either but last night was a full moon and so if there is a trip early next week the light from the moon should still be very good.

Life here at Peake Yacht Services changes little. The number of boats being laid up on the hard for the hurricane season increases everyday and we are glad that we have reserved our slot. There are yachts from all over the world. Once lifted most crew stay for only a couple of days to sort out their yacht and then head of back home. The restaurant Loggerheads has recently revamped their menu which is a really good thing as we had pretty much worked our way through it. We have been here so long that our 'tipples' are well known. As we walk into the bar the refreshing draft Carib beer is being poured and Jackie's Smirnoff Ice is being opened. That's what comes from being long-term residents!

Well that's about all the news from an ever increasingly hot and humid Trinidad.

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The Crew /34 deg C, Brilliant Sunshine but Very High Humidity
04/05/2009, Peakes Yacht Services

... "Can't Take my Eyes off of You"!

This picture has been posted following Jackie's return from St Lucia and despite endless research, we can't be absolutely certain of the species but think it might be a 'Fiddler crab'. The males are armed with one of their claws weighing up to 65 per cent of their total body mass! They wave the large pincer in a style and rhythm which resembles a musician playing on his 'fiddle' and this supersized claw is also used to attract the ladies (well, it's not as if the males have looks on their side!). They were a common sight on the edges of the lagoon at Rodney Bay in St Lucia and despite the 'no fear' sighting of whales close-up on our trans-Atlantic crossing, these horrible looking things had Jackie running a mile!

In Jackie's absence work on board Oceans Dream has continued at Trini pace. The additional bulkheads to support the keels on the starboard side have now been completed. The true test of the success of this strengthening will be lifting her on Thursday. Assuming goes OK, progress will begin on the port hull to mimic the work of the starboard side. Also, there is no longer tacky paint in any of the lockers. Clothes can now be stored without gaining the Admiral Yachts hallmark (i.e. wet paint!).

An air-conditioning unit has been fitted which makes for living on board considerably more comfortable. There is just one downside to it, we often find ourselves cooped up indoors all day and not venturing outside at all!

Back to wildlife. Turtle watching is on the cards in the next couple of weeks. Now is prime time for the female leatherback turtles to engage in their timeless ritual of egg-laying on the north shores of the island. The leatherbacks are the largest of the marine species weighing in between 700-1000lbs and are 5-8 ft in length. The organised trips to see the turtles are highly controlled by conservationists so as the turtles do not get distressed in any way.

That's all for now folks - will update on the lift after Thursday.

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