07/24 - 31/2006
Chaguaramas, Trinidad
10.40.822N
61.37.899W

There were more security concerns this week, Wayne & Carol on Take Time were boarded. They are at Crews Inn, the largest, certainly the most expensive, and one of the most “secure” marinas here. Carol heard the intruder rattling their door in the wee hours of the morning and woke Wayne, who ran naked to the door and scared the guy away. (We keep telling Wayne that it was the sight of him running naked that scared him away). Wayne said that the security people were able to apprehend the man but then let him go! Wayne also observed that the guards looked terrified of him. He didn’t have any identification and they didn’t bother to get his name. Later the marina manager apologized to them for their scare and for the fact that this was apparently the second time the same guy was seen on a boat that didn’t belong to him. His explanation was that he’s on the wrong boat. The belief is that the man is homeless and sleeps on boats that are uninhabited. Still, with all of the thefts occurring and the fact that there are a couple of “cowboys” itching for a fight, no one is safe.

There was also a theft from a boat “on the hard” at our marina. That one appeared to be an “inside job” since tools in a locked cupboard were specifically targeted.

We’re all being very careful. Except for Dale jogging in the morning or Wayne riding his motorcycle into town, even the men are going places in pairs. Needless to say, after Wayne & Carol’s scare, we’re all popping up from time to time to flash our lights around. Finally, that 3:00am potty run is useful for something other than relief.

Also this week, we joined the crews of Sea Bird, Take Time, Wasabe, and Jade Explorer for a trip into town to a Japanese restaurant; sushi again. We arranged to be dropped off at the restaurant by the shuttle from the marina (due to last week’s bus scare) and to be picked up 2 hours later; we barely made it. It was a rather small restaurant and I think our large crowd overwhelmed the chef as it took forever to get our dinners.

Don off Jade Explorer, educated us with his newly acquired, yet vast knowledge of marine engineering forensics. His 50 ton, 47’ Nordhaven was dropped 31” when the buckle on one of the straps of the boat lift broke. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. Furthermore, glass boats don’t do well when dropped. Luckily, the yard admitted liability and is apparently doing everything in its power to repair the boat. All of the tests completed thus far indicate that it probably needs a new hull in addition to repair of all of the interior damage. At what point do you write it off a year old boat? Even if all of the damage can be repaired, his boat will always have a history of being severely damaged and most likely will never be sold for its true value of over a million dollars.