A rough draft of a plan
For a couple of people who have traveled all the way from Canada to Grenada without a plan, now needing to have one is quite a foreign concept to us. But with the potential for a serious storm to come to this area, albeit a small chance, deciding what to do at the last minute when Bret or Cindy or Don is bearing down on us would not likely be prudent. And so we have made a plan, or at least have drafted the rough outline of a plan.
What are our options? For moderately strong tropical storms we could simply let out more anchor rode, strip the boat of miscellaneous things that could blow away and hold on. For hurricanes though, we have been told that the best defense is to simply not be in their path and this means that we’d need to leave and leaving means heading south towards Trinidad. It’s funny to hear the differing opinions on Trinidad from the various cruisers. Although many cruisers make Trinidad their summer home, others say that the island is a hotbed of crime and to avoid it. Apparently there has been at least one act of piracy on private yachts transiting between Grenada and Trinidad although my internet search didn’t pull up any other references.
After consulting our cruising guide
OK – a plan is great to have. If you head South those pirates need to understand just how many people follow you and you have your own army that will seek them out. I vote for no storms coming your way and the plan just stays a plan!!!!!
Always good to anticipate and plan and be one step a head….Reacting to a situation without a well layed out plan can create problems…..Always have to ask “what if” and have a plan……Common sense is 90% of the battle in life…….
I have a friend whose daughter spent a month in Trinidad for a college course trip. It was quite terrifying… they never felt safe and several nights, gangs of men tried to break into their hotel room; they heard stories of other girls who had similar experiences and were raped. I work with a fellow from Trinidad and he just went back to visit his brother who is ill and wouldn’t let his wife go with him to the part of town he lives in, as the crime is so bad there.
You’d be better off going to Tobago. It’s supposed to be a lot nicer and less crime.
Not to make light of those occurrences if they really happened, but similar stories could be told of New York City and Toronto. I have no doubt that Port of Spain is rough in certain areas. Nor do I think that Trinidad could come close to Grenada’s friendliness and safety. With all that said, I’m pretty sure that we’d make out OK using common sense if we were to go there. As for Tobago, that was the very first place I ever visited in the Caribbean many many years ago.
I think your “escape” route is a well thought out plan of action. We have enjoyed your blogs and wish you a safe visit in Granada and any other port of calls. “Happy Times” should be arriving sometime today—so glad they will be able to reconnect with their special friends.
The Gaydon’s (Lezovich relatives in Alabama)
Thank you. We are really looking forward to seeing our Happy Times buddies again. We might even go try to find them this evening.
Also glad you have a plan for the weather, maybe have an extra VHF radio hidden somewhere on the boat, like in with the towels and toilet paper.
🙁
Our spare VHF is not working. We need to acquire a new one. Unfortunately they are pretty expensive down here.
Good call, Mike & Rebecca. This should mean more points for your black box…. http://www.johnvigor.com/Black_Box_Theory.html
Re. bad guys: Folks from elsewhere often say the same about Kingston (“you have so many jails!”). Or about Toronto (“you have so many murders!”). After a few weeks it dawns on them: “Hey, your papers report EVERY murder, several times over.” A good friend of mine lived in northern Trinidad for quite a while, and still has family there; I’ve never heard her complain about safety or security. As with any place, you stay out of the obviously sketchy areas and you ought to be fine.
On an unrelated note, I encountered a Wharram Tiki the other day that was about to make the crossing to Oswego…. looked like they were planning to follow the same route you took. I really do need a much bigger boat and much more free time 😉
I like the Black Box theory! We must have at least a few points in there.
When we were in Carriacou we saw three Wharram Cats in the anchorage.
When I bear down on you just have some cold rum drinks ready 😉
We will for sure.
Mike & Rebecca,
Yes, there have been pirate attacks on sailboats going between Grenada and Trinidad and yes, the reports of crime on Trini are over-exaggerated (they are certainly real enough to the victims though!). I will share our plan that worked very successfully 2X for us a bunch of our friends.
Granted, you may have to modify this plan based on the WX forecast…
1. Leave at night, so that you arrive in Trinidad first thing in the morning. Arriving at night may put you into “overtime” charges with the Customs folks.
2. Get a group to go together, communicate via SSB (not VHF) at pre-arranged times. In a pinch or emergency, use VHF on a lightly used channel like 72 or 73. If you have a dual-watch capability you can then monitor 16 and your “secret” channel. Another option is to use DSC on the VHF to alert the group.
3. When approaching Trini, make sure you stay away from the Paria Peninsula, which is part of Venezuela (where most of the pirates come from).
4. Sailing close to the oil platform can be a good thing. At least one cruiser (who sailed over during daylight) was close to the platform when he was about to be attacked by the pirate. The folks on the platform sent a boat over and the pirates left. The oil platform boat then escorted the cruiser the rest of the way to Trini.
Reverse this when you head back to Grenada.
A quick comment on our Trinidad experience:
Our experience in Trindad was nothing short of fantastic with regard to the people. They were every bit as warm and friendly as the wonderful Grenadans. Yes, we avoided certain areas at certain times, but wouldn’t you do that in any country/major city?
We did several Hash House Harrier events in Trini and were invited to parties, given rides, etc, etc.
The Chaguaramas port is dirty for sure and there aren’t the cool beaches to go to at a moments notice, etc.
Re-provisioning was excellent and there is a very good cruisers network,
Cheers,
Mike
Thanks Mike. This is a great post!!!