On the Hard in Trinidad

Saturday and Sunday were slow as the weather was bad and we were getting restless waiting for Monday, when our boat was scheduled to be hauled out. Sunday our plans for a good meal and sports on TV were smashed when we learned that our favorite restaurant, Joe’s, was closed on the Sabath. We spent the rest of the day bouncing around the bars on the waterfront, looking for a place showing the American football playoff games. We finally found one and enjoyed watching the New England Patriots triumph over the Indianapolis Colts.

Monday, we were up early at 8, waiting to hear what time the boatyard, Power Boats, was planning to pull Audentes out of the water. Hearing nothing, we called in and were told it would be some time after lunch. Hearing nothing again by late in the afternoon, we called in and were told that there had been a delay, and we’d have to wait until Tuesday. Needless to say, we weren’t happy about being strung along for a day and then getting shut out completely, but our hands were tied. We cut our losses and headed for Joe’s, where we had another delicious pizza while we watched women’s tennis.

Tuesday morning was very, very wet. We manuevered into the hauling slip at 8 a.m. and waited an hour for the lift operator to show up. He finally did and we were pulled out and put “on the hard” without incident. The bottom was filthy, however, vindicating our decision to pull the boat out and repaint the bottom, among other improvements.

Our new home for the next few weeks hasn’t got much in the way of a view, but it’s close to the showers, very near a good roti hut for lunches, and hooked up to a power source that lets us run the fans as much as we want. The mast is scheduled to be pulled out on Friday, so it’s impossible to determine when it will actually happen. Tonight we plan on celebrating the successful hauling out with a movie, and perhaps a Cuban cigar.

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