One of my good friends once remarked that she couldn’t believe I was living full-time in paradise on vacation. I tried to explain to her that what she saw on Instagram and Facebook didn’t depict the complete reality. The less glamorous aspects of life on a sailboat include spending hours on sweaty, messy boat maintenance, walking miles to grocery stores under the scorching tropical sun, and living in a boatyard during the sweltering summer in Trinidad.

Every year, hundreds of pleasure boats, primarily sailboats, spend hurricane season in Chaguaramas, Trinidad, on land, or “on the hard,” as sailors say. This area is home to several large boatyards and a variety of yachting services, including marine upholstery shops, stainless-steel workshops, engine repairs, and more. We arranged for Juno to be hauled out by Peake Yacht Services, a full-service and highly reputable boatyard. Even though I knew Juno was in good hands, it was still nerve-wracking to watch her being lifted out of the water and carried onto land.

Here is a short clip that documents the process.

We hired Peake to apply anti-foul paint to the bottom of Juno to prevent marine growth, give her a full polish and wax, and touch up the fiberglass on the deck where the outdated previous satellite phone cable had been removed. Meanwhile, Robert and I stayed busy tackling various routine maintenance tasks and some upgrades.

Chaguaramas is only an overnight sail south of Grenada, but the intensity of the sun in Trinidad was unlike anything I had ever experienced. With frequent rain showers, scorching heat, and the manual labor involved, we found ourselves constantly drenched in sweat!

Apart from working on boats, another of my pastimes was joining Peake’s shopping trips. Chaguaramas, where the boatyard was located, is quite isolated to the west of Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad. For the convenience of Peake residents, the yard offered a daily shopping bus service. One of the favorite shopping destinations among the cruisers was the Central Market in Port of Spain.

Once we crossed everything off our boatwork to-do list, we finally got to have a little fun! We hopped on a road trip tour to the Asa Wright Nature Center and Lodge. The cool mountain air, vibrant tropical plants, buzzing hummingbirds, and a refreshing dip in the waterfall felt like the perfect escape from the sweltering heat and dust of the boatyard.

After six weeks in Chaguaramas, I cannot wait to be somewhere with clear water for swimming and enjoying chill days without a ton of chores. I need a REAL vacation!

As it turns out, Bonaire, our next destination, is just the place for that.