position N11 18 081 W60 39 117
Ocean Rival Journey Log
Adam Power Diana Power
Wed 28 Oct 2015 10:03
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Tuesday 27th Oct Yesterday we left Parlatouvier Bay after breakfast of granola and tinned figs and gently drifted with some following breeze to Great Courtland Bay and Plymouth in time for lunch ashore- well that is how I bribed Dad into another long and hot walk to find a hotel/restaurant in its own secluded bay. The guide promised cool dining in elegant surroundings with the added bonus of excellent snorkelling. Opinions were divided among those we asked on route as to whether to Hotel would be open, and inevitably when we eventually reached it it was shut. The beach was however beautiful and the snorkelling awesome. The option of a taxi ride back was out of the question so back we trudged into plymouth for a late lunch of Hagen Daas icecream from the supermaket. After some essential shopping (pineapple,banana, avocado and mayonaise) we inspected the famous tombstone of Betty Stiven with the inscription ' She was a mother without knowing it, and a wife without letting her husband know it'. The riddle seems to suggest that she died in childbirth, the father unaware of her condition. I purchased a couple of lovely bamboo mugs from Theo at the fort and we returned to the boat for avocado salad with sardines. I should mention a Dolphin sighting as we left Parlatouvier Bay- a couple of typically caribbean dolphin languidly swimming alongside our slow drifting hull-one giving a casual tail slap-presumably the equivalent of a Tobagan high five - before mosying off.  This morning we departed Great Courtland bay in even less wind and drifted with the current at 1Knot untill eventually past the end of Tobabago we picked up the trade wind, got the spinaker in a tangle and close reached across to Trinidad aiming for the first anchorage on the north coast. Trinidad appeared on the horizon dark and forbidding with rain clouds peppering the coast whereas Tobago had always been apeared sunny and bright. The anchorage is Grande Riviere- well known among the turtle watchers - but otherwise notable in the guide for tricky dinghy landing due to strong surf. We arrived just before 6pm so after a compulsory beer we pumped, launched and motored the dinghy in to inspect the surf. Fortunately a concrete ramp provided a preferable landing option to the beach that would certainy have been challenging. As we walked along the beach we saw that a river disgorged into the sea and a brave dinghy captain could have run the surf and hit the river at the correct angle for an exciting but safe entry. Later we saw a fishing boat try the same manouvre but ground and 6 strong men leaped out to heave the boat into the lagoon behind the beach. I suspect that we would not have fared so well. Needless to say the hotels in Grand Rivierre were all shut being as the turtles are not laying and the eggs not hatching just now. The vultures that patrolled the beach were apparantly unaware that poor little defenseless baby turtles were not scheduled to re-appear untill next may.
We pursuaded one hotel proprietress to serve us a rum punch (for which Dad has aquired a rather strong liking) and had a brief explore of the village before returning in the dark. Unfortunaely I lost the outboard key in the surf so dad rowed us back, working off the effects of the rum by the time we reached the boat. Tinned pasta stew for supper followed by Pineapple and Banana fruit salad.
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