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Trinidad
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Caribbean
We
close in on the coastline again soon though, this time to check out French
Guiana and the infamous Devil's Island prison just offshore from the coastal
town of Kourou. We restock first in Kourou, French supermarkets are a real
treat, and check out the European Space Centre's rocket launching facility
outside the town before anchoring off the Iles du Salut. The horror of the
island groups past history as an inhumane jail is still evident in drawings on
the chapel walls and the concrete solitary confinement cells which are slowly
being reclaimed by the encroaching jungle. Next stop is Paramaribo, in Suriname,
formally Dutch Guyana, then our first Caribbean Island, Tobago. Soon we move on
to her big sister, Trinidad, and settle into Hummingbird Marina, a small complex
owned by Trinidad's first circumnavigator, Harold la Borde. Helmut and I fly to
Germany for a few weeks, in Cuxhaven we attend the annual dinner of "Transocean",
the
German sailing club we belong to, and are presented with an award for our
circumnavigation. On our return we immerse ourselves in the culture of the
Trinidadian steel pan, the musical instrument made from discarded steel drums.
Helmut learns the basics from some local musicians and when we begin heading
north towards Grenada we have a new instrument on board, or rather two; the
battered second hand pan that Helmut has learnt on as well as
a shiny new chromed one.
Caribbean impressions click picture to enlarge
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