Andrew's first Cuban.I have been derelict in my duties posting to the blog. Most of my time has been spent on repairs and maintenance items. The too do list seams to keep growing, despite my efforts to pear it down. Here is what I have been up to: hauled boat to address a significant leaking problem with the prop shaft. The boys and I dropped the rudder, broke down the Hundested variable pitch prop mechanism, pulled the prop shaft then put everything back together again. Finally we repacked the rudder and prop shaft packing. That took 3 days; work that was done largely in vain because the prop seal was still in working order. (though my peace of mind has been restored. There’s nothing quite as unsettling as having the boat take on water in the middle of the night when you are doing a crossing and you are in the middle of nowhere).
I had the foam in the cockpit cushions replaced. They had deteriorated to the point where they just stayed flat and where water logged. It would seam that this should to be a quick job, but not around here. Getting quotes takes for ever. With so many boats here for hurricane season, everyone has plenty of work to do. When I finally did get a quote, I had Andrew bring the cushions to the upholstery shop. When he got there they quoted him a significantly different figure than the original quote I had received. So now it’s another dinghy trip to the shop to get clarification. When I got there the right person to talk to was out for the day. “Come back tomorrow” they said. You can see how this thing just kept getting dragged on and on. In the end, I probably spent 6 hours just to get someone else to do a job that should only take a maximum of 30 minutes to complete. When we did get the cushions back the job was done right however, and the price was right. 266 TT Dollars which is $46 U.S. for two 6 x 3 foot cushions with new sliders installed on the zipper.
The crew sanded and varnished the toe rail, twice. It rained shortly after applying the vanish the first time. Ahhh, the rainy season, not just good for losing your tan, but also keeping you on your toes and busy as well.
Back to the maintenance list: changed all fuel filters and oil in the Perkins and the gen-set. Changed out alternator and fridge belts on Perkins. Re-aligned fridge compressor. Replaced raw water impeller on Perkins. All this took two full days between doing the work and sourcing the parts.
We bought a used stainless steal stove from another cruiser and fitted the range top to our stove since ours had rusted out. It was incredible that we found a stove top that would work (with some modifications). Several hours of cutting it to size with the grinder and building new fittings and the stove looks brand new. Sue is pleased as punch.
So, what’s left to do? Second coat of varnish on the toe rail. Replace the grill regulator. Have the canvas on the dodger replaced. Varnish the steering wheel. Pull two hatches and three portholes and re-seal them. Re-seal the mast. Repair several other leaks throughout the boat (all became evident during the rainy season). Pull the windlass and have the motor rebuilt. Remove the shower door and re-seal it. And finally, re-hang the wire in the cockpit locker that holds and organizes all the spare lines on board.
Sorry about the lengthy discussion on maintenance items, but that was all of those who have inquired if we ever get bored while cruising. It’s been almost a year since we moved on the Adamo, and I can confirm that boredom has played no part in this little adventure.
After the visit from my parents, we only had a few days left with the older boys. Friday August 1 was Emancipation Day here in Trinidad and all businesses were closed. We needed a rental car to get Andrew and Doug to the airport Saturday morning at 5:15am, so we rented the car on Thursday with the return scheduled for Monday (rental car agencies are closed on the weekend). Five days with a car, what a luxury.
We decided to make the most of having the car. We spent Thursday provisioning, Friday driving to the rain forest, Saturday to the airport, Sunday more provisioning, and on Monday a little more provisioning. Cars are $30 per day and gas is $1.20 per gallon. What a deal.
I had the foam in the cockpit cushions replaced. They had deteriorated to the point where they just stayed flat and where water logged. It would seam that this should to be a quick job, but not around here. Getting quotes takes for ever. With so many boats here for hurricane season, everyone has plenty of work to do. When I finally did get a quote, I had Andrew bring the cushions to the upholstery shop. When he got there they quoted him a significantly different figure than the original quote I had received. So now it’s another dinghy trip to the shop to get clarification. When I got there the right person to talk to was out for the day. “Come back tomorrow” they said. You can see how this thing just kept getting dragged on and on. In the end, I probably spent 6 hours just to get someone else to do a job that should only take a maximum of 30 minutes to complete. When we did get the cushions back the job was done right however, and the price was right. 266 TT Dollars which is $46 U.S. for two 6 x 3 foot cushions with new sliders installed on the zipper.
The crew sanded and varnished the toe rail, twice. It rained shortly after applying the vanish the first time. Ahhh, the rainy season, not just good for losing your tan, but also keeping you on your toes and busy as well.
Back to the maintenance list: changed all fuel filters and oil in the Perkins and the gen-set. Changed out alternator and fridge belts on Perkins. Re-aligned fridge compressor. Replaced raw water impeller on Perkins. All this took two full days between doing the work and sourcing the parts.
We bought a used stainless steal stove from another cruiser and fitted the range top to our stove since ours had rusted out. It was incredible that we found a stove top that would work (with some modifications). Several hours of cutting it to size with the grinder and building new fittings and the stove looks brand new. Sue is pleased as punch. So, what’s left to do? Second coat of varnish on the toe rail. Replace the grill regulator. Have the canvas on the dodger replaced. Varnish the steering wheel. Pull two hatches and three portholes and re-seal them. Re-seal the mast. Repair several other leaks throughout the boat (all became evident during the rainy season). Pull the windlass and have the motor rebuilt. Remove the shower door and re-seal it. And finally, re-hang the wire in the cockpit locker that holds and organizes all the spare lines on board.Sorry about the lengthy discussion on maintenance items, but that was all of those who have inquired if we ever get bored while cruising. It’s been almost a year since we moved on the Adamo, and I can confirm that boredom has played no part in this little adventure.
After the visit from my parents, we only had a few days left with the older boys. Friday August 1 was Emancipation Day here in Trinidad and all businesses were closed. We needed a rental car to get Andrew and Doug to the airport Saturday morning at 5:15am, so we rented the car on Thursday with the return scheduled for Monday (rental car agencies are closed on the weekend). Five days with a car, what a luxury.
We decided to make the most of having the car. We spent Thursday provisioning, Friday driving to the rain forest, Saturday to the airport, Sunday more provisioning, and on Monday a little more provisioning. Cars are $30 per day and gas is $1.20 per gallon. What a deal.
The only blog-worthy day with the car was Friday. We departed the marina at 9:00am and drove east to the coast, about 40 miles. The traffic in some spots was horrendous. Everyone was out on the streets due to the holiday.
When we reached the east coast we found a deserted beach. It was full of leather-back sea-turtle nests, one every 6 feet. Cracked hatching eggs littered the beach from the baby sea-turtles’ escape from there sandy nests to the open ocean. 
The boys were happy to be off the boat for the day. Doug and Andrew spared on the beach.
I think the loser got the center seat on the flight home. 
Phil and Sue explored the woods. After the beach excursion it was back into the car to continue into the rain forest. The roads were barely two lanes for the 30 miles of curvy roads following the north coast of the island. Every so often we crossed a single lane bridge made of wooden planks.
Just as we were all getting hungry, we stumbled upon a remote bungalow hotel. It is owned by a Swedish couple, with 5 bungalows and an open-air dining room. 
After lunch, as we exited the compound we found a bread-fruit tree. Andrew and Phil hopped out and collected two large fruits the size of an over sized football. Bread-fruit is a starchy fruit which you cut up and boil, and eat just like a potato. When I cooked it, I sautéed the chunks I had previously boiled in olive oil with garlic, chopped tomato, onion, hot sauce, thyme, salt and pepper. Everyone loved it.After collecting the bread-fruit we proceeded further into the forest. Much to our dismay, the road dead ended. There was no place to turn around so we had to back down the narrow road for a ¼ mile and then turn the car around and head back the way we came. The locals looked at us like we were from Mars. By the time we got back to the Adamo it was 8:00pm. That’s was a long day of driving in tough conditions, often through a deluge of rain in a small Nissan Sunny (just big enough to fit the boys in the back seat).
During the last hour of the trip Phillip was going bonkers. He had the middle seat and just could not sit still any longer. After that day, I think the older boys were looking forward to heading back to the States and leaving Phil behind!During lunch, Susan remembered that we needed to go to immigration in Chaguaramas Bay to check Andrew and Doug out of the country. When we hit the dead-end it became very clear that we would not make it back in time. So we called the immigration office from the car to see what our options were. Well, the lady on the other end of the phone was quite indignant. Saying things like: “That’s a BIG problem. You have to come in by 5:00pm today.” I said: “I cannot make it there in time. We ran into a dead-end in the road and are in the rain forest and have hours of driving ahead of us.” “That’s a BIG problem. You chose not to come in today. Our law states the captain is accountable for his crew when the vessel leaves the country. If the crew is not aboard when you leave, you will have to prove that they have left the country by some other means.”
Nuts! I was so angry about the “you CHOSE not to come in” comment I wanted to go ballistic. (Ich habe vor wut fast ins Lenkrad gebissen!) Of course, raising your voice to immigration gets you absolutely nowhere. After dropping the boys off at the airport, I went to immigration to get my wrist slapped, or fined, or arrested or whatever they were going to do to me. Fortunately, it was Saturday and the indignant lady had the day off. The official that was there accepted a copy of the boys’ itinerary and the airport parking stub as proof that they had left. I paid the $14 departure fee and I was free to go.
Three days ago, Phil found an inflatable roll-up dinghy by the trash cans. He proceeded to bring it back on the dock and inflate it.
Turns out that the thing actually holds air. Well, you know Phil. His favorite four letter word is “FREE”. So he spent the next three days fixing it up and gluing all the loose rubber straps back in place. It actually looks pretty decent now. His plans are to manufacture a transom for it and use the spare 3hp outboard so he can go fishing in his own dinghy. The people who threw it out saw him working on it and were tickled pink that a “young chap” ended up with it. They were proud to inform him that that dinghy had been around the world.In preparation for our trip up the Orinoco River in Venezuela, we got immunization shots today for yellow fever and tetanus. We took a taxi to the health clinic that gives out the shots. It was an experience. Picture a hospital from the movies in Africa; open windows, wooden benches, a rooster running through the yard past the entry door as we filled in pink government slips to serve as our record for re-admittance back into the country. Aside from the four nurses, dressed in brown dresses reminiscent of girls scout brownies uniforms, we were the only people there. Once the forms were completed we where ushered into a small examination room where the shots were administered. A cup full of individually packaged syringes was the only medical devices in view. A locking cabinet labeled “dangerous drugs” was partially hidden by the open door leading to the next examination room. I wondered to myself “what are dangerous drugs??” Our vaccines were retrieved from a Coleman cooler on the table next to the syringe stash. Rubber gloves were nowhere in site. Two shots, one in each arm and we were done.
