We arrive in the Caribbean. 14 days and 13 nights at sea. An epic journey. A jump on the beginner sailing career. We landed in Tobago on December 28, 2007. We went to the center – Scarborough – to file the papers and rested 2 days in a row. We were exhausted from the long journey. We took the Vagabond without autopilot in the last 70 hours: the mechanism could not stand the rojão.Tobago looks like Salvador. The black culture and a chaotic port neighborhood reminded us of the small town. There is not so much structure, the island is a tourist resort for the local population and tourists from all over the world.
It is not a lie when they say that T&T is the portal of the Caribbean: we saw many sailors on the island and it seems that in Trinidad the number is even greater. Now, let's spend New Year's Eve in peace and start the adventure all over again. We had no way to feed the site before the turn, but from now on the snippets will be short and we'll put a lot of material in the air. A hug from the crew and a happy 2008.
Tobago is a separate chapter. We stay 6 days on the island anchored on a beach. No charge. It is a mixture of Itaparica with Morro de São Paulo; a little more Jamaica and still a pinch of Africa, England, India, China, USA and Salvador. Crazy. We anchored near a coral stand. I saw some boats with glass bottoms: they take a tour to the corals. Float over the sanctuaries while tourists observe the interesting marine fauna. We stay close to a beach village. The quiet life of the people of Tobago was a tranquilliser. We spent the night of New Year's Eve in a local ballad. It played a lot reagge and socca – a rhythm from here.
The culture of this country intrigues me. In Tobago, there is a black majority. A different people. Reserved, and I would say: xenophobes. I do not blame them, mainly for the chronic sequels of various recolonizations – in addition to the fact of forced exile, slavery. We walked with some familiarity through the center. We seemed as if we were in the Av. 7, or in the vicinity of the Model Market, in the downtown. The language also deserves special mention: little of the audio was understood. There's a guy I met who ended up spending years on the island trying to understand the language – in vain. From the current level of your evolution, I think you'll be here a while longer.
Still in Tobago we went to a surf village. Mount Irvine, another paradise. It is an hour and a half from our first berth. We had no problems to go down or lift the irons. We went by boat until the peak and surfed until the afternoon fall. The structure of the beach was well assembled and we could take a bath and eat something. The beach is excellent for snorkelling. I saw many very different corals and several fish that I had never seen before. I could not hunt, but the Caribbean promises very good results.
At this time we are entering a narrow channel until we reach the bay of Chaguaramas – palms, in Aboriginal language – : my expectations are confirmed. Trinidad is a paradise island. I've never seen water color so special. The entrance of the canal, between mountain ranges, further magnify our arrival. Trinidad's mountains can be seen from far away. They've been accompanying us all day since we left Tobago. How green!
The Tobago crossing to Chaguaramas Bay on the outskirts of Port of Spain lasted 10 hours. As we took shelter in the calm waters of the immense bay, it seemed as if we were entering a paradise. If it were not for the confusion generated by the hundreds of anchored sailboats and other diverse vessels the place could be the scenery of Jurassic Park. We have been here for 5 or 6 days. We have surveyed all the items for maintenance and I believe we will stay here for 15 days – minimum. Well, the"city of the boats" is a separate attraction. In the bay of Chaguaramas are located at least 6 medium sized marinas. There are many sailboats outside the Piers, in the Poitas; more than 200, I calculate. In the dry, I can bet that it has more than 1000. The Mecca of sailboats and fishing boats. A friend told me he bought a 31 feet for $10,000.
When Columbus arrived here, in these mountainous and verdant islands, he found an organized society, with trade relations with the South American continent: 35 thousand inhabitants populated these lands were decimated and expelled \8211; the Indians, of course, of course. Later, towards the end of the 16th century, it was colonized by the Spaniards. Then, ruled by French – and hence the culture of such a celebrated and famous Carnival in the Caribbean. Finally, it was invaded by Englishmen who ended up staying until the emancipation of the Archipelago. It was frequented by pirates and smugglers from time to time. Indian and other workers, also Eastern, came to enrich and blend in to the cultural melting pot that is Trinidad & Tobago.
We have problems in the bathroom: the discharge is bad, needs a little maintenance; the kitchen gas system has also expired: we will need to install new models, suitable for the Caribbean and Polynesia; the boat's outboard motor needs a revision: normal. And only; then, the Caribbean awaits us. We meet many Brazilians in the marina. One thing in common: everyone is here in passing, to tidy up the boat or install a little something. The language seems to be the biggest obstacle with our community. The English here is really a mixture of dialects: a confusion. Conclusion? I couldn't say, I need more time around here. I liked the place.
It was decided among the boat galley that only in the journals we can write about our adventures and perceptions. The Message space in the Bottle will be for the most important warnings of the site and the project, something concise, really summarized. Stay tuned! The guys (preu and crisa) promised to engage in updating and feeding the diaries more often.We rented a car and went exploring the island. On Saturday we went to maracas Bay and Las Cuevas. Two very popular beaches in Trinidad. We didn't run much, only about 20 km. Well, we went there and didn't find much to do. Maybe it was the season. The place is very beautiful: the bays are surrounded by mountains of green forest, as in Itacaré. The sand is white and the water is not cold. The problem is that there is a "farofa" worse than that galley that will make the hits and returns in the beaches of the Baixada Santista during the holidays. We took some pictures and went back downtown.
On Sunday we planned a longer journey. This time we went to the extreme NE of the island. A 3 hour journey. Trinidad's roads are narrow and obey English direction parameters and signs. The cars also have the same shape: right hand wheel. For us, a horror: every hour we got confused on the tracks and worse: the car still had an automatic shift. The left leg wanted to squeeze an invisible clutch and the hitchhiker tried to put the car in neutral every time we stopped somewhere. It was funny just because nothing serious happened.
In Toco, we went to a deserted Prainha. It was breaking small – the sea, by the way, the waves. It saved some surfing images, but the day didn't help much: it was a little cloudy. We ate a local kite: shark sandwich. It is for the natives as acarajé for the Bahian. They fry in the oil – and at high temperature – put by pass at wheat flour; lay the fryings in the middle of two buns. But a bread made with a different pasta, similar to the Mexican tortilla, only thicker. Very good. They even put in a little barbecue sauce, kind of sweet, that makes the food juicier and tastier. There was "crowd". Preu sent good maneuvers among the locals, but we did not linger long. The return trip was very fast, we arrived before the evening
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Vagabond: A Maritime Journey Around the World
AdventureOn board the Vagabond, a brazilian sailboat, three friends with no previews sea experience, go after an ald dream. Sail around the world. It took several months to prepare material and minds to the launch day. The boat was bought south of the countr...
