Trinidad: In The Boatyard
03 October 2002
Ami
Wow. Another incredible sunrise. Early each morning, big clouds gather in the east, and when the sun comes up, the clouds explode in brilliant color. By noon, those same clouds are over Chaguaramas Bay, and we get our daily downpour. Every day at noon. Maybe 4-5 inches, in less than an hour, then it's sunny and hot again. This is Trinidad.
The rain gods were good to us today, however. We painted the bottom of our boat this morning and, for the first time, it didn't rain at noon! We paint the bottom with antifouling, a special paint that keeps barnacles and other critters from using your boat as a coral reef. It's a big job, and in 90% humidity at 10 degrees from the equator, the sweat runs freely. It's only 5 pm, but we're exhausted from the day's work and ready to crash!
It's good to be back in Trinidad. To reconnect with friends we made last year. To smell the rainforest. To hear the steel drums.
We plan to stay here through the end of the hurricane season. At 10 degrees latitude, Trinidad is below the hurricane belt. Then we may sail north to the Virgin Islands with a couple of other boats in mid-November.