We’ve spent the last 2 weeks waiting for our liferaft (remember our encounter with the fishing boat in Suriname?) to be serviced. We had to ship it to Trinidad for that and it disappeared unaccountably on the way for a week, which left us quite worried and stuck in the rolly anchorage in Store Bay. Today it finally got back from the service station, so… Continue reading »
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2012
17
Mar
2012
14
Mar
Photos of Tobago
We updated our photo album today and added a gallery of Tobago.
2012
09
Mar
Store Bay, Tobago
We arrived last weekend in this popular anchorage in the southwestern corner of Tobago. Even though the pilot calls it “protected and calm” we’ve been rolling and pitching just like in the other spots. According to the locals the weather is extraordinarily rough and rainy for this time of the year. We like Tobago, but it doesn’t seem to like us… Yesterday we made a… Continue reading »
2012
04
Mar
Englishman’s Bay
We spent another few days in Charlotteville, but it was pouring down most of the time and on a boat constant rain is really tedious. You cannot open any hatches, the battery is drained when the solar panels don’t work, etc. When it finally cleared up we sailed a few miles further to Englishman’s Bay. This bay looks like on a postcard: a golden beach,… Continue reading »
2012
27
Feb
Pretty northern coast of Tobago
We’re still in Charlotteville in the North of Tobago waiting for the swell to get lower, because our next planned anchorages (Bloody Bay and Englishman’s Bay) are less protected than Pirate’s Bay. Even in this big bay the swell makes living aboard Pitufa a bit uncomfortable, especially Leeloo hates it when the boat is rolling. Additionally the inverter has broken down, that means no power… Continue reading »
2012
18
Feb
Charlotteville, Tobago
Tobago has a turbulent history, colonial powers changed constantly and it was a hiding place for pirates and buccaneers. We’re anchored in Pirate’s Bay at the moment and the neighbouring bay is called Bloody Bay… Nowadays it’s peaceful here, only a few tourists are around in the sleepy little town of Charlotteville, the people are friendly and the pace of life is very relaxed. The… Continue reading »
2012
14
Feb
Land ahoy!
The island of Tobago appears out of the haze 25 miles ahead of us. The passage from Suriname took us three and a half days with daily runs of 136, 132, and 145 nautical miles. The Guyana current helped with a steady knot all the way up. The first two days were pleasant with flat seas and light winds, but strong enough to push Pitufa… Continue reading »
2012
13
Feb
Wayne Vaney back on duty
With Wayne Vaney back on duty, passage-making is finally delightful again. With the wind vane steering, the human crew is free to read, eat, and nap.
2012
12
Feb
On our way
Sunny skies and light winds, Pitufa is leisurly gliding towards the Caribbean.
2012
09
Feb
Caribbean–we’re coming!
After a month in Suriname we’re now headed for the Caribbean. We’ll spend the next few months exploring Tobago, Grenada, the Venezuelan Antilles, the Dutch Antilles and maybe the coasts of Venezuela, Colombia, Panama etc. – we’ll just gather info, listen to other people’s experiences and will make up the itinerary on the way. Let’s see where the wind takes us!
2012
09
Feb
Photos of Suriname
We uploaded some pictures of our stay in Suriname. Even though we saw many animals like a giant anteater, otters and monkeys, we can’t prove these encounters with photos, because the wildlife always turned up so unexpectedly that we never had a camera near. At least the pics show the forest and rivers where all these animals live. See for yourself:
2012
03
Feb
Wildlife
According to our initial plan we wanted to sail up the Perica and other rivers watching out for wildlife encounters. We pictured ourselves waiting motionless in the dinghy for hours to get a glimpse of some jungle creatures. Things turned out quite different: after a week we’re still anchored in the first spot we picked in the Perica, because the animals come round to our… Continue reading »
2012
30
Jan
Up the rivers into the forest
We’ve had rainy weather for a week now, not as you’d expect during a tropical rainy season (torrential rain followed by sunshine), but a constant drizzle interrupted by downpours and some occasional sunny spells. The constant rain and humidity around 99 % are quite annoying, because we accumulate wet clothes that never have the chance to really dry out. Furthermore mould becomes a problem in… Continue reading »
2012
24
Jan
Liferaft as a bumper
Before moving to Paramaribo we decided to fill up our watertanks at a local fishing jetty, so we waited for high tide and then went alongside a fishing boat. Everything went fine until we wanted to set off again. The situation was a bit tricky, because of another boat right in front of us and the current which had already set in. We didn’t push… Continue reading »
2012
22
Jan
Rainy Rainforest
After a week in Suriname we’ve managed to finish the clearance procedures and the most pressing repairs. Wayne Vaney the windvane is back on duty! Yesterday we made a trip to the interior and took a walk through the dense rainforest to a waterfall. Unfortunately it rained all day long, but the trees in the swirling clouds and the steaming ground was also quite atmospheric–no… Continue reading »