Why Trinidad?

Why Trinidad ??
There are three major reasons why yachts to come to Trinidad.

The first is that Trinidad is south of the hurricane belt. Chaguaramas is below 10.41 degrees latitude, so it qualifies as a legitimate hurricane-free zone. Yacht insurance companies will not honor storm damage claims to boats lying north of this latitude. Most yacht insurance policies specifically exclude the zone running from this latitude, all the way north to Georgia.

Second, Chaguaramas is widely known for its well-developed yacht service industry. Local craftsmen, chandleries (marine hardware vendors), several boatyards, marinas, restaurants, and other suppliers are all available and at reasonable prices (compared to other islands and especially the U.S.). Downside is that if one must order specialty items from offshore, the customs fees are high. Grocery and restaurant prices are similar to those in the U.S.

Third, (and very important to us) Trinidad has historically offered fuel to visiting yachts at extremely low prices. While that is no longer the case, it is still a somewhat better value than up-island. While diesel is now $4.25 per gallon in Trinidad, the islands north of Trinidad typically charge $5.50 or more per gallon. Now we have to go to Venezuela for really cheap fuel. Diesel is available there for as low as $.50 per gallon in some ports.

There are also a number of intangible attractions offered by Trinidad.

For example, English is the official language. While many Trini’s speak a rapid “patois” when talking among their countrymen, they are generally happy to slow down and speak perfectly good English when conversing with non-Trini’s like us.

Health services are readily available, reasonably priced, and of good quality. Pharmacists and physicians are usually highly trained, mostly in the U.S. and Europe.

There are all sorts of sightseeing excursions and cultural events available to visitors. Everything from concerts to national parks is on offer.

We have been especially impressed by the wide variety of services offered by Jesse James, owner of “Members Only Maxi-Taxi Service”. He has dedicated himself to providing every sort of transportation service to visiting yacht owners and crews. He arranges to get people to and from the airport and the various marinas (day or night); he offers weekly shopping trips to major food stores, fresh markets and malls; weekly tours of national parks, including hiking and lectures; bi-weekly movie matinees; etc. etc. He is the guy you call to help you find a doctor or dentist, or for any kind of emergency, even locating hard-to-find boat parts. Beyond all that, he is a wonderful person, a family man who truly cares about others. His employees all love him, and praise him to their customers as an example of the “ideal boss”, who inspires loyalty and a service mentality in his own employees. A group of us yacht folk hired Jesse to transport 14 of us to a wonderful Indian restaurant in Port of Spain. In appreciation for all he does for us, we invited him to bring along his wife and daughter to dine with us at our expense. He graciously accepted, and in return, he refused payment for the transport!