Boatyard
I worked in the morning and then went to lunch with a gent I’d met at my landlords’ the day before. He said that the best roti on the island could only be purchased at Mom’s Trini Roti in town. He is only open 2 days a week and starts selling at 12:00 on the dot and keeps on selling until he’s out; so it is best to get there on time. We arrived shortly before noon and joined the queue that had already formed.
He opened the door at exactly noon and we entered. It seems that the locals don’t take the first-come-first-served concept too seriously when it comes to foreigners. Nevertheless we managed to place our order and my US$5 vegetarian roti was not only especially tasty, but big enough to feed 2. I felt bad having to bin much of that meal, but I knew I couldn’t get it to a refrigerator before it began to spoil.
Next on my agenda was to pick up my rental car from Delon. We had arranged to meet at a parking lot in Tyrell bay and I got my rental clunker, sealing the deal with a handshake and a promise to pay the rental fee in cash upon returning the car. The ABS-Warning light, the brake warning light and the check engine light are always on, and there’s no A/C and the driver side window is pretty much stuck in the half-open position. But the engine works and the tires aren’t quite as bald as I am.
Bottom Paint
I then returned to the yard and was pleased to see that the layers of bottom paint primer had been applied. It was still tacky to the touch, so I knew that they weren’t going to put the bottom paint on today, and they don’t work on the weekend (even if offered a cash-based no-receipt bonus).
I transferred the 7 gallons of bottom paint from the aft garage to the ground so that I could bring it to the office. Unfortunately, one container had a faulty carrying handle and fell to the ground, splitting open. That’s US$ 520 *gone poof*!
Afternoon
I then spent the good part of an hour stuffing the genoa into the back of the rental car. Andy at In Stitches was off doing other work and the office was closed, so I walked across the road and had a cool afternoon Schaefer beer – they were out of both Carib and Stag. It was my first, and last, taste of that beer.
Once Andy returned and we transferred the sail into the loft, I drove past Tyrell bay to check out the southern coast of the island. The roads got progressively narrower and finally turned into a small dirt road with numerous potholes.
Evening
Upon returning to my cottage I read for a while as the dusk approached and once it was dark I made some dinner on the stovetop and returned to the veranda. I watched the view and enjoyed the breeze before retiring for the night.