We were both up early and as soon as breakfast was finished, Rick started
reconnecting the inverter/charger. By 7:30AM it was installed, connected and he
started the generator. We were back in business. The resources available on the
little island of Carriacou continue to amaze us. I don’t believe that we could
have had a same day repair of the charger anywhere in Canada.
Almost everything in the freezer was still frozen solid, the water tank was half-full and the computer was at 54 percent charged. After a couple of hours of charging, we were back to normal.
I made a bean salad while Rick restored the cockpit locker to some semblance
of order then we both had a siesta to rest up for Daniela’s
birthday party in
the evening.
The party was at Fitzroy’s house and he did an amazing job of decorating the garden with lights and balloons. The young girls who work for Daniela at the Turtle Dove Restaurant had been busy in Fitzroy’s kitchen preparing salads. Fitzroy had precooked humungous amounts of chicken and asked if Rick and I would be barbecue chefs. Gus caught a couple of gigantic fish, which he cooked in foil while everyone else brought side dishes. It was a great party. We stayed until almost 10:30PM. We learned later that Sherwin arrived after he closed the Lambi Queen and stayed until 3:30AM when the true party people called it a night.
It was Thursday, shopping day in Carriacou. We left the boat at 8AM and met
Rod,
Marci (Windmiller) Janet (Sofkin II) Eilif and Kari (Blå - Norwegian for
Blue). We were waiting for a bus when Roney came by in his pickup truck and
offered us a ride. The women went into the cab and the men rode in the back of
the pickup. Part way to town it started to pour rain. Roney pulled over under a
tree but it was useless. The guys were getting soaked in driving rain. It was a
full blown squall. When we arrived in town it was still raining so Roney dropped
us by a roof that would provide protection until the rained eased up. A few
other locals were dropped off and waiting with us. It wasn’t long and we started
on our forage for fresh produce in the small local stores. We all did very well
getting almost everything and we were on our way back to the boat before
lunchtime. We all agreed to quickly put away the groceries and meet back at the
dock and go to the Hardwood Café at Paradise Beach for Joy’s famous Chicken and
Chips.
After lunch, we walked along the beach and came up a path to the road where
the school is in L’Esterre. The children and teachers had finished painting the
wall for the Independence Day so we had to stop and take some pictures. We
walked along the same road until we came to the driveway that leads up the hill
to Georgina’s House. Georgina paints calabash and sells them up and down the
island chain. She was there to greet us and show us all she had prepared for a
show later this month in St. Lucia. We all purchased a few calabashes, thanked
Georgina and made our way back down the hill. Our next stop was a clothing store
where three roads intersect in L’Esterre. Rick got a fresh supply of T-shirts
and Marci bought a lot of souvenirs for family back home.
We had to stop next door and pick up a drink for the road. When we arrived
back in Harvey Vale we didn’t return to the boat but kept shopping. The guys
were learning what it means to shop until you drop.
It was 3:30PM when we returned to the boat and although a little early for sundowners, we sat in the cockpit with a drink and watched the new boats arriving. Dinner, which was a home made version of “Shake and Bake” chicken and a salad was prepared early because I knew I was going to fall asleep as soon as the sun set.
Independence Day celebrations were held today in Carriacou. February 7th is
the actual holiday and there will be big celebrations in Grenada where the two
marching bands of Carriacou will perform. It was 8AM when we left the boat and
went with Windmiller and Sofkin to Hillsborough. We left the dinghies at the
yacht club and then walked along the beach into Harvey Vale and took the bus
from there. It was 8:45AM when we arrived and the grass in the field was still
being mowed. Tents had been set up and we were assured the everything would
begin around 9:30AM. The one advantage to being early was that we were able to
not only get a spot in the shade under one of the tents but we were also able to
procure a chair to sit rather than stand for the ceremony.
The Government officials had arrived and they were seated under a tent. The
Carriacou Police in their white hard helmets and sharp looking uniforms led all
of the children of the island down the street and into the field. Even the
youngest marched (almost) instep with the drum bands. There were cheerleaders
dressed in the red, green and gold, the colours of the flag. In fact most people
were wearing the colours of Grenada.
There were many speeches and awards presented to the students for outstanding
accomplishments. Although they were wonderful speeches they continued from
9:30AM until well after noon and during that time the thousands of
students were
all standing (some sat) in the hot sun. During the ceremonies, there were many
wonderful songs sung, I loved hearing them all but one in particular was about Carriacou rather than all of Grenada. It described the island so well that I
thought I would keep the words to remember.
We left before the end as we didn’t have a program and had no idea how long the speeches would go on. As we sat in the Garden Restaurant, eating lunch at about 1PM we heard the drum beat coming our way. All of the schoolchildren marched through town beginning at the end of town where we were.
I felt bad not wearing the proper colours earlier in the day but I was able
to purchase a nice knitted Rasta hat that was mainly red but had green, black
and gold stripes. At least on February 7th (the official day) I will
be properly
attired.
We left town and returned to Harvey Vale where Marci picked up a few items she had put away at Scrapers. While we were inside the store, the guys sat across the street at a perfect “limin ” tree. Scraper suggested that we needed some beers if we were going to lime properly. So we joined the guys and sat under the tree with our beers “just limin”.
We then made our way back along the beach toward the dinghies but I called Fitzroy on the way and asked if he would give everyone a tour of his garden. He did and while we were there, I was able to scrounge some fresh basil from him.
Our last stop after Fitzroy’s place before getting into the dinghies was the
yacht club where we continued to practice the technique of proper limin.
Sweet Carriacou
Sweet Carriacou, you’re beautiful, And life remains simple and free. Sweet Carriacou, my hope and pride You are my future destiny. Doesn’t matter where I go, You’re always on my mind, you are (Oh yes you are) my sunshine island. Sweet Carriacou – my sunshine island. Though we are small, we stand tall, our culture is our gold. We adhere to customs untold from ancestors of old, Big drum and our quadrille dance, We perform with full pride our national dance. Though we are small we are proud of our land (Chorus)
Parents plate and saracca are our fore parents wish We wet the ground with jack iron to help us to live strong. Launching and our boatbuilding, We still have our skills. To perform them at will. Though we are small we are proud of our land (Chorus) We celebrate our festivals with pride and dignity Regatta and Parang time are still the best for we. People come from far away land to join the action Can’t resist our charm. Though we are small we are proud of our land.
I spoke with Susan first thing in the morning and learned that Roy was not feeling well so they wouldn’t be able to come for dinner this evening. Susan and Rick (La Vie) were coming for a visit in the afternoon and since I was mentally psyched to be cooking, I invited them to come for dinner instead of a quick afternoon visit.
After a quick tidy of the boat and then just before lunch, I started preparing a flan for dessert. I’ve learned that the flan needs to bake a lot longer than the recipe suggests. When it was finished, I washed and prepared the salad. I was making a spinach salad and just about whisked my arm off while making the dressing. When the dressing was made, it looked very creamy and thick but tasted terrible so I tossed it overboard. Store bought dressing would do. Next, I made scalloped potatoes and finally placed the nice thick pork chops on some cut up granny smith apples with a little brown sugar and orange juice.
Sue and Rick arrived in time for sundowners. We had dinner and a great night of fun conversation. When they left, Rick did the dishes while I checked email and then we both hit the sack.
It was Sunday so we had a slow start to the day. After a breakfast of bacon and eggs in the cockpit, Rick prepared some more wood for Cetol. I sat and did a little hand sewing. We had a good lunch and then headed over to the Turtle Dove to play dominoes with Rod and Marci (Windmiller). I am on a roll! This was the third game of dominions in a row that I have won. The Turtle Dove was packed and we were too late for lunch and too early for dinner. The four of us went for a walk along the beach into town. The Lambi Queen and The Twilight Restaurant were having Super Bowl later. None of us were interested in watching the game so we made our way back to the boats and had dinner on board. After all my cooking yesterday, we just had pasta tonight.
The good news is that our Injectors have arrived in Grenada. The bad news is that tomorrow is a holiday (Independence Day) and we need to get a form from Customs and send it on the ferry to the FedEx office in St George’s. We went into town and that was our first task.
I stopped to check if a few items of produce and meat were available. There was still no celery on the island but I did find chicken breasts. I think I’ve mentioned before that normally the only way to obtain a chicken breast in the islands is to buy the whole bird. One of the supermarkets told me he would get some breasts in this week. True to their word, they did. The only problem was that they had 9 to 10 whole breasts frozen together in a solid lump.
I was so anxious for some white meat that I didn’t care. I bought the lump and back at the boat I tried to thaw it just enough to separate the breasts. Marci took a couple, I put some in the fridge for tomorrow and the rest were still pretty solid so they were repackaged individually and returned to the freezer.
In the afternoon, I scanned a whole cookbook into the computer so that Marci (Windmiller) and Janet (Sofkin II) could have a copy. It is a Carriacou Cookbook and we looked everywhere in town to buy one before learning that there are no more copies available. It’s a great book because it explains how to cook and serve the local vegetables and fruits.
We had our regular sundowners in the cockpit but there were very few boats coming into the bay. Before making dinner, I prepared a banana loaf and put it in the oven to bake. Lately, every time I turn on the oven, it starts to rain. Tonight was no exception, we had to close the ports and hatches which meant the whole boat felt like an oven.
The big Independence Day celebrations were being held in Grenada today. I
spoke with Rick (La Vie) who is now anchored in the lagoon at St. George’s and
he said that when he awoke this morning there were three warships anchored in
the lagoon and he hadn’t even heard them come in last night.
So many people from Carriacou and Petite Martinique were going to Grenada for the celebrations that both Osprey ferries were running today.
Since we had participated in the Carriacou celebrations, we stayed on board
today. Sherwin and Fitzroy came for lunch. I served them Chicken
Hawaiian with a
snack of banana bread. It became very apparent that Fitzroy likes banana bread.
I promised him I would make more. Sherwin was busy painting the Angel’s Rest,
which is a floating bar he owns. He had a few friends helping so he couldn’t
stay too long with us. He wants to reopen the bar this Sunday. Fitzroy had no
plans so he remained on board and we spent the afternoon liming.
Marci and Rod had invited us, David and Janet (Sofkin II) and Debbie (Illusions) for sundowners onboard Windmiller. It was a wonderful evening and Rod somehow topped it off by arranging a beautiful sunset with a green flash.
We spoke with Susan in the morning and she agreed to cut our hair. She
offered to pick us up and drive us up to the house as soon as she returned from
Hillsborough. Meanwhile, we said good by to Windmiller and Sofkin who were both
leaving this morning.
It was awesome sitting on Susan’s deck, overlooking what we call the “million dollar view” as she cut our hair. Rick’s she cut to a nice length. He had been trying, but has given up the idea of having a ponytail. Mine however, she said is so close to being long enough to be able to do something with it that I should hang in there a little longer. She tidied the back and bangs so I’m still trying to let it grow.
We had a nice visit afterward waiting for Margo (Kiwa) to arrive. She wanted her hair cut as well but when Susan had picked us up, she was out diving.
It was getting close to noon, Margo still hadn’t arrived but Rick and I
decided to start walking down the hill. Back at the boat, we had a quick lunch
and then relaxed and read while another dry season rainfall took place during
the afternoon.
It was Thursday, produce day, so we were up and out by 8AM. When we arrived in town, it appeared as though we had beat the rush. We met Susan and Margo at the Marketing Board but other than them, the place was empty. At first, I thought maybe we were too early but after asking, we learned that because of the holiday this week, the produce would not arrive until tomorrow. The locals were obviously aware of this and that’s why we were strolling through an almost empty town. There were a few things we were able to find. A Rasta man had his garden produce available and we got some nice salad makings as well as mangos. The fishermen had been out and there were lots of red snappers flipping around on the counter at the fish market. Susan picked up a parcel from the post office for us that we had been waiting for.
The only disappointment was our FedEx parcel “the new injectors”. They had arrived in Grenada on Friday February 3rd. We obtained a C14 (customs import form) and it was sent down to FedEx by ferry on Monday February 6th. The 7th was a holiday. Nothing arrived on the 8th so we thought that it would be on the ferry this morning. I called FedEx in St. Georges and they tracked it down. It was just sitting there but they would put it on the afternoon ferry to Carriacou. Even though we had the parcel shipped by FedEx, once it reaches the islands, it moves on island time. No problem, we’ve been without the engine for so long now it’s not an issue.
We returned to Harvey Vale but stopped and had lunch at Beck’s Restaurant before going back to the boat. Island lunches are huge.
Once everything was put away, it was siesta time.
The winds seemed a littler lighter and the sky was crystal clear so we wrapped our snapper in foil with a little seasoning and barbecued it. The fish and a salad was more than enough for dinner.
We got ready in the morning to go into town and pick up the injectors (hopefully). Rick was going in without me but at the last minute, I realized that there was a problem with my cell phone so I decided to go with him. The Osprey office and the Cable and Wireless offices are right across the street from each other. I was a while getting things straighten around with my phone but before leaving the lady who had been helping me offered me a nice hard cover book with pictures of Grenada and Carriacou. She only had three of them and they had been around for a while. Great customer service, how can anyone be upset about phone problems when they walk out with a lovely gift.
Next stop was the Osprey office and our package was sitting waiting for us. It took a while for Mr. Samerson, the FedEx man to arrive so we could process the paper work. As we were leaving we met Susan on her way in. We agreed to stop for a drink at the “Port of Call” where our friend Kardine works. Both Susan and I had one last stop to see if any celery had arrived. It hadn’t.
While we were in search of celery, Rick went to find a couple of electrical parts for Roy.
We all finished off the morning by stopping at the Hard Wood Café for chicken and chips. After lunch, Susan dropped us off at the dinghy dock and we returned to the boat.
I was anxious for a siesta but I needed to bake an apple pie for tomorrow nights dinner. It didn’t take long but when I was finished, we could see sails on the horizon so it was time to move into the cockpit for sundowners.
The winds were stronger today, which was great because I planned to do a lot of cooking and the wind kept the heat down inside the boat.
Rick vacuumed for me while I prepared appetizers and the meal. Susan and Roy were coming for dinner. Depending upon her schedule and the weather, Susan said she might come before Roy and have a swim. It turned out not to be a great swimming day so they arrived together.
I had prepared sushi as an appetizer, which was a great hit with Susan. She wants me to show her how to make it. Dinner was salad, scalloped potatoes and Chicken Kiev and I served apple pie for dessert. Not bad for cooking on a two burner stove, eh!
There was another green flash at sunset tonight but only those sitting on the port side of the cockpit could see it. The boat anchored behind us swung just at the moment the sun went below the horizon and it blocked our view. At least our guests saw it.
Eric, our amateur radio weatherman, correctly stated that it “blew like stink last night”. The sound of the train coming through the anchorage woke me quite a few times during the night. There have been almost no charter boats coming and going during the last week so we didn’t have to worry about boats dragging and it wasn’t rolly. It was just a very loud howling wind.
Since it was Sunday and we didn’t have anything planned for the day so it was ok that I didn’t get a full nights sleep. Rick made his famous perfect poached eggs and bacon for breakfast while I sat in the cockpit and watched the world go by. Well, I at least watched a few crazy cruisers leave to head north.
We have company arriving on Tuesday this week so no boat chores or projects (including injectors) will be touched until a week from now. We spent the morning reading and then we headed out at lunchtime to the Turtle Dove for pizza. This time we shared a pizza as we always end up bringing to half pizza’s back to the boat as leftovers.
Sherwin’s floating bar The Angel’s Rest, reopened today so we stopped there on our way back to the boat but didn’t stay long. The wind was still strong and it felt cool sitting in the open so we had one beer and returned to our own floating bar.
We sat in the cockpit and watched for masts on the horizon. There were a few which surprised us but none that would provide entertainment. They were all cruisers, again the charter boats do not seem to be moving much in this weather.
We had leftovers for dinner and went to bed early.
Rick left and went into town this morning to get fuel. While he was gone, I baked another banana loaf. Half will be for Fitzroy and half for our guests Tom and Julie, who arrive tomorrow. Originally, they were going to stay on the boat with us but at the last minute, they opted to stay on Terra Firma. They will need a few things in their kitchen for breakfast and snacks and the banana bread will help.
We were at the ferry in the morning to meet Tom and Julie. It has been a long
time since we spent time together but once we hugged and said our hello’s, it
seemed like it had was only yesterday when we created some wonderful memories
cross country skiing together for many years at Oxtonge Lake.
It was only 10AM, so we left their bags in a friend’s shop and walked through town looking for fruits and snacks that they could have in their little apartment. After a drink at Port of Call, we walked down the main street to the Garden Restaurant. As usual, they provided a lovely meal. Julie, Tom and I had chicken while Rick went for the fish.
After lunch, we purchased the last couple of items and took Norbert’s bus
back to Harvey Vale. Norbert drove us up the hill, just past the Turtle Dove
Restaurant, which is where JP’s apartment is located. We left the bags there and
walked up along the remainder of the hill.
Rick had been carrying Fitzroy’s portion of the banana bread in his backpack all day so as we arrived at the driveway leading to Fitzroy’s house I called to make sure he was home. He gave Tom and Julie a nice tour of his gardens and house. In fact, he even served us a refreshing glass of passion fruit before we continued down the beach toward the dinghy.
There was one more stop we had to make on the way, which was at the yacht
club. We stopped for another drink before going to the boat. The balcony in the
yacht club provided a nice view of the bay and it was a good opportunity to
point out our boat.
When we reached the boat, Julie changed her mind! The boat was where she wanted to stay. No problem, we had dinner onboard and afterward, the guys returned to shore to pick up the suitcases.
Since it was Valentines Day and the arrival of some great friends, we celebrated with lobster and champagne for dinner.
It was a very windy and rainy night but Julie survived sleeping onboard
extremely well.
After a light breakfast, we went ashore to meet Norbert who picked us up just before 9:30AM for an island tour. We drove all around the island stopping at places that provided a “Kodak Moment”. Norbert was a good tour guide and a wonderful historian, as we learned when Rick and Tom started asking questions about the intervention and invasion of Grenada and Carriacou back in 1983.
When the tour was over, we asked Norbert to drop us off at Paradise beach
where we visited Sandra’s little shop for T-shirts trinkets and calabash and
then had lunch at the
Hardwood Café. We walked long the beach and off in the
distance we could see a fast moving rain cloud. We walked as fast as we could to
beat it to Paradise Inn where we waited it out in their small outdoor restaurant
and of course had another beer to celebrate our success in beating the rain!!.
When the rain subsided, we backtracked along the beach a little and followed the
path out to the L’Esterre school where we could see some of the children inside
at their desks.
A little way along the road, we arrived at the hill to Georgina’s house (the calabash lady). I had called ahead of time to make sure that it was all right for us to come and visit. She showed Julie many boxes of completed calabash as well as the calabash in all different stages of preparation.
When we left Georgina’s place we continued our walk along the road and next
stopped at Barba’s store. I think Julie has patronized just about every store we
have visited with her souvenir shopping.
Finally, we had Tyrrel Bay insight! We walked through Harvey Vale and made our way along the beach to the Haulout yard and our dinghy.
Everyone was a little tired so we had dinner onboard. Pork chops baked with apples has become one of Rick’s favourites and it’s easy to make so that’s what we had with mashed potatoes and some coleslaw.
The morning started out as overcast and rainy but quickly cleared and turned
into a beautiful sunny day. Perfect for swimming.
Tom and I spent the most time in the water but Julie joined us for a while. We did a noodle float and Rick served drinks. It was obvious that Tom was an inexperienced noodle floater/drinker. He had great difficulty having a sip of his coke without getting a mouthful of salt water from the waves.
Julie who we thought would not survive one night onboard had become very comfortable and was sunbathing on the bow and entertaining us with her Julie Andrews songs.
Many boats arrived in the afternoon and Tom got right into the happy hour spirit of watching the anchoring techniques and locations of each boat. Two boats anchored on either side of a cruiser who does not like anyone to anchor near him. There was an animated discussion where we could only see the hand motions and not hear what was said. In the end, the cruiser raised his anchor and moved to another location leaving the two newcomers where they were.
We had chicken on board for dinner. Somehow the day slipped away and it was after 10PM when we all retired.
Tom chose to sleep in the cockpit, which is something we have never done at
anchor. He seems to have enjoyed it so much that I think we’ll give it a try
next week.
After a wonderful night sleep with no rain drills during the wee hours of the morning, we had a light breakfast. Tom and Rick went ashore to dispose of garbage. Julie headed for the bow to catch a few rays and read for a while. I caught up with my journal and sent a few emails.
I had phoned Susan and asked if we could come for a visit. Rick and Julie wanted to walk the hill but Tom and I accepted the offer of a ride up. Susan called back within a half hour and said she was on her way down to get us.
I think Tom was impressed with Susan’s driving as we climbed the extremely
steep and rough rutted hills in her four-wheel drive vehicle. He had no idea
that the road was greatly improved from December when the ruts were washed deep
by the heavy rainy season.
We arrived at Susan and Roy’s house and Tom, in awe, walked around taking
pictures of both the house and the view. Eventually, Rick and Julie arrived.
Julie appeared fresh and relaxed while Rick looked like he had run a marathon.
We had a wonderful visit with Susan. When Julie mentioned that she was going to
put her feet in the plunge pool Susan ran and got a swimsuit that would fit
Julie and told her to have a true plunge. Julie did just that and floated in the
pool with a noodle.
We were later sitting on the deck, enjoying the view and the subject of hair dryers on board a boat and Julie’s hair became the topic of discussion. Before we knew what was happening, Susan had a brush in her hand and was removing the small barrettes from Julie’s hair. She tried a few changes but then told Julie to go have a shower and wash her hair. Susan had some products she wanted her to try. We all watched while Susan transformed Julies hair with these miracle products and two large clips rather than one. Julie was happy with the result and no longer begged Rick to let her use a hair dryer.
We all said our good-byes to Susan and made our way hiking down the mountain.
As we were walking through Harvey Vale we could see that there was a track and field event in progress around the corner. We had heard the drums earlier while up at Susan’s house but thought it might have been a cricket or soccer match. We stood and watched the young children compete in the races for a while but it was too hot in the sun to stay too long. Julie was amazed at how they all ran barefoot on the field of grass.
It wasn’t much further to Lambi Queen where we stopped and had a drink with
Judy and Gordon (Dream Catcher). We suggested to Rick that he go get the dinghy
while
we waited for him sitting in the shade. Before he had a chance to leave,
Fitzroy drove up and came in for a drink. Since Fitzroy was headed back to the Haulout, Rick got a ride to the dinghy.
After he picked us up, we had time on board to watch a few boats arrive before going ashore again.
We had dinner and were entertained by the steel drum band and Stick Man at Lambi Queen.
It was 9PM when we returned to the boat. Everyone was tired but Julie and Tom had to pack for an early morning departure.
It was 4AM when Rick crawled out of bed to make the coffee. Within a few minutes, Tom was up and then I dragged myself out as well. Julie followed shortly after. Everyone had finished their coffee, was dressed and ready to leave at about 4:45AM. This was a little early but the wind had died, the tide was coming in and the boat was rolling quite a bit. Julie had coped very well so far with the motion of the boat, I didn’t want to risk ruining that so I suggested that since we were all ready, we could go ashore early. Rick made two trips, Julie and I first, Tom and the bags second.
Norbert arrived a little early (as usual for him) so we were in town before the Osprey Office opened. Julie needed to purchase tickets. Norbert dropped Julie and I at the office and took Rick and Tom with the four bags to the dock. Norbert even ensured that the guys had all of the bags when they left the van so as not to vex Julie.
We said our good-byes and watched Tom and Julie find their seat in the ferry. As they laughed and talked inside, we were jumping up and down waving to them from outside the ferry but they didn’t notice. So, we made our way off the dock and found Norbert sitting in his van. We asked if he was going our way (which we knew was on the way back to his house). He took us back to Harvey Vale and our dinghy and didn’t even want to charge us. We insisted he at least take bus fare if not taxi fare.
On board, Rick and I had a quick fried egg sandwich, listened to Eric’s weather and then went back to bed. I got up again at 10AM, looked at the clock, listened to the wind which had strengthened and then went back to bed again. I did get up eventually and was working on the computer when Julie called to say hello from Grenada.
In the afternoon, Rick did a little maintenance work on the dinghy, and then came inside to start cleaning the engine in preparation for the change of injectors.
We had pasta for dinner onboard.
We were back to overnight rain drills but still had a great sleep waking just in time for the weather report.
After breakfast Rick went ashore with garbage and our empty propane tank. The
speed at which we are going through propane is a good indication that I am
cooking and baking much more than I should. The way to save on propane is to eat
out more often.
It rained off and on most of the day so it was good day to work inside. After gathering laundry and tidying, I sorted and organized my many towers of CDs.
Again, we had dinner onboard and by special request, it was Spanish rice.
We began the day with a very optimistic attitude. Rick took the laundry into the yacht club and returned quickly so we could begin work on our major project, installing new injectors.
The first couple of injectors were a snap. In fact Rick was becoming extremely confident that he could start changing injectors on a regular basis. The third and forth injector put an immediate damper on our cheerfulness. There was salt water mixed with the fuel in the last two injectors.
Rick removed the drain plug on the engine and in the process, broke it. He then made a quick call to Uve, the Tool Meister to ask for help. Uve assured us that water leaking into the engine is a common problem. We do not have a anti siphon valve and the strainer is just barely above the waterline. Therefore, when the dinghy is in the davits and we are all in the cockpit the water has been draining into the engine block. He told us to open a few elbows and allow it to all drain out. We did that and then after removing the two new injectors we put some oil and diesel fuel into the cylinders.
The next thing we were to do was to turn the engine over without starting it. No way!!! The engine while sitting idle for almost a month with water in the cylinders had seized. Not a problem, let the diesel soak and try again in the morning.
Rick was exhausted and went to bed early. I was trying to download and work on the web site when I heard a call for help on the radio. It was almost 10PM, a squall had just gone though the bay and the sailing yacht, Odessa was asking any boat in Tyrrel Bay to help rescue their dinghy. I looked at Rick, sound asleep and was wondering whether or not to wake him, when Odessa called again. No one had responded and our dinghy was in the water (because Rick was too tired to lift it) so I woke him. I called Odessa and asked him to shine a spotlight or flashlight from his boat in the direction of the runaway dinghy. The wind was howling and there was a good chop in the bay so I didn’t like Rick going out by himself. We went together.
The spotlight helped but we were well beyond the point of the bay and into some heavier seas when our flashlight picked up something on the water ahead of us. Sure enough, it was the dinghy on it’s way to the Panama Canal. We picked up the line and with a little difficulty, tied it to our dinghy and started back into the bay. Since we were going against the wind on our way back, we got soaked from the waves. At least it had stopped raining and we could see the spotlight on Odessa in the distance. As we approached their boat, there were great cheers from five of them who would have been stranded onboard without their dinghy. We watched them tie it securely to their boat and then made our way back to Wind-Borne. We were wet and cold but at least had accomplished something good the day, so after a freshwater wash, we went to bed and slept well.
We both awoke a little nervous of what today would bring and with good reason. I tried to start the engine a few times but not a smidgeon of movement in the crankshaft. Rick got the heavy duty ratchet he borrowed from Roy and tried to turn the crankshaft manually. No way!!! Next we removed the starter motor so that he could get at the flywheel. Roy’s instructions were to try to turn the flywheel using a heavy-duty screwdriver. That didn’t work either. We were becoming a little anxious so Rick went ashore to ask Roy and Toolmeister what the next step should be. They both calmly said to let the diesel soak some more and tomorrow morning if we still couldn’t turn it manually, he would have Gus (the muscle) come and help us. If Gus couldn’t turn it we would have to remove the pistons. I started reading our diesel repair manuals and realized that if we have to remove the pistons, the engine would need to be pulled. This was too depressing, we had to start thinking positive about something. We both decided that if the engine has to be pulled, it would be a good opportunity, to clean and paint the backside of it. We would also have easy access to the bilge for another cleaning opportunity. It was a perfect time for a complete engine overhaul. It would also be easier to install the new anti siphon unit without the engine being in the way.
That was it, we couldn’t come up with anything else so we moved directly into happy hour.
Later, dinner was creamed salmon on toast. This would probably be a pretty boring meal back home but here for us, it is a delicacy. Tom and Julie brought us some red sockeye salmon from home. In our supplies, we had been down to one can and it was being saved for a special occasion. When they arrived with six more cans, we felt that as a moral booster, it was a good day to splurge and have salmon.
What a day (and night) !!! I know that back home people start to get fed up with winter at this time of year. Well here, people (especially sailors) are fed up with the winds this year. There have been so few days with winds less than 20-25 knots since November, that we could count them on our fingers of our left hand. Last night the forecast was for exactly that, 20-25 knots. What we actually got all night long was 0-35+ knots continually. While lying in bed, trying to sleep, there would be a dead calm but I could hear the howl of the wind heading towards us. It would hit with a force that would push the boat aside, heel it over for about 1 to 2 minutes, and then ease down to dead calm again. Immediately, I could hear the next howl of wind coming our way. This went on all night. There was no rain but the wind was so strong that the hatches were all closed to reduce the noise and so that we wouldn’t freeze.
Rick went ashore at 7:30AM, picked up Gus, and brought him aboard. Gus works at the Haulout and is solid muscle. He tried turning the fly wheel and the crankshaft, to no avail. The next step is to remove the head to get at the seized pistons. Rick decided that we had enough of the engine pulled apart in pieces and it was time to let the expert (Tool Meister) take over. The Tool Meister (Uwe) was booked to work on Jerry’s tug boats for the next couple of days but as soon as he is finished he will be over to work on ours.
Truthfully, although this engine mess is a pain, we are both so pleased that if it had to happen, it happened in Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou. Between Roy at the Haulout and the Tool Meister, the expertise here is wonderful but what’s most incredible is the attitude of caring for our boat. No matter what is required, I think that they can make it happen.
Although the Tool Meister can’t start working on the engine for a couple of days, he ordered a new head gasket today to try and speed things up.
The phone service on the island was down in the morning, probably as a result of the winds last night. This also meant that the internet service was not available. It was restored late morning and I continued to download the web site. It’s a large site and WiFi at anchor can at times lose the connection so it hasn’t been an easy chore.
Just around lunchtime, Rick said he would go ashore and get some nice chicken rotis from the roti lady. She drives through Harvey Vale with the warm fresh rotis in an insulated container in the back of her vehicle. I was in the forward stateroom when I heard a noise and then a call for help! I rushed into the cockpit to find Rick half in the boat and half in the water with the dinghy trailing along beside him. I told him to give me his hearing aids quickly in case he was to go all the way over. He instead asked me to take the dinghy line, which was not attached to anything other than him. Once I had hold of the dinghy, he was able to pull himself back aboard. I then suggested that it was a good day not to go ashore, I would make ham sandwiches for lunch.
I was actually pleased at the end of the day, that this day was over. It hadn’t been one of our best days but the one positive thing was that I did get the web site downloaded and can now start updating the pictures.
Thursday, as usual on Carriacou is shopping day. I’m glad because we needed to get off the boat for a while. We went into town early and picked up what produce we could find. I’m still waiting for celery and the early mangos we had been able to get from Grenada have disappeared. It will be a while before the Carriacou mangos are ripe. The one bonus was that I was able to find was a small leg of lamb.
We returned to Harvey Vale and stopped for lunch at Beck’s restaurant before taking everything back to the boat. There, Rick had a siesta and I was about to do the same when, Susan called and asked if I wanted to meet her at the yacht club.
I left Rick on board with the generator and watermaker running and went to shore to see Susan. We had a nice afternoon. When I returned to the boat I found that Rick was still running the watermaker and the tank wasn’t any fuller than when I left. Oh, Oh, the tank wasn’t full but the bath tub sure was. He used some of the fresh water to flush the bilge and I used the rest to give the watermaker a good back flush.
I had a nice picnic ham in the fridge which I put in the oven just before happy hour and it was ready just in time for a sunset dinner in the cockpit.
We went into town again this morning. This time we were meeting our friends
Bill and Huguette who were coming on the ferry from Grenada. The ferry arrived
almost on time and we spotted Bill and Huguette on the upper deck. When they
came ashore, we introduced them to Norbert who we had recommended as a taxi.
Norbert took them to their hotel and we walk down the street before heading back
to Harvey Vale. Within less than 10 minutes, we saw Norbert back in town. He
explained that poor Bill was feeling the effects of a rough crossing and needed
to rest for a while.
Back at the boat and just before lunch, our phone rang and it was Huguette.
Bill was feeling much better and they were ready to go for lunch.
We went back
to shore and rode the bus back into town where we met them at the Garden
Restaurant for lunch. After lunch and a walk through town, we parted again. This
time we agreed to meet at the Lambi Queen for dinner.
We didn’t feel like going back and forth to the boat again, so we just walked through Harvey Vale stopping once in a while to lime and arrived at the Lambi Queen a little early but with enough time to lime there for a while. Roy a Susan arrived shortly after we did so we spent the rest of the afternoon discussing politics. Bill and Huguette arrived around 6PM at almost the same time some friends who we hadn’t seen for a couple of years came ashore. Carol and David (Winterlude) whose names I always forget brought her parents for dinner and the show. It was a fun evening.
When breakfast was finished, Rick got into the dinghy and took our secondary anchor out to deploy as a stern anchor. The forecast indicates that there will be more north swells coming our way and this time they may last for a few days.
The next job was to start taking the engine apart piece by piece. As each
piece was removed, it was cleaned, bagged and labelled. The only thing left to
do in the afternoon was the actual head itself and we were both too tired to
start on something that large. It was left for tomorrow.
We had sundowners and dinner in the cockpit. We had just gone below when Rick noticed that there was a boat literally sitting on our bow. It was a small Swedish boat with no one onboard. We called on the radio for the owners and/or assistance but either everyone had their radio turned off or they were all ashore.
There was a French boat anchored near us and they saw us shining a light on the dragging boat as it slipped slowly by us. He asked if it had caught our anchor, which it hadn’t. He then jumped into his dinghy with a long line and secured the boat to his. By this time it was directly behind his boat. He no sooner had it secured when the owners returned. They apologized and moved over to the other side of the bay to re anchor.
February 26, 2006, Carriacou The saga of the seized diesel continued after breakfast when we removed the fresh water pump, heat exchanger, and the head. While we were both covered in grease and diesel fuel, my phone rang. It was Fitzroy. He was having some friends over for a party later in the afternoon and asked if we would like to come. We figured that we could have our engine work finished by then and the only trick would be trying to get ourselves respectably clean again.
It all worked out and I even had time to give myself a short manicure and prepared some cream cheese and roasted red pepper rolls before leaving at 3PM.
Fitzroy’s party was a full-blown dinner party. There was a large leg of pork
and it had been cooking all day. There were a couple of large green salads, foot
long beans served in olive oil, fresh ground chilli and garlic, homemade
macaroni pie, Spanish style fried potatoes and we even had rum and raisin ice
cream for dessert.
Everyone had a great time. The music was great. It was a wonderful bunch of people. Some of us even had a couple of fun games of billiards.
IIt was 7:30PM when we left and made our way back to the boat.
Rick went ashore to the Haulout in the morning to order some new hoses that he wanted to replace on the engine. When he returned, we relaxed and waited the arrival of the Tool Meister who was to check our work and give us his opinion on the engine requirements.
He arrived just after lunch and spent a few minutes inspecting the head and cylinder block. The seawater appeared to have been coming into the engine for quite a while and he recommended pulling it so that it could be properly cleaned and inspected in his shop. We had already assumed that would be the verdict so it was now just a matter of disconnecting and few more things and arranging with Roy to move us over to the aulout and pull the engine for us.
RRick went ashore again and spoke with Roy. Tomorrow was not a good day for Roy, which was fine with us. We have missed most of Carnival and tomorrow is the Shakespearean Mas and the parade. These are the two things that I really did not want to miss. The Shakespearean Mas is unique to Carriacou. The first time I saw it a few years ago I didn’t really understand what was happening. The participants dress in costume and pair up. One person will quote a line from Shakespeare and his opponent must then quote the next line. If he doesn’t know it or quotes it incorrectly, he gets beat with a stick (in fun). Obviously, they must have memorized an extreme amount of Shakespeare.
Rasi came by and we traded some DVDs. They may join us in town tomorrow.
February 28, 2006, Carriacou After breakfast, we left the dinghy at the Haulout and climbed the hill to walk into Harvey Vale. I’m getting pretty good at climbing this hill now. I still prefer to walk along the beach however I was wearing long pants and didn’t want sandy feet and wet cuffs all day so I tackled the hill.
We met some other Canadians who were on a charter boat and travelled into Brunswick with them. The Shakespeare Mas began at about 10AM and it was very disappointing this year. There seemed to be a grudge between a couple of the participants. They were not beating each other on the padded backs that are worn for protection they were fighting. We only stayed about 30 minutes and when they started fighting we left and walked into town.
In town, the music was vibrating along the main street. We walked through
town stopping to talk with some of our friends, by the time we reached the other
end of town it was time to meet Graham and Ann at the Garden Restaurant for
lunch. We were joined by other cruisers and by the time we were seated, we were
a party of 12. It was a great lunch and lasted until well after 2PM.
We had just left the restaurant when we bumped into some more cruisers who were just going for a drink and asked us to join them. Again, the party grew and we had a fresh batch of cruisers numbering at least a dozen again. We sat and talked until 3:30PM. The parade was to start around 4 PM so we made our way out to the street. Many people had come from all over the island and on the ferry that had just arrived. We walked up and down the street killing time. We knew from experience that the parade would start some time today and meanwhile a street party would keep everyone occupied.
I’m not sure what time the parade actually started but they never really got
organized enough to have one group follow after the other. There was at least a
half hour between groups. Meanwhile, the music and dancing on the street
continued.
We left and returned to Harvey Vale just as the sun was beginning to set. This time we walked along the beach to get to the dinghy. When we reached the Turtle Dove Restaurant, we could smell the garlic and pizzas, so we decided to share a pizza for dinner. We shared a table with Peter and Allison (Rosita) and eventually Jerry arrived to see Daniela. She was very busy as the place was packed so Jerry joined us and we had a very enjoyable evening.
