|
|
This year we plan to be in the East Carribean
for the 1st half of the year, and then scurry to a safe place for
hurricane season! Ha, Ha, THAT didn't happen! We arrived back
in Trinidad on May 7th. We have done many boat jobs we had already planned,
and cleaned up poor Columbine after 9
months of neglect. Sigh. Isn't it good that we can't know
what's ahead, because it sure would be scary! We were south of
the hurricane box for the season, and enjoyed Trinidad and Tobago!
- Christmas--we spent Christmas Eve on the boat, and were unable
to go to lunch as the crowd had planned because the winds were so
high the cruisers wouldn't leave their boats. Worries about
dragging, things breaking--we sat and watched the charterers sail in
with their beautiful new boats belonging to someone else, come in
too close to our boats and drop a ridiculously short piece of anchor
chain, and then jump in the dinghy and go into town, soaking their
lovely holiday clothes in the process. We and several other
boats prevailed upon a Frenchman to move his boat, but he was very
unhappy and turned the air blue with his diatribe against Americans.
Ah, well, at least he didn't drag anchor and hit someone--in our
area, anyway.
Christmas Day was a little better weatherwise, but our daughter
Kathie called in the morning to give us the news that her husband
Brian had been wounded in Iraq. Brian is an regular Army
warrant officer and flies the Kiowa
helicopter, which is a scout copter which holds just the pilot and
co-pilot. They were flying over a known dangerous area,
throwing out candy to children, when they were ambushed by at least
2 machine guns. He apparently was hit twice in the right arm
with armor piercing bullets, which don't flatten or spread or bounce
around--they JUST go through. He also was hit with shrapnel,
and some bone was chipped off his elbow. He has been assured
that there will be no permanent damage, but he will come home to
recuperate for a couple of months, as he can't fly his machine for a
while. Kathie was with Brian's parents for Christmas when they
received the call, so they are comforting each other and we are so
grateful. Rikki and Joe have gone home with Kathie and will
stay for a few days after Brian gets back, so she will have that
support. All of our family is close by as well, and the Army
family is always very supportive, so she's not alone by any means.
Your prayers are always appreciated!! Statistically, Brian
should be the only person wounded in his unit--he says he is glad to
take the bullet for the others, and we all pray that this will be
the only casualty in B Troop.
We were able to talk to all our children on Christmas Day, and
that was wonderful.
- December 23--11:00 p.m. We have been anchored in Bequia's
Admiralty Bay for several days, and suddenly we are dragging!
The wind has been gusting 20 and 25 knots, and our anchor has given
way (We just don't hold well in sand over rock). It is also raining. So the rain covers our plastic
panels and because it's dark Sandy can't see. But, that's OK,
she's just DRIVING THE BOAT in an anchorage full of boats!
Tony is on the bow, hollering directions, wiping his glasses
occasionally. It took us an hour and four attempts to get the
anchor to stick. Lots of sympathetic boaters around!
Those who had perhaps had too many rum punches and were screaming
and flashing their lights AT us were not much appreciated. The
few friends who lit up their boats so we could see them were.
There is often a discussion whether or not to put on anchor lights
when you are in a recognized anchorage--this is the reason everyone
should. Dark boats don't show up well at midnight in the rain,
when you're driving around trying to find a place to park a 39-foot
boat!
- December 18--we have spent a couple of days in Union Island.
We walked to the top of Fort Hill, to see the site of the old
fortificaitons. We ALWAYS go see any fort we come across--it
really appeals to my Army husband! The climb was fairly steep,
but the view was definitely worth it. We could see all the
Grenadine islands--a tall ship coming in, sailboats--see pictures!
- December 14--we left Carriacou this morning about 7:15--we are
really getting good at setting and taking up the anchor! We
sailed to Petite Martinique, got some diesel and water, and then
motored over next door to Petite St. Vincent. This is an
island with one nice hotel--on the other side--and that's about it.
We did walk the beautiful beach and snorkeled a bit. Most of
the coral was dead, but there were some pretty fishes, lots of sea
urchins, rays, and Tony saw a small eel.
We are now in the Grenadines--belonging to Grenada & St. Vincent.
They are close together, like the Virgin Islands, and it just takes
a little while to get between them.
- December 6--we finally left Trinidad today!! Yeah!!
We left at noon, sailed through the night past Grenada and into
Carriacou. We got to the north end of Grenada about 8 am, and
it took us the rest of the day to make the 14 mile passage to
Carriacou. Into the wind, current, the whole thing. We
were exhausted when we came into Tyrell Bay, and then had to anchor
4 times to get a good hold. Sure had friends feeling sorry for
us! We caught up here with Casa del Mar, Nereia,
and Sea Cycle. We also were able to spend a little time
with our friends Rick & Sue on Panacea, who pretty much live in
Tyrell Bay. We checked into Grenada on Friday, and took it
easy over the weekend. Sunday it rained all day and we did
nothing much. We had a lovely lunch on Paradise Beach with a
bunch of friends one day, and left Carriacou on Thurs, Dec 14th.
- November--We thought we would be able to pick up a couple of
things and then head on north to Grenada when we returned from the
Manamo, but that didn't work out. We are still looking for 3
boxes which I had mailed from the States--specialty foods, etc.
I won't do that again. We
also had left our biggest sail behind for some repair, and we were
waiting for some new chain for the anchor we had ordered. And
while we were gone the alternators quit working, so now they are at
the shop, and then the generator stopped working so it's at another
shop. Fortunately someone came from the other side of the
island and picked it up. But this gives us more time to get
projects done. While our friends are cruising off to Grenada
and points north, here we sit. Sigh. Seems like this is
the story of our lives, always behind the times. Oh, well,
they're traveling slow and we will catch up to them before long.
We'll probably spend Christmas in Bequia--a lot of the folks we
spent the summer with here will be there, and it should be quite a
party!
- October--We cruised with several other boats to Venezuela, to the
Manamo River, for about 11 days. This river is fairly
primitive--the Warao Indians are still in their dugout canoes.
Some of them have new Yamaha outboard motors, courtesy of Chavez.
There were also some villages with electricity, and where there was
electricity there were TV's. But the native children were
charming and friendly, and sometimes we could limp along in Spanish
when they understood that. We certainly couldn't speak their
language! The scenery was gorgeous, and we all agreed (there
were 5 boats together) that
this was definitely one of the best things we have ever done as
cruisers. Lots of virgin forest, animals and plants we'll
never see again--see the pictures in the Photo Gallery. Just a
magical time, and the best part were the new friends we got to know
well and will continue to cruise with this season. It sure
felt good to take out the sails and get some moving water under our
bow after 15 months of not sailing!
- September--We spent this month home in the States, seeing our
children and our siblings. Lots of good times, but it sure was
hard to try to get back into the swing of the "real" world! We
have really got the Caribbean slows.
- August--Still working, resting, melting in the heat. We
spent a night at the Asa Wright Nature Center in the north central
mountains here in Trinidad. Everyone told us is was
relaxing, and that's exactly what it was. We spent a lot
of time on the veranda, where they have feeding stations for all
sorts of birds, plus the rum punch station and the setup for
afternoon tea. Even the rain was part of the lovely
experience, and didn't stop us from our morning and evening guided
tours. Pictures in the Photo Gallery.
- July--Working on the boat, sitting by the pool, seeing an
occasional movie, shopping downtown . . . just living in the
Caribbean! We spent a long weekend in Trinidad with Ken &
Michelle from Magic, and had a marvelous time. It's
very different from Trinidad, much more laid back and no industry.
They like tourists a lot better than Trinidad does, and we saw the
whole island. Ken drove the entire weekend, like a maniac, or
perhaps like a Trini, and it's a good thing we all like to drive,
'cause we did a lot of that. Pictures in the Photo Gallery.
- June 14--Wednesday--We put Columbine back into the water last
Thursday, and are in a slip. The anchoring here is iffy, and
there is quite a community within the several marinas which are
here. Lots of activities, places to go and things to see.
We are having real trouble with our water system. Two of our
three tanks are leaking, which is another good reason to be in a
marina--we can refill every day. Tony has just taken out our
biggest tank and we are going to get an estimate on building a new
one. Of course, it's a special tank, fabricated for the space,
so the money flows. The smaller tank Tony can fix, as the leak
is where he can get to it. We are now cleaning the 3rd tank,
and hope it works.
- May 28th--Sunday afternoon, and we are taking it easy. We
have been working hard the last week, straightening, dusting,
cleaning, unpacking. Tony is waxing the hull and I am
polishing the stainless steel pieces we have removed to get the teak
refinished.
We took a Maxi Taxi into town on Friday to Movie Town and saw
The DaVinci Code. Thought it was a great movie, but just a
movie, based on just a book. Comparable to National
Treasure.
- May 15th--Mother's Day was tough, having lost my mother just 3
months ago. But Tony took me out to eat at a restaurant
overlooking the water,and we had a lovely meal. I got
beautiful
words from my children and my husband, and who can ask for more than that?
--This past Thursday night (May 11) we went to the beach with a group tour
to watch leatherneck turtles come in and lay their eggs. It
was by far one of the best nights we have ever had. We drove
about 2 1/2 hours to the beach on the east side of the
island/country, then walked about a mile down the beach (gasp, gasp)
to where the volunteers had a turtle "staked out." We watched
her dig her hole, lay her eggs, and then cover and camouflage them.
We were able to touch her and take pictures once she went into her
"trance" to lay the eggs, but had to leave her strictly alone while
she was digging and covering up. She ended up staying longer
then she normally would have because we were there. While we
were there (about 25 watchers and volunteers) another turtle came up
the beach a little ways off, laid her eggs, and was gone, because
she didn't have any "help." As we were walking away, another
turtle came up in front of us and we had to stop to stay out of her
way. She was much larger than the one we watched--see the
Photo Gallery.
--Maxi Taxis--these are 10 passenger buses, usually driven by a
madman, and stop everywhere. They are widely used and often
full. Very cheap--less than a dollar to get into Port of
Spain. Picture.
This is how we travel when we leave the marinas area.
- May--We are finally back in Trinidad!
YEAH!!!
--We arrived on May 7th, Sunday night, and got to our hotel about
10:30 p.m. Had a small mixup with Customs and Immigration, but
nothing serious, and everything is a learning experience! We
checked on Columbine, and she was all taped up for painting
the deck. Tony was able to get in just before they closed her
up, and said things are a bit messier than we left them and there is
a fair amount of dust. Besides painting the deck, we are going
to have to have to repair a spot on the keel, where we have
apparently hit something and it's worn down to the lead. Then
WE will paint the bottom and hopefully get her back in the water by
the middle of next month. It's costing us too much money to
stay in a motel room--above the marina shops--and we hope that we
won't have to leave her for this long again. It's expensive
living off the boat, and a small fortune to get her back into living
shape. Staying away 9 months was not our choice!
Although it was time well spent in the States and I'm awfully glad
we were there.
We spent 5 weeks cleaning out Mom's house, and then we had two
work Saturdays where all the siblings came and helped. It
worked out great, because the house sold in 10 days! My
brother Walter and his wife Sharon have done a great job with Mom's
finances over the past few years, and we have all appreciated it
very much. Our parents raised five great kids, who went on to
start five great families, and we had no problems dividing the
household goods--and it turned out we kept most of the old furniture
and stuff. We now have a second storage unit in NC!
We'll have to see about putting the two together as soon as we can.
Tony's checkup went well, and his PSA score is next to nothing,
which is what we were looking for. Now we just have to keep up
with it several times a year for the next two years, and then back
to the normal once a year. Guys, keep up with this!
- March 11--We are finally on our way back to NC to help settle
Mom's estate and spend some time with our grandson! Tony came
through the surgery well, athough we are often reminded that we
aren't young anymore, and springing back from major surgery takes
more time than we planned (everything takes more time than we
planned!). The surgery went well, the doctor is confident that
he got all the cancer, and there will be no further treatment, other
than keeping up with the PSA score, to be sure no cancer traveled
anywhere else.
We can never thank our church family enough. They take us
in every time we go back to Tampa, put us up, and love us so much.
We feel their prayers all the time!
- February--What a month this has been! Let me give
you the short version:
--Jan 23rd,Tony was diagnosed with an aggressive
prostate cancer. We were staying with our daughter Page in Ft.
Myers. Surgery was scheduled on Feb 27th in Tampa.
--Jan 24th, we met Ken, Brenda, and Chelsea from Dance
in Miami, on their way back to Trinidad, and gave them the
key to Columbine. They graciously assured us
that they would check on her.
--Jan 26th, we spent the night in Atlanta with Tony, Jr.
and Teresa.
--Jan 27th, we arrived at our daughter Kathie's house in Fayetteville, NC.
She was 8 mo pregnant. The next day she became ill (we didn't do
it!), and ended up having to quit her job and plan to spend the
remainder of her pregnancy in bed, trying to stave off preeclampsia.
We stayed with her as her husband was in an Army training class in
Alabama.
--Feb 6th, the week in bed didn't work, and so they
induced labor at 35 weeks.
--Feb 7th, our grandson, Samuel Jacob, was born at 7:40
a.m., 4 lbs. 13 oz. and 18 1/2 inches. He breathed
well on his own right away, and although skinny, is in
perfect health. He's also perfectly beautiful!
Brian did get to the hospital in time to help Kathie.
--Feb 12th, finally home to my Mom's house, to find that
she had taken a turn for the worse, after suffering from
schleroderma for 20 years, and the past year had been in failing
health. We had called in
Hospice right after Christmas and they had been taking such
wonderful care of her.
--Feb 20th, Monday, 1:25 a.m., my Mom died. All her children
and their spouses were around her, and she passed very
peacefully. We are so happy that she is with the Lord,
and with our Dad, and now she can breathe without
struggling. I am so thankful that Tony and I were able
to spend a good deal of the last 3 months with her.
--Feb 23rd, we buried Mom. All five children and their
spouses and most of the grandchildren, plus her twin sister's
family, were in and out during the week, and we had such a party!
The funeral was beautiful, and we felt that Mom would have been
proud. That's the best we can hope for.
--Feb 26th, preparing for Tony's surgery in Tampa. We were afraid
for a bit last week that it would have to be postponed, as he came
down with a respiratory infection. We got that taken care of
in time, we believe, and the doctor wants to go for it.
- January--We have been delayed returning to Trinidad, and
have decided that Tony will go back at the end of January to
work on the boat, and I will stay behind with my Mom until
after Sam is born. Mom and Aunt Maggie like having me
around, I can be very helpful to them, and help Kathie out
as well. Tony will paint the boat bottom and several
other projects, and then return in March to meet our
grandson. We are just a little excited!
|
