I have a very concerning story to begin with. We are here in Coral Cove, the marina with the little swimming pool that is great to use after a day of chores, to take a dip, have a shower and back on board for supper and a game or film. This particular afternoon, shortly after getting back from Tobago, we decided to take a few drinks and the backgammon to the pool. Over a couple of beers the game slowed down somewhat as Bear began to get very heavy eyed. It was two in the afternoon and I said he really needed a power nap. Back on board he was soon settled in bed. I got up to do a couple of blogs as soon as he began to snore. He got up around four, stuck his head round the bedroom door and asked how long I’d been up, he decided he was still wacked and went back to bed. At six thirty he repeated the manoeuvre this time appearing round the door asking “Are you still up”.

Now the penny dropped “Bear are you getting peckish” “I am a bit”

“What do you fancy to eat” “Well it’s still a bit early for my muesli”

“What day is it today” - a question I often ask as I normally don’t have a clue.

“Well its Wednesday I think – isn’t it?”

“No Dear, and it’s not breakfast time but supper time the night before as its still Tuesday”

“OH”

Have you ever seen an external hard drive and its connection wire used like the string thing with stones at the ends that an Argentinean cowboy uses to bring a steer down?

Bear has.

Run Bear Run.

Ouch

Good shot Pepe.

Next morning I went through the usual questions. Who is the Prime Minister, what year is it, what is my name etc.................. HUH

Now this leads me to tell of an event that happened back in the Virgin Islands, I was going to stay tight lipped over, but as Bear has had an extraordinary run with success on backgammon, I’m going to tell it.

As he is a sweaty boy in these parts, he sleeps with a towel on his pillow that I change every couple of days. During the day said towel in use, hangs in the cockpit to get loads of fresh air before the next use. One morning I thought it would be nice to spray said towel with a bit of Febreze. Bear watched the process and must have lodged the memory in that spiders web on the top of his neck he calls a brain.

A few days later I was sitting in the cockpit on the computer minding my own business, when the towel in use appeared, was slung over the rail above my head and thoroughly doused in spray, MY TOILET SPRAY, which is now in fine dust form, hitting my keyboard, me and smelling like a swimming pool filter.

Have you ever seen a laptop used as a cudgel?

Bear has.

Disappear Bear, Disappear.

But it was an honest mistake, an accident; it’s not my fault the thingys looked just the same.

One is white, one is blue Bear

OUCH I still think this is unfair

Stop squeaking or I’ll find something heavier to use. Off he goes muttering.

Needless to say there have been some worrying thoughts re: Alzheimer’s, memory loss and his general ability to sail round the world. Couple this to the fact that he keeps cracking his head as he goes through the bedroom door (lots of scabby bits seen through the distinctly lacking curls) to the extent that I have threatened him with one of those protective helmets. I now worry if he trots off alone, will he find his way back ????????

   

Then Marvin (the taxi driver who waited for Bear a whole four hours outside the American Embassy and only charged him ten pounds) came to see us. Danny very kindly sorted out some Manchester City shirts as a gift of thanks to this passionate supporter. Thank you Danny, I think the cheesy grin says it all.

 

 

              Now on the pontoon next to us was a boat called Clasship 1. It was having major surgery and required many, many workmen tending to her bits. These are the pictures of the dockside.

Workmen having fun as the job came to an end. Asked if we would miss them “Like an Ulcer”. It is not our thing to wake up to Soca music at six thirty each morning. The space on the dockside is vast now.

                                            Clasship 1 in all her glory. She is a ninety two foot, sleep twelve with six crew and off to Grenada for a charter booking. We wish her well.

On the dock to the front of us, is the fisherman's parking place. This whole jetty was taken up by a flock of boats from Taiwan. Not allowed to leave the boats, these chaps stay aboard for eighteen months or more. In this particular fleet are some two hundred boats all tended by a mother ship that takes their catch off, replenishes food stocks and swaps crew as and when necessary. These boys were in for repairs and were a jolly bunch. The only downside was they had their engines running twenty four hours a day and we had to sleep with a sometimes unhealthy ‘thrum’. They were also warned off chasing the local dogs. I’ll leave that there then..............................

Longline fishing is a commercial fishing technique. It uses a long line, called the main line, with baited hooks attached at intervals by means of branch lines called "snoods". A snood is a short length of line, attached to the main line using a clip or swivel, with the hook at the other end. Longlines are classified mainly by where they are placed in the water column. This can be at the surface or at the bottom. Lines can also be set by means of an anchor, or left to drift. Hundreds or even thousands of baited hooks can hang from a single line. Longliners commonly target swordfish, tuna, halibut, sablefish and many other species.

In some unstable fish species, such as the Patagonian toothfish, fishermen may be limited to as few as 25 hooks per line. In contrast, commercial longliners in certain robust fisheries of the Bering Sea and North Pacific generally run over 2,500 hand-baited hooks on a single series of connected lines many miles in length.

Longlines can be set to hang near the surface (pelagic longline) to catch fish such as tuna and swordfish or along the sea floor (demersal longline) for groundfish such as halibut or cod. Longliners fishing for sablefish, also referred to as black cod, occasionally set gear on the sea floor at depths exceeding three thousand six hundred feet using relatively simple equipment. Longlines with traps attached rather than hooks can be used for crab fishing in deep waters. Longline fishing is prone to the incidental catching and killing of seabirds and sea turtles. Otherwise, compared to other fishing techniques such as bottom trawling, longline fishing is less destructive to bottom habitats. It generally has good species selectivity and low fuel consumption.

Mervyn sorted the girl out a new front cover. Marlo on Beatrice says it makes her look like ‘The Yellow Submarine’. The cover is guaranteed for ten years. He also made us one we can walk under with side skirts to keep the rain out of the hatches for when we are on the hard. Crews Inn is seen over the fairway opposite. The clear pontoon with a different boat Saga (now gone to Grenada), where Clasship 1 had been

We visited Matura beach and rescued a baby leatherback (own blog) and a return visit to the Nariva Swamp (own blog), this time I sprayed my body with 100% Deet, then dressed and sprayed my clothes as the last time at least seventy of the ninety two species of mosquito had a go at me. This time I only came back with a little nibble behind my ear. Lesson spray hand and give a good go round the nooks and crannies, I obviously forgot the behind ears bit. Our highlight of the day was our first ever wild Macaw, my particular wow was seeing a Savanna hawk.

 

 

 

This gadget is a pepper grinder, could be a mystery shot. Cathy from Indigo giving it a polish, that’s why we love this life, you have no idea what you are going to see, do, experience next

 

 

Dave from Texas was babysitting a beautiful motor boat called Early Out. He invited us over the day before he left to a TEXAS BREAKFAST. A big event and a new one on us. So delicious. As we were about to leave he took delivery of a huge swordfish. So it was to Crews Inn (the marina opposite) for BBQ that evening. Greg and Cathy from Indigo gave us a lift round in their hire car and it was certainly a meeting of the nations to break our virginity eating swordfish steaks. There were yachties from South Africa, US, England, Brazil, Australia and Mike from Trinidad. Sitting round later in the evening as a huge circle Dave introduced us to the concept of Belt sander Racing. His wife is an active participant and belongs to a Texan team called “Fanny Power”. We have promised to visit one day and go to a live race. Meantime we got back to Beez and went straight onto You Tube. It’s a must Belt sander Derby.

 

 

 

                                                                  Mike, a local, always seems to appear to do the cooking. He can rustle up a sauce or marinade at the drop of a hat.

 

And when we got home at eleven thirty, we were perfectly safe in the care of our Security guard

Tonight for the first time we did a Jesse organised run to Movie Town. Every Tuesday the bus leaves Chaguaramas at three forty five, dropped at Movie Town by quarter past four. Time to eat or shop, see a film, then a quick shop or supper after the films end, we had a little Chinese before and a quick once round Price Smart after. Pick up nine o’clock. We saw Salt and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Back on board for apple pie and cream and Bob’s your Uncle, another day ends in paradise.

ALL IN ALL A BUSY TIME