Charlottesville, Tobago

Our last few days in Suriname were nice and I was surprised to find the fancy relays I needed to fix our davit winch motors.  I replaced all four and all is working well again.  I hope to have that repair last until we sell the boat.

I was feeling so proud of fixing the davits that the very next day I was rewarded by our dingy motor which refused to start.  With no time left to see what was the matter, I rowed in our massive dingy ashore to check out.

The 3 day passage to Tobago went quite smoothly with only one stabilizer working.  The first day was very calm and became a bit rollier as we neared Tobago.

We had enjoyed our stay in Suriname but were very happy to drop our anchor in the crystal clear blue Caribbean waters. At last, we can see the bottom. Tobago is a wonderful first stop for our return to the Caribbean. Mountainous and high in the north and covered with dense rain forest, endless pretty bays with white sandy beaches and clear turquoise water. As Charlotteville, the village in Man of War Bay, is at the windward end of the island and the end of the road, few cruisers and even fewer tourists make it there and it is a quiet and unspoiled spot. It is a cute little working fishing village surrounded by precipitous tree covered hills showing every shade of green when the sun came out. Turtles potter around the bay, graceful frigate birds constantly circle in search of a quick snack, big ungainly pelicans plunge into the sea like a bunch of clumsy children with much splashing in search of leftovers. They then have to eat their catch with care as the smaller birds fly around their heads looking for a dropped fish or scraps.

The people of Tobago are quiet and friendly and quite old world and there were numerous greetings from village inhabitants as we strolled around.  The longer we stayed, the more open and chatty they became. The village is very small with one little mini-market, a few veggie stalls and owner-operated restaurants and bars that open when it suits them. Nobody is rushed or feels the need to open at a specific time. We were given fresh free avocados and mangos that are just falling off the trees.  We can buy lobsters and fresh fish from the local fisherman.

 

The gas station is out of diesel and no one seems to know when they may get more.  Even paying a local fisherman 24% extra to deliver it to our boat in jugs, the final cost is still $1.11 per US gallon.

We found out that by buying a $18 sim card from B-Mobile, we could enjoy several free, fast internet sites both here in Tobago and later when we go to Trinidad.   We get great reception on our boat here and are surfing the net and watching movies.  

The bay is beautiful and the beach is lined with palms and many locally built fishing skiffs bob on moorings. They have huge outboards and fishing poles of bamboo sticking out on either side which they use to troll at high speed. They are painted bright colors- the favorites being pink and blue. They sport wonderful names like "Cutting Edge' and "Thank God" and often have a small biblical verse painted neatly on their ice box.

 

The wildlife is prolific and readily available and started with a friendly range of amusingly shaped stray village dogs.  We managed to snorkel for the first time since our stay in the Chagos Islands and Madagascar last year. There was a good range of fish and just OK coral. The water clarity was not too good in the bay from the run-off from the clay hills but we are still exploring and hope to get out our SCUBA gear. 

Getting around the island is easy as the public buses and maxi-taxis were frequent and cheap and the views of the hills and bays as they spiraled through the zigzags of the switchback roads around the island took our minds off the steep drops and flimsy crash barriers. The buses are comfortable (although the maxi taxis can be equipped with powerful sound systems playing the drivers choice of 'Soca' or Reggae music) and a wonderful way of getting to know the locals. The older folk still say "Good morning" on boarding, and 'Thank you" on disembarking.

A little cleaning of the electrical wires and 5 hours of battery charging brought our dingy motor back to life and all seems to be well …for now.  We are hanging out here and just relaxing.  There are good rain storms every couple of days and we are catching plenty of rainwater to keep our tanks full and the washing machine humming.  We have been hiking, snorkeling and somehow always manage to find ourselves at a local eatery around lunch to enjoy the cheap rotis or fish and chips on offer.   On our hike we enjoy the sugar birds that we have seen before and a few snakes that are new to us.

 

One day we took the local air-conditioned bus (cost less than $1) over to Speyside to see Little Tobago just for something to do.  

 

We will hang out here until the end of the week based on a promise of some of that cheap fuel.  After that we will slowly bay hop to Bloody Bay, Englishman’s Bay, etc., etc. to the southwest end of Tobago before heading to Trinidad.

Tom