Well, the word is that our engine parts might arrive next week. Rick started to reassemble the binnacle, which looks great, and I backed up the computer files.
I was taken to lunch at a very new restaurant. It has only been open a couple of days and Sally, the owner serves English breakfast, coffee, homemade hamburgers, fries, and quite a few other items that have not previously been available on Carriacou. We celebrated my anniversary of 5 years since I quit smoking with a hamburger, fries and a good cup of Venezuelan coffee. Sally also sells homemade preserves. I bought some Papaya jam, Lime marmalade, and 3 orange jam to take back to the boat.
On our way back, we stopped to tell Marci and Rod (Windmiller) about our latest discovery (the restaurant) and ended up in their cockpit talking for at least an hour. It was nice we were able to spend some time because they are leaving for Trinidad in the morning. They will store the boat there and fly home for hurricane season.
The wind and the seas were down significantly from where they have been for months. The anchorage just about emptied out with many boats heading south for R&R (repair and repair) in Trinidad. Many people will soon put their boats on the hard and fly home for the summer months.
Rick began installing one of the new engine cables in the binnacle and I worked on photos for the web site.
In the afternoon, Ann and Graham came by and delivered some items that they had picked up for us in Grenada. They joined us for sundowners as we watched a few boats arrive from the south. One was a large aluminium boat that anchored to our starboard and immediately left in their dinghy. Within minutes after their departure, a loud alarm started sounding on their boat. We watched for signs of smoke and for the waterline to disappear but all seemed fine. They eventually returned and turned off the alarm.
Meanwhile on our port side a large 65 foot Chinese Junk style boat anchored close enough that we could almost pass them appetizers. There was not much wind so they’ll be fine for the night but with acres of available anchoring space available, I hope they either move or leave in the morning.
Both boats beside us left first thing in the morning. In fact, a good portion of the anchorage emptied out today.
Joyce and Jim, who are land friends (not yachties) in Grenada, were originally coming to visit Carriacou today. They cancelled at the last minute, as Jim wasn’t feeling well. We had made reservations for lunch at the yacht club and we were taking Harold (Hallelujah) with us to meet them. Jim is a Pastor who is building a new church in Grenada and Harold has built many churches throughout the Caribbean. We thought they should meet.
In the morning, I prepared some dishes to take to a potluck party in the evening.
The three of us Harold, Rick and I had a nice lunch at the club and then we all returned to our boats for a siesta.
Just before sunset we picked up Graham and Anne (Rasi) and dinghied to shore for a pool party at Fitzroy’s house. The pool party was the billiard type of pool not a swimming party. We had a great time taking turns at playing pool. It was after 10PM when we left and returned to the boat.
We are truly into dry season now. However, there was a little early morning shower that provided no more than 10 drops of water and, Rick didn’t want to see it go to waste. He pounded out on deck with his mop and proceeded to scrub the deck overhead (my head) as I lounged in bed. Since it was 6:30AM I guess most respectable people are up and about so I rolled out of bed and curled up on the settee with my coffee. I’m not sure if Rick was serious when he returned below and was surprised to find me up.
After breakfast, we started to disassemble and remove “Jane the Vane” (the windvane). Since Ray de Pilot (autopilot) arrived onboard, Rick’s affair with Jane seems to have waned.
We were finished well before noon and had managed to remove the vane and all parts without dropping even one little washer overboard. It will sit on deck until Rick finishes polishing it to look like new then it will probably go up for sale with Island Water World in Grenada.
While we were still in the cockpit trying to tidy the tools and parts, Kenroy stopped by. He had been fishing and offered us some butterfish. They are a small but very mild fish that we had tried before and enjoyed. It was very thoughtful of him to think of us when he had extra fish.
In the afternoon, we went over to Rasi and played Rummykin in the cockpit. Sherwin saw us and came by to say hello. We stayed until just before sunset when we returned to our own boat.
Rick was anxious to raise the dinghy without the wind-vane at the stern of the boat. He found it so much easier, that it was mentioned multiple times during dinner. I watched him raise it and although the dinghy went up into the davits easier, Rick tried getting from the dinghy back onto the boat from the stern of the boat rather than climbing around to the side. It was a chuckle, although the gate is as free from obstructions as possible, there is still the backstay and, the solar panels overhead. He made it in through over the stern but it looked extremely awkward. He will need either to practice or go back to climbing aboard over the side of the boat.
Rick had to go into town this morning to have a C14 form stamped and signed by Customs to allow us to bring in the new engine parts duty free. Just because the forms are signed and ready doesn’t mean the parts are here yet but when they do arrive, we’re ready for them.
While Rick was in town, I did some laundry and tidied the boat.
His timing was perfect he returned from town just before noon with only enough time to eat and run. He had to take the completed forms up the hill to the Tool Meister.
I think he must have remained up the hill petting his engine because it was hours before he returned.
The day, which was relaxing for me, ended with sundowners and dinner while we watched the new boats arrive in the anchorage.
We were in our dinghy and just leaving for shore when Joe (Island Girl) raced over in his dinghy. It was only 8:30AM but he had already been out fishing and was bringing us a couple of small fish that the locals refer to as “Robins”. We thanked him and Rick climbed back on board our boat to put the fish in the fridge before we headed into town.
It was Thursday and we were looking forward to fun filled bus ride with Norbert. When he picked us up, we noticed that the bus was almost empty. In town, the streets were also much emptier than normal for a shopping day. It was all right because we were able to do all of our shopping and had back to Harvey Vale by lunchtime but we did miss watching the little old ladies harass Norbert.
We met up with Ann and Graham (Rasi) at Becks Restaurant where we all stopped for lunch before returning to the boat.
I was ready for a siesta in the afternoon but just as I fell asleep, Rick turned on the generator which was sitting on the deck right above me. I moved into the main salon and I had just settled down for a nap in there when all of a sudden I heard Graham calling us. He had brought an email over on his flash card that he wanted printed. I gave up on the siesta as it was getting on in the afternoon and soon it would be time to watch for new arrivals.
I know I’m trying not to talk about food but dinner was extremely good. I cooked up the little Robins in some garlic, onions and white wine. Since it was produce day in town, we were able to have a nice fresh salad and I tried cooking some sweet cassava for the first time. That’s all I will write about dinner.
The other engine control cable arrived a couple of days ago but this was the first chance we had to install it. I assisted but I really didn’t have to do much. I think Rick asked me to help just so I would not feel left out.
With the cables installed, we could reassemble the freshly namelled compass holder and binnacle cover. It looked brand new when we were finished.
After lunch, we had planned to go for a swim but as Rick stepped into the cockpit, he noticed that Kristen and Max (Kandu) had just pulled in and were anchoring behind us. When we spoke to them on the radio, we learned that they were only staying the one night and then moving on to Trinidad early tomorrow. Our swim was cancelled and instead we had Max and Kristen over to catch up on where they had been and what they had been doing since we last saw them in Tobago.
Ann and Graham arrived to pick us up just as Max and Kristen were leaving. We went to shore with them for our regular Friday night at the Lambi Queen. Ann and Graham have spent a lot of time in Carriacou but they had never been to the Lambi Queen before.
We were sitting at our usual table and before the steel pan music started, Norbert drove up and stopped his bus by the restaurant. I walked over to say hello to him because his route does not normally go as far along the road as The Lambi Queen. When I arrived at the bus, I found he had come because he knew we would be there on a Friday night. Last time we were in his bus I had mentioned that the mango trees were starting to get heavy with fruit and I had been waiting for mango season. He had brought a huge bag of mangos for me from a tree in his yard. It was very kind and thoughtful of him but there were so many mangos, I had to share them with others or they would go bad before we could eat all of them. I gave some to Ann, Graham and Kenroy.
The entertainment that evening was excellent and Stickman (Kenroy) put on a wonderful performance as usual.
This was a do nothing day. We didn’t even lower the dinghy. The sky was overcast and the weather just right for curling up with a good book and relaxing.
Although it rained heavily throughout the night, we awoke to a beautiful blue sky with some nice fair weather cumulus clouds over head.
There was no bread on board so it was the perfect time to make some good homemade English muffins. Rick meanwhile went ashore to take garbage up the hill and on his way dropped off a couple of meals for Harold (Hallelujah).
When he returned, I had him take some English muffins over to Rasi. Ann and Graham like to have a big breakfast on Sunday mornings.
So far, it had been a pleasant morning. Yesterday Rick had put some 5200 (strong adhesive) on a backing plate under the stairs where he will eventually mount the new anti-siphon for our engine. When he did this he needed to brace it against the bulkhead and asked if he could leave the back of the stairwell cover off overnight. It didn’t bother me. So, behind the stairs we could see where the engine would be if we actually had one. I thought that it was a smart idea that the drawer that normally slides into the cover Rick set under the top steps so I would still have easy access to it. This drawer contains all of my bulky kitchen tools like large sharp knives, spatula’s, lifters, wooden spoons etc. It appeared as though it was in its normal position and I had to stop myself a couple of times when out of habit I started to close the drawer.
This morning, after the English muffins were made and ready to toast, I had just put the bacon in the pan and without thinking, I reached over and closed the drawer. As it was crashing down behind the stairs, I realized what I had done. Poor Rick, his spick and span bilge was now filled with my kitchen tools. As I continued cooking the bacon, he removed the stairs and using his large magnet was able to extract some items even the supposedly stainless steel knives from the bilge which is somewhere between four and five feet deep but only ten inches wide at the top. The majority of items required his skill with a bent metal clothes hanger that he keeps on board for just such emergencies.
He had to stop fishing in his bilge, as breakfast was ready. Since I mentioned breakfast, I might as well comment on the scrumptious local chunky papaya jam we put on the muffins.
After breakfast, he was able to get everything else out of the bilge including his wine bottle corks that he insists on saving for other emergencies.
I had just gone below when Rick called me out into the cockpit. Jerry had launched his J24 named HOIC (Haul Out In Carriacou) and was practicing with crew for next weeks Easter Regatta in Bequia. We have watched him race his other boat, Bloody Mary, in Regattas and he usually does very well. I tried to catch a few pictures for him as he stood on the bow and let his crew weave in amongst the anchored boats.
The afternoon was reasonably tranquil compared to the morning chaos.
We had an early dinner and then Rick left by dinghy to take a meal over to Harold (Hallelujah). It was still daylight when he left but I had to turn the cockpit light on to make sure he could find his way back. It was well over an hour when he rammed the hull and announced he was home. He kept Harold company while he ate and Harold who is 83 years old can be a slow eater at times.
Rick and I went to the Haulout in the morning. We found that our new Vetus waterlock muffler had arrived. While we were there I called Jutta (Tool Meisters wife) to see if she had any word on our engine parts. She had, the parts were in Grenada waiting to clear customs. That sounded hopeful. There is a possibility they could arrive in Carriacou this week. While Rick walked up the hill with the garbage, I waited in the office. The phone rang and it was for me. Really, it was for Rick but his wife would do. It was Beverley, the lady from Alexis Supermarket who gets our propane bottles refilled for us. She and Rick have an ongoing game with regard to the propane. She puts the bottles on the Amelia Ferry that goes down to Grenada twice a week. Normally if a tank goes on the ferry on a Saturday, it will be filled and returned on Wednesday. Lately, our tank has taken up to three weeks to be returned. Rick normally checks with Beverley each Saturday and Wednesday. If it hasn’t arrived he asks her what she is cooking for dinner. He pretends as if we had no propane left on the boat. Anyway, Beverley was calling Rick to let him know that the tank had been on Saturday’s ferry, they had just misplaced it until she threatened them today.
Graham came over for a while in the afternoon to have some files scanned and printed. Rick worked on polishing the indvane. I was going to shampoo the settees in the main salon but by the time I got that far it would have been too late in the day.
When dinner was ready, I asked Rick if he wanted to take Harold’s dinner over to him before we ate ours. That way if he wanted his dinner while it was still hot, he would hurry back. It again took him much longer than I expected and when he did return his story was cute.
Jerry had taken Harold into town today to pick up a parcel from the post office. When Rick arrived at Hallelujah, Harold wasn’t there. He can’t go very far on his own so Rick looked around for him to let him know that dinner had arrived. He found him at the yacht club with his box from the post office and a loaf of bread from the club. Rick carried the parcels to the boat for him and saw him safely on board before he left to return for his own dinner. Harold walks almost as slow as he eats but he smiles the whole way.
In the morning, under blue skies, I finally got around to shampooing most of the settee cushions. I had to save a few for us to sit on while the others take their time drying.
Sea Sett who was anchored beside us came by to ask if we would like some kingfish. They were leaving and heading for Grenada where they would put their boat on the hard while they return to Canada
Rick was still polishing the windvane that is sitting on the deck.
In the afternoon, I started designing a new web site for our friends Ann and Graham who offer crewed charters on their boat, Rasi. I explained to Graham that as Kelly say’s, I have no fear and just enough knowledge to be dangerous on the computer. He was still willing to let me have a try so in the afternoon I began with the home page. I have no idea what I’m doing but it is fun.
Dinner was ready in time for Rick to race over with Harold’s dinner and return back for his own before dark.
In the morning, Rick reassembled the cushions on the drying deck for me. I gathered laundry and he took it into the yacht club.
I defrosted and cleaned the fridge while redesigning the home page of Rasi’s web site again.
It was shopping day in town. Since tomorrow is Good Friday and the beginning of a long weekend I expected to find a lot of produce available for preparing Easter dinner. There was less fresh produce than normal because vendors didn’t want it to spoil over the weekend. Mangos however were plentiful, not just the regular “long mangos” but also the “rose mangos” were in. The long mangos are a little smaller than the rose mangos and very stringy. The rose mangos (my favourite) are much rounder and a little larger. They are sweet, have a lot more flesh and not at all stringy.
Rasi had left Tyrrel Bay in the morning to pick up some charter guests who were arriving on the Osprey in Hillsborough. So we ran into them picking up a few last minute items in town while they waited for the ferry.
There is a lady (Judy), who comes up with baked goods from Grenada a few times a week on the ferry. Normally, Thursday is not one of her days but I guess because of the holiday, she was here. Along with all of the sweets she normally brings, this week she had hot-cross-buns
We were able to find extra imported meats and in fact, I bought some baby back ribs, pork tenderloin, ground beef and chicken breasts. That was more than enough to fill the freezer but while I was walking by the fish market, I noticed the fishermen had just arrived and there were fish jumping all over the counter. I had to buy a couple of pounds of small red snapper for tonight’s dinner.
When we had finished our shopping, we waited at our usual liming spot (Velma’s Bar). I don’t know where Norbert got to but after waiting more than an hour we decided to take one of the other buses (Patience) back to Harvey Vale. We didn’t have near the laughs we have on Norbert’s bus (Gemini) but our driver was still very good. He stopped to pick up our bags at a couple of different supermarkets and offered to drive all the way down the wharf and drop us off right next to our dinghy.
While I was putting the groceries away, Rick took some bananas, a mango and a couple of hot-cross-buns to Harold (Hallelujah). He liked everything but was most excited over the buns.
It had been a tiring day so we both had a siesta in the afternoon.
I shampooed some more settee cushions in the morning. It was a wonderfully
clear breezy day but they still need another day in the sun to ensure that they
are totally dry.
Rick finished polishing the wind vane and it is ready to ship to Grenada for Island Water World’s used parts “for sale”.
In the afternoon, I simmered some ribs in the oven and made a large bowl of potato salad. We were going out to the Lambi Queen for dinner tonight but we dropped off enough food for Harold to keep him in food for a couple of days.
We had arranged to meet with Tony and Michael at the Lambi Queen. They are
having a house built on the other side of the island and normally it
would be
difficult for them to get to the Lambi Queen at night. They are house sitting
for Susan and Roy who are back in the States for a couple of weeks so they just
had to drive down the hill. The entertainment at Lambi Queen was amazing. They
had some guest drummers from Union Island and an African dancer. They shared the
stage with Kenroy (Stickman) who always provides great entertainment.
It was a quiet day. Many of the boats left early in the morning so the bay looked almost deserted. We sat around most of the morning and in the afternoon, I prepared some appetizers for the evening while Rick had a siesta. When he awoke and while we were running the generator, I ironed my dress and prepared our clothes for tomorrow.
We went over to visit with Margot and Malcolm (Kiwa) for sundowners and between the appetizers she prepared and the ones I brought, no one needed to eat dinner that night.
It was Easter Sunday and Sherwin had invited us to go to church. It was a sunrise service so we had set the alarm for 5AM, which was probably a little earlier than necessary. It gave us time for our showers, coffee and a quick bowl of cereal before leaving.
We arrived at the large jetty just after 6:30AM and started walking through Harvey Vale to the street that leads up to Belmont. As we turned the corner, we saw many other people walking to church as well. The ladies were all dressed in their Easter white dresses and hats. I really think that they probably wear these all the time but since I’m not normally up early enough on Sunday, I have never seen them. The men were also dressed nicely as well.
The church we were going to was up the hill a little way and we have passed it many times before. It had received a new roof since hurricane Emily and I think they timed the construction to be finished in time for Easter.
The church was an Anglican Church and neither Rick nor I are Anglican but it didn’t matter. I enjoyed the service very much and although the message is the same in every church on Easter Sunday there were many things that were unusual to us.
It was a simple but very nice building. There was very little stained glass and there were large windows that opened to provide a little breeze. There was no organ or piano, when we were singing all of the beautiful voices harmonized to provide the only music necessary.
There was a baptism that day performed at the rear of the church. The young people (in their teens) sang for the congregation. It was quite a formal service until about half way through. Then all of a sudden, it was as though we were in a gospel hall and everyone one was singing and clapping and walking around the church greeting and shaking hands with each other. This lasted for a good fifteen minutes and then everyone settled down to a formal service again. There was a communion and afterward all the younger children all went forward for a “blessing of the children”. Those that were too young were carried forward by their mothers.
When the service was over, we all walked back down the hill into town. We were joined by Sherwin who had his young nieces with him and others that were just walking the same direction. Sherwin sent his nieces off with Rony who was driving by and joined us for a big breakfast at Sally’s new restaurant called “Just Ginger”.
When we returned to the boat it was lunchtime and having already eaten we were ready for a short siesta.
In the afternoon, we tidied and I baked a blueberry pie for dessert. Ann and Graham returned to the bay after dropping their charter guests off at the ferry. We had them over for a non-traditional Easter dinner of appetizers, barbecued ribs, potato salad, tossed salad and pie for desert.
Graham and Ann have invited us to go sailing with them for a couple of days this week. In preparation, I made a large pan of lasagne to take and did some more work on their web site. I figured that while we are onboard their boat it would be a good opportunity to let Graham try making changes to the web site.
We had leftovers for dinner and went to bed early in anticipation of our mini vacation that will begin tomorrow morning.
We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. Our dinghy was raised in the davits so Graham came over and picked us up in his dinghy at 8AM. We motored around the point to Hillsborough where Graham went into Customs and Immigration. Rick went and bought some beer while Ann and I went for fresh bread and salad makings. We were back on board Rasi by a little after 9AM and on our way to Tobago Cays.
The winds were light and the sea was flat but we were able to turn off the engine and have a gentle sail through the reefs and into Tobago Cays. It was lunchtime when we arrived and Ann prepared some BLT sandwiches for everyone. We were all anxious to go for a swim but decided to wait until after lunch except for Graham. He just dove in and swam around while lunch was being prepared.
After lunch, Rick and I went in the water with our snorkels masks and fins. We saw at least 6 large turtles swimming and eating the nearby turtle grass. There were a lot of good-sized trunkfish, doctor fish, scrawled filefish, flounder and even a small eel. It was nice to be swimming near a reef again although we didn’t actually swim to the reef. We instead swam the other direction towards where Beothuck was anchored where we said hello to Brenda and Phil.
Eventually it was time to swim back to Rasi. There we found Ann and Graham already back on board. Ann’s new snorkel mask had a major flaw, it leaked. We climbed aboard and joined them. It was soon time for both sundowners and a game of Rummikub.
After a huge dinner of lasagne, Graham and I looked at the web site while Ann and Rick did the dishes.
We awoke after a wonderful nights sleep. Graham made coffee and Ann prepared a full breakfast of scrambled eggs for us.
There was a little discussion as to whether we would leave immediately as the winds we perfect for a nice sail back to Carriacou or wait a while. I chose to wait a while so that we could have another swim. This time we just swam around the boat without the need of a snorkel mask. This was more a float and gab drift than an actual swim. When we did get back on the boat, Ann wanted to play a game of dominoes before leaving. She taught us chicken leg dominoes rather than Mexican train which we normally play.
Eventually we had to leave. The wind was dying and if we waited any longer, we probably would have to motor the whole way back. As it was, we again had a very relaxing sail back to Carriacou.
Back in Tyrrel Bay, we had leftover Lasagne for lunch before Graham took us back to our own boat. It had been a wonderful vacation for us. It was after 5PM by then and for some reason we were very exhausted. We both had a quick shower, checked email and were in bed by 7:30PM.
It was Thursday and provisioning or shopping day in Carriacou. We were walking off the large jetty when we saw the Tool Meister. He had stopped and called us over and let us know that our engine was all back together and ready to be put back into the boat. We thanked him and made our way into town do get whatever fresh produce we could find. Unlike most Thursdays, Rick was not anxious to remain in town and socialize, he was quite anxious to return to the boat.
He helped me get everything onboard and then went into the Haulout to see Jerry about using the travel lift. He returned to the boat quite excited. Jerry wants to lift it in tomorrow morning.
There was a lot to do before we would be ready for the engine to be lifted
back into the boat. We had to remove the companionway doors, take down the
dodger and bimini, release the backstay, tie off the wind generator, remove the
microwave and cabinetry under the steps, remove everything including the
mattress from the aft cabin, put out fenders and lines and then wait for Jerry.
We didn’t have to wait long. Jerry (who owns quite a few tugboats) calmly tied
his inflatable dinghy with a 15 hp outboard to our bow and gave us the go ahead
to let go of our anchor lines. While on his cell phone, he towed us over to the
Haulout, in 20 knots of wind, (still on the phone) he swung our boat around and
backed it into the haulout slip. I was impressed, but Rick felt it was nothing
for Jerry since he’s used to manoeuvring the large tugs/ships and barges.
Edwin controlled the travel lift, Gus and Sam kept the engine straight and
assisted as it was lowered through the companionway. Rick and the Tool Meister’s
brother worked down below ensuring that the engine landed on the engine blocks
with the shaft also falling into place. It went as smooth as can be. The engine
was in place and Rick started connecting peripheral parts by 11AM. We though
that Jerry was going to take us back to pick up our anchors but he left us at
dock. I know he did this to be nice but the WiFi connection doesn’t work at the
Haulout so I was without email and the internet.
The Tool Meister stopped by late in the day. He wants to be present when
Rick
finishes connecting everything and is ready to start the diesel. In fact, he
wants to do it tomorrow afternoon so I think we have a bit of a deadline to
meet.
Rick finished for the day and we went by dinghy to say hello to Rick and Susan. They used to be on the boat, LaVie Dansante but went to Trinidad for carnival and while there, they sold their boat and bought a larger one. They gave us a tour of the interior of Panacea and it was not only nicely laid out, it was huge.
When we returned to our own boat, Rick said that he wasn’t really hungry so we just had some tea and cookies for dinner. A few hours later, he was shivering and aching all over. When I checked, he had a bit of a fever as well.
I am usually ok with diagnosing some of his ailments but this time I had no
idea what had brought this on so I wasn’t willing to guess. He covered up (in
the tropics) with a thick comforter and I gave him some Tylenol and lots of
water to drink. We were both awake most of the night, him because he couldn’t
sleep and me checking on him.
It was a little after 7:30 AM and I knew that Jerry would be in his office so I called to ask him for the name of a doctor that might be available today. He recommended Dr. Freddy (as everyone calls him). His full name is Dr. Freddy Rendon Herrera and he is a wonderful General Practitioner who is originally from Cuba.
We called Norbert to pick us up at the aulout. Buses don’t normally come down the hill to the Haulout but Rick couldn’t walk it and Norbert would come right down if we ask him.
He took us to Dr. Freddy’s office in Hillsborough, where we were able to walk right in. Dr. Freddy asked Rick a few questions, did some basic tests and diagnosed his problem as a urinary infection. He has not been drinking enough water lately. He gave him a prescription and said to keep taking the Tylenol for a while as well but no more beer for 10 days. Rick was feeling so ill he didn’t even flinch at the “no beer”.
We returned to the boat where I gave him some chicken vegetable soup before his first pill. After that, he slept for the rest of the day. I woke him once in a while to remind him to drink some more of his water.
While Rick was sleeping, Graham and Ann came over. Initially they were worried about waking him. I assured them that with his hearing aid out no noise would wake him, they then relaxed and we had a nice visit.
Rick awoke and asked for some pasta with cheese for dinner (comfort food). He didn’t eat much but enough that he could have some more of his antibiotics. After dinner, he went right back to sleep.
I had a phone call from our friend Karen (Misty) in Grenada. There was a mega yacht aground on the reef at Mount Hartman Bay and she wanted to know if any of Jerry’s tugs were currently anchored in Carriacou at this time. There were two, so I gave her the phone number for the Haulout in case they decided that one was required. High tide was still a few hours away.
We both slept better overnight but he was still wrapped in a comforter because of the chills. At about 2AM it rained no more than 10 drops of water but it was enough to wake us both. After closing the hatches, Rick had another Tylenol and went back to sleep.
When I awoke in the morning, Rick was up making coffee. He made it but couldn’t stay on his feet long enough to pour it. I thought it was good news that he even felt like having some coffee. He had only managed to drink a little tea for the last couple of days.
I was extremely pleased to hear that for breakfast he wanted a fried egg sandwich. I didn’t think it wise so offered him dry toast, oatmeal or Cheerio’s. He chose the oatmeal.
After breakfast, he reclined in the cockpit with a book but with his eyes open.
We watched the Tool Meister and Gus take one of the tugboats south to Grenada. They were scheduled to go to Grenada tomorrow and it appeared that they were going a day early.
I called our friend Karen to check on the status of the mega yacht. It was still on the reef and they were waiting for a tug to come from Carriacou.
Rick had to come below while we received a few dry season drops of rain and while he was resting, I left in the dinghy and went to Rasi where we attempted to load the web site.
We had a few problems and I had to leave but Graham persisted and I think it should be active in the next couple of days.
Roy and Susan returned from the States. Rick was up and walking around in the morning after a good night sleep. Roy using our dinghy towed Wind-Borne III back to our buoyed anchors. Graham was waiting there for us and passed the anchor lines up. All seemed fine until Roy and Graham left. We then realized that our secondary anchor line was tangled with the primary. I took the dinghy along the line but could not seem to untwist them. All we needed now was for one line to pull the other anchor free. I called Graham who returned to help. He did the same as I did but he also stuck his head right in the water using a snorkel mask. He was able to see that the lines had wrapped around each other three times.
I was feeling much more secure when each line was headed in the proper direction. Rick who was looking pretty knackered by this time, suggested I pull the anchor lines in until I reached the chain. This was easier said than done. The wind was gusting at 15 to 20 knots and with no engine, I was trying to pull the full weight of the boat. The windlass works best with the chain and I had quite a lot of pulling before I would see chain
After giving it a good attempt, I put Rick into the dinghy. He strapped it to the boat and moved the big boat forward enough that I could easily retrieve the line and some chain. Once the snubber was on we both returned to the cockpit and had a nice cup of tea.
I had planned to go into town this morning but wrote that off as a nice idea. Rasi’s web site was loaded and there were a few obvious changes required. Those changes should have taken no longer than 15 minutes except that the WiFi connection was acting up. The web site is not perfect but it’s my first attempt at creating one ( www.sandyislandscharters.com ). Ann and Graham were pleased with it so other than a few remaining items to clean up I’m finished. Well, that’s one down and have already started another. If I keep this up, I might find that I have a new hobby.
I hadn’t thought of the mega yacht all day as we just assumed that it had been towed off the reef. Not so! I received another call from Karen who said it was still on the reef and they were waiting for some specialists from Trinidad to arrive. She didn’t say what type of specialists but we think they probably a need hull specialist. If the hull has been damaged and they pull it off the reef, it will sink quite fast. I wonder what the captain of the mega yacht has lined up for his next career?
Rick was much improved today. I needed to go into town but he wasn’t quite up to that yet. He took me to the wharf by dinghy and returned to the boat while I went into town.
It was lunchtime when I returned and called him on the radio. He came ashore for lunch. Ann and Graham joined us and we all went to Sally’s new place “Just Ginger” for a cheeseburger in Paradise.
In the afternoon, I helped Graham with a few more web site issues and then returned to our boat where I found Rick had been busy. He had cleaned the filters and strainers on the watermaker and while running the generator he turned on the watermaker. What he forgot to do however was to direct the product water into the tank. It was still running into the bathtub when I arrived. The watermaker system was due for a good back flush so the tub water would not be wasted.
We received a text message on our cell phone. The mega yacht Tully was off the reef in Grenada and tied up at the marina in Mount Hartman Bay.
Every day Rick improves a little. Today he was able to connect the engine control for the throttle. Normally he felt that it should have taken maybe an hour but it took significantly longer and he was exhausted when the job was done. After sitting for so long without an engine there is absolutely no rush to have it running this week. He can take his time.
In the afternoon, I went into town with Susan. There I picked up more mangos and hit the ATM. I have had to use the ATM a few times to get enough cash out to pay for the engine repairs. Initially I though it would be easier to go into the bank and get a cash advance for the full amount from a real person. What a surprise! The ATM’s can dispense more cash than a real person. The maximum the teller was allowed to give on a credit card or debit card was 500EC (less than $200US).
When I returned to the boat, it was late afternoon. We sat in the cockpit and enjoyed our sundowners, which lately involve large glasses of water while we watch the new boats arrive in the setting sun.
We were awakened by a chorus of roosters crowing, donkeys braying and dogs barking. I guess it’s better than waking to horns honking but I miss the deserted islands where there is absolutely no noise.
Things are looking up. Normally, I’m still trying not to mention food, but as an indication of how well Rick is feeling, we began our breakfast with a nice fresh mango followed by toast, lime marmalade, bacon and eggs with a grilled tomato.
He has acknowledged however that he is still too weak to get the engine back together in time for the Tool Meister to test it before he leaves again. This time he is leaving for a month. The Tool Meister’s brother came and helped Rick install and connect the remaining parts.
It may seem strange that I don’t refer to the Tool Meister by name. That’s because he and his brother have very old German names that aren’t pronounced the way they are spelled. The Tool Meister is Uwe (pronounced Uvay), his brother’s name is pronounced Yurk and is spelled using an O with two dots over it. Rick is not only learning a lot more about diesel engines but he’ll be able to explain it all in German soon.
Tomorrow will be the big test to see if the engine will start.
April 28, 2006, Carriacou The Tool Meister and his brother arrived in the morning. I positioned myself in the cockpit prior to the steps being removed. I would be the official key turner. I watched the guys down below as I turned the key a little to help them bleed the air from the engine and prepare everything for a successful start. When it was time to actually turn the engine over, we all watched in anticipation as it tried and tried but just couldn’t do it. The men thought that maybe the timing had been set wrong so they pulled the front end of the engine apart again. The timing was right so that wasn’t the problem.
Finally, after a few tests it was determined that the electric fuel pump we
use was
not
strong enough to push the fuel (with all the air that was still in the system).
We put things back together and quit for the day. Tomorrow he will bring us
another pump to try.
Meanwhile today was the first day of the Maroon Festival. We quickly tidied as best we could, (the interior of the boat is a disaster right now), had a bite to eat and got ready to leave for the festival. There were ten other cruisers joining us and I said we would meet at the Haul Out dinghy dock at 3PM. We just barely made it, but as usual we were going much too early. I had previously asked many of the locals what was the best time to arrive at the festival. Even those who were involved with the festival committee had said about 4PM. After the fact, I think 6PM would have been a better time. It would still have been a little early.
When we were all gathered at the dinghy dock, I called Norbert and asked him
where he was. When he heard there were going to be twelve of us waiting for a
bus in a few minutes he assured me he would be right there. He arrived at the
Alexis Supermarket and took us all the way to the Maroon Village, which would
normally be two different bus routes.
Maroons are age-old celebrations expressing thanks for a productive harvest and petitioning success for the next planting season.
The village was set up with some local craft booths. Many women had been there all day cooking the food in the huge caldrons over open fires and rolling the coo coo and rice.
We roamed the booths and then got in line for a traditional Carriacou meal of
pork, chicken, mutton, coo coo, rice, beans, potato and plantain. It was very
good and the bonus was that it was also free.
At 7PM we heard the sounding of horns and watched the wetting of the ground. The dig drums played and the locals sang while others in local African dress, danced and poured liquid onto the ground. I say liquid because it was everything from water, rum and coke.
When the wetting of the ground ceremony was over, the entertainment moved
from the grassy area to the stage. We watched a young peoples
group from L’Esterre, dance the quadrille which is like a Caribbean square dance but with
little moves that would shock the North American square dancers. There were also
African dance groups, skits, steel drums and of course, best of all was Kenroy
the Stickman who put on an amazing performance dancing with flaming sticks and
later dancing and doing the sticks blindfolded.
By the time we returned to the boat it was midnight and we were exhausted but had had a wonderful evening.
The Tool Meister arrived in the morning. He added an additional fuel pump but it didn’t solve the starting problem. He and Rick tested everything and they both felt it had to be related to the timing, which they had checked twice. It was noon so the Tool Meister said he would return after lunch and he would next do a compression test.
In the afternoon, he returned with his brother. The compression test was completed and all was well but the engine was still not starting. Uve wanted to check the governor. He had taken it apart to clean it and the manual hadn’t indicated anything special about reassembly. As soon as it was pulled, he declared the problem was solved. Looking at it, he knew it was assembled 180 degrees off. The excitement mounted as they reassembled the engine. Bets were being placed as to how many times we would have to turn over the engine before it would start.
It took two attempts and the engine roared to life. It sounded wonderful but we couldn’t let it run because the anti siphon had been assembled incorrectly and we also wanted to make some adjustments to the placement of the new waterlock muffler that had been installed. Now that the engine was working, there was no immediate rush to get the other work done. It could wait for tomorrow.
We thanked the Tool Meister, tidied the boat a little and prepared to go and celebrate. We went to the Turtle Dove Restaurant for dinner and stayed there until almost 9PM.
As soon as breakfast was finished Rick (feeling much better now and off the antibiotics) started reinstalling the anti siphon. It didn’t take long. The waterlock muffler was a different issue. We need a longer exhaust hose and maybe an elbow to bend it. Today is Sunday and Monday is a holiday in the islands so we will have to order it from Grenada on Tuesday.
Meanwhile we started putting the interior of the boat back together. We had just begun when Ann and Graham stopped by to see if we wanted to play Rummykub on their boat in a couple of hours.
We had a quick lunch, a short siesta and then went by dinghy to Rasi. They had also invited Jim and Karen (Vagus V). It was a fun afternoon. We stayed for sundowners and watched a green flash. There was a nasty looking dark cloud coming over the hills toward the anchorage so we all said quick goodbyes, raced back to our own boats because we had left with the hatches, and ports wide open. The cloud went south of us and didn’t even provide the normal dry season “8 drops”.
We had a nice dinner in the cockpit and then went to bed.
