May Day is an official holiday in Carriacou. There were no buses running and most stores were closed. This was preparation day for us. We made water and back washed the system. I did some hand laundry and took my last shower aboard for a while. We can’t make water while we’re on the hard. Rick scrubbed the anchor chain, which had a significant amount of growth on it. Haul out is scheduled for first thing in the morning so we took the boat to the haul-out dock late in the afternoon. Of course the wind was howling and it was the first time we’ve come along side a dock in well over a year. In addition to coming along side we had to back the boat in. Recognizing it was not going to be easy, we asked Graham and Anne (Rasi), if they would be at the dock to catch us as we rammed it. They were there for us and this is how it went. The end of the dock is about 10 feet long. I went past the dock and turned back just before the reef that was not quite awash. Then the boat was headed directly into the wind and the dock was straight ahead on the starboard side. I took it up to the 10 foot section and held it there just long enough to throw a spring line, stern line and Rick onto the dock. Then as Graham yelled give it more reverse, Rick piped in that I should leave it in neutral but before he could finish someone else yelled forward but slowly. This continued for a while but believe it or not, it really went very smoothly. We pivoted the boat around the corner backward onto the leeward side of the dock so that it was in the perfect position for the travel lift in the morning.
We found out that the fire last night was a grass fire behind one of the small grocery stores. Everything is so very dry right now that the ground has deep cracks caused by lack of moisture. Someone may have dropped a cigarette butt, which could easily have started the fire. Dinner in the cockpit was quite different. The wind was coming across the beam rather than the bow of the boat. There was no rocking or rolling motion and the only noise was the waves crashing against the dock. I turned off the anchor light and the anchor alarm and we settled in for the night.
When I think of haul-out or launch back in Canada I think of cold weather.
Here it’s about 90F. Tyrrel Bay Yacht Haulout is one of the best and
prettiest locations. The treatment here compares with absolutely nowhere
else. Roy discussed the actual lift with Rick
and decided to change the straps on the travel lift to ones better suited to our
boat. Roy operates the travel lift himself. He lifts and moves the
boats very slowly so that we the owners are not standing there panicking.
Normally he would only lift one or two boats in a day. Once the boat was
out of the water, two of the yardmen spent at least an hour with the
high-pressure washer and scrapers, cleaning the hull for us.
Eventually it was time to move the boat into position for the duration of the haul out. Our spot was near but not under some palm trees, overlooking the deck of the yacht club restaurant. Our bowsprit is hanging over the yacht club fence so that we can just lower a pail for delivery of cold beers. We are facing east so that we have a nice breeze blowing through the boat. Once we were settled Roy stopped by to check how things were. He checked and recommended that we change the cutlass bearing while we’re on the hard. He offered to help us do it. Susan, his wife was going into town and offered us a lift if we needed anything. Roy checked a couple of tiny blisters I found while sanding and after checking said they were definitely nothing to worry about.
So I worked away at sanding while Rick cleaned thru-hulls and scraped the
very bottom of the hull. Our antifouling paint is black and by the time I
finished sanding 1/3 of the hull I was blacker than the locals. It was hot
and I was ready for a shower. I couldn’t touch my shower bag or clothes so
Rick carried everything and walked me to the shower (there’s only one but it’s
quite nice). On our way we watched a mother hen and her chick run out of
our way and a small herd of goats (automatic lawn mowers) had just finished with
the lawn behind the office.
Graham and Anne (Rasi) stopped by in the early afternoon and delivered a homemade loaf of bread that was still warm. Graham baked it for us. Karen (Serendipity) came by just after my shower so she and I went to the club for a beer while Rick had a shower.
Dinner in the evening was easy. No matter what, it was going to be a sandwich using Graham’s fresh bread. Needless to say we went to bed early.
The plan was to start work at 6AM at which time it’s very light here and
still reasonably cool. We didn’t set the alarm and it was after 6AM when
we awoke so the workday didn’t begin until 7AM. Sometime in the morning
Rasi left for Grenada. We were so involved with our work we didn’t even
say goodbye.
I sanded the rest of the hull except where the tripod pads sit. My only break was 10 minutes while Rick rinsed my eyes. I’m working up wind but the paint dust is so bad that I wouldn’t be able to see out of goggles after the first 5 minutes. So my eyes are naked, it doesn’t take long, and they start to sting. I finished at 2:30 PM. Meanwhile Rick topped up the batteries and removed 3 of 4 thru-hulls that needed to be removed before we grind the gelcoat to raise the waterline. Roy stopped by with a puller and removed the prop for Rick. When I finished my sanding, Rick carried my shower bag and clean clothes to the shower again. Although I was black this time I wore coveralls so it wasn’t as bad as yesterday. After my shower I tried to help Rick remove the last stubborn thru-hull to no avail. We gave up and decided to leave it until Monday when Roy will come to the rescue with another tool.
We now have a pet dog that hangs out in the shade of our hull. His name
is Tiger and he belongs to Edwin who will be helping us on Monday. Tiger
has become a boat yard dog because he likes to eat meat and the cruisers feed
him. He got our leftovers tonight (Pork chops cooked in mushroom soup,
mashed potatoes and creamed corn). He came running out of nowhere when he
heard Rick scraping the plate into his bowl.
This was a very pleasant day compared to yesterday. I got ready to do my last bit of sanding about 8AM. Before I could start however, Howard and Peggy (Passages) stopped by. Their boat is tied to the dock and their 2 masts are on the dock. They broke some rigging coming from Africa and originally went to Trinidad to have the repairs done. They were not pleased with the quotes they received there so they sailed back to Carriacou and have been very pleased with the work here.
When they left, it didn’t take us long to move some new tripods into place so that I could sand under the existing tripod pads. Jerry offered to move all of the tripods for us but since the yard is really closed on Sunday and he was supposed to be on his day off, we thanked him and told him that we could do it. I was on my way back to the boat after showering and found we had more visitors. John and Barb (Emerald), were anchored in the bay again and stopped by to see how we were doing.
In the afternoon after Rick removed the cutlass bearing and threaded some new bolts to replace the screws, he inspected my work. I know he was impressed or at least smart enough to say he was. His job, was to do the very bottom of the keel. To do this he had to lay on the ground and reach under using first a scraper but eventually sandpaper.
Everything was ready by 3PM for Edwin to start sanding Monday morning so after a little rest we went for a dinghy ride. We stopped by Serendipity to say hello and then picked up some chicken from “After Ours” to cook for dinner.
Since we had shore power we wanted to equalize the batteries. It’s very difficult to do this during the daytime because while the equalization process is underway we would have no DC power at all. No running water or refrigeration, no fans or lights, absolutely everything would be disconnected. I wouldn’t even be able to use the stove because the gas emitted from the batteries can be very explosive. So we decided to do this overnight when we wouldn’t be using anything. Without power though, we also had no alarms, carbon monoxide or solenoid. I decided to set a timer to wake me up every 2 hours so I could check that everything was ok. Off to bed we went.
The equalization of the batteries took 9 hours so you know how much sleep we got. I learned that our boatyard rooster has a pal. They go to a field a little distance away and practice all night long. Then the stupid boatyard rooster comes back to this yard before daylight and stops at each and every boat to crow.
Roy came by at 8:30AM and cut the stubborn thru hull that we were unable to remove the other day. He has a new one exactly the same sitting in the office for us. Edwin was here bright and early but his work didn’t really begin until 9AM. Using an orbital sander on our maroon waterline stripe he worked away until almost lunchtime. Rick helped him and by noon they were ready to apply the Interprotect 2000. It didn’t take them long to put on the first coat. Edwin then moved on to polish our prop. I had no idea that under all that crud we had a lovely bronze prop. I polished the stainless exhaust muffler and bobstay connector while the guys worked away. Every boat on the hard needs an Edwin.
Petra from “In Stitches” came by and put up our new squall proof hatch cover. She finished it very nicely, reinforcing it where it may chafe on the hatch and added a few little touches she thought would be useful.
Late in the afternoon I tried to give myself a manicure. My fingernails are black. I soaked them for a while but it didn’t help. I could really use my little nailbrush that I had on board for situations like this but I learned that it was donated to the stainless steel improvement project. I have a supply of ultra soft toothbrushes, compliments of Dr. Glick and his hygienists back in Toronto. Since I use an electric toothbrush I had been saving these for guests who forget to bring their own. Well one has just been converted to a nailbrush. My cuticles have never been brushed so gently. The nails are no longer black but are still not able to make any public appearances.
I checked my email in the afternoon and discovered that the weather back home must have improved. No one is staying indoors to send us email this week except our web master. All of our Outer Harbour Marina friends in Toronto must be back in the water or close to it. All of our non-sailing friends are probably just outside enjoying a little bit of sunshine after a long hard winter. Dinner tonight was at the yacht club. We treated ourselves because we were too tired to cook.
Wow, we love our new hatch cover. We had a nice squall overnight.
Not a little rain shower with 12 drops of water but the real thing. The
wind and driving rain sounded great outside and all the time the forward hatch
over our bed was wide open. We had a great breeze and no rain inside.
This is Wind-Borne III’s new no-AMP air-conditioning unit.
Edwin was working on the waterline before Rick had even climbed down the ladder at about 7:30 AM. They put on another coat of the Interprotect and then had to let it dry for three hours. During that time Rick went into town and I applied some etching solution to the prop. My drying time was only one hour so I was able to put 2 primer coats and 1 coat of antifouling paint before having to leave it overnight. Rick and Edwin got 3 more coats of the Interprotect 2000 on the new waterline. In his spare time Rick also changed the 4 clamps on the rubber hose between the stern tube and the stuffing box. It doesn’t sound like much but he had to almost stand on his head to do it.
I went for a shower just before making dinner and just before the Haulout ran out of water. Roy had been chasing the water delivery company for a few days but the truck still has not shown up. Rick had to go for a salt-water bath in the bay. It’s good that the salinity of the water in Tyrrel Bay is not as high as other places. Salt on the skin does not have a nice feeling.
We awoke with great expectations of what we would accomplish today. A couple of hours after starting we realized things were not going quite as planned. Rick wiped the hull down with acetone as I put another coat of paint on the prop. I then placed masking tape on areas where we didn’t want antifouling paint. Everything went well up to that point. I mixed and started to apply a barrier coat with the paint roller while Rick used a brush for the tricky spots. We had finished about 1/3 of one side of the hull when I noticed some tiny bubbles forming. The consensus of everyone in the yard was that even though we had sanded, the old layer of paint still on the hull had not adhered properly. Plan B went quickly into action. Rick and I started scraping all of the old paint off the hull. It was a terrible job. My arms gave out a little after noon. Rick lasted until 3 PM.
When things go wrong here it’s very difficult to get upset. While we were working away, baby chicks were busy following their mother back and forth underneath our keel. The lady at the yacht club next to us was busy chasing the local goats away from the flowers. Palm fronds were falling on and beside our bow as a man was up harvesting coconuts and trimming the trees. We were so black with dirt we couldn’t go up into the boat to get a drink so the lady from the club passed us a couple of bottles of sprite over the fence.
We now are running a tab at the club. The water truck had arrived earlier in the day so we were both able to have a shower and we filled the water tank on board the boat. It was about 5PM when we got in the dinghy and went to see Petra at “In Stitches” for my leftover fabric. We also stopped at the store next door to see if our propane tank had returned on the ferry. The tank wasn’t in but we picked up some butter and beer. Exhausted we went to the Turtle Dove and had pizza for dinner. While there we met a gang of people off a charter boat. They were Americans and very interested in our cruising lifestyle. They asked what do we do all day!
It was difficult yesterday with both of us being so filthy. Neither one of us could go into the boat to get things so we weren’t really drinking enough liquids. To resolve that problem I decided to stay clean today and let Rick be the only dirty one. He finished scraping and sanding the other side of the hull and he was so black that no one would recognize him. Meanwhile I was able to give him drinks continually during the day. He didn’t stop work until 4PM. So after a little snack we went for a dinghy ride. We stopped to say hello to Dorothy and Ed (Prism) who are now anchored in the bay. We were finally able to pick up our propane tank, which had been sent to Grenada to be filled. On our way back to shore we stopped and had a little visit with Serendipity.
Dinner was on board and shortly afterward Rick hit the sack.
Things improved today. By 10 AM we had finished rolling on a barrier
coat of paint. This coat is yellow in colour so we had to sing “We all
live in a yellow submarine” as we
worked. The barrier coat needed to dry overnight before we could put on
the first coat of antifouling. In the early afternoon we had a squall go
through so we were pleased that the painting was finished early. Rick put
new packing in the stuffing box and rerouted the hose for the engine blower.
This was all of his planned jobs requiring access to the engine through the
guest cabin, which allowed us to put everything back in place including the
mattress. My nails have gradually changed from black to yellow so I gave
myself manicure and pedicure in the cockpit during the afternoon.
Susan and Roy had invited us out to dinner at the Round House. I
splurged and had an actual bath, ironed a dress for me and a shirt for Rick.
Susan claimed that the Round House was the best restaurant on the island and she
was absolutely right.
The building is a stone structure that almost
reminds you of a mushroom with wheels from an old lime quarry used as windows.
The view from outside overlooking the water was lovely. The meal began
with a very large salad. Rick and I had Cornish Hen, Roy and Susan had
dolphin fish. The entree was served with foot-long-beans and then
cheesecake for desert. Even the coffee was good. This was the last
week to visit the restaurant because Kate the chef is leaving and opening her
own place. Her new place will be called “Garden” and will be right in
Hillsborough.
Timing was critical today because we wanted to get 2 coats of both red and black paint on the hull. The black ablative paint (Petit Ultima SR) needed 6 hours between coats and the red hard antifouling (Trinidad SR) needed 3 hours between coats.
Rick brushed and I rolled the black paint first and we were finished all that could be done by 10AM. We then finished with the red paint by noon. It was hot and we were tired so we had the yacht club make us a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches in their sandwich maker. We ate under a little gazebo in front of the boat and then went aboard and slept for an hour. By 3PM we were able to start on the red again and we finished it in time to start the black at 4PM. This time Rick rolled and I brushed. Susan and Roy came by in the afternoon and we joined them for a beer under the same gazebo where we had eaten lunch. Dinner was quick and easy pasta and then we both went to bed.
Rick let me sleep until 6:30AM this morning. I thanked him and asked if
it was a Mothers Day treat. He said no, it had rained for a few minutes so
we couldn’t really start yet. As we sat in the cockpit drinking our coffee
I marveled at the array of animals that just wander around everywhere. We
watched a lovely brown jersey cow and her calf walk under the stern of our boat
and head toward the hill behind us. Passing the cows and coming from the
opposite direction toward our boat was a small herd of goats and sheep with
their little kids following along behind. The chickens were here as well
but they were off to the side foraging for food. Recently Susan had a
chicken lay an egg on the front seat of her car.
I talked Rick into making toast for my breakfast, which he did and then went
off to work on the boat. We wanted to put another coat of red paint on
today and then let everything cure for the rest of the day.
Vivian, Bill (Alosious), Rick, and I had been invited up to Roy and Susan’s
house today. Roy came and picked us up at 11:30AM. Their house sits
way up on
top of a large hill overlooking the bay. The view was amazing. You
could see Grenada and all of the small islands in between here and there.
The many colours of the water and the reefs below the water were very visible.
To bad we can’t see it all that clearly from the deck of a boat. The house
with all the tropical plants was beautiful even in the dry season and
we spent
the whole day there. Susan prepared a huge meal for us that included a
lovely barbecued pork roast. We had an enjoyable afternoon discussing
sailing adventures. Roy drove us back to the haulout yard just before
dark. I was pleased that we weren’t traveling in the dark because the
roads up to their house are some of the roughest and scariest I’ve been on.
On our way down the hill Roy stopped as some goats crossed the road in front of the car. Rick jumped out to check if the littlest one had gotten out of the way. It hadn’t. He picked the tiny little goat up and put it on the side of the road to follow the others. It was only hours old. It’s little legs were still wobbly. Rick said it weighed no more than a feather. If Roy hadn’t pulled away so quickly I think I might have adopted the little guy.
Things are starting to come together. Rick has installed the new cutlass bearing and the prop which has been nicely painted and he put a nice new zinc on the shaft. Edwin began compounding and waxing the hull. The black paint on the hull now meets the red paint. The tripods have been moved and the hull areas under the pads have a barrier coat and are ready for antifouling. Wind-Borne III is looking good.
We lowered both anchors and all of the chain onto the grass of the yacht club so that we could reseat the bolts at the bottom of the bobstay. These bolts are accessed from the bottom of the anchor locker. Removal of the anchors permitted Rick to stand on his head in the anchor locker and provide guidance (yell profanities) at me through the hull.
Throughout the day we had quite a few visitors. Lori and Bob (Pride) arrived in the bay while we were out yesterday so we spoke with them on the radio first thing in the morning. They were leaving for Bequia and asked if they could leave a parcel with us for John and Ann (Sundowner) who were in Mayreau but coming by sometime today. I dinghied over to their boat to pick up the parcel since their dinghy was still stowed on deck. Harold and Peggy (Passages) stopped by to check on our progress. John showed up to pick up his package. Around lunchtime, Kate and DJ (Hello World) came by, introduced themselves, asked if they could buy us a drink, and ask some questions about using a single side band radio. We sat and talked for quite a while at the yacht club. Later just after dinner we went to visit them onboard their boat and talked some more. While sailing down here we have met people from many countries all over the world but Kate and DJ are the first Scots we’ve met. DJ is a professional photographer.
It’s a good thing we are just about finished. The number of visitors is increasing, resulting in a slowdown of accomplishments. Rick painted the pads and water line again first thing in the morning. In between visitors we re-installed the four thru-hulls we had removed from the waterline area. Rick even got 3 of the hoses to the thru-hulls reconnected. We met a few new cruisers today and they were all Canadians. First Claude and Dianne for Picasso stopped by. They were originally from Quebec and have been down here five years. Later we met a couple from Saltscar. Rick and I both forgot the names of a third Canadian couple we met. We will have to exchange some boat cards. Late in the afternoon Rick applied one more coat of paint to the whole hull.
The morning started with a rainstorm that seemed almost like a tropical wave going through except it’s a little too early in the season for tropical waves. The driving rain lasted a few hours and gave the ground a wonderful soaking. We were counting our blessings that the painting was really complete.
I can tell Rick is getting excited about getting back into the water. It wasn’t even 7AM and he was down the ladder to attach the anode to the hull. This was really the last thing on the outside of the hull to be done.
Petra arrived just after the rain to take some measurements for another windscoop. This one is to fit on the butterfly hatch in our main salon. Since we put the first “squall proof” windscoop on our forward hatch we have not had to close the hatch at all, even during the storm this morning. We had a lovely breeze and no rain came through.
Rick got the last hose attached to one of the thru-hulls we removed. The plan today was that Roy was to put the boat in the travel lift late in the afternoon so that Rick could paint the two little spots on the very bottom of the keel where we had been sitting on blocks. The plan changed. They lifted Simon’s (the wine smuggler), boat late yesterday because of a problem. This boat just barely fit in the fifty ton travel lift. They had trouble determining what the problem was so it was very late in the day before it went back in the water. In the afternoon Roy lifted Aloisous out for the season. He still might have been able to stick to the plan but a catamaran called with a problem, they were losing their mast. So it looks like we’ll be on the hard for an extra night. Roy will put us in the slings overnight tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Rick removed all of the powder coating off of our manual windlass. The coating was cracking and salt was getting under the coating making it worse. So for now we will have a naked windlass. We may get it coated in Trinidad or Venezuela later this year or we may decide to leave it naked.
I cleaned and reorganized some lockers in the afternoon. It almost feels like spring-cleaning. While I was going through some of the things, I came across all of the greeting cards from our Bon Voyage party. It brought back such great memories that I made Rick sit down for a while and read them.
Rick was in desperate need of a Chinese food fix. He hadn’t had any since January. I happened to have a jar of sweet and sour sauce on board. The best I could come up with for him was sweet and sour chicken and pineapple with steamed rice. He seemed to settle down a little after eating it.
Everything was ready to go. I gathered all of our dirty laundry.
We sure did create a lot of it this last little while. Rick was vacuuming
the boat when Roy came with the travel lift to put us in the slings. It
almost felt like we were afloat with the motion of the boat in the slings.
Rick quickly climbed under and scraped and cleaned the keel where it had been
sitting on the blocks. He applied the first coat of paint before 9:30AM,
which gave us time to get a second coat on within the recommended drying times.
We needed 6 hours between coats and 16 hours between the final coat and
launching.
We took the laundry next door and then took our dodger by dinghy to Petra at “In Stitches”. She restitched all of the seams and had it ready for us the next day. The thread had totally disintegrated in the tropical sun.
While ashore we bought some groceries at “After Ours” and then made a quick stop back at the boat to put the refrigerated things away. It was a little after 12PM and we wanted to share a pizza at “The Turtle Dove”. While we were there we saw Fitzroy who we seem to bump into frequently. He is positive he knows us from somewhere but can never remember where. We met Jack and Laurie (Horizons) and ended up having a two hour lunch with them. They were originally from Indiana but more recently from Boston. Back at the boat we had a small siesta before applying the last coat of paint.
It was almost 6PM when we picked up the clean laundry at the club. Brian and Maggie (Skitter Scamp) met us there for Happy Hour. This was the Canadian couple we met the other day but couldn’t remember their names. We are both so bad with names we would never survive down here if people didn’t have boat cards. Brian and Maggie are from Bowen Island in British Columbia. They bought their boat this year in Guadeloupe so they haven’t been down here very long but they are hauling out and returning home for a few months.
We went to bed and set the alarm so we would wake up for the lunar eclipse around 10PM. There was hardly a cloud in the sky so we sat in the cockpit and watched it for a while. Eventually Rick went below and watched through a port while he dozed on the settee. We both hung in there until the moon was in a complete shadow and then went back to bed.
We were up bright and early. Breakfast was finished and yesterday’s laundry put way. Jerry started the engine on the travel lift and had us in the water by about 8:30AM. Rick checked and tightened the stuffing box a little. We filled up the water tank and fuel tank before leaving dock. Jerry was going into town so he took our jerry cans in and had them filled for us.
We were out in the bay and had the anchor set by 10AM. After letting the engine run in reverse for a while, Rick rechecked the stuffing box. I washed the lifelines and Rick washed the decks. Eventually I went below and started cleaning inside some more. It felt good to be rid of the dust and dirt one picks up on land.
In the early afternoon we went over to the Haulout to pay our bill and pick up the full jerry cans. We went back to the boat and left the fuel and then dinghied to the other side of the bay to pick up our dodger. We had to return to the boat again to leave the dodger but then went back to shore again. We shared another pizza at the Turtle Dove and joked with Fitzroy who was there again. Lunch there is fast, reasonably priced and good.
Back on the boat we put the dodger on. Rick dove and checked that the anchor was well buried. We were both on the foredeck setting up the new wind scoop and we had a visit from the boat in front of us. We talked with him until dinnertime and then I went below and put a stack of chicken wings in the oven to cook. It’s been a couple of weeks since I used the oven. It was much too hot on land but the breeze on the water makes even the heat from the oven bearable.
The steel band was playing at the Lambi Queen tonight and a lot of the cruisers were going but we were just a little tired and decided to pass. We could hear the band playing when we went to bed. In fact a little wave action and the band playing gave us the impression we were anchored off a tropical island.
Wind-Borne III has been transformed into a sparkling clean boat. Rick scrubbed the cockpit, I did some hand laundry and then washed screens, ports, walls, louver doors and floors. The boat smelled so much like Pinesol that I had to put out a fresh basket of potpourri.
In the afternoon we were sitting in the cockpit having a glass of iced tea when we noticed an Alberg with a Canadian flag coming into the bay. We gave them time to anchor and then went over to say hello. Low and behold, it was Bunkey and Geoff on Everden. Bunkey and Geoff belonged to The World Cruising Club and The Ontario Boat Builders Co-op back home. We had met them at meetings many times before. We invited them to join us on Wind-Borne III for Happy Hour along with Brian and Maggie. Rick picked up Brian and Maggie in our dinghy. Their boat (Skitter Scamp) was now on the hard and their dinghy packed away. They are flying home to Victoria on Monday for 6 months.
We thought we had no provisions left but when the different cheeses and crackers were set out there was probably enough to feed another half a dozen people. Bunkey and Geoff were not long out of Martinique so they still had some paté left which they shared with us. It was a nice get together. Everyone left just before 8PM. Rick dropped Brian and Maggie off and then we went to Angels Bar and Restaurant for dinner. We weren’t really hungry but we had told Fitzroy we would be there. Angels is a small floating palm leafed structure on pontoons that is anchored in the bay.
Fitzroy had cooked the meal which consisted of barbecued chicken (legs with the thigh), macaroni pie and potato salad. It was very good and since I shared my spicy nutmeg chicken recipe with Fitzroy earlier he promised to share his macaroni pie recipe with me. Although the drinks were not inexpensive the meal was $5EC per person which is about $2.50CAD. Jack & Laurie (Horizons) were the only other cruisers there this evening. Everyone else was not only a local but also a cousin of Fitzroy. It was a lot of fun.
Our Sunday Morning view from the cockpit had changed dramatically from a week ago. There were no animals in sight and no birds flying through or perching in the cockpit. We watched many boats leaving for Grenada. Horizons had planned to lift anchor at 6AM but they were a couple of hours late. We watched John Smith (Mermaid) take his island boat out for a sail/fish. He normally puts up only a staysail and tacks back and forth fishing at the opening to the bay.
Rick has almost eliminated his to-do list. He installed the new exhaust fan for the engine and modified the HF radio antenna. I washed the cockpit cushions. We ran the engine and made some water. Late in the afternoon we went for a dinghy ride. We stopped to say hello to Harold and Peggy (Passages) who are still ashore working on their mast. While we were there we went to see Dominique (the welder) he had moved his floating shop (Sea Rose) over to the slipway for the travel lift. We checked to see if he had problems. He didn’t but a couple of nights ago the Grand Banks trawler that the PSV (Petit St. Vincent) Resort uses as a ferry burned. Dominique was doing some quick repairs on another of their powerboats to get it into service as a temporary ferry. It was in the travel lift and since the Haulout was closed on Sunday he could save time by having his shop right next to the lift. We told him that our new solar panels were expected to arrive this Tuesday for him to work with. He said he might not be here. The high-speed ferry “The Osprey Express” that runs between Petite Martinique, Carriacou, and Grenada has been out of service for a couple of weeks. It’s now in Trinidad for repairs but the Ferry Company wants to fly Dominique in to do some welding required in the engine room. We found this interesting because another boat that was damaged in the fire at PSV was taken to Trinidad for repairs but they left all of their damaged sails at “In Stitches” to be repaired. It appears that there may be very good services available in Trinidad but I think we’ve found a couple of really good ones here in Carriacou. Anyway we told Dominique that we would wait for him to return so I hope it won’t take him too long.
We left shore and went to say hello to Geoff (Free Spirit) who we met in Mount Hartman Bay. Sue was still in England but he had a friend, Rosy sailing with him for a couple of weeks. We then stopped by to sail hello to John and Barb (Emerald) who had returned from the Tobago Cays and had just finished setting their anchor right behind us. They invited us aboard for a Sundowner and of course we accepted.
We returned to our boat just before dark. After dinner we went right to bed.
We had finished our first cup of coffee by 7AM at which time we both jumped in the dinghy to go ashore. Jerry and Roy normally arrive at the Haulout by 7 and we didn’t want our huge box to be in their way. Gus was there when we arrived and he helped Rick carry the box to our dinghy. I held onto it as we traveled in the dinghy to the boat. Once it was safely out of the dinghy and aboard we both gave a sigh of relief.
There were two large 125 watt panels in the box which we didn’t want to see slip into the water. We carefully unpacked them, which reduced the size and weight tremendously. They are now occupying the one settee in the main salon and will until Dominique can make the frame. We then had all of the packing material to deal with. Rick bundled it all and we went to the government dock where there is a garbage facility just down the road.
Finally, back at the boat and ready for breakfast. Rick decided to cook this morning and made us scrambled eggs, back bacon, tomatoes and toast. It was great and we ate enough food that we were able to skip lunch. I knew that once the solar panels and controller etc. were onboard he would want to play. Sure enough, the cockpit locker was emptied before I had a chance to finish the breakfast dishes.
He played in the cockpit locker and I played on the computer down below.
My daughter Karyn who lives in BC asked if I would send her some pictures. So I spent most of the afternoon looking back at the pictures of our trip so far. There are some great memories and it’s difficult to pick and choose, which are the highlights that I would like her to have.
It was about 4PM when we both stopped for the day. We had some wine and cheese in the cockpit and then decided to jump overboard for a swim to cool off. We have now had two days in a row without wind. The summer weather is coming.
We had a fairly late dinner but it was wonderful. The last time Rick was in town he somehow found some imported pork chops. We know they were imported because each chop was individually heat-sealed. They don’t do this with local meat on Grenada or Carriacou. We didn’t have to simmer them for hours. Rick just barbecued them with a little sauce and they melted in our mouths. We had a salad and green beans with the pork chops. These were local “foot long” green beans. We had them once before in a restaurant where it was a little awkward to measure them. This time I verified. The majority of the beans were 18 inches long. One was over 2 feet long and none were less than one foot. I cleaned 12 beans for the two of us.
We thought we were up and on our way to town early this morning but from the bus we waved to Susan who was already returning from town. We stopped at the bank and got a bank note to put on the ferry to Grenada for the balance owing on our solar panels. We then went straight to the Osprey Office (the Ferry Company) but it didn’t open until 10AM. We moved on to the Marketing Board for some fresh vegetables and then stopped and got a form C14 from customs to be able to bring our new seal for the head in duty free. It arrived in Grenada yesterday and as soon as we fax them a copy of the C14 they’ll put it on the ferry. The shipping cost was four times the price of the item but what can you do. When we returned to the Osprey Office at 10:30AM they still weren’t open so we decided to tour the little Carriacou Museum across the street from the office to kill time. When we walked in the front door we saw a large sign identifying that Canada funded the museum. We asked if Canadians got a discount on the cost of admission but no such luck. When we came out of the museum a little after 11AM the office was finally open. We left our little envelope with them and called Outfitters in Grenada to let them know it was on its way.
Since it was almost noon we stopped for a bite to eat before returning to the dinghy on the bus. Back at the boat I made some potato salad and coleslaw for a picnic at the yacht club with Greg and Carol Ann (New Passages) who are now on the hard.
It was a long journey from our boat to shore for the picnic since we had to stop and greet a contingency of Canadian boats that had just arrived. Avalon V we had spoken to on the radio just a while earlier so we only waved to them. Joan and Mal (Mal de Mer) from Vancouver (but really Dublin Ireland) are on their first trip south. We spoke with them for a while before moving over to greet Rod and Marci with their daughter (Windmiller) from Midland Ontario who have also just arrived. They had lots of questions about Grenada so invited us over tomorrow night for Happy Hour at which time we are expected to earn our drinks.
The picnic was great. Carol Ann brought leftover turkey, which she had roasted the night before. We hadn’t had turkey since Christmas and it tasted wonderful.
Rick went ashore first thing in the morning to clean the bottom of the dinghy. I had just barely finished with the regular morning chores and he was back. The bottom of the dinghy was sparkling clean but he hadn’t done the topsides yet. He had hurt the back of his ankle on the prop when he was lifting the outboard engine back onto the motor mount. It looked a lot worse than it was but I was ready to practice all I had learned from my first aid courses. I thought it might have been a good opportunity to try out the scalpel and skin stapler and I even tried for one or more injections. Rick didn’t feel that all that fuss was really necessary so instead I had him soak it for a few minutes and then just poured half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide over the injury. He moaned a bit but in the end it didn’t even require a Band-Aid. As the health care person in charge I instructed him that salt-water swimming was banned until future notice. Since he couldn’t do anything else he helped me take the dodger ashore so we could apply the waterproofing after the amazing cleaning I gave it the other day.
We were both having an afternoon siesta when George and Mary (Avalon V) knocked on our hull. They had questions they wanted to ask about boat insurance. We told them we would bring our policy and discuss it at the club. We had just finished our conversation when Rod, Marci and Stephanie (Windmiller) arrived at the club as well. We had a couple of drinks with them and then had to rush off to prepare for Happy Hour. I quickly fried some green plantain to take with us to Windmiller. Rod and Marci had also invited Sue and Bob (Peregrine) so it was a fun evening.
The winds overnight were extremely gusty. So strong and gusty that the domes holding our squall proof hatch cover to the deck came undone. It was better to have it happen now rather than after we left the bay. We stopped by “In Stitches” in the morning and told Petra of the problem. She is going to replace the domes with locking connectors on Monday.
This was hair cutting day. We sat in the shade of some bougainvillea at the club and cut each other’s hair. It was a slow process because we had to stop and talk with everyone that walked by.
When we finally finished, I went for a swim before my shower but Rick being restricted from salt water for a while could only have a shower. It was a nice afternoon for a siesta, cool and breezy. In the evening we joined Marci, Rod, Stephanie (Windmiller), Sue, and Bob (Peregrine) at the Turtle Dove for pizza.
Sundays are extremely quiet on Carriacou. There’s almost nothing open during the day so although it was still very windy we decided to go fishing from the dinghy. We would have made a better choice if we had instead chosen to go swimming in the dinghy. The waves just outside the bay were crashing up and over us so that we were totally soaked. Our fishing trip didn’t last long. On our way back into the bay we stopped and said hello to (Michael and Hillair) Indigo. They had come in with engine problems so had dropped anchor under sail further back in the bay. Jerry was onboard helping them. Evidently they experienced the very same problem we did when we were traveling from Martinique to St. Lucia. They had been in very high seas and were pounding a lot when their engine intake got an air block. The difference between their experience and ours was that they didn’t have their overheating alarm connected so they did a bit of damage before they knew they had a problem.
We got together with Indigo and Avalon V for drinks at The Old Rum Shop when they opened after 5PM. Believe it or not, I had only had one drink and what did I see but a cow standing almost right beside our table. It seems that the animals move right in each Sunday. I originally thought they liked to roam the Haul Out yard but it appears they make them selves at home anywhere on a Sunday.
Indigo had 3 guests on board so they had already planned dinner. Mary and George (Avalon V) stayed and we ordered chicken ($5EC per person or $2:50CAD). We got talking to John Smith who is very well known on the island. He sails a wooden sailboat (Mermaid) that was built on Carriacou and he has written a book. He told us that his book (Little Fish Big Pond) is available at the Haulout. The more books they sell the faster his yard bill will be paid off. So we’ll have to get one of the first edition autographed copies.
We finished breakfast and Rick headed into town to pick up the part for our head and our sunshade fabric from Customs that arrived last Friday. We hadn’t felt like going to town on Saturday because everything would be closed at noon, so we left it until today.
While he was getting ready to leave I heard Sue (Masade) on the radio. She was at Union Island but plans to move over to Tyrrel Bay before our first official Tropical Wave of the season hits this week. We decided to put out more anchor rode in preparation for the wave and before the bay gets crowded. Rick returned with his parts and proceeded to pull the head apart again. It was such a tiny leak I hardly even noticed it but no leaks can be tolerated on a boat. While Rick was busy with that I went and visited a few boats in the bay and let them know we would have a “Wave” party tomorrow afternoon/evening at the club. The party would be in celebration of our first official Tropical Wave of the season, that is if it doesn’t dissipate before it gets here.
It was a nice evening, Rick and I sat in the cockpit and watched until all masts had either arrived or disappeared from the horizon.
This was definitely a party day. We started first thing in the morning
by rushing ashore for the big mast erection party. Harold and Peggy
(Passages) who had been varnishing their two wooden masts for almost a month
were finally finished and ready for the big event. It took all morning and
afterwards Peggy went to town with Susan while Harold had a sprite at the club
with us.
On the way back to our boat we stopped by a few newly arrived boats in the bay and invited them to the Wave Party.
After an afternoon siesta, it was time for the party. We had a great turn out and had to take a group photo of everyone “doing the wave” and everyone “giving a royal wave”.
This was supposed to be the “Wave Day” however it is now moving so slowly that we’ll be lucky if we see it tomorrow. The problem with Tropical Waves when they move slowly is that they pick up a lot more precipitation, however the islands could sure use some rain. Almost everyone’s cistern is empty and the ground and shrubbery are very brown.
Since it appears we might have some real rain soon, I thought I had better take my laundry in to be done because here the ladies “line dry” it. Many other cruisers had the same idea. We took ours in about 9:30AM and then went to help Harold and Peggy (Passages). As we were sitting on their boat we watched at least 6 other boats arrive with laundry bags.
RRick had agreed to winch Harold up the masts. Peggy has done it herself before but with one person, it’s a very slow process. So Rick winched, Peggy tailed and I supervised for lack of anything else to do. Although the masts were put up yesterday there was a lot of hardware and lines that had to be attached at the spreaders and top of the masts. Harold got all his work finished on the main mast but decided to leave the missen mast until tomorrow. He rounded up another assistant as wincher.
We had lunch at the club and relaxed until 5PM when we went in to pick up laundry. At 5PM, however there are always people at the club having a Happy Hour. Sure enough, Greg, Carol Ann (New Passages), Eric and Carleen (Island Time) called us over to join them. The sun was just setting when we returned to the boat.
I met with Susan in the morning to discuss organizing a chicken barbecue at the club for tomorrow night. There seemed to be enough interest to go ahead with it so I went back to the boat and made up a few flyers. It was very windy and after I tied the dinghy to the boat and set everything I was carrying on the deck, I put my one foot in the single step we have for getting aboard from the dinghy. Immediately the wind whipped the dinghy out from under me. Rick was standing there so I asked him to please pull the dinghy back under my foot but he couldn’t. Instead, he was going to try and pull me aboard. I thought it would be a lot less painful to just go for a swim. So I said thanks but no thanks and let go. I just had to swim around to the other side of the boat where Rick was already lowering the swim ladder. I had planned to go for a swim today but not wearing my clothes and shoes.
Later Rick and I went boat to boat in the bay inviting everyone to the barbecue. When we finished and returned to our boat we saw four masts on the horizon heading into the bay. I though I would just get their boat name as they came in and call them on the radio. The second boat to arrive however was Cheshire Cat. We had been watching for Mike and Deirdre who we knew from the Ontario Boat Builders Co-op back in Canada.
As they went by, we asked them to come over for a sundowner once they were anchored. We had a nice visit with them and learned that they were traveling with two of the other boats that had just arrived. They were all going to the Turtle Dove for dinner so we sort of invited ourselves. As soon as some one mentions the words Turtle Dove we both get a craving for their great pizza. At dinner, we got to meet Itza Purla and Gallant of Fowey. All three boats wanted to come to the barbecue.
Rick and I went ashore first thing in the morning to pick up some paper
plates and napkins for the barbecue. On the way, we stopped by Cheshire
Cat and took Deirdre in with us. While walking by “In Stitches” we had to
stop and said hello to Petra and Georgina. Georgina was painting her
calabash bowls. The calabash she paints is some of the nicest I’ve seen
but she sells out very quickly so I put my dibs in early.
We eventually made our way to the grocery store and after purchasing everything we needed we went back to the boats. I cooked up some sweet plantain for my potluck dish and since I had some green plantains and the oil was hot, I made some plantain chips to take as well.
Rick and I arrived at the club about 4PM. Susan had everything just
about ready. She wanted to go back to her house to pick up a few things
and asked Rick and I to start the barbecues so they would be hot by 5PM.
Well forget it. We tried everything from twigs to pouring a glass of Jack
Iron rum on the coals and lighting it nothing would work. I was starting
to panic a little because people were arriving. Mike and Deirdre (Cheshire
Cat) offered to go back to their boat and get some fire starter. It worked
beautifully. Hot coals appeared to be a possibility. Rick and Susan
did a great job of cooking the chicken. I have to give some credit to the
club, Kardine
marinated and precooked the chicken earlier in the day so that it
would be extremely tender and tasty no matter what we did to it. We had a
great turnout there were more than 65 people. The pot luck dishes were
some of the very best we’ve experienced. All in all, it was a great get
together.
Anna Allegra Desio who is a well-known artist in the islands was anchored in the bay on her boat Maxima. She was giving a showing on Susan’s boat (Windborne) at 10AM (officially). Unofficially Karen (Sylvia K) and I had been offered an advance viewing. Rick and I pick up Karen and went into shore a little after 8AM. Windborne (the other one) was tied up at the dock. I fell in love with her paintings as soon as I saw them. It was good that the majority of what she was showing were prints. She was also showing a few limited editions but on my limited budget, I decide to go for the prints. I bought three but liked a lot more.
In the afternoon, Andy from “In Stitches came by to fix the domes on our Squall Proof Hatch Cover which had been popping in high gusts. We had told them there was no rush but I think it bothered them more than it bothered us. He replaced the domes with the locking ones that can’t pop, then joined us in the cockpit for a couple of drinks.
Sue and Leon (Masade) asked us to join them at the club around 5PM for a Happy Hour. When we got to the upper deck we found Kevin (Celtic Silver) was there as well. We had a nice chat discussing tides and the history of different islands but we all wanted to make it an early night so it was still light when we left.
