Chaguaramas National Heritage Park - Bamboo Cathedral (www.ichaguaramas.com) The anchorages in Trinidad that we frequent - Scotland Bay and TTSA - are edged by the Chaguaramas National Heritage Park. The park lands encompass a 14,572 acre region that includes a peninsula and five offshore islands in the northwest corner of Trinidad. Wildlife abounds in the park including howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, wild hogs, silky anteaters, caiman, giant iguanas, ocelot, birds, butterflies and insects of extraordinary design. On a recent outing to discover some of the park's natural beauty we had the pleasure of strolling under the "bamboo cathedral" as well as visiting Macqueripe beach.

Taima When we arrived at TTSA we were delighted to find our friends Carmelle and Yvon from Taima (Murry 33' - Montreal) on anchor there along with Phoenix III and La Bete. We first met Carmelle and Yvon in Bimini and would re-unite in Georgetown (Bahamas). From there we set sail together on April 17, 2007 (along with Blind Faith) to arrive in Luperon (Dominican Republic) May 3rd, 2007. We parted company May 17/07 as they stayed in Luperon for the hurricane season while we made our way to Trinidad. Much to our delight we ran into each other again on Feb. 11/08 in Culebra. While there we enjoyed time with them and their friends on board Phoenix III and La Bete. We would part company once more Feb. 23, 2008 and re-unite yet again June 19/08 in Grenada. When we "catch up" along the way we take great joy in sharing our tales of adventure and when we sadly part company we can't help but wonder where we will have the pleasure of crossing paths with them again.

TTSA (Trinidad and Tobago Sailing Association) www.ttsailing.org While biding our time in Trinidad this year through the hurricane season we decided to treat ourselves to a period of stay at TTSA in Hart's Cut Bay (off Carenage Bay). A monthly fee of $630 TT (Trinidad and Tobago dollars - $100 U.S.) allows us access to the sailing club's facilities which include: showers, laundry, pool, bar, restaurant, wi-fi, fresh water, electricity and workshop. Weekly pot-luck gatherings on the grounds encourage and enable great socializing. A youth sailing school also operates out of the facility. We note, with interest, a huge number of cruiser's boats "on the hard" in the Chaguaramas (Trinidad) marinas but the vast majority of cruisers themselves have left their boats and flown "home" through the hurricane season. The marinas are absolutely bursting with stored vessels but few people are on the grounds.

F1 (Wannabe) Fans We continue to make every effort to follow the Formula One Grand Prix racing series. After a full year's worth of failed attempts to see the races, last September 30th was a momentous day for us as we finally viewed a race, albeit by means of a faulty projector (the scarlet red Ferraris were green and so on). Since then we have had 2 more (somewhat) successful viewings. One race we saw was broadcast with Spanish commentary and another in Chinese. Finally, much to our delight, we successfully watched a race accompanied by English commentary (Germany, July 20/08), thanks to www.channelsurfing.com. It is an interesting, on-going challenge.

Fast and Furious (Tropical Weather) Unfortunately, but as rightly forecasted, the 2008 hurricane season is off to a busy start. To quote Jeff Masters from his blog: (www.weatherunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html), "July 20th was the first time on record that there were 3 named storms in July, on the same day, in the Atlantic." For us, the internet is a vital tool for tracking the weather. (www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml), (www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/home.htm) As well we pick up daily reports on our single side band radio: - Trinidad Emergency Net 9Z4CP (Eric) Frequency 3855 mHz - LSB/ham When further information is needed we dial in the: - Caribbean Emergency & Weather Net, Frequency 3815 mHz - LSB/ham - Caribbean Weather (Chris Parker), Frequency 8137 mHz, 8104 mHz, 12350 mHz USB - KP2G Caribbean Weather Net (George), Frequency 7086 mHz LSB/ham - Southbound II (Herb), Frequency 12359 mHz - USB Also of use to us is the local radio weather report; given in Trinidad by Alan Archer (93.5 FM)

Sharks for Sale A very popular local food in Trinidad is "Shark 'n Bake". It is served similar to how we would eat hamburgers. It consists of breaded, deep-fried shark meat topped with "salad" (lettuce & tomatoes) on a "bake" which is a deep-fried, round (burger size) bun." High fat for sure, but quite tasty. I was taken aback by the large number of sharks for sale at the farmer's market in Port of Spain. They ranged from baby (l0" in length) to full grown. The fish market also does a brisk trade in squid and shrimp.

Record Breaking "BIG" Bertha Bertha, the first (Cape Verde) Atlantic hurricane of the 2008 season was contrary to the regular pattern of hurricanes as they usually form in the western Caribbean at this time of the year. On July 7th, 2008 Bertha reached Category 1 hurricane status (maximum sustained winds 74-95 miles per hour (119-153 km/hr), storm surge 45 feet above normal, making her the most easterly formed hurricane during the month of July since her name-sake, Bertha, in l997. As well, she would set another milestone as the longest surviving Atlantic July tropical storm on record - she raged from July 7 to July 20, 2008 - l7 days (maximum strength - category 3 - July 8). During her run she experienced great fluctuations in short periods of time from explosive intensification to rapid loss of strength. As intensity changes are extremely difficult to forecast she was a very unpredictable storm. Bertha's zig-zag track was well east of the lesser antilles island chain as she made her way north. By the time she reached the top of the island chain she had become a very large hurricane reaching 180 miles out from her 50 mile diameter eye. She brushed by Bermuda (7/15) at tropical storm status with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (gusting 60), high surf and seas. She ended her record breaking run just off of Newfoundland.

Our 2nd Anniversary aboard Sea Star July 4th, 2008 marked 2 years from the day we "pushed off from the dock" in our 35 foot sailing sloop "Sea Star", at Penetanguishene, Georgian Bay to begin our adventure south. During our first year (July 4, 2006 to July 4, 2007) we covered the distance from Ontario to Grenada in the West Indies. During our second year we made our way south to Trinidad, east to Tobago, north again along the lesser antilles island chain (Windwards and Leewards) and west through the Virgins (U.S., British and Spanish) to Puerto Rico. At this point we did an about-face, so to speak, and sailed back through the lesser antilles (3rd pass) to arrive once again in Trinidad. During this 2nd year we sailed 2300 nautical miles; which combined with the 4500 nautical miles in our first year brings us to a total distance sailed of 6800 nautical miles (7,830 statute miles or 12,598 kilometers). During this 2nd year our sailing was exclusively in the waters of the Caribbean Sea. Much to Barry's chagrin, after 2 years, I continue to reign as Scrabble champion (to be fair - he is improving). During the 2 year period we have posted on-line 275 blog segments, containing a total of 975 photos. We travelled half as far this year but saw twice as much. With last year's marathon journey from the Great Lakes to the Tropics behind us we were finally at leisure to meander and explore. Our biggest discovery has been to realize that the more we see, the more there is that we want to see. The doors to adventure continue to open and we feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to step through and enjoy.

Trinidad - Scotland Bay Latitude - 10 degrees 42.1 minutes North Longtitude - 61 degrees 39.7 minutes West We rested in Scotland Bay after our passage and later celebrated the 4th of July (as well as our 2 year's of travel anniversary) with our American friends, Jeff and Carolee (Contessa) and Neal (Dream Chaser-U.K.) We delighted in once again viewing Scotland Bay's natural treasures of birds (corbeaus, swallows, parrots, kiskadee...) as well as dolphins, turtles and howler monkeys. It is fascinating to hear the almost constant howl of the monkeys (not unlike lions roaring). Scotland Bay offers excellent shelter as it is located off Trinidad's northwest coast. On shore it is surrounded by miles of forest (Chaguaramas National Park). During the Second World War the American's built a large recreational centre here for their troops. The ruins of this is the only sign of habitation. As Neal was soon to have his boat hauled out in Chaguaramas and thus be land-bound for months, we captured an image of Dream Chaser resting in Scotland Bay's peaceful twilight to remind him that cool, calm tranquility was just around the corner. It is with interest that we notice an increase in the Customs and Coast Guard surveillance in the bay.

Trinidad - July 4, 2008 Anchor to Anchor - Grenada to Chaguaramas, Trinidad 90 miles - 19 hours Our time in Grenada was limited this year as we set sail, just 25 days after our arrival there, for Trinidad. On July 3rd, together with Neal (Dream Chaser) and Jeff & Carolee (Contessa) we made our way south to arrive, after a rather wet passage, in to the green, swift current of the Boca at 9 a.m. July 4th. As we checked in to Customs, we were saddened to find that, even though we pleaded our case to them, the maximum stay they would allow us was 3 months (not even the whole of hurricane season). Our intention this year was to fly out of Trinidad when we return home to Canada at Christmas. Our uncertainty as to whether an extension will be granted leaves us "up in the air" (no pun intended) for booking flights and arranging boat storage. Last year when we booked our flight home for Christmas out of St. Martin, the Trinidad Customs gave us a full 6 months stay (much longer than we wished or needed), no questions asked.