I spent the morning copying and printing pictures for everyone and cleaning
up the last few spider webs and balloons left in the Rum Squall Bar while Rick
put another coat of Cetol on the wood.
Rick and I returned the stereo system that we had borrowed from Joyce and then rushed back to the boat to get changed.
Ivan the taxi driver arrived for us at 11:30AM and said we were picking up
Bill and Huguette on our way to La Sagesse beach and restaurant. Bill
prearranged all this. We spent a beautiful afternoon at La Sagesse.
Huguette and Rick and I went for a swim while Bill went for a walk. Ivan
arrived at 3PM and took us back to Bill and Huguette’s place in Fort Jeudy.
I have to clarify this because although they call it their place it is really
their daughter’s and her husband’s place (Cathy and Jim). Cathy and Jim
have lived in
Grenada for 14 years. They have a beautiful estate
and have built a guesthouse by the pool for company. Bill and Huguette
have claimed the guesthouse as their own. Truthfully, I would too, it was
a lovely house. We had our first game of sequence and decided it would be
a great cruising game to have on board. We had to end the game early
however because Bill was complaining of starvation. The housekeeper had
prepared the dinner before she went home so it was just a matter of dishing it
up. While eating, we noticed hundreds of fireflies soaring around the tops
of the tall trees near the house. We hadn’t noticed fire flies on the
Island before but we will definitely look for them from now on. They were
hypnotizing. Cathy and Jim joined us on the patio after dinner.
Rick continued with his woodwork and I tidied and cleaned the boat. We both made it to dominos and Happy Hour before changing for an evening out. We went with 17 other cruisers to the Trade Centre to see a production brought over from Trinidad, “Mary Could Dance”. It was a 2½ hour comedy drama that was extremely well performed. We had a bit of trouble in the first scene catching all of the words because of the island accents but by the second scene we were right into it. It was an extremely enjoyable evening and I couldn’t believe that we were still wide-awake at 11:30 at night. We normally have trouble keeping ours eyes open after 8PM.
The morning flew by and other than make pancakes for breakfast and get ourselves washed and dressed we didn’t do much. We dinghied over to Hog Island for the Barbecue in the afternoon with David and Lenora (Midnight) and Al & Karen (Lady I), as usual we were one of the first to leave before dark. When we returned to the dock we met Morgan Freeman on our way up to the Rum Squall Bar. He has just returned to his boat, which is docked across from us.
This was our last chance to spend time with Bill and Huguette before they
leave for Canada on Wednesday. We were at their place by noon and had a
nice lunch before teaching them how to play dominos. We ended the game and
went for a walk to the point of Fort Jeudy, which was especially scenic because
of the wind causing the waves to crash against the shore. Bill had to go
to a short meeting at the Ham Radio Club so we had a nice dip in the pool while
he was gone. When he returned we learned that no one else had attended the
meeting so it had been a waste of time. We helped them eat up some of
their remaining food in the refrigerator so that they wouldn’t be stuck with too
many leftovers. Truthfully, Joy their housekeeper is such a great cook, we
really enjoyed eating at their place.
We postponed a trip into town due to heavy rain. The rain finally eased off a bit in the afternoon so we walked over to Prickly Bay and picked up a few things from Budget Marine. After Happy Hour eight of us walked to the Choo Light Chinese Restaurant. Which isn’t very far but does required a lot of up hill and down hill trekking. We had a very enjoyable and unusual evening, as the majority of our group was Canadian. In addition to us there were David and Lenora from Midnight whose hometown is St. Mary’s Ontario, Al and Karen from Lady I whose retirement home is in Collingwood Ontario. Last but not least and representing the Americans were M.A. and Laurent from Blithe Spirit who hail from Texas.
This was a historic day that was appropriately captured on film. Rick
and David (Midnight) each had one ear pierced. David won the prize for the best
grimace.
After the event we proceeded to a couple of jewelry stores to purchase a nice
set of earrings for them to share when they are able to remove their keepers.
We weren't able to find any that they liked but since they've got 6 weeks before
they can wear them, well keep looking.
Happy Hour was a lot of fun and they accepted the ribbing from the other men very well. Ray Jason (the author, juggler) told them they weren't supposed to have their ear pierced until after they rounded the Horn. Morgan Freeman has both ears pierced so the guys felt that one (left ear), should be quite acceptable.
Since we had no events planned for the day, we worked on boat projects. I finally started some of my sewing projects. M.A. stopped by to talk about having a dock party this Saturday. I then called George (with whom all things are possible in Grenada), and asked him to have some fishermen catch 2 dozen lobsters for us on Saturday morning.
The original plan was to continue sewing today however there seemed to be a lot going on and although I did get some sewing done, it wasn’t much. I made one jerry can cover and still have three more to go. My little quilter’s sewing machine is working but not as well as a heavy-duty machine would. I just don’t have the room for the big heavy machine.
Bonnie and Joe from AFLO (their boat name is an acronym for Another Frigging Learning Opportunity), needed some help with their electronic charts so I spent most of the afternoon on their boat. There was a cocktail party being held at The Secret Harbour Hotel this evening. The Prime Minister of Grenada, The Crown Prince of Ethiopia and the head of the Rastafarian Organization were all speaking. We contemplated going but it was a little pricey ($60 EC each). We just spent the evening at the Rum Squall Bar and had the regular Friday night barbecue. I'm glad we did because a few of the party goers from the cocktail party came down to the bar and they were dressed in very formal outfits which we don’t carry on board. In fact we don’t even have outfits that formal at back in Canada. Even the waiters were wearing a tux. Sitting there in our shorts we were a lot more comfortable.
I know the rainy season is just about over but we had a few rain drills
overnight and had to run around and close hatches and ports. In the
morning we had a few sprinkles as well and Rick thought he could come below and
work inside on projects while I was attempting to take over the main salon with
my sewing projects. He very quickly reconsidered and moved to the cockpit.
In the afternoon Rick went with George to pick up the lobsters. The
fisherman had done a magnificent job for us. I had asked for 2 dozen
lobsters all about the same size, not too small but not too huge either.
They weighed about 2 to 2 ½ pounds each and were all caught this morning.
We set a long table up on the dock and David on Midnight taught Rick how to
clean the spiny lobsters properly right there. They had many to practice
on and did a wonderful job. One of the locals asked for the heads.
Evidently, they make a great broth. Joan and Dan on Mainly told us to keep
and steam the legs and antennae. Which we did, but in the end they were
sent home with
them to their boat because no one could eat anymore lobster.
I was taking pictures of the dinner table when I looked down the dock and
noticed Morgan Freeman from Afrodesia and Scott from Odyssey working on Morgan’s
head. This is a job that all sailors hate and it’s not something that
takes 5 minutes. I went to take a look and it was quite comical but Morgan
said no pictures in this condition because he was an international star.
He later corrected me on this statement saying that he was a
“MAJOR” international star and could not be seen like that. Needless to
say he was late arriving for the dock party. Myrna his wife had left their
boat earlier when he started working on the head and told him she wouldn’t
return until he had finished. She joined us long before he did. The
party started on the dock but when it started to rain a bit we all quickly moved
onto Blithe Spirit which is a huge catamaran capable of accommodating all of us
and many more. We had a most enjoyable evening and a lot of laughs.
We slept late this morning but I was still able to make another jerry can cover and Rick waxed one rub rail before heading over to Hog Island for the afternoon. I wanted to have my hair cut and Kerry from Duchess was going to be there. She was a hairdresser in her previous life in England. We didn’t stay for the barbecue because I have so much food on board and if I don’t cook some of it soon I will end up wasting it.
We went into town today to buy a Birthday present for my little friend Samantha who will be 6 this Thursday and has invited me to her party. I also thought I had a great idea for Christmas presents however I will have to keep searching because I learned that my great idea was way too expensive. I returned with no gifts at all and will begin my search again tomorrow.
We went into town again for the second day in a row. Rick wanted to purchase fifty million things at Island Water World. I was able to restrain him a little but he walked out with his backpack jammed full and carrying bags as well. He has enough small projects to keep him busy for quite awhile. I again went in search of a book for Samantha. It is understandable why everyone gets excited when the book-boat Logos II comes to Grenada. There are three bookstores in St. George’s. One is an educational bookstore, one is a Christian bookstore and the other is a bookstore with very little selection. I ended up purchasing a couple books from the educational bookstore. The lady recommended one book that she said was a very nice story and the other was The Caribbean Social Studies book of Grenada which I though Sam would find interesting. Since all of the stores and radio stations are now playing Christmas Carols I informed Rick I am playing my Christmas CD’s as well. He usually tries to restrict me from playing them before December 1 however for some reason he has relented this year.
I spent most of the day sewing again while Rick was busy waxing and polishing the hull. We went up to the Rum Squall Bar and for Happy Hour and found all of our (Pastor and Missionary), neighbours there, Joyce, Jim, Audrey and Elmer. They have all been busy with Christmas preparations. Joyce has been making costumes and Elmer has been making wooden wings and sheep. They plan to have 12 little girl angels and the same number of little boy shepherds. Mary is a 15 year old girl and Joseph is a 14 year old boy. They wanted to have the Pastor’s baby play baby Jesus but Mary and Joseph said that it was not possible. He was the wrong colour and they couldn’t make babies that colour. Audrey had to go and purchase a doll the right colour. The children will go through the neighbourhood and knock on doors to ask if anyone has room for them to stay. All of the neighbours have been told to tell the children that they don’t have any room. They are going to do the same thing in the Spiceland Mall and a Senior’s home. Audrey wanted to use real sheep (which are found everywhere on the island), but didn’t want the hassle of following behind with a bag and scoop that’s why Elmer made wooden sheep. Lori from Pride and myself agreed to help stick cotton balls all over the wooden sheep.
We were going to go up island for Christmas and I’m glad now that we changed our mind and will stay in Grenada for the Holidays.
We worked on boat projects during the morning and I was to go to Samantha’s Birthday party in the afternoon at Hog Island. There was a bit of a problem since we are only a one car (dinghy) family and Rick needed the dinghy to stand in while he waxed the hull and I needed transportation to the island. We compromised and he agreed to take me so that he could return and use it until the party was over. The problem is he got to the party and was having a great time so decided to stay. There were about a dozen children. Tom, Samantha’s Dad built a fire on the beach and the guys cooked hamburgers while the kids roasted hot dogs on a stick. Karen, Samantha’s Mom had made potato salad and baked beans as well as a cake. Although the cake was a hit the kids enjoyed roasting marshmallows more.
While at Hog we saw Sirena heading back into Secret Harbour and called them on the radio. It was so good to have them back. They had gone to Trinidad and Tobago and then stopped in the Tobago Cays before coming back to Grenada. Marta had picked up some lovely fabric for me from Trinidad, which means soon I will have to stop sewing things for the boat and make some things for myself.
Rick and I put all project things away today, which means I also had to clean away all of the threads and pins from my sewing. Marta and Bob will only be here until Tuesday because they’re flying back to the States for the American Thanksgiving. The morning was spent cleaning the boat inside and out so that we would be free from now until they leave. Marta and I played dominos in the afternoon. On our way to the Rum Squall, Marta gave me a gift she had bought for me in Trinidad. It was a toe-ring. I love it but I will need to keep the toenails polished a little more regularly. Since it was Friday we all had dinner at the barbecue.
Marta and I went Christmas shopping today. This was not an easy task because Grenadians don’t really get into gift giving at Christmas. They have family get-togethers, which involve cooking and eating a lot of food. The stores were full of Christmas decorations but there were not a lot of items that you would normally purchase as gifts. With all of that said, we didn’t do too badly and we kept the gifts very small because the cost of the postage to Canada and the U.S. is expensive.
I love to hear the cruising kids on the radio. This morning I heard Natalie from Lily Maid calling Serendipity so I followed the call. Tom (the Dad), on Serendipity answered on channel 16 and told Natalie to go to channel 17 which she repeated and did. Once on channel 17, using her PTT button (push to talk), properly, she asked if she could speak to Sam (Samantha). The conversation then went like this: Natalie said, Sam I just called to say good-bye because we’re leaving for Prickly Bay today. Sam in her grown up 6 year old voice said, Oh that’s great we’ll see you there because we’re leaving for Prickly in a few days. Natalie answered back and said, no we won’t see you there because we’re only staying one night. Sam then asked where they were going after Prickly Bay. Natalie said, we’re going to St. George’s and then to Carriacou. Oh, said Sam, then I guess we’ll see you when we see you. They each the ended the conversation with good-bye and Natalie said, Lily Maid returning to 16 and then Sam said, Serendipity back to 16.
All of the children with their little voices are so cute. They all use proper radio terminology and etiquette. Samantha can imitate myself doing the cruisers net on the radio and her mother Karen who provides the significant weather features. I have also heard her give a good imitation of David Jones (a professional weather forecaster). There are not a lot of cruising kids but they are all very proficient at making new friends wherever and whenever they meet. I know many of the children back home would be sad if their friends were moving on but the children here just accept it as being normal. They also understand that they will probably meet up with them again at another island someday.
After lunch, Lori and Marta stopped at the boat. It had rained all morning and they asked if I wanted to go up to the hotel bar and “just chill”. On our way, we met Nancy from L’ame Libre and she agreed to join us. Four women sitting in nice comfortable chairs (no such thing on a boat), in the bar overlooking the pool and the bay. We spent all afternoon discussing and resolving the problems of the world. We finished just in time to make it back down to the Rum Squall Bar for Happy Hour.
As arranged, Lori and I went into Grande Anse Mall to help Audrey and Joyce
with their Christmas pageant preparations. We stuck cotton balls on
plywood sheep that Elmer made. When we finished and headed down to the
grocery store to pick up a few things before heading home, we were surprised at
the downpour that was going on. As usual, we didn’t have to wait long and
it cleared up enough that we could walk to Spiceland Mall where the bus would
pick us up.
After Happy Hour we went to dinner at the Red Crab Restaurant (my favourite),
with Sirena, L’ame Libre and Sitara. In fact, Sitara treated for our dinner as a
thank you to Rick for watching their boat while they were in Mexico.
Sirena is
flying home in the morning and won’t be back until after Christmas. Sitara is leaving in the morning as well and heading up to Bequia to join
Midnight and Dakari.
We set the alarm for 4 AM so we could watch a meteor shower, which occurs each year. If it can be seen it’s pretty fantastic down here. All I saw at 4AM was thick cloud and absolutely no stars. I quickly went back to bed.
The last 2 days have been out of an Alfred Hitchcock horror movie. Flies have inundated the harbour. They were so bad that people have made special trips into town for the sole purpose of finding something to deal with them. The cruisers on boats that don’t have screens on all their hatches and ports have just gone crazy trying to get rid of them. I spent most of the day in the galley cooking with all screen doors closed. Marsha on Serendipity (the trawler) went home to the U.S. for a few weeks so we had Howard over for dinner. I made enough food so could go back to his boat with a doggie bag and we still had enough leftovers for another meal. It wasn’t bad, (in fact it was pretty good), I served a sirloin pork roast, home made scalloped potatoes, butternut squash and local beets with homemade apple pie for dessert.
The 4AM check for meteor showers had the same result today so we’ll have to wait for next year to see it.
I spent the morning listening to Christmas Carols while wrapping Christmas presents. You would think it would seem strange in the heat of the tropics to be into a Christmas mood but it feels very natural. The afternoon was our normal dominos game. Rick has become a regular player lately, which is good. I have been after him to take a break from all his waxing and working on the boat everyday. It’s fine to work in the mornings but he should stop in the heat of the afternoon sun.
Rick and I went into town today. He wanted to return an item to Island Water World and order some more things for the next container ship. Their container ship comes into Grenada the middle of each month. If you want to order something they don’t have in stock and can wait for the next container ship then you don’t have to pay for shipping. So Rick ordered a few things that should arrive mid December.
We returned to the boat and I thought I had time to send and receive some email before dominos. The propagation was not very good so the email was much slower than I expected and I was running a little late. Meanwhile Rick finally said he would take over for me because Howard from Serendipity (the Trawler), with Phil and Christine from Anjou, had been waiting ten minutes on the dock for me to come and play.
Graham and Anne from Rasi had invited us and Deb and John from Sea Witch to their boat for Happy Hour. We had a lovely evening with a lot of laughs. When it was time to go, Deb made a grand exit by slipping off the dinghy in the middle of a conversation and going for an unplanned swim. When she came up for air, her only comment was, “boy, is that water ever warm”.
What a great day it was. I had nothing planned for the day and it was a good thing. A dinghy came to visit late in the morning and at first we didn’t recognize them but it was Ann and Steve from Receta. They were on vacation in Grenada (without boat), and had borrowed a dinghy from one of the locals (George), to check out the boats in the harbour. We first met Ann and Steve back in The Outer Harbour Marina when we were still preparing Wind-Borne for the trip south and they had just returned from the Caribbean the previous season. It was a lot of fun comparing places we had been and friends we both knew.
The evening was just as much fun because Arlene and Dennis from Tiger Lily II came ashore for Happy Hour and the Friday night Barbecue. Eileen (Quinn) and David introduced us to Dennis and Arlene while having sundowners aboard Little Gidding back in Georgetown, Bahamas.
It was a hot cloudy day and when it wasn’t raining it looked like it would start raining any moment. Rick continued working on the boat. I read and relaxed most of the day.
We have had more rain in the last couple of weeks than we had during the whole rainy season. I finished reading my book while Rick cleaned the dinghy.
The rain continued off and on throughout the day. Meanwhile in between dark cloudy skies, Rick and I walked over to Prickly Bay to use their Internet Café and afterward we walked to Choo Light Chinese Restaurant for lunch. We are always in a quandary as which way to return from the restaurants to Mount Hartman Bay. There are some nasty hills that we climb up and down just to get to Prickly Bay and back, but from the restaurants we have a choice of a little longer walk or a mountain climb. Rick chose the mountain. We both huffed and puffed and made it down the other side still breathing. It would be good to try it more often but usually everyone walks to the restaurants and then takes a taxi back.
Finally we had sunshine for most of the day but it was very windy. How windy was it you ask? It was so windy the Frangipani and bougainvillea blossoms were all floating at one end of the pool. It was so windy we had difficulty swimming against the current in the pool. It was so windy our pool had waves. It was so windy that when we got out of the pool we actually sat in the sun for a few minutes because the shade almost felt too cool. In fact it was so windy we didn’t notice any flies or mosquitoes today. Not bad for our first sunny day in paradise in quite a while.
I guess I can say this was laundry day because I didn’t do much else. I still really enjoy laundry days in Secret Harbour. The clean clothes all dried and folded are delivered to the dock so all I have to do is put things away. Other than make a few meals all I did for the rest of the day was finish reading a book. This was a good retirement type of a day.
Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends.
We went into town in the morning and did some shopping. There were only six of us on the bus and none were American. There was a big crowd for dominos in the afternoon and other than our friend Howard from the Trawler Serendipity the rest were Brits. All of the Americans were doing their holiday thing, sleeping late and resting in the afternoon.
The Castaways Restaurant prepared a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner (same as Canadian), for the Yachties and nineteen of us went. It was very interesting because we were six different nationalities, the dinner was prepared for us by the British owner of the restaurant, and we were seated right across the street from the Cuban Embassy. This seemed very strange to the Americans.
This is the poem that was read at dinner:
May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump. May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump. May your yams be delicious. May your pies take the prize May your Thanksgiving Dinner stay off of your thighs
We spent another morning in town, which is very tiring in the heat, especially two days in a row. The large cruise ships here on a regular basis now, which also makes it quite crowded around the Carenage. The afternoon was spent lazing at the pool.
We had another night with no midnight rain drills. Hopefully now with the end of November and the rainy season we should start to see more sun and the Christmas winds. We’re not necessarily looking forward to the winds that are very strong but I’d rather that than the rain. Audrey and Elmer came for a quick boat visit/tour today. They had been on a trawler before but never on a sailboat.
