Thursday, July 17, 2008

Catching Up

Today is Griff's birthday and we decided to celebrate by going golfing at the Mt. Irvine Tobago Golf Club. Beautiful course!!! And now Griff writes!! It is a beautiful course and when we are back in Wifi land we will post some pictures. There are views of the ocean with waves breaking over Buccoo Reef in the background and of course lots of palm trees and coconut trees. When we started, one of the workers told us that we should keep left because there was rough on the right but it just appeared
to be grass a little longer than the fairway grass. Of course Cheryl and I both put our balls to the right and found out that the "less short" grass is very deceptive and hides the ball quite well. It is also VERY hard to hit out of. Overall though, we were both very pleased with our games, especially considering we have only played twice this year, both times on new courses with rented clubs.
Where are we and what are we doing - well, we are still in Tobago although we moved to Mt. Irvine from Store Bay. It is a bit rollier here and unfortunately because of the different current flows due to the tides, we have not been able to make a stern anchor take hold. The boat of course tends to want to go side to the swells so it has been uncomfortable for a couple of nights. The business of going side to the trough of the waves would not be such a problem if we had some wind because then the boat
tends to face into the winds which usually means into the swells. For the last few days, however, while there has been lots of rain, there has been practically no wind. Last night was better and tonight seems good so far. We will be moving to Plymouth (Courland Bay) tomorrow and there is a bit of a point we can hide behind and perhaps break up the swells. There is also a dock there for landing the dinghy which will be a nice change. Tobago is not really yacht-oriented so few of the anchorages have
dinghy docks. The fishermen don't need docks so it is a matter of pulling the dinghy up on the beach above the water line. Since there is a 3 ft tide here, if you go in or come out at low tide it makes for quite a haul and our dinghy and motor make quite a load.
The friends that we sailed down from Grenada with have moved on. They went up coast while we were in Store Bay but we met up with them again here at Mt. Irvine. They are all quite nice people and we enjoyed travelling with them but Tom and Rose in Sojourn have gone to Trinidad to pick up some stuff they ordered and they are going to stay for a bit and visit with people they know on other boats who are there. Jimmie and Donna on Bluewater Cat have gone back up to Grenada for a bit but are coming down
to Trinidad in August to get some work done on their boat. We may end up travelling to Venezuela with either or both of them as well as possibly some others. That would be great because the more the merrier. Two weeks ago, about 4 miles off the coast by the Gulf Of Paria a yacht was boarded by 6 armed men in a boat with 4 big motors on it. They took all the money, electronics, food and clothes from these people but no one was hurt. The big no no about that is that there are certain places around
Venezuela that you don't sail, particularly by yourself and this was one of them. These people were on their own and only 4 miles off the coast so were really taking a chance doing what they did. Not that they were to blame but on the other hand, would you walk through - for example - Victoria Park in Calgary in the middle of the night by yourself??? There have also been a lot of thefts in Porlamar, Isle de Margarita but with one exception they involved thefts from the boat. On the downside, they
happened while in the harbour with lots of other boats around and even more downside, if you are going west and don't want to go to the Venezuelan coast, Margarita is a place you must go in order to clear into customs and immigration.
Enough said about that except we intend to travel with others whenever possible and will definitely be sailing at least 50 miles off the coast of the Paria peninsula. Oh, and one other thing - we talked to the customs people here in Tobago and they said that a lot of the armed boarding's or robberies are done by the Venezuelan National Guard. They are paid a pittance and as the 20th of the month approaches (payday) there tends to be more problems. Next time you want to complain about a policeman
in Canada, think about that!!!
Finally some thoughts about where we are and what we are doing. A couple of things we are still having problems with (although what problems could we really have???). I am still having problems thinking retired - like I don't have to be somewhere or do something on any schedule but our own. I am trying to get rid of the niggly that says "plan, plan, plan" and then "do, do, do". We are sitting in a pretty good anchorage on a very pretty island and the niggly still raises its head in quiet moments.
It may be something like Chris mentioned to Julie about being boat bums. While it is good to not have too strict an agenda, I think that some of the people who sail have fallen into a rut of "nothingness". Sail here, meet your friends in the marina/anchorage and then sail there, meet your friends in the marina/anchorage etc, etc. I am not really condemning people who do this (although nothingness sounds like I am doesn't it). This may be what they want, but Cheryl and I got into this adventure for
the adventure of new things, new people and new places so I guess that is what part of the niggly is about - adventure palls when we stay in one place too long. On the other hand, we want to make sure we do all we can while here. Another thing Cheryl mentioned as a downside of "sitting" is the feeling of not contributing. Maybe some people can retire and do just for themselves. It is starting to seem that this is not something Cheryl and I are ready to do yet. We know there are places we can go to
volunteer our help but that then gets into staying in one spot for a good length of time - again going against the "new adventures" agenda.
Bottom line - if this is the worst of the problems I have with the rest of my life - need I say more???
We are extremely blessed with the family and friends we have and as I have said before, if someone had told me when I was getting out of the Armed Forces that in 20 years or so I would be married to a true soul mate, have a 10 acre home that people would kill for and be sailing on our own 49 ft yacht in the Caribbean - as well as other blessings too numerous to mention - I would have immediately directed them to seek the services of a competent psychologist to deal with their delusional state of
mind.!!
Till next time.

4 comments:

songjason said...

Same old routine, eh? Sail to this Caribbean island, hang out and relax. Everyday its the same darn thing.
Maybe you should get a local 9 to 5 job just to mix it up ;-)

Anonymous said...

We wish you a belated happy birthday Griff - sounds like you enjoyed your day. I'll bet your weather is better than ours (swells are better than daily hail storms - we're having one as I write this). Stay safe guys and yes there is safety in numbers so stick with a crowd.

Anonymous said...

An adventure is an activity that comprises risky, dangerous and uncertain experiences. The term is more popularly used in reference to physical activities that have some potential for danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing, and extreme sports. The term is broad enough to refer to any enterprise that is potentially fraught with risk, such as a business venture or a major life undertaking. An adventurer is a person who bases their lifestyle or their fortunes on adventurous acts.

Adventurous experiences create psychological and physiological arousal, which can be interpreted as negative (e.g. fear) or positive (e.g. flow), and which can become a detriment as per the Yerkes-Dodson law. For some people, adventure becomes a major pursuit in and of itself.

OK so you are experiencing the real thing! But stay away from the bad guys and carry lots of coconuts. As far as nothingness, I think you are learning to feel at ease with who you are as entities and as a couple.If you believe in something greater, maybe you are taking direction too.Anyway, you are definitely experiencing and adventure.what's life for if not that? Finding the path and then showing others where the safe places to step are ... Hmmmm love Hol

Unknown said...

I can totally relate Dad. Totally. Well said. I can't offer any solutions but I understand the dilema. Miss you guys