Novara is in the Caribbean - Update
by Novara 8 Oct 2024 14:01 UTC
Global Shapers at Novara, Trinidad © Novara
Sailing in the Caribbean certainly lives up to its reputation. With a constant Easterly wind and plenty of islands to explore, we've had some wonderful sailing - passing palm-fringed beaches and the tall iconic Pitons.
We've also zig zagged our way around the islands as we follow boat repairs and community needs. From Antigua, we made a long passage to the south of Martinique for much-needed repairs after the Atlantic crossing. It was frustrating to pass all those islands, but without a working anchor we needed to get to the Le Marin mooring field and engineers. After 3 weeks in Martinique we retraced our steps and headed north to work in Dominica, then south again to meet friends in Grenada, stopping along the way at islands we had missed. Finally, a rough crossing from Grenada to Tobago, where we anchored under sail because our engine failed. Adventures galore.
Novara One Planet project
Since our last update in March, our main engagement was with communities in Dominica. Our dear friend Petra Grell-Shillingford, Head of Communications and Information at the Ministry of Agriculture hosted us and arranged several meetings with locals. We learned so much from the work they're doing - their resilience is truly inspiring. You can read about our experience in Dominica here.
We also meet with community groups in Trinidad and Tobago. Meeting the Port of Spain Global Shapers was inspiring!
What work are we doing on Novara?
Novara is currently on the hard in Chaguaramas, Trinidad. We've moved on from just reacting to things that break, to starting preventative maintenance. So, in no particular order, we've replaced some teak in the cockpit, dropped out the centreboard for the first time in 30 years and replaced the Delrin bearing, serviced the hydraulic pumps, replaced the curtains and saloon cushion coverings, made new cockpit shades and winch covers, repaired a freshwater leak, had the fuel polished, cleaned out the fuel tanks, replaced all the anodes, fixed the 4th hob on the gas stove, replaced our life raft, serviced the main pump for the greywater tanks and bilges, repaired engine alarms on the engine, repaired fore mast electric winch, installed LED lighting in the cockpit, resealed the softspot, Phew. Did I miss anything?
Where next for Novara?
We're bound for the Western Caribbean. Novara is scheduled for relaunch on 16 October, and after sea trials, we're aiming to head north to Grenada, and then west to the ABCs. We have Panama and the island of Providencia in our sites before making our way north to Cuba and the USA in the first quarter of 2025. The timing for Panama and Providencia is dependent on both weather and importantly, the availability of the Providencia community.
Veronica, Nigel and the Novara team at novara.world