Tuesday, November 7, 1995 - Trinidad

I accidentally dropped the line when I put my Royak in the water. Roy was already in his Royak, so he retrieved my line and pulled it back to me. Boy, did he laugh! Revenge for all the times I'd laughed at him for letting his Royak get away from him. When we paddled in to sign up for the slip at the dock, we saw that another boat was already there. We went hunting for the dockmaster to see if there might be another opening coming up. The office clerk told us he was on the dock, so we walked out there but didn't see him. We asked a woman if she had seen him. To our surprise, she turned out to be Mrs. Dockmaster. She was just as nice as can be. She walked all over the yard in her bare feet looking for him and finally found him near the chandlery. He said that a boat named Carressa was going back in the water and would be tied to the dock at high tide. As soon as that was done, we could have the corner slot. They told us to stand by on Channel 68 this afternoon around four o'clock. They'll let us know when to bring the boat in. That settled, we went to the chandlery and bought the Trinidad courtesy flag we had ordered. Roy took it back to the boat and raised it. He had no sooner gotten in his Royak than it started pouring, so it's lucky he was going back to the boat. It was already pretty wet when he got there and closed the hatches and portholes. I waited for him under the overhang of the main building. An artist had just finished painting a picture of the boats at the dock and had had to quickly take his painting and easel to the shelter of the overhang. I complimented him on his picture, which was really well done. He is quite talented. After fifteen minutes or so, the rain let up, and Roy returned with the things I had asked for. Then he went back to the boat, and I left to get chicken for supper. Stopped at Powerboats and bought ten bus tickets, in case a big bus came by. While I was waiting at the bus stop, the artist pulled up in his car and offered me a ride. He was very nice. Took me right to West Mall. He had been born in Trinidad and lived here all his life except for traveling in Canada, Europe, and the U.S. He was obviously well-educated and spoke flawless English that I had no problem understanding. I asked him about the language of the local people, and he assured me it was English. He said they spoke rapidly and with a heavy accent, but they spoke English. So now I'm really confused. Is it English or is it Trinidadian? If it's English, why can't I understand what they're saying? And what in the world does "callaloo" mean? I was really impressed by West Mall. Inside, it's like being in the United States. There are all kinds of shops, it's air-conditioned and it's attractively decorated. At a Hallmark card store, I bought a birthday card for Diane, ten postcards, a map of the island, and a cruiser's guide to Trinidad and Tobago. Then I went to the Hi Lo Supermarket. This is the same chain we went to yesterday but what a difference! This store was much larger and nicer. They had far more attractive produce. I bought cauliflower and enough chicken for two days. Also bought some cookies and candy. When I was on my way to the bus stop, I inadvertently stepped on some soft mud. My foot flew out from under me, and I went down splat on the sidewalk. Luckily, I didn't land in the mud. There were a bunch of schoolboys around, but they didn't laugh or make fun of me. I jumped to my feet immediately, unhurt except for my pride and dignity. Soon caught a maxi-taxi back to Peake's. The rain had obligingly held off all the time I was shopping, but as soon as I got in my Royak, it started in again, and by the time I reached the boat, it was pouring, so I got a free shower. We ate lunch and listened to Channel 68. Roy got anxious as four o'clock approached and paddled in. It's lucky he did, because it turned out the whole thing was a misunderstanding. Tim, the dockmaster, and his wife, Viv, had thought we just wanted to tie to the dock for a day or two. When they found out we wanted to be there two or three weeks, they said no way. That corner slot is strictly temporary. However, they expect their boat to be hauled out in about a week, and then we can have their slot. Roy made an appointment to be hauled November 30th. They gave him a contract form to fill out and bring back in the morning, but when I read it, there was a clause saying we could only do minor or routine work on the boat. Since Roy has to repair the mizzen mast and might have to replace some planks, this doesn't come under the category of minor or routine. We might have to go to Powerboats instead of Peake's. We've got to clarify it before we sign the contract.