Speedwell of Hong Kong

Chaguaramus

Author: Shirlz

 

Tuesday, 29 October 2013

Speedwell was lifted out of the water again towards the end of September. An extended period of southerly winds had made the Chaguaramus anchorage even more uncomfortable than usual and I still had a lot of maintenance jobs on my to-do list. So back to Coral Cove and my home on the hard.

The first day or two were spent making the boat habitable in the hot and humid conditions. I rigged up a shady awning which would also keep the deck dry in the regular downpours and borrowed a big cooling fan to keep the air moving down below.

The next few weeks were just a mindless, sweaty blur of treating the filthy rusty cast iron floors in the bilge. Performing yoga-like contortions to reach the worst areas underneath and behind the engine. Wearing contact lenses as the sweat pouring down my face made glasses unusable. At last after repeated acid treatments and a few coats of epoxy and expensive polyurethane paint they looked respectable again.

It was time to tackle repainting the deck and coach roof. This had to be done in sections but compared to the unspeakably awful bilge work, was easy enough. I treated myself to new foam bunk mattresses and got the old sewing machine out to make new covers. Blissfully comfy nights now. The companionway sliding hatch cover had to be removed and refurbished, a broken stanchion repaired, lifelines replaced, cockpit repainted and then I started with the varnishing. Speedwell is looking quite good but the potential for work is endless and it´s easy to see how some people get stuck in work mode and just never actually get back in the water.

It´s not all work of course. A bus ride into town is an endless source of wonder for me. Three main modes of transport exist. The maxi-taxis are probably the most popular. They will stop anywhere along the road to pick you up. They follow set routes and depending on whether you are heading to Port of Spain or Diego Martin, the direction you point a finger indicates your intention to the driver and he will stop if that´s the way he´s heading and there are still seats available. It´s a quick,, reliable, convenient and cheap form of transport.

Another alternative is the municipal bus. A lot cheaper  than the maxis, but the tickets have to be bought in advance and there is only one per hour. They only stop at designated bus stops and the timetable is a bit hazy. So you may sometimes wait an awfully long time. If it all comes together you get a comfortable, often air-conditioned ride seated up high with big windows to admire the view and lots of legroom for shopping bags. The clientele is subtly different to the maxi-crowd,. Regulars greet each other as they get on. Dress seems more restrained. The oldies predominate. At the end of the line in Port of Spain, the run terminates at a magnificent old bus station near the dock area. This is the place to start a bus trip to practically any destination on the island.

Then there are the shared car taxis. No special identifying features other than an inquiring toot-toot as they slow down on the approach to see if you want a ride. Prices vary a bit depending on the driver but are usually about the same as the maxis.

All this makes Trinidad one of the easiest places to use public transport.

Sit back an enjoy the ride. Leaving Chaguaramus the narrow road hugs the coastline twisting round tight bends. Lush tropical growth right down to the edge of the road. The sea is usually quite calm and many big ships and fishing boats are anchored out. Some rafted up in twos and threes. Closer in there will be people cooling off in the water. Mostly just sitting with the water up to their necks. Sometimes all afternoon might be spent  socializing semi-submerged. Not a bad way to keep cool. Further on, small shops and bars crowd the edges of the road, Many roti shops that also advertise doubles, buss up, cow heel soup , goat stew. Beer of course or maybe maubi, sea-moss or sorrel to drink.

The variety of skin colours, body shapes, hairstyles and clothing is dazzling. Everyone talking above the music in their lilting Trini version of English. The bus passes Carenage, Pt Cumana, Glencoe and then the more built up areas with big malls and blocks of flats as we approach the city of Port of Spain. Slow moving traffic. And at last my favourite bus terminus.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 17th, 2013 at 16:27 and is filed under Cruising, Trinidad and Tobago. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.