Trinidad is not as bad as the previous posters allude to. Currently there is a new
government headed by an Indian woman and she has made it job-one to get things straightened out in Chagauramas Bay.
Customs and Immigration are changing from officially disliking cruisers to mild politeness and trending towards the normal treatment and procedures currently in the rest of the
eastern Caribbean. However, it isn't going to happen overnight.
- - Any of the
marinas and the TTSA anchorage are fine and about equal in
security issues. My favorite has always been
Coral Cove Marina which I have been staying at for the last 7 years whenever I sailed down from Grenada. We used to go there as much as twice a year for a month or two and thoroughly enjoyed Trinidad each and every time.
- - However,
Trinidad is not a "Caribbean" island - it is a South American major industrial and gas/oil producing country. There are about 18 people on Trinidad for every one person on Grenada. So numerically, crime and all the other ills of a major city are more noticeable. It is more like being in Chicago rather than St Charles, Mo. So you need to adjust your "attitude" and thinking to "big industrial" city rather than "country village." And your behavior and common sense precautions should shift to "big city" mode.
- - Then you will have a great time there as we have had over the last 7 years, every year we go there. Trinidad has much more to offer such as a great Zoo, Botanical Gardens, fabulous downtown
shopping, and tons of specialized shops and supply houses for those out of the ordinary things you need for your
boat.
- - Of course, Jesse James' tours and
shopping trips are a don't miss item. Tar Pits, Swamp tours, mountain waterfalls, Turtle egg laying watches and a dozen other fabulous experiences await you if you take the time and trouble to join in.
- - People go down there expecting to find another idyllic
Caribbean Paradise island and are disappointed and shocked to find out that they are now back in the middle of a major industrial, high population city-state. So don't go to Trinidad if all you want is to lay back and soak up the Caribbean "Paradise" island
environment - stay in Grenada for the H-season where you can sail to the Grenadines and other fabulous bays around Grenada/Grenadines. But if you are needing or wanting a "big-city fix" and need "North American-style" supplies and
equipment, Trinidad fits the bill. They even have Tony Romas' and TGIFridays and Beni-Hanna's and several mega shopping Malls and 10
screen movie theater complexes, which you are not going to find in the islands up north.