Last time we left you we were having fun with friends in the beautiful isle of Tobago. This time we sail to Trinidad and get the boat lifted out for some much needed TLC before heading further on our adventures. It has been over two years since we lifted Azimuth out of the water. Since that time, we have sailed over 10,000 miles in her. Six months in the Caribbean had been hard on the old girl. Most of the antifoul had come off from all the sailing we had done and Azimuth had her own reef ecosystem growing on the bottom complete with crabs and mussels. It was definitely time for a clean and also to fix some stuff, most importantly the steering / autopilot.
So after our fond farewell to the Thompsons at the airport in Tobago, we flagged down a taxi to Scarborough and went about trying to check out of Tobago and get permission to sail to Trinidad. We arrived at immigration at 11am that morning and we were told to come back at 2pm. Not a great start, so we went and did the customs checkout first and went looking for somewhere to get lunch and kill a few hours. Whilst we were wondering around the docks and the edge of the town, we bumped in to the woman who owns and runs the Wonky Windmill, the restaurant we had been in the night before with the Thompsons. She immediately recognised us, and to show just how friendly everyone is here when we told her we had a few hours to kill she insisted on driving us to the top of the hill so we could go and visit the fort! It was well worth the trip
After a pitstop for lunch at a local place that was recommended to us, we turned up back at immigration and several of the other cruisers from the anchorage were also there!
It was all sorted within an a hour or two and we headed back to the clubhouse for one last drink before departing for Trinidad early the next morning.
It was a glorious sail across. So much easier than getting from Grenada to Tobago. Now we were downwind and had the current behind us. We decided to anchor for one night on the North coast of Trinidad at Vache Bay, and had the whole place to ourselves. It was a steep sided bay with no access to land surrounded by rainforest. Unfortunately a rolly night, but very peaceful.
We got up early the next morning. There was no wind, so we had to motor round the corner to get to Chaguaramus to check in to Trinidad. It was a very beautiful and dramatic coastline along the North coast and through islands.
On arrival in Chaguaramus we dropped the anchor and headed to the customs and immigration. Another drama unfolded as we were told that Tobago had made a mistake and checked us entirely out of the country instead of doing the paperwork that transferred us to Trinidad! Come back next week we were told…. which we did, only to be told to go away and not bother them until we wanted to check out! Oh well, as long as we are not in the country illegally we said? The response as curt and so we left! Customs were all good though. Its amazing how the place seems to run ok with all the bureaucracy?!
Chaguaramus is a pretty port, but not the most inspiring anchorage to sit and wait for 3 days before we got lifted out of the water. So we headed a mile away back the way we had come to a very pretty anchorage called Scotland Bay
Expecting it to be a peaceful anchorage, we were surprised when the party boats turned up that weekend! It became the battle of the sound systems. Reggae blasting out and everyone having a good time. They all disappeared by midnight and then we were left with the sounds of the rainforest. A very beautiful place.
The day came for the lift out, and we headed back to Chaguaramus, all nervous about the next steps. We needn’t have worried. The Peakes Yard team were consummate professionals. They sent a diver down to position the straps under the boat. Azimuth was lifted out of the water in no time. The crane was huge so I didn’t have to remove any stays or equipment from the boat (a lot of hassle avoided!).
I got a well deserved ribbing about the state of the bottom! But 5 guys had the thing scraped off in no time and the high pressure washer had her very clean.
Then the guys transferred Azimuth to a special truck and drove her off to her new home in the yard. From water to new position in about two hours! No messing!
So now the fun really started …..!
Step 1: Fixing the Steering
First job was to check out the steering and get a fix started. That meant going down in to the hell hole that is the space underneath the cockpit floor. Have I told you how hot is was yet? With the gearbox removed without too much cursing and swearing, it didn’t look very good, and it was immediately obvious that the unit needed some serious TLC. A good job really that we had caught it now, because I don’t think it would have been very long until the whole thing fell to bits, and thankfully not whilst we were at sea! After a few days asking around, we managed to track down a local guy who had experience of fixing these very units. All the bearings in the unit would need to be replaced, and then as we got further in to it, it became clear that two of the cone gears that turn a 90 degree angle to where the autopilot is attached were beyond repair. This was the cause of the slipping and crunching sound when the autopilot was engaged, as well as all the play in the steering system.
We went round the houses trying to find some replacement gears on the internet, but nothing could be found. That in case then, the only option was to have a new set made by a local metal basher. Expensive!
The guys at the metal shop really knew their stuff. They even sent me a video of the process. Being the geek I am, I thought it looked like a cool process. Here it is for those of you interested!
Unfortunately, as good as these guys were, stuff doesn’t happen quick in Trinidad. In the end this was to be the major holdup for us here in Chaguaramus, but it had to be done, or Azimuth wasn’t going anywhere!
Step 2: Fixing Toilets!
Well doesn’t this sound like we are living the dream?! Talk to any serious sailing cruiser, and all of them have had the dreaded blocked toilet onboard. Everyone also has there own fix or solution! Azimuth has three “heads” and on arrival, only one of them was actually working any more. Time to get serious! Ailsa took it upon herself to dive head first in to fixing this whilst I got on with some of the other jobs on the boat.
What a job. Basically all the toilet pipes needed replacing. Easy right? Sounds it until you find out where those pipes are routed, inside cupboards, behind wardrobes, buried deep in a rats nest of pipes and cables in the bilge. Oh and add in the 32 degree heat and 85% humidity inside the boat, and it all started to add up to a nightmare. We bought the entire stock of pipe from the local chandlery, all 47 feet of it! Turns out we had about 15 cms left over when the job was done. Very lucky or amazing measuring?
I will leave it up to your imagination as to the cause of pipe blockage… but it was not pleasant. The pipes calcifies up over the 26 years they had been installed and a 32mm pipe was down to about 3mm!
It took about a week in all, but they are all replaced, tested and no leaks!
Step 3: Bottom Painting
Definitely not my favourite job! Two days of sanding the horrible old stuff off the bottom. One day applying a coat of primer and then three days to paint the bottom with new antifoul, where you have to cover yourself up in one of those paper suits and goggles. The antifoul paint is evil stuff that you don’t want to get on your skin.
Step 4: Polishing the Hull
Another favourite! Whilst balancing on a bouncy plan on the top of two A-frames, apply a rubbing compound and use the polisher to take the top layer of oxidation off the gelcoat. Then apply liquid wax, allow to drive and polish with a cloth. 3 days to do Azimuths hull. I think I collapsed a couple of times from heat exhaustion and my arms felt like rubber every night!
Step 5: Sit and wait
Sit and wait for the parts to be made for the steering, see step 1! That’s pretty much where we are as of writing. I think we have been in the yard nearly 4 weeks now and both of us are distinctly looking forward to leaving!!!
While we sit and wait with have seen some interesting stuff though. Check these guys out that live in the trees at the back of the boat
Here’s the view from boat. They pack them in here! The sunsets aren’t too bad either.
We have met some lovely people whilst we have been here in Chaguaramus. There is a great cruiser community. Lots of stories to hear about everyone’s travels. Several of them seem to have been here far too long though?! Got to the yard and never left? We don’t intend to end up like one of those.
We even had one notable day out away from the boat yard when a fellow Brit, Susy offered to take us to the beach one day on the North side of Trinidad. It was a lovely day out and a very welcome change from yard life.
Join us next time when we fingers crossed manage to leave the yard, get the boat back in the water and sail off to the Dutch Caribbean, ABC islands