After almost two whole months at anchor in Prickly Bay Temptress is heading south to Trinidad. We’ve loved being here, meeting up with old friends including John & Deb on Orion II (last time we were moored next door to each other in Lanzarote) and Julia and Frederick on Susie Q as well as making lots of new ones too numerous to mention. The main hurricane season is almost upon us with a storm brewing in the Mid Atlantic as I write that fortunately for everyone in Grenada looks like it will track further north as it moss west. Spare a thought for the people of  the Windward Islands as they prepare for the worst later in the week; we hope that the incoming depression does not develop into a tropical storm or worse but rather like the one last week dissipates long before it reaches the islands.

For us Tuesday night’s (29 July) forecast looks light on winds but we won’t be too worried. Our plan is to leave Prickly Bay late afternoon so as to have boat and crew settled before darkness falls. It is 77 nautical miles almost due south to the northern entrance of Boca De Monos the narrow passage of sea that separates the westernmost tip of Trinidad from the island of Monos. We’d prefer to arrive there at day break and so have plenty of light to see the delights of the Boca including the apparently gorgeous and isolated Scotland Bay for ourselves; hence a slow, lazy sail past the oil rigs off Northern Trinidad will suit fine.

David and Taryna of Haymede have provided plenty of handy tips about where to anchor (around the corner from the port of Entry Chaguaramas at TTSA), where the Customs Pier is located (Crews Inn Marina in the eastern corner of Chaguaramas) and places to eat during our stay. Customs demand that yacht crews check in with them first before anchoring in the remote bays of Trinidad so Temptress will be making her way into Chaguaramas. This is the main yachting centre on the island and lies just to the east of the southern end of the Boca and we are hoping we’ll be first in the queue when the immigration office opens at 06:00, customs open at 08:00. 

Meanwhile we are busy tidying up – it is amazing how much stuff has started laying around the boat and now needs safely stowing in readiness for the sea – the second anchor and the tape used to lay it during last week’s storms, cushions, books, electronic gadgets and chargers, snorkeling gear and more in addition to the usual stuff we have out during extended stationary periods; china plates, the fruit bowl etc. We let out extra anchor chain on Friday in preparation for another stormy night so the weedy bit has been cleaning itself on the bottom for the last few days – hopefully that has done a good job so we don’t have to spend too long on the task ourselves whilst raising the anchor tomorrow afternoon. The laundry has been sent ashore and will be ready this afternoon, petrol supplies for the dinghy and generator have been topped up and the navigation completed. Tuesday morning the skipper will go ashore and check us out from Grenada at the Customs and Immigration office. Finally our third crew member Boat Ted will be nestled in a safe berth in the top of a basket in the saloon whilst we are at sea.