Carol said she was feeling better but she didn’t sound or look much improved.
We sat around all morning just reading or relaxing while it rained off and on.
In the afternoon, we planned our trip to shore between dark clouds and rain
showers. It was no problem, we arrived at the dock dry and walked through town
toward Lambi Queen. We stopped to check out the huge pots of food that the
Alexis ladies were cooking. This was the real reason we came ashore but it was a
little too early for the New Years Day Alexis party.
When we arrived at the Lambi Queen, Sherwin wasn’t there but his dad, Edwin,
was. He welcomed us and served drinks. I called Sherwin to let him know that
although we hadn’t been able to make it to his party last night, we were at his
place and having a party now. There was Karen, Ralph (KaraDream) Lynne, Paul (Kiana)
Carol, Rick and I. Sherwin drove
down to join us and brought along a friend from
Trinidad. They arrived just as heavy rainfall started. We hung in at Sherwin’s
until the rain let up and then made our way back to the Alexis party.
The place was packed and it was almost all family with neighbourhood friends.
The New Years Day party is hosted by the three elderly Alexis ladies. Nester, who
is one of the Alexis ladies had invited us to join them for dinner and even
prepared a plate of food for me. The party was wonderful with many young
children playing with each other and having a great time. There was a heavy game
of dominoes underway in the middle of the floor where many of us had gathered to
watch. A young disc jockey was playing music that could be heard throughout the
bay over the roar of the wind and rain. It finally came time that we wanted to
leave. There seemed to be a non stop squall going
on so we had another drink and
stayed a while longer. After another hour or so we realized that the storm was
not going to stop so all we could do was time our exit when the winds had
lightened a little. It was still raining but the three dinghies made their way
safely back to the boats before the wind piped up full strength again.
The howling wind and heavy rains continued all night long.
In the morning, we learned that we had missed a lot of excitement in the anchorage last night while we were ashore. A couple of charter boats had dragged and caught the anchors of other boats. One of the boats that dragged was a captained chartered boat with only line, no chain on his anchor.
Eric did not come up on the SSB with weather so we listened to George. It sounds like we’re stuck with the nasty winds and rain until tomorrow at the earliest.
We all settled in for a day of reading again.
First thing in the morning Rick took the laundry into the yacht club to be washed and dried. While he was doing that, Carol and I got ready to go into town. We had no meat left in the freezer so we were hoping to pick up some lobster, fish and whatever else we could find. We first dropped off the jerry can at the gas station and then went directly to the fish market. The fish market had absolutely nothing. The seas had been so rough that the fishermen had been unable to go out for a few days. We returned to the grocery store and settled for some chicken wings and nice fresh lettuce, tomatoes cucumbers and onions.
We stopped in the new medical centre to have Carol see a doctor about the sinus congestion she has been struggling with since she arrived. The doctor informed her that it was a virus and she was over the worst of it. A cough syrup with codeine was recommended. We pick some up at a nearby pharmacy
We strolled down to the other end of town to go to the Garden Restaurant for lunch. There was a sign on the gate indicating that it would be closed from today until January 7th. We instead had a nice lunch at a small local restaurant.
Finally, we had a reasonable calm night with no rain. We were able to eat dinner in the cockpit and everyone, including Carol slept through the night without a rain drill.
We began our day with grapefruit. It is grapefruit season and they were wonderfully sweet and juicy. I used the fresh green peppers and onions we bought in town yesterday to make omelettes for breakfast.
In the morning, Rick did a few chores, I baked an apple pie and Carol worked on getting through her Diana Gabaldon book.
We got together with Ralph and Karen (Karadream) at the yacht club for a game of dominoes in the afternoon. Ralph won easily. When we left the yacht club we walked along the beach to the Turtle Dove restaurant for dinner. Fitzroy joined us and we made plans to go to his house and take pictures of his new pup tomorrow.
January 5, 2006, CarriacouWe had a wonderful night of light winds but just before daylight there was a
short rain drill. In the morning, we were slow to get moving. Ben, the
fisherman, came by at a little before 10AM with 3 lobsters for us. Once they
were on board, we went ashore to visit Fitzroy and his new pup. Fitzroy asked us
to take many pictures of the pup, himself and his gardens to email to his
brother in the U.S. While we were there, he picked some passion fruit and
mandarin oranges for us. We left his place and stopped to visit Maxima a boat we
met here a few years ago. We left there and stopped at Karadream for what was
supposed to be a few minutes. While we were there our friends Celine and
Marcel
(Allie Cat) pulled into the bay. We waited for them to anchor and come over for
a visit as well. Finally, it was after 3:30PM when we made it back to our own
boat. Rick started cleaning the lobster while I made salads. When everything was
ready, we stopped for sundowners and lit the barbecue only when we could see
that there were no more masts on the horizon.
It was an enjoyable day but we didn’t have time for a swim.
Tropical storm Zeta is still hanging in there. Everyone thought it would be gone long ago but instead we are now about to receive the northerly swells it has been creating over the last week.
We plan to take the high-speed ferry with Carol to Grenada for the weekend
but Rick and I may come back early. The weather forecast is for the winds to
start howling through at 30 knots again by Monday. Our initial plan was to come
back Monday night but in those winds, it would be quite tricky to get someone to
pick us up in a dinghy in the dark. Instead, we will take the early morning
ferry back, which arrives in Carriacou between 10 and 10:30AM.
Rick had a lot of small boat chores to take care of while I made potato salad and Carol put forth a major effort in finishing her book.
In the afternoon, Rick was still busy but Carol and I went to the yacht club
for a game of dominoes with Karen, Ralph (KaraDream) Marcel and
Celine (Allie
Cat). Celine has acquired the title, Mama Domino since she was the champion in
Trinidad and Margarita. Her title still holds but now includes Carriacou.
We returned to the boat in time for sundowners. There were many boats arriving today but we left just before sunset to go ashore. It was Friday night so we went to the Lambi Queen for dinner where Carol had another lobster fix. The steel pan, drummers and Stick Man were all there to entertain for the evening. It was very enjoyable but we left early because we have to get up before 4AM in the morning to catch the ferry.
Tropical storm Zeta has finally dissipated.
We were up and ready to leave just before 5AM. We left our dinghy in the
water fastened to our boat and the new motor was raised and locked on the motor
mount. The floating dinghy hopefully gave the appearance of someone being at
home. Our friend Rick (La Vie) promised to keep an eye on the boat while we were
gone. Ralph (KaraDream) playing water taxi, arrived at our boat in his dinghy to
take us ashore at 5AM. We had arranged for Norbert, one of the island taxi
drivers to pick us up at 5:30AM. It was a surprise when he arrived at 5:15AM.
We had breakfast in the Nutmeg Restaurant overlooking the Carenage and the entrance to the lagoon. After breakfast, we picked up a few groceries that were on our shopping list from Food Fair grocery store underneath the Nutmeg Restaurant. Before leaving the area, we stopped at Tikal and Art Fabrik, which are two of my favourite gift and souvenir stores in Grenada.
We lugged our purchases all around the Carenage as far as the Grenada Yacht
Club. Carol and I went into the yacht club and called Rod and Marci (Windmiller)
who were anchored there while Rick walked a little further to Island Water World
for a couple of small purchases. By the time Rod and Marci joined us at the
yacht club bar, Rick had returned as well. We had a nice visit with them and
agreed to get together tomorrow when their son Jason will have arrived.
When we left the yacht club we walked around the lagoon and stopped in at the Foodland grocery store where we picked up a few more items on our list. We took a bus from there and stopped at the La Boulangerie Restaurant which was on the same road as our hotel.
At the hotel we quickly changed into our bathing suits and went down to the
pool which was much cooler than the ocean water. Later in the evening although
we had had a large breakfast and lunch we were all hungry. It was most likely
all of the walking we had done. The restaurant was just steps from our cottage
so we made our way there for a light salad or dinner. That idea lasted seconds
after seeing the menu. There were no salads and the full meals sounded
wonderful. Rick had almond stuffed chicken. Carol had herbed lobster tail and I
had a rack of lamb. We enjoyed the meal with a bottle of house wine and even
finished it off with a decadent dessert.
We all slept extremely well overnight. After breakfast, Rick and I made a
quick trip to the nearby Spiceland Mall to finish our shopping. Carol was left
to relax and go to the pool. While we were in the grocery store, Karen (Misty)
called us. (It is so handy having a cell phone now and in the Caribbean, you
only pay for outgoing calls). She was on her way to see us so we suggested she
come and help us finish shopping. The three of us then returned to the hotel and
after putting the groceries into the fridge, we all went down to the pool. It
wasn’t long and Rod, Marci and Jason joined us as well. Everyone enjoyed a dip
in the pool (fresh water is a treat after swimming in the ocean for so long).
After a drink, we all took off for a walk along Grand Anse beach. We walked from
one end to the other stopping along the way for a salt-water swim. Everyone was
thirsty, hungry and had had more than enough sun. We stopped at Jenny’s for a
drink and then backtracked a little to the Coconut Beach Restaurant for lunch.
Rod, Marci and Jason left us after lunch to take a bus back to the lagoon.
Karen, Carol, Rick and I continued our walk back along the beach. When we
reached a good spot to exit for the Spiceland Mall we left the beach and went to
buy some orange juice, bagels and cream cheese for breakfast. Back at the hotel
we sat and relaxed for a while. When Karen left, we turned on the TV but one by
one we gave up trying to watch it and went to bed. We were tired.
After breakfast, Carol walked Rick and me down to the reception area of the
hotel. We said our goodbyes and climbed into the taxi for our return trip to the
ferry. The reason we had come to Grenada by ferry rather than sail in our own
boat was that the seas had been so nasty for the last while and were expected to
remain so. The trip from Grenada to Carriacou is always a little rough but it
would probably be worse today. Rick took a seasick pill before we left dock and
it was a wise move. The
seas were so rough that we (the ferry) were airborne a
few times. The captain reduced speed while we were in the area of diamond rock
but it was still uncomfortable. The saving grace was that in the high-speed
ferry, the trip only took 1 ½ hours, so it wasn’t that bad.
Susan was at the ferry to meet us. She drove us up to her house were we sorted out her groceries from ours. While we were there she made us lunch and packed a lunch for Roy. She then drove us to the Haulout where she made sure Roy took a few minutes for lunch and then she was about to take us to our boat by dinghy when Marcel (Allie Cat) showed up. He offered to play taxi, which saved her the trip.
When we arrived at the boat, we quickly put everything away and we were just about ready to hit the sack for a siesta when we learned that Ron and Barbara (Our Whim) had invited us to their boat along with Allie Cat and KaraDream for sundowners at 4:45PM.
We had our siesta and awoke with just enough time to throw together a few
snacks, wash and head out. Karen was already there but Ralph was waiting for
people (charter boat) to return to their boat that had been dragging. Ralph had
used his spare anchor to hold the dragging boat and wanted to make sure he got
it back. We watched them in their dinghy searching all over the bay for their
boat and eventually climbing aboard wondering how it had become anchored where
it was. Ralph explained what had happened and told them to use more rode. He was
onboard Our Whim well before sunset and we had a wonderful evening.
We had expected the winds to pickup much stronger than they did overnight
which meant we had a great night sleep. Truthfully they could have been blowing
40 knots and I think I would have slept through it I was so tired.
At 9:30AM, we went ashore and took some pictures of Roney’s (a local) house. We had promised him we would take these pictures yesterday but we begged off another day so we could have our siesta.
We walked back through town and stopped at Alexis Supermarket where we picked
up bread and eggs. When we returned to the boat, I printed the pictures for
Roney and copied them
onto a CD but just when I finished, it started to rain.
Since we weren’t going anywhere in the rain we settled down for an afternoon
siesta.
Celine and Marcel (Allie Cat) stopped by on their way into shore just as Rick was preparing our sundowners so Rick invited them to join us. They quickly returned and together we watched the few boats arrive in the bay. When they left, he had a quick dinner and went directly to bed.
We were up and running first thing today. By 9:30AM, I had stripped the beds and gathered the laundry. Breakfast was finished, the dishes were washed and the oven was cleaned. We dropped the laundry off at the yacht club and went to Kiana for muffins and coffee with Paul and Lynn. When we left their boat, we stopped to say hello to Denis and Arleen on Tiger Lily II.
Lunch was a wonderful treat. I had purchased a can of tuna in Grenada that claimed to be solid white and packed in water. We have been tricked by similar claims before but this time we lucked out. It really was solid white tuna and we had it on fresh baked bread.
Rick spent the afternoon checking the batteries while I worked on organizing a couple of months worth of pictures. When we finished it was time to leave for dinner. We met Susan and Rick (La Vie) and Susan and Roy (Windborne) at the Lambi Queen. Sherwin was cooking up a fish fry for us. It was very good but we all, especially Susan (Windborne) wanted more fish. It only took a few minutes and another fish arrived from the kitchen.
It was almost 9PM when we left the restaurant and returned to our boat. I just sat down and started to write my journal when we heard Debbie (Illusions) on the radio saying that three boats were dragging and needed help. We got ready as fast as we could and headed over to the mess and it really was a mess where two of the boats were tangled together. There were already too many dinghies trying to help and pushing the offending boat in many directions but it was locked in the anchor line of the boat to which it had dragged. We caught a dinghy that had come loose and was on it’s way out to sea just as another squall went through. It was difficult to see let alone make any headway. We took the dinghy to another boat away from the mess to tie it up temporarily. Meanwhile we caught the dinghy line in our prop and as well, totally filled our dinghy with water as we reversed away from the reef to which we were then drifting. With the dinghy secured, we returned to the boats that were dragging. They appeared to be separated and although not secured yet it looked to be under control. There were too many dinghies charging around in the dark so we returned to our boat looking like drowned rats.
The squalls continued all night but no other boats dragged. After breakfast, we called Allie Cat to see if they were going into town today. The ferry with fresh vegetables arrived last night so we wanted to leave early before all of the good produce was taken. Marcel wanted to stay with the boat but Celine came with us. We were able to get not only lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and spring onions but we even found some pork tenderloin, pork chops and chicken breasts. No fish, as the seas were again too rough for fishing. We were back from town and had returned to our boats by 11AM.
Other than a few showers, it was a nice day. Rick picked up the laundry for me when he went to see the Toolmeister about servicing the injectors on our engine. The Toolmeister was going on vacation for 4 weeks and won’t be able to do it for us. He recommended that we have them done by Derek in St. Lucia. We’re not sure whether we’ll wait for the Toolmeister to return in 4 weeks or go to St. Lucia. It will probably be another 4 weeks before the Christmas Winds settle down and allow us to move up the island chain to St. Lucia.
The afternoon went by quickly. Rick used our new Grazie cookbook to make a basic Italian tomato sauce. We love this new cookbook not only because the recipes are simple but also because many the ingredients are available in the islands. Our friend Fitzroy had given us a large bag of fresh basil, which is why we wanted to cook Italian today.
We were both tired after not sleeping well last night and went to bed early. Not that we really need a reason to go to bed early we do it all the time. I was in a sound sleep and awoke with a start when a squall came roaring through the anchorage. After closing the hatches, I looked at the clock and did a double take. It was either 15 minutes before 3AM or it was 15 minutes after 9PM. Sure enough, it was just after 9PM, which meant that this was the beginning of another night of squalls. This one was so strong that I went into the cockpit to look around for any (charter) boats that might be dragging but with the fierce wind and the horizontal rain, it was impossible to see anything. I went back to bed and fell asleep until just before 1AM when the next squall came through. This was much better than the previous night when the squalls seemed non-stop.
Again, I was able to go back to sleep until a little after 3AM for another squall. The final squall charged through at 5:30AM. All in all not a bad night but I’ll sure be glad when this trough moves out of our area so that we can get into dry season conditions. We are trying to decide whether this is dry season type rain or if it is still wet season type rain.
Friday the 13th. We had nothing special planned for the day and although I’m not superstitious, I liked the idea of just staying close to home. It was a good plan because the weather was disgusting. It rained all day. We dinghied over to Denis and Arlene (Tiger Lilly II) who were anchored almost beside us. We had been invited for lunch along with Karen and Ralph (KaraDream). It ended up a wonderful way to spend a rainy afternoon. We sat and talked while Denis kept topping up our glasses of wine until just before dark. The time went so fast that none of us realized how late it was. When Rick I returned to the boat we weren’t really hungry after the huge lunch, so dinner was a quick sandwich.
Finally, we had a night without howling winds and not once in the night did we have to jump out of bed for a rain drill. It was so enjoyable that I didn’t want to get up in the morning but the VHF started squawking a little after 6AM and then it was time for Eric with his weather on the SSB at 6:30AM. The coffee was ready and Rick wanted breakfast so needless to say, I rolled out of bed.
Rick wanted to work on one of the water maker feed pumps that didn’t want to work which meant that the boat would be pulled apart. I found this a perfect time to set myself up at the computer and backup all of last years files and pictures.
By late afternoon, I had backed up all of our 2005 files and Rick had
resolved the pump problem. We sat in the cockpit and watched the young children
who were having a small local regatta. They had five optimist sailboats out
following a small racecourse. Rick (La Vie) had five young children in his
dinghy while towing another on a sailboard. There was a lot of laughter. When
they were finished in the water, a barbecued dinner was prepared for them on the
beach.
We had dinner onboard and after watching a few boats arrive went below for an early evening.
We had to get going first thing this morning as we had company coming for breakfast. We drank our coffee and listened to Eric’s weather forecast before racing to the galley to prepare breakfast.
Paul and Lynn (Kiana) arrived at 8:30AM and by that time everything was ready.
After another coffee, we had bacon, pancakes and mimosas for breakfast. It was difficult convincing Rick that he had to share his maple syrup but after a little arm-twisting he relented.
In the afternoon, we met at the Turtle Dove with Kiana, Kiwa, Allie Cat, and KaraDream for a fun game of dominoes. Ralph was the overall winner but I had them worried for a while. We all stayed after the game and had pizza for dinner.
We didn’t have to move quite so fast this morning so it was almost 9AM by the time we finished breakfast. Rick went ashore and picked up our propane tank, which had returned on the ferry from Grenada. He also purchased a few groceries while in town. I tidied and started a little laundry while the generator and water maker were running.
In the afternoon, Rick (La Vie) came and helped me with some computer problems. While I was working with Rick (La Vie) inside, Rick (Wind-Borne III) was out floating on top of our upside down dinghy, cleaning the bottom. I received a few phone calls from Derrick at International Diesel who is trying to find us some new injectors but needed to know exactly which ones we need.
It had been a relaxing day and we sat in the cockpit before dinner and watched the last few sailboats arrive as a beautiful red streaky sky formed to the west.
Rick spent the morning back and forth from the boat to the shore in the dinghy. I did a couple of loads of laundry.
In the afternoon, I made some pizza dough and set it aside to rise while I made a flan. This was the first time I tried making Sharon’s (Makai) flan recipe and it was so easy I’m know I’m going to make it often (for company).
Arleen and Denis (Tiger Lily II) came over for sundowners and dinner. Denis was a meteorologist back in Canada before retiring. We discussed the northerly swell that was forecast to head south this week. He and we all agreed that if it reached as far south as Carriacou, there wouldn’t be enough left of it to cause too much discomfort in our anchorage. Meanwhile, some of the other cruisers (not newbies) were going crazy putting out stern anchors. I think they put out more rode on their stern anchor than they had on their primary anchor. The stern anchors stretched from boat to boat and created a true obstacle course for any new boats entering the bay.
Rick wanted to change the gear oil in the new outboard motor so before the seas got rough which they were forecast to do we worked on that first thing after breakfast. Rick then had some paper work he had wanted to complete for weeks. He finally got a chance to do it before lunch.
I had a great connection on WiFi today and I have needed to work on the web site. Hopefully, after spending almost the whole afternoon on the internet, I’m just about ready to update the pictures.
Our winds were calm most of the night with the odd strong gust that came roaring through. We didn’t feel the northerly swell until about 4:30AM. If the winds had been steady and stronger I don’t think the swell would have been noticeable.
Mary and Ralph (Merlin) stopped by on their way to shore. They were a little early as we had agreed to meet them at 8AM and it was only 7:45AM. When we got to shore, we learned that they had been up all night. They were anchored much further out in the bay and had rocked and rolled all night long.
It was a great day in town. We were able to get everything on our list with a few bonus items. When we had finished shopping, we stopped for a drink and we were joined by KaraDream, Allie Cat and Kiana. Mary and Ralph were starting to fade after their sleepless night so they left and the rest of us went for lunch.
We returned to the dinghy dock with a bus loaded down with provisions. We were laughing and commenting as we made our way out of town how the bus drivers here (privately owned buses) are so different form back home. Although there are bus stops, normally if a bus driver sees anyone walking he will stop and ask where they are going and then tell them to get in. When we are in Hillsborough shopping most of the bus drivers recognise us and as they drive by, they will ask if we’re ready to go back yet. We always tell them that we still have a little more money left and must spend it first, which gives them a chuckle. They always tell us to save a little cash for them. Our bus went around the block for us and stopped to pick up Rick’s jerry can of gas. The bus went a little further and picked up a lady who had left her groceries at a store we had just passed. Around the block we went again. The bus driver ran back and forth into the store three times and brought out some heavy bags and cartons of cold drinks. We were on our way again when he picked up another lady (all of the seats were now full). She had a great big tuna in a bag (we could see the tail sticking out) and a few groceries to be retrieved as well. The bus made two more stops to pick up groceries for the ladies and each time he would run in and come out smiling, loaded down with bags. The bus trip from Hillsborough to Harvey Vale (Tyrrel Bay) costs $3EC, which is just over $1US. Everyone that gets on the bus always says good morning or good afternoon to everyone else. No one is in a hurry and I have never heard anyone complain about anything. There is usually a lot of laughter even when the bus takes the long way to get somewhere in order to drop someone off.
When we did get back to the boat and finally got everything put away, we took time for a short siesta. During sundowners, we noticed that a lot of boats moved or were moving from the south side of the anchorage to the north side to try and get out of the swell. We were still anchored comfortably in the centre of the bay.
No swell, very little wind and only one rain shower over night. It was a very pleasant morning with a continuing forecast for 25 to 30 knots of wind. We haven’t seen the wind yet but I’m sure it will find us. The clouds did roll in and provide showers during the morning.
I had nothing special planned for the day so I thought I would update our inventory of dry goods. This took a good portion of the morning even with Rick helping. We stopped for lunch and while we were sitting in the cockpit we heard Phil and Brenda (Beothuck) call us on the VHF radio.
They were on their way to Carriacou but didn’t have a dinghy. We suggested that they call the port control and ask if they could come into Tyrrel Bay where we could take them ashore. The normal port of entry for customs and immigration is Hillsborough. The port control was very nice and said that they could go ahead and do that.
Once Beothuck was anchored, Rick went over to take them ashore by dinghy and then accompanied them into town. They had promised the Port Authority that they would check-in by 4PM and it was almost 3pm when they left the boat. When they arrived in town they found the immigration officer was tied up at the airport and it took them well over an hour before they were finished with paper work.
Meanwhile back at the boat I had braised a couple of pork chops and put them in a casserole dish with some apples and brown sugar. I washed and prepared some nice fresh baby spinach I had picked up in town yesterday. Both pork chops and spinach are a rarity in Carriacou so dinner tonight was going to be a treat.
Just as I was about to put the pork chops in the oven, Rick called to say that we were going to Lambi Queen for dinner. I quickly removed them, had a quick shower, closed up the boat and sat in the cockpit until our dinghy arrived to chauffeur me ashore. It was Friday night and the steel band and Stickman were the entertainment. Both Phil and Brenda seemed very impressed with the restaurant and the entertainment.
After breakfast, Rick made a quick trip back to town. When he was there yesterday he didn’t realize we were running short on cash so today’s trip was specifically to get some money.
While he was gone, Lynn (Kiana) came over and spent the morning going through the boat with me. She wanted to see how and where we stored everything. She was extremely impressed with the boat. Although her boat is over 40 feet we have much more usable storage area on our little Bayfield 36.
When Rick returned and Lynn left, we picked up Phil (Beothuck) and went ashore to the Haulout. It was lunchtime so no one was around. We made a short stop at the yacht club where we ran into Fitzroy. Four of us then headed along the beach. We left Fitzroy as we neared his house and three of us continued to the Turtle Dove Restaurant. I was going to pick up my Grazie cookbook that I had left for them to peruse but Daniela hadn’t had a chance to look at it yet. Luciana was already using the book to create a new pizza for the restaurant. I checked the eggplant recipe that I want to use and left them the cookbook for a little longer. This is currently the most popular book in Tyrrel Bay. Since we were at the restaurant, we stayed and had lunch.
The ferry arrived shortly after we finished eating so we strolled back to the Haulout. Just after we arrived, we saw Roy returning from the ferry in his dinghy. Gus with Edwin were in the work boat. They were loaded down with boat supplies and parts for the cruisers. The items that we were interested in were the dinghy and outboard motor that Phil needed. We saw the dinghy sitting on top of everything. We all had a great time getting the dinghy inflated and the motor on the boat. With the nice new empty gas tank we had to tow Phil back to his boat. It didn’t take him long however and he and Brenda were out racing around in their new dinghy before happy hour.
We watched the last few boats arrive while our dinner that was prepared yesterday baked in the oven sending wonderful aromas of apples and pork into the cockpit. We enjoyed dinner on board and just before going below noticed that a small cruise ship had arrived and anchored in Tyrrel Bay. This is very unusual so it will be interesting to see if it is still there when we get up in the morning.
Finally the strong northeast winds arrived overnight. The gusts were strong but the seas were flat so it was comfortable sleeping.
In the morning, we were slow getting moving. Rick made poached eggs on toast and we sat in the cockpit for a while. I had just gone below and wasn’t really dressed for company yet, when Ben arrived with some big snappers and a boat full of lobster. I had asked him specifically to get me some nice red snapper so that’s what we took. Rick cleaned and filleted the fish, which we don’t normally do with snapper, but I wanted to try a recipe for tempura batter and I needed fillets.
After I finished with the dishes and Rick finished with the fish, he went over to Beothuck to help Phil with a refrigeration problem he was having and I did some laundry and played on the computer.
When Rick returned, we had just enough time for a quick lunch before heading ashore to play dominoes with Ralph and Karen (KaraDream) at the Turtle Dove Restaurant. We were very tempted to stay for dinner because there were some wonderful smells coming from the kitchen but I had my fish and some plantains that needed to be cooked today.
This morning Rick had places to go and people to see so he was off as soon as breakfast was finished. I was just puttering around when Orma (Skylark) called and asked if I could tell her where to go for groceries. I explained that if she wanted fresh produce she would have to wait until Thursday. This was not an option for them because they had company and wanted to leave for Union Island tomorrow. Since there is not a single grocery store in Carriacou where you can shop and buy everything you need. The adventure is finding things. There are four small supermarkets in Hillsborough plus the Marketing board that has local produce. We went to town with Cliff, Orma and their guests and Orma’s sister Lily and her husband Ted. All of us walked from one end of town and back, stopping in the grocery stores, souvenir shops and restaurants. It ended up taking us most of the day. On our way back to Tyrrel Bay we even stopped at Paradise beach for a few last minute souvenirs.
We met Phil (Beothuck) Karen and Ralph (KaraDream) just before getting in the dinghy so stopped at Becks (a local restaurant and bar) to have a drink with them.
It was almost time for sundowners when we arrived back on our boat.
Today was my birthday and Rick promised that I could do anything I wanted this day. The problem was, last night the wind blew 30 knots all night and gusted at times to almost 40 knots. Each time a gust came, the howl of the wind sounded like a freight train on it’s way through the anchorage. The wind would catch the boat on the beam and heel it over for a while until the bow turned into the wind. Needless to say I slept well between gusts but there were too many gusts to be able to say that I had a good night sleep.
Since I could do anything I wanted, as soon as I had one cup of coffee and finished listening to the weather forecast, I went back to bed. It was about 8AM when I got up. After breakfast I did some laundry and Rick after spilling something in the fridge spent the morning cleaning it out.
Ben came by to see if we wanted some lobster seeing as he wasn’t able to get any fish as the seas were too rough again. It was also much too windy to barbecue so we passed on the lobster.
Neither of us wanted to go anywhere in the dinghy as we would be soaked by the time we got ashore. We both settled in and read for the rest of the morning.
Rick made a nice tossed salad for lunch and I prepared some breaded eggplant using my new Grazie cookbook again. Granted it was from memory as Daniela (Turtle Dove Restaurant) is still studying the book).
I hung the laundry in the cockpit were it got a wonderful breeze but was prevented from blowing overboard. If I had been able to secure it well enough on deck, it probably would have been dry in less than 15 minutes.
Dinner (my choice) was baked macaroni and cheese with a good bottle of wine. I know it is more of a comfort food but after not much sleep that was exactly what I wanted.
The wind was still strong overnight but with fewer gusts. It was starting to subside a little. We both slept much better last night. Since we didn’t go ashore I was out of bread for breakfast. I made some scones and we had homemade strawberry jam (from my sister) for breakfast. Since I had to open a can of cream to make the scones, I even had cream rather than milk in my coffee.
While we were still sitting in the cockpit, we saw Ben and his friend Selessi on their way back from fishing. We called him over to see if he had any fish. Still none but he did have some lobster. I could not say no to lobster 2 days in a row, so we went for it.
While Rick was cleaning the lobster, Rick (La Vie) came by. He had gone to a general meeting that was held by the Carriacou Port Authority in town last night for all ships captains. The meeting was another of the U.S. Homeland Security demands. Carriacou (population 5000) is going to have to secure the only two wharfs on the island if it wants to be able to receive cruise ships. This pertains to any cruise ship (not just American) that wants to stop here and then in the future at an American port. The cruise ships are too large to pull up to the wharfs they must use tenders to transport their guests ashore. Meanwhile to appease the U.S. Government, the wharfs (and probably the beaches) will have to be secured. All fishermen, Yachties, Water taxies etc. if allowed to use the wharf in the future, will be required to obtain and show a special Identification in order to walk on the wharf. I think the cruise ships should take on some of the responsibility of security rather than forcing the small Caribbean islands to do so. The vision of all Caribbean islands with beautiful sand beaches is quickly being transformed by the U.S. government to be a chain link fence with sand behind it. The U.S. Government makes the demands of these little islands but provides no financial support to see their requirements put in place. The small population of the island must pay for it all. It’s nice to know that many of the U.S. citizens cruising down here are becoming very embarrassed by the actions of their little dictator (President) in power. Now that I’ve vented for a few moments I will step off my soap box and relax.
Today was Thursday so we went into town early in the morning to get some fresh produce. We weren’t as successful as last week but it was still a good day. I found some fresh local breadfruit, peas, eggplant, tomatoes and lettuce. Before leaving town we checked at the fish market and found that they had some lovely red snapper still jumping all over the counter.
When we returned to the boat it was just a little after 10:30AM. I washed and put the vegetables away and then sat in the cockpit to hull the peas. Rick took over the other side of the cockpit to clean the fish.
I had just finished hanging the laundry out on deck when Rick announced that he could see Windmiller coming into the bay. We waved them down and asked them to anchor in front of us. Our injectors have reached the point that we shouldn’t turn the engine on so we much prefer a cruiser rather than a charter boat in front of us as the chances of them dragging back on us are greatly reduced.
The laundry (sheets and pillowcases) was dry just in time to yank them off the line before an afternoon shower hit. It didn’t last long and we were able to sit in the cockpit and do our regular sundowner routine. There were a lot of boats arriving since there was a little break in the weather. While we were watching them, Sherwin came by in his boat and we invited him aboard to join us for a while. When he left, I prepared dinner. We had the fresh fish (breaded this time), some very sweet plantain and breadfruit for dinner. I am really getting into the local vegetables this week.
The winds and the seas are down. Everyone is sleeping well again and boats are starting to move. Meanwhile we’re still at anchor, comfortably awaiting some more northerly swells that should arrive within the next couple of days and cause a little rocking and rolling in the anchorage.
Rick did a some woodwork in the cockpit during the morning. After lunch, he jumped into the water, cleaned the bottom of the dinghy and had a short swim. I did more laundry in the morning and cooked during the afternoon. I used the extra lobster and made corn and lobster chowder. I made a huge pot that I’m sure will feed almost a dozen people.
We had just enough time for a quick shower and sundowners in the cockpit, before joining Rod and Marci (Windmiller) at Lambi Queen for the evening.
It was a good day for boat chores. Rick cleaned fans, I washed ports and screens. We even washed the floor. One of the advantages of living on a boat is that the whole interior can normally be tidied and cleaned in less than a couple of hours.
We relaxed in the afternoon until it was time for sundowners. Phil and Brenda joined us on board and after a quick tour of the boat, we watched the sails on the horizon get closer as the sun dipped lower in the sky. They left just before sunset and it was one of the most beautiful sunsets this season.
We were up and ready to leave the boat by 8:30AM. Susan and Roy (Windborne)
picked up Susan, Rick (La Vie), Harold (Hallelujah) and us in their four-wheel
drive vehicles. On our way up the hill we came across Debbie (Illusions) who was
out hiking. She was dressed to work and only steps from the house. Susan
immediately recruited her help as well. We arrived at the house and started
right to work.
Susan had been home to the States before December and had purchased a
container that she filled with much of their personal belongings, new furniture,
kitchen things and Roy’s tools. The container was brought up the hill (which I
thought would be impossible). It had been inspected by customs and was now
waiting to be emptied. Susan and Roy have planned major renovations to more than
double
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the size of their house but meanwhile the house was full and the
container was full. The objective today was to remove everything from the
container, and some of the items would go into the house while other items would
be returned to the container with the addition of many things that we were to
remove from the house.
Susan had everything planned. I was to be the cook and prepare food for the gang. Harold (who is in his 80’s) was to sit in the shade and supervise Roy and the two Ricks as they emptied the container and carried items to the house and back. Debbie and the two Susans carried the lighter boxes and rearranged the living and bedroom areas with new furnishings.
One surprise was when an antique chest of drawers was removed from
the
container it was found to have a termites nest in it. The nest was not new and
must have been acquired while the container sat in Florida. Quickly a
solution was mixed and sprayed on the wood that killed the complete nest
instantaneously. When the container was repacked, Roy put in a couple of bug
bombs just in case of a few escapees.
We were driven back to our dinghies at the haulout just before dark and returned to our boats exhausted.
We learned that yesterday was a good day to have been off the boat. The predicted northern swells finally arrived. Many boats had deployed a stern anchor again and others had moved to the other side of the bay. We along with Tiger Lily II just rode them out. They weren’t near as bad as expected however that didn’t mean that we had a great night sleep. It was about 8:30 PM when we went to bed with a nearby bar on shore playing loud music and with the wind direction, it almost sounded like we had a party underway in the cockpit. The music stopped at 11PM but that’s when we felt the northerly swells start to rock the boat. I think it was the combination of swell and tide direction that made it worse. It didn’t last too long and I just started to doze off again when all of a sudden I felt rain. We both rushed around at 1AM closing ports and hatches for the 17 drops of rain that fell. I gave up and picked up my book to read for a while. Eventually I fell asleep and didn’t wake until near 6:30AM.
After breakfast, Rick filled the generator and outboard engine fuel tanks
while I started to defrost the fridge/freezer and do a little more laundry.
While we were both working away, Denis (Tiger Lily II) came by to tell us about
the excitement we missed. Prior to leaving yesterday morning, we had noticed two
sailboats arriving and it appeared as though one was towing the other. They then
seemed to anchor well before arriving in the bay and were just sitting there
when we left to go up to Susan’s and Roy’s house. Again, we noticed them from up
the hill but heard nothing on the VHF so we were curious as to what they were
doing. We learned from Denis that both boats had been sailing without sleep for
36 hours. They both had acquired problems with engines and their sails so
finally dropped hundreds of feet of chain with a huge anchor in very deep water.
The chain was long enough and the anchor was holding but the winds were 25 knots
ant they were in well over 6 foot choppy seas. Denis and some other cruisers
ventured out to the boats in their dinghies to see what was happening. They
found the cruisers especially one lady, very disoriented due to sleep
deprivation. They gradually settled them down and one at a time towed the boats
using a few dinghies into the bay. Denis had been talking to them this morning
and they were all very grateful and had invited their rescuers over for a visit.
Our boat seemed quite comfortable during the day but the swell and sea state must have been exceptionally bad as the high speed Osprey ferry came into Tyrrel Bay rather than Hillsborough.
We went with Rod, Marci, (Windmiller) David and Janet (Sofkin II) for what is
normally a short bus ride to Paradise Beach. Norbert (the driver) was going to
turn the bus around and drop us off at Paradise before continuing the other
direction towards Belmont. We assured him that we weren’t in a hurry and would
enjoy the tour. The bus was full of schoolchildren on their way home. When we
did arrive at the beach we shopped for souvenirs at Sandra’s place and then had
a drink at the Hardwood Café before starting our walk. We walked down to the
water and found that the waves and surf was so high that there was no beach to
walk along today. Our walk instead was along the road where we saw the children
and teachers touching up the painted mural in front of their school.
Independence Day is coming up and the islanders are working to beautify the
island for the celebrations. We returned to the boat at 4:30PM and started up
the generator to charge the batteries. No such luck. The battery charger didn’t
want to charge. After checking a few things Rick called Michael who is the
electronic specialist on the island. He couldn’t provide any added suggestions
so the charger/inverter will have to be pulled and taken into Michael’s shop.
We had to leave the wind generator on overnight to keep the batteries charged. They worked well in the howling wind, the batteries were sitting at 12.5 in the morning and that was after defrosting the fridge yesterday. First thing in the morning, Rick disconnected and removed the charger/inverter and took it to the Haulout. Michael was going to be at the Haulout around 7:30AM and if we had it there by then, he would take it with him. Meanwhile, Roy and Susan came to the rescue again and loaned us a spare charger until ours could be repaired. Rick spent all morning trying to get the charger to work but couldn’t seem to get any amps from it. Finally, he took it back to Roy where he found that Michael had not arrived at the Haulout in the morning so Roy had asked our friend Fitzroy to take our charger to Michael’s place on the other side of the island. Rick and Roy called different places in Grenada and on Carriacou searching for a battery charger to hold us over. There were none in Grenada but there were maybe 3 in Carriacou. Rick raced into town (on the bus) and checked out the three possibilities. They would definitely not have worked. One was almost 4 feet tall. He returned to the boat and together we called Michael to tell him our tale of woe. After explaining to him that normally a charger wouldn’t be a big issue but that right now we are without an engine to charge the batteries. He said that since Fitzroy had arrived so early with our unit, he was able to work almost all day on it and it was now ready and waiting for us. We were more than pleased. Rick jumped back into the dinghy and headed for shore. He took a bus into Hillsborough but from Hillsborough to Michael’s place in Belair he switched to a taxi that waited for him and took him back to Hillsborough. He was back before dark but it was too late and he was too tired to reinstall it.
We had our sundowners, dinner and went to bed. It was a very comfortable sleeping night, almost no wind. Wind was what we needed though to keep the wind generator charging. Sometime during the night Rick took a look at the batteries and they were too low to run the fridge so he turned it (the fridge) off rather than have it continually try to start and shut down for lack of amps.
