One day our 14 year old dog Star wouldn't get up to eat. I had to take first water then food over to him so he could eat. He finally did get up but his back legs weren't working right and his eyes were running. Wade, the vet, came to see him the next day and said his condition was irreversible and he was in pain. Charlie and I decided to have him put down the following Monday and have some of our friends over for a wake afterwards.

Meanwhile another couple who were friends of ours from New York flew in to join us for a couple of weeks on the boat. On Monday, a couple of days after their arrival, Wade put Star down and we all celebrated his memory with a fine wake. After he died, Sadie, our cat who was a rescue case from the South Bronx, started sleeping in exactly the same place Star had slept - at the top of the steps leading down into the hull where our cabin is located.

We had originally planned to sail to Tobago with our northern friends. However, the weather wasn't favorable for the trip so we sailed to Scotland Bay, which is just a bit north of the Chaguaramus anchorage. It's a great place to get away from all the activity in Chaguaramus and commune with nature. The hollerin' monkeys were a particular attraction although we heard, rather than saw, them. While snorkeling there I saw 2 spotted sting rays.

Our peace and quiet was broken the next day by the sudden arrival of the Trinidad Coast Guard who were going to do maneuvers there. They arrived in large inflatables, roared through the anchorage, then went ashore firing their guns. Before they started the exercise they politely warned us what they were going to do so we knew it was just an exercise. A while after they finished, we headed back to Crews Inn.

Our northern friends finally opted to go to Tobago via plane since the weather was still not favorable to sail there. Remember the trade winds blow from the east and when you sail to Tobago you're sailing right into them. Coming back is a breeze but getting there is often impossible, especially at that time of year.

Once our friends returned from Tobago, we had a last dinner together at a beautiful, and expensive, restaurant in downtown Port-of-Spain that serves Thai cuisine on the lower level and East Indian on the upper level. The food on both levels is good but a bit overpriced. The Indian food is also spicier than I normally like.

Once our friends left we turned our attention to Carnival, cruiser parties, boat repairs, etc., and I found a way to make a tiny difference in the life of one of the locals.

To be continued.