Once in Trinidad we hit the ground running: visited several workmen about making needed repairs, went to lunch at a roti place, went to wine tasting, supper and a Christmas concert by local artists at Crews Inn, our marina. In addition to the wonderful performances, the highlight of the evening was dancing with Charlie, something we don't do very often.

All of this activity took place in Chaguaramus. The marinas, chandleries, and boatyards are so close together that it's easy to walk from one to the next. However, they're mostly located on the side of the anchorage opposite Crews Inn, so if you're at Crews Inn, you need to take your dinghy over to the other side. It's possible to walk around the anchorage, but a dinghy saves lots of time.

I should also explain what roti is for those of you unfamiliar with the term. It's a chicken, beef, shrimp or vegetarian curried stew which is wrapped with a flour substance similar to a tortilla. It can vary but I find it's usually delicious. It's very popular in Trinidad and can also be found on islands throughout the Caribbean. One caveat with chicken roti in particular - order it "boneless" or you will find the entire contents of the chicken, including bones, in your roti.

On December 14 we visited Joe's Pizza for what was to be the first of many visits over the course of the next 5 years. In addition to great pizza they have all kinds of pasta, salads, calzones and other Italian specialties. Their chicken salad is huge and laden with many different ingredients. Truly delicious. Joe's is still a main gathering spot for cruisers in Chaguaramus.

The next day we finally moved into a space at the end of one of the docks at Crews Inn. One of the problems with a catamaran is finding a slip wide enough to accommodate our 24' width, so usually we're on the end of a dock.

Christmas season in Trinidad is full of special events. One is Carols By Candlelight at the President's Mansion which is held at dusk on the lawn outside the mansion. Everyone receives a candle, and as the sun goes down, the sight of everyone singing Christmas carols holding their candles is incredibly lovely. Some of the best music I've ever heard was played in Trinidad, and this carol gathering was no exception.

The next evening we went to Parang, stringed-instrument music that is only played at Christmas. This was a very different event from the previous night as it was held in a kind of amphitheater somewhere up in the hills and was very crowded. After weaving our way once through the crowd, we opted to stay on the periphery where we could still hear the music and see the musicians without getting jostled by the crowd. Musicians were mostly playing acoustic guitars and other stringed instruments. A really fun event that we'd heard about from the people we'd sailed with from Margarita to Trinidad.

To be continued.