It was shopping day on Carriacou. Before leaving the boat I called Budget Marine to ask if our oil seal had been sent on the ferry yesterday. It had, so we just might be all back together this week.
On our way into shore Norbert (Gemini Bus) saw us in the dinghy and parked by the jetty and waited for us. Right behind our dinghy was Jeff and Susan in theirs. We had a great day in town. Our bonus item of the week was “bagels”. Even one of the local ladies got all excited when she noticed that there were bagels available in the freezer at Matheson’s Supermarket. This is something new to Carriacou and Frankie (the owner of the store) said that they were disappearing faster than any item he has brought into the store. I think that’s a good indication that we may find bagels here in the future.
We had Mahi Mahi for lunch at the Garden Restaurant and Jensen (owner and chef) did an awesome job of preparing the meal.
When we were just about ready to leave, Norbert pulled up and already had Jeff’s four jerry cans loaded in the bus. We had groceries to pick up at one supermarket on our way out of town but that was the only stop. Norbert drove down the jetty and dropped us right next to our dinghies.
We borrowed a DVD from Jeff and Susan and watched a movie after dinner. This is something we haven’t done for a while and it was an enjoyable way to spend an evening as we waited for a tropical wave to pass by sometime before morning.
We began our morning with scrumptious toasted cinnamon raisin bagels with cream cheese.
After breakfast, Rick got ready and went into town with our empty propane tank. Frankie (Matheson’s supermarket) is going to try filling it from a larger tank. This is something he might start doing for cruisers but wants to determine how to do it and the cost. I’m glad he is practicing on ours.
Sherwin (Lambie Queen) called in the morning to let me know that although Eneal (Steel Drum Man) was still very ill and Kenroy (Stickman) was in Trinidad on the Turtle watch, the restaurant would be open. Sherwin’s boat is on shore so he asked if we could let the cruisers know that Aaron (Bongo Man) and the other drummers would provide entertainment in the evening.
We received a call on the VHF radio from Allayne and Dennis (Audrey Paige). They are on a Bayfield 36 and we have been in touch by email for a couple of years now. They arrived in Tyrrel Bay just before lunch. We spent the afternoon on board our boat comparing notes.
When Dennis and Allayne left, Rick and I went boat to boat in the dinghy to tell all of the new cruisers in the bay about the Lambi Queen. Now what Sherwin forgot to tell me was that Josie (his girlfriend and the waitress at the Lambie Queen) would not be working tonight. Sherwin was on his own for tending the bar, taking orders, serving and even helping in the kitchen at times. Well, I think he was a little overwhelmed because the place was packed. Everyone enjoyed the drummers but a few got upset with the slow service. Sherwin’s dad (Edwin) even stepped in and helped serving and clearing dishes. He said I did an extremely good job at hustling up customers for him.
We had a busy day planned so as soon as breakfast was finished, we removed the crankshaft pulley from the engine and replaced the oil seal. This went very smoothly and within less than an hour, Rick had the alternator belt back in place and we started the engine. It ran beautifully for over half an hour when we shut it off to leave.
We met with some of the other cruisers in the bay and walked to Paradise Beach where we had a cold drink at the Hard Wood Bar and did a little shopping in Sandra’s T-Shirt and souvenir shop. The main purpose of our outing was to visit Georgina (the Calabash lady) which we did on our way back toward Harvey Vale.
It was a little after noon when we returned to the boat. There was just time enough for a quick siesta while the generator and water maker were running. Then I prepared some appetizers to take with us for sundowners aboard Sunshine II. Treba and Wayne who have been cruising the Caribbean for 17 years invited us over for drinks.
It was almost 8PM when we left them and headed to the Turtle Dove where we met the same bunch of cruisers that we had walked with earlier in the day. They had already finished eating but sat with us for a little while before leaving.
It was going on 10 PM when we finally returned to the boat.
We had set the alarm to wake us up at 5:30AM as we were to be picked up at
7:30AM. A motor launch (Mystic II) which used to be a large tender in Grenada
for the cruise ships was going to transport people from Hillsborough to PM
(Petite Martinique) for the Petite Martinique Regatta. Since the Mystic II was
anchored in Tyrrel Bay, we asked them to pick us up at our boat rather than us
leaving our dinghy at shore and taking the bus all the way into Hillsborough. We
sat in the cockpit from 7:15 AM and waited until 8:30AM when a large speedboat
(Scooby) arrived. We learned that they were having engine problems with the
launch and this was to be our transportation. Scooby had two 200 HP engines and
as soon as we left it was obvious that we would be in PM within 20 minutes.
Well, we would have if we hadn’t run out of gas.
We had just left the north coast of Carriacou and we were halfway to PM when
the engine alarm went off and we slowed to a stop. The captain, put out an
anchor (a little larger than our dinghy anchor) and called on the VHF for
another boat to bring him some gas. In less than 2 minutes, we could see another
large speedboat racing towards us. Rather than give us gas, he towed us to the
gas dock at PM.
The Regatta events were just beginning when we arrived. The local workboats were being rigged and we could see sails being raised on rows of boats along the shore. The music was blaring and the refreshment stands were open. We walked along the beach and just enjoyed the sites. Joe and Elaine (Island Girl) and Andy (Yellow Bird) had arrived in their own boats and were anchored off the beach. Roy (Windborne) arrived by water taxi.
Rick and I were sitting on the edge of the concrete jetty watching the crews
prepare their boats when Joe and Elaine came rushing by. They told us to come
along; they were headed for the committee boat, which they thought, was leaving.
Well we went aboard the committee boat better known as the party boat and had a
great time. Sherwin, who had arrived in PM yesterday, called to see where we
were. I couldn’t really hear him with all of the noise but I just yelled into
the phone that we were on the committee boat. He arrived within a few minutes
and joined the party. Truthfully, the regatta party from yesterday didn’t end
until 5:30AM this morning and I think Sherwin had only gone back to his room to
change clothes.
It was quite a while before the committee boat left the dock. The start and finish line for the local workboats was the beach so all the committee boat did was follow the fastest boats around the course. The wind was so strong and the race so fast that we returned to dock in just over an hour.
The fact that the boat was back at dock didn’t mean that anyone had to get
off. The music, drinking and dancing continued at dock.
Sherwin, Joann (Swampy Jo’s), Roy, Rick and I went to get a take away lunch. We found a spot on some steps to sit and eat. After lunch, everyone went their own way for a while. Rick and I walked down the beach and went for a swim. Afterwards, Rick sat on a wooden dock while I lay on the same dock and slept for a while. When I was rested and our bathing suits were dry, we slipped our shorts on and joined the crowds at the other end of the beach while another couple of races took place. The committee boat didn’t leave dock for these races as the wind had picked up so much each race took less than an hour. As we watched the boats jibe, some looked as if they would break something and others just went right over into the water. The strong winds were caused by a tropical wave that was just beginning to pass through.
It was 5:30PM when our captain asked us if we were about ready to leave. We
were and this time Roy came along with us so we had to make a quick stop at
Windward, before proceeding to Tyrrel Bay. On our way to Windward, there was a
smaller speedboat adrift. We stopped to help and wouldn’t you know it, they were
out of gas. This boat however had a jerry can and was in the process of filling
their tank when our captain told them to throw us a line. He was going to tow
them until they could get their engine running. The towrope broke and their
engine started at the same time so all was well. We continued to Windward to let
some people off and then once through the reefs, we headed back to Tyrrel Bay.
On the way, we passed a couple of boats that we knew but we were travelling so
fast that all we could do was to give them a quick wave.
It felt good to be back onboard Wind-Borne III before dark. We rinsed our salty clothes and bathing suits, had a quick shower then sat in the cockpit with nice quiet sundowners.
Our morning was off to a slow start. We were sitting in the cockpit having bacon and eggs when Rick (Panacea) came by. He had planned to sail over to Petite Martinique today but the winds were so extremely strong that he decided that it was a good day to stay at anchor.
Jeff and Susan (the Raggys) came by to tell us how their day went yesterday. Dennis (Audrey Paige) came by to bring me a scrunchy for my hair and to invite us to happy hour onboard their boat tonight. The scrunchy was from Allayne. My hair is almost long enough now for a ponytail and there are no scrunchys available on Carriacou.
Rick cleaned out the intake for the watermaker and I prepared some California rolls (like sushi but no fish) for this evening.
There were six couples in the cockpit of Audrey Paige for happy hour. Dick, Moira (Equinox), Tom, PJ (Conch’d Out), Dennis, Ann, (Kyeta), John, Nancy, (Silver Seas), Dennis, Allayne (Audrey Paige) and us. I’m sure the bow of the boat must have been sticking way up out of the water. It was certainly cozy and a lot of fun. There was enough food for probably another six couples but it all seemed to disappear. They are all heading south in a couple of days so this was a great way to meet everyone before they leave.
We had finished breakfast, Rick was out on deck transferring fuel for the
generator when he called down to me that Kenroy was back. We hadn’t expected him
for another couple of days. He waved as he went by on his way to see Hutch.
When he left Hutch’s boat he came over and told us all about his trip. He had been in Trinidad on a turtle watch with the KIDO organization (http://kido.optsoftware.com/about/ ). I had loaned him my camera to take with him and he was able to get some amazing pictures. While he was telling us this, I learned he hadn’t eaten yet this morning. Rick had just returned from getting some fresh bread that was still warm. Between Rick and Kenroy, they finished off the bread, half a jar of peanut butter, an avocado, and a pot of tea.
Kenroy leaves again tomorrow for Grenada where he will perform for the Board
of Tourism. When he returns he will only perform one more time at the Lambie
Queen before he leaves for England and we leave for probably Bequia. Tonight was
the last chance for us to get together before our departures so dinner was
onboard Wind-Borne III.
Kenroy had never tasted the wraps of cheese and roasted red peppers I make that everyone here seems to love so we had those for appetizers. I had a bag of Callaloo in the fridge so I made Callaloo soup for starters with corn flour dumplings just as he had taught me to make. Then we had butternut squash and carrots with ginger glaze, corn pudding, mashed potatoes and spiced beans. It’s fun but challenging to come up with a last minute vegetarian meal but I didn’t receive any complaints.
The evening was enjoyable and it was after 10PM when Kenroy left. He had to be on the 6AM ferry in the morning.
The bay emptied out before we finished breakfast. Many of the boats that left are down here for the first time during hurricane season. I think that the tropical waves that have been coming through with the strong wind gusts have been making them a little nervous. They wanted to get further south. Even the Raggy’s left but they went to Grenada to shop and stock up with a promise to return.
In the morning, I worked on the computer while Rick removed the cupboard doors in the head and started refinishing them.
We both had a short siesta in the afternoon. Avalon V called to let us know that they were leaving for Grenada tomorrow. They want to stock up at the grocery stores and visit old friends that they haven’t seen for ages.
Rick and I were getting into the dinghy to go ashore for dinner when a Canadian boat pulled in to the bay and anchored beside us. We stopped to say hello to Sea Cycle. Although we didn’t learn their names we did learn that they were on “D” Dock at the Outer Harbour Marina in Toronto. I really think that the Marina staff should be down here with all of us.
Our dinner date was with Sherwin (Lambie Queen) at Swampy Jo’s. Swampy Jo’s is a rum bar/restaurant just off the main street in Harvey Vale. As the name suggests, it’s in the swamp which is quite dry at this time. It’s owned and run by Joann.
Just after we arrived, Rick looked up at the sky and announced that we had a nice big black cloud headed towards us. Out of habit, I asked if we had closed all of the ports. We always do but because I asked the question, it got us both wondering. Rick decided to return to the boat and check.
The downpour arrived while he was gone but it didn’t last long. Rick returned to the restaurant wearing the same clothes and they were still dry so I knew he had made it to the boat in time. Yes, all of the ports were closed.
Sherwin arrived and we had an enjoyable evening. Later, Andy (In–Stitches/Yellow Bird) joined us. The time flew by quickly and it was getting late so I guess Rick was thinking it was almost time to leave. He put his hand in his pocket and realized he didn’t have the key to the dinghy lock. The boat key is on the same chain so he probably left it in the cockpit. The problem is that the padlock on the dinghy had us nicely secured to the big jetty.
Andy offered Rick his dinghy to return to our boat and check for the key. He sheepishly returned with the keys in hand. He had left them in the lock on the door of the companionway. At least we didn’t have to swim home.
The day began with a little excitement. Sea Cycle, who we met quickly last night, left early this morning. They had been gone less than an hour when we heard them calling their friends on the radio. They had a problem and were turning around to return to Tyrrel Bay with seawater over their floorboards. If I had been onboard, I would have been in panic mode by then but the radio conversations were quite calm. Their boat buddy turned around as well and was staying with them. I called Roy at the Haulout and told him of the situation. He was standing by the travel lift in case they had to be hauled quickly when they returned.
The good news is that they found a broken hose, closed the thru-hull and were able to pump out all of the salt water. They called to let us know that they were going to continue on to Grenada but would send us an email.
I know that they had read our website but I guess they missed the part about bilge alarms. Their experience reinforces my belief that a bilge alarm is one of the most important and inexpensive safety items that one can have onboard. They would have known almost immediately that they were taking on water and had much more time to resolve the problem before it reached what I call the “panic stage”. I think bilge alarms should be mandatory for all boats, but all’s well that ends well.
We got ready and went into town for our regular shopping day. The town was alive and it was a fun day of greeting people. On our trip home, Norbert drove down the main street through town three times. I lost track of how many stops we made to pick up things on our way out of town.
When we arrived back at the boat, I quickly put everything away and we had a short siesta. Sherwin called and asked if we could help him take pictures of his floating bar, Angels Rest and his large power boat Birds Nest. He is putting them both up for sale and needed pictures for the paper.
Rick had also promised to help Kenroy remove the sails on Luciana’s boat. Luciana, Kenroy’s girlfriend is in Italy and since Kenroy is going to be in England and Switzerland for the next while, he wanted the boat prepared for hurricane season.
When the guys had finished with the sails, they picked me up and we dropped Kenroy off at the beach while picking up Sherwin. When we went to the two boats to take pictures I found that the batteries in my camera needed to be recharged. I promised Sherwin we would take pictures in the morning and meanwhile we all returned to Wind-Borne III. It was time for sundowners. Sherwin stayed for dinner. I had made some garlic bread, salad, homemade spaghetti sauce and a big pot of pasta.
The conversation was very interesting. Sherwin is half our age however he has experienced a very similar lifestyle with regard to technology as we did growing up. His very first television set was purchased about ten years ago. Computers and toys are new to the island. Up until very recently, children played with things that they constructed using their own imagination. Sherwin’s favourite toy as a child was a sailboat that he constructed using a coconut shell, string and a rag of cloth. He would play with it in the sand on the beach. Even today, many homes are without television and computers so the children are found outside playing with their friends.
Rick and I find the children on this island extremely polite and well behaved. Almost all children from the time they can speak until well into their teens will respond with “good afternoon” or “good morning” when passing. Sherwin is a little disgusted with the children. He said that when he was a child he would never be allowed to pass an adult on the road without greeting them politely. The children today he says will sometimes walk by and not say a word. I laughed and told him that the children here are amazing. They all seem to have huge extended families that watch and correct them when they are in town, on the beach, on the bus or almost anywhere. The poor kids are surrounded by guardian angels everywhere.
It was 10PM when we all started yawning and called it a night.
When we awoke in the morning, we found that many boats had already left the bay. The radio was busy with a lot of boats underway so we expected to see others arrive here later in the afternoon.
Rick changed the oil in the engine and we ran it for a good 2 hours. It sounded good but the big test will be tomorrow when we lift the anchor and leave the bay for a while.
We went over to take a few more pictures of Sherwin’s boats that he wants to sell, then printed them and burned a CD with copies for him.
Sherwin had asked me to hustle for him as his boat was still on the hard being repaired. While we were out in the dinghy, we went visiting boat to boat and informed everyone of the entertainment and menu at the Lambie Queen for this evening. We told everyone that it would be a big party tonight as this was Stickman’s last performance for the season. Some of Kenroy’s drummer friends from off island were going to accompany him tonight so there would be many drummers. The island guitarist (whose name I can never remember) would also be performing.
The night was a great success. The cruisers joined in and even borrowed a guitar to sing their own song. It was a lively and fun party. When the true performances finished, cruisers were seen drumming, dancing and playing the maracas and at times even a conch horn.
Even though we wanted to depart in the early morning, it was after 11:30PM by the time we said our goodbyes to everyone especially Kenroy, who we may not see again for a long time. He has been a good friend and we’ll miss him. He’ll be in England and Switzerland for the next six months and when he returns, hurricane season will be over. Since we have an engine again, we hope to be travelling by then.
Today was our big test. The first time we have put any load on the engine and as well the first time we have raised the anchor in six months.
We had a nice breakfast and took our time in the morning. There was no rush as the plan was to motor from Tyrrel Bay to Hillsborough. If we made it the four miles we would check out and continue the remaining 8 miles to Clifton harbour in Union Island.
Rick’s idea of letting additional anchor rode out the other week worked well. The sand had cleaned the chain and much of the rope nicely. The anchor, which had been well buried, came up without a problem.
We waved good-bye to a few boats as if we were leaving on a major passage except that we hadn’t bothered to raise the sails.
We had to motor directly into the wind to get to Hillsborough and I was thinking as we rounded the corner that the trip was very uneventful. One should not think things like that until the destination has been reached. We were right in between Cistern Point and Mabouya Island with Sandy Island in site when the engine sputtered and died. A quick glance at the depth sounder showed us that it was much too deep to drop an anchor. With the winds blowing 15 to 20 knots we didn’t have enough sea room to drift while we played with the engine so we quickly unfurled the headsail and tacked back and forth for a while until we were clear of the point.
Rick said it would take him 5 minutes to check the engine and disappeared below. Really, I think it took him 2 minutes. I turned the key and he bled the air out of the system. There was such a tiny bit of air that I couldn’t believe it had stalled the engine. It could be that if we had tried to restart it, it might have worked fine. It didn’t matter now as it was running fine again.
We anchored in front of Hillsborough just as the Osprey (the high speed ferry from Grenada) arrived a few minutes late. We lowered the dinghy and went into town to buy a few items and to check out with customs and immigration.
While we were talking to the immigration officer, I told him that we wanted to stay for the hurricane season. We were going away so that we could return. Our original plan was to be away for a couple of weeks but there is a major birthday party planned for three of our friends next Saturday. I asked if we were to come back next Saturday would that constitute being away long enough. He laughed and said yes, it would be fine.
After we checked out, Rick went and purchased some new fuel line hose. This is the only thing that hasn’t been replaced on the engine and that if there was a pin hole in it, could cause air to be introduced into the system. I wanted some hose onboard, just in case. The air could also be just leftover stuff that hadn’t worked it’s way out yet. We’ll see.
We raised the dinghy and started towards Union Island. The wind was well forward of the beam and the waves were about 8 feet. The engine was getting a good workout but we needed a little more forward motion so we unfurled the headsail again.
We were traveling between 5 and 6 knots and could see Petite Martinique and Petit St. Vincent clearly, as we passed by Frigate point on Union Island. The engine sounded healthy as we passed by the reef area but just in case Rick stayed well off the lee shore. As we rounded the corner behind the next reef to anchor at Clifton, a boat boy greeted us and asked if we wanted a mooring. We negotiated quite a bit and agreed on taking his mooring for 5 days. Normally we drop anchor at Clifton but there is a very strong tropical wave forecast to come through in the next couple of days. The mooring put us right up in front of all other boats, tucked in behind the reef.
We invited Buda (our boat boy) aboard and paid him for the mooring. We agreed to have him return during the week to get some fuel for us. Meanwhile we told him that we had to go and check in.
We lowered the dinghy again and went ashore. It’s a very short walk to the
airport where we checked in with Customs and Immigration. While we were talking
to the customs officer, we noticed that the last flight had dropped off the
Compass Newspaper (www.caribbeancompass.com).
He told us to help ourselves to one, which we did.
We left the airport and walked down the road to an internet café where we checked for email. It appears that we won’t have WiFi access this week and rather than go back to using our ham radio for mail we’ll just visit the internet café once in a while.
Next, we stopped at the Anchorage Yacht Club for a beer and then walked through town. I love visiting the ladies at the fruit and vegetable stands in the middle of town. They all call us “dear” and call us over to their individual stands. We promised to return during the week but did purchase a couple of huge mangos for now.
We strolled through the grocery stores looking for things that are not
available on Carriacou. The gourmet grocery store had shrimp (but they were very
small) and steaks (that were very expensive). There were a few things like black
olives for which I might return.
When we got back to the boat, we raised the dinghy. The view in this anchorage at sunset is in front of the boat rather than behind us. The sunset is hidden by the hills of Union Island but in front of the boat there is a large reef with waves crashing over it.
We sat in the cockpit and as I was trying to read the Compass, my eyelids were dropping. I needed a short siesta before making dinner.
Dinner was pasta with some of the left over spaghetti sauce I made the other day. As soon as we had eaten, Rick looked after cleaning up and I went back to bed.
We have become so accustomed to the sounds of sheep, goats, cows, donkeys and roosters in Tyrrel Bay where the wind blows from the land, that the absence of these sounds was very noticeable. We usually awake to the sound of laughing gulls diving around the boat for fish. If we don’t get out of bed right away, next we hear the sound of the 4 hp engine on Simon’s (the smuggler) dinghy as he sets off through the anchorage with wine for sale trying to catch boaters before they leave in the morning.
Here, the only sound we heard was the wind and the crashing of waves on the reef. Rick as usual after a passage that coats the deck and rigging with salt crystals, hoped for rain. That’s not a lot to hope for in rainy season and sure enough at 5AM we had a nice strong squall with over 40 knots of wind, race through, providing enough rain to rinse all of the salt off of the boat.
Buda came by in the morning. He asked if we slept well last night, which we did. He asked how we were and questioned whether we needed anything. He’s a good businessman.
It’s Sunday and very little is open in town so we decided to spend the day on board. Rick continued his work on the wood in the head while I worked on the computer. He finished sanding all of the doors and I finished updating the recipe files for the web site.
The winds calmed down to about 10 to 15 knots during the day and the seas settled down as well. The anchorage was very empty and I assumed that because of the winds there would be very few boats anchored behind the reef in the Tobago Cays. We were wrong. When the haze (caused by a recent high-pressure area) lifted, we could see at least 50 boats anchored behind the reef. The seas have been too rough to snorkel but I guess they just like the area.
We went ashore in the morning and walked around the village of Clifton. We
had asked one of the workers at the Anchorage Yacht Club, where to catch the bus
that goes to Ashton. He was so anxious that we take his friend’s bus and by the
time we got to the centre of town we saw him in the bus he had recommended,
directing the driver towards us.
We rode his bus into Ashton, which is a small village by Frigate Bay over looking Carriacou. We got out, walked around for a while, and eventually got on another bus to continue on the route. When this bus driver dropped his last passenger, he asked if we would like a tour of the island for a total of $40 EC (less than $20 USD). We accepted and I’m so glad we did. He took us on the roads that circle the entire island and we were able to look down over each of the bays. After seeing Frigate Bay again, we drove by Chatham and Bloody Bays where he stopped for us to take pictures. When we arrived back in Clifton, we continued our walk through town.
At the gourmet store, I bought the black olives I had looked at the other
day. The ladies at the fruit and vegetable stands were watching for us as I had
promised to return. We bought bananas and red grapefruits from one stand and
then moved to the next stand for some more huge mangos. There are other stands
where we haven’t bought anything yet and I’ll try and find something at each of
those during the next trip ashore.
When we finished with our email at an internet café, the lady who manages the place called us into the back and showed us pictures of a leatherback turtle that had come ashore the other day. She asked if we knew of any publication that would be interested in the pictures. The only one we could think of was the Compass newspaper. So I gave her the web site to contact them.
Next we had lunch at a local restaurant before returning to the boat.
On board, we had settled down for a short siesta and just dropped off to
sleep when we heard Buda calling us. He was ready to go and get our fuel. It’s a
good thing he came by because when we stepped outside we saw a huge black squall
line racing toward us. We gave him the jerry can and quickly closed all of the
hatches.
The squall didn’t last long but another came through a while later. These squalls are ahead of the tropical wave that should pass us tomorrow. After the squall, the sky filled with huge dark towering clouds. I heard thunder off in the distance but at the speed the storm was travelling, it didn’t take long and it was on top of us. The waves built very quickly and they were soon crashing over the reefs with a roar.
This was the first thunderstorm of the season so I expect that when we return to Carriacou all of the animals will have been fenced or tied to prevent their wandering. The planting season usually begins on the island after the first thunderstorm and no one wants their seedlings eaten by wandering goats, sheep and cows.
Sherwin called us from Carriacou by phone in the afternoon to see if we were tucked in safely for the storm. Shortly after his call, we received one from Fitzroy who asked if we would be barbecue chefs for the birthday party this Saturday at his house.
I called Rick (Panacea) in Carriacou on the VHF to let him know we were sending some weather his way. He heard me calling but we couldn’t hear him respond so he returned the call by telephone.
It sure is nice to be in touch with our friends in Tyrrel Bay even when we are “off island”.
Taking a mooring for the week was a wise move on our part. We are just about 15 feet behind the reef, much too close for any other boat to anchor in front of us. So we were able to sleep well knowing that we didn’t have to worry about some one dragging down on us.
It was about 1AM when the worst of the squalls went through. This one brought a lot of thunder and lightening along with 40+ knot gusts of wind. There were others after that but none woke us up until the next very strong one at 5AM.
Breakfast included mangos again. I think that while here, we are both overdosing on them.
Rick worked on a little bit of woodwork during the day while I worked at adding some pictures to the web site. The rain eventually became a little too much for Rick even under the bimini so he moved indoors.
Not one to sit idly around, he offered to make lunch. Our lunch soon became dinner as with everything closed, and the rain so heavy he moved the generator into the cockpit. The wind totally died just after noon when he was trying to cook. The fumes from the generator set off the propane solenoid alarm and even the carbon monoxide alarm. He had to choose between the generator or the stove. Being a guy, he chose the generator.
It worked out well as dinner was ready about 3:30PM. He out did himself. The meal consisted of spiced Callaloo, mashed potatoes and chicken mandarin. It was a wonderful meal and I suggested that he might want to keep his skills up by cooking more often.
Many boats came into Clifton from Tobago Cays today. Although it is good holding out at the Cays, I think the weather was a bit to wild for most. I wouldn’t have wanted to be there.
While we were eating lunch/dinner, the wind shift finally took place. This meant that the axis of the tropical wave had passed. We swung from northeast to south very quickly. Some of the clouds lifted enough that we could finally see the hills of Union Island. The sky today has been grey with many instances of black skies. The rain was driving so hard that we have a sparkling clean deck but when it did finally ease off we still had a dull drizzle for the rest of the day.
We had a wonderful night sleep even with all of the ports and hatches closed. It was true daylight when we awoke. The sky was blue rather than the grey and black shades from yesterday.
Many boats started moving in the morning even though the seas were forecast to be at least 10 feet for the rest of the day. We went in to town.
Our first stop was Unitec Marine where we took our propane to be filled. Rick asked him for a lesson on how to fill the small propane tank using the large tank. There is no such thing as a “propane filling station” on the small islands. We have the hose required to fill from tank to tank but we have never used it. Sherwin may start providing this service on Carriacou if we can learn how to do it safely.
Next, we walked through the village and roamed the small shops. It was almost lunchtime when we finally stopped at a little bar suggested by Buda. He said his friends would be there, which they were. We sat and limed with them for a while and it was cute when one of the locals asked how we liked the weather. I told him that our decks were clean so we could do without rain for now. He said that the tourists don’t understand that the island needs the rain. I challenged him and said that maybe the cisterns needed some water but that I didn’t see any fields dug and ready to be planted. He laughed and said that I had caught him. Union Island used to grow a lot more vegetables but now the main industry is tourism so very few people plant seeds.
One of the other locals we met there was Sam. Sam is a park ranger involved with environment issues like protecting the turtles. He is also a drummer of the big maroon drums. He knows Kenroy very well in fact he mimed the Stickman routine as soon as I mentioned his name. He said that he and some friends would be drumming later this week and he would have Buda let us know ahead of time so we could come along. I think we lucked out with Buda. He has some nice friends.
Back on board when we had finished our sundowners I was about ready to start making dinner when Rick said that he had already chosen a recipe and he was prepared to make it. I certainly wasn’t going to prevent him from playing in my galley. I sat back and waited for dinner to be served.
Tonight he served lemon and basil oven baked pork chops with saffron rice and butternut squash. He is going to be a hard act to follow.
There was no rain overnight but a few sprinkles awoke us in the morning. The haze has lifted a little and the winds are much lighter.
After breakfast, Rick wanted to run the engine. Sure enough, as soon as we started it, it stalled. Our air problem was still there. He changed the fuel line but we are both starting to think that it might be the Racor filter. We purchased this new Racor in Trinidad. The dealer did not have the correct size attachments for our hose so he welded attachments in place. If his weld isn’t 100% we could have a pinhole leak there. Rick spread a little JB Weld over the existing weld job to see if that might help. Next test will be tomorrow.
Meanwhile, it was a nice day to go for a swim. When we got into the water it felt as warm as bath water. When we moved a few feet in any direction it was cool Atlantic water again. We swam along the reef towards the shore and felt these temperature changes continually. The water is shallow and heats up easily but there are spots in the reef that the waves from the Atlantic come crashing over creating the cold spots.
Rick wanted to cook again. This time he prepared stuffed whole oven baked fish. There was a lot of fish and his timing wasn’t quite right so it was still uncooked when he served dinner. It looked good but neither of us was going to eat it. The remainder of the meal was jasmine rice and beets, which we both enjoyed.
This is our last day on Union Island. There is another tropical wave just about on the island chain but it is at 13 degrees north and we are at 12.5 degrees north. Our forecast is for nice weather with the occasional shower. If we didn’t have a major party to attend tomorrow it would be a good day to move over to Tobago Cays.
Before breakfast, one of the boat boys came by in a pirogue named Tiger. He said that his friend Buda told him that we took a nice picture of his boat and asked if we would take one of him and his boat too. I laughed and took a couple of pictures and told him I would print them in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, we started the engine again and found air. We decided that it was time to bypass the Racor filter to see if it is causing the problem. Once this done, Rick went to bleed the air from the system and noticed that the screw he uses to do this wasn’t really tight. Checking further, he found that the rubber washer was looking worn. He changed the screw and washer, we bled the system and left it for a few hours.
Our trip into town today was to check out with customs and immigration and to make one last visit to the fruit and vegetable market. I bought as much fruit as possible to make a large fruit salad for tomorrow’s party. We are running out of cash here and the ATM at the bank does not work internationally. This is silly because Union Island receives many charter boats and fly-in tourists. It was good for us because everything is much more expensive here than on Carriacou, so it prevented us from spending too much.
Buda came by later in the afternoon to check how we were and to say goodbye.
Just before dinner, we started the engine. It started perfectly with the first turn of the key. No air!!!
Now I posed the big question to Rick, was it the Racor filter or was it the little screw. He felt confident that it was the screw.
In the evening we received a call from Kelly to tell us that she had received an offer on the sale of our house. Wow! The engine problem resolved and the house sold all in the same day.
Before breakfast, Rick turned the key and the engine again started
beautifully. We relaxed and enjoyed breakfast before releasing the lines on the
mooring to head back to Carriacou.
The winds were very light and the seas flat. We unfurled the headsail and were able to make almost 6 knots with the headsail and engine on low RPM’s. It was 9:30AM when we arrived in Hillsborough to check-in. Rick went to immigration while I went to the ATM for some cash.
We ran into a few local friends while in town but left in time to make it
back to Tyrrel Bay by noon. We received quite a few calls on the radio welcoming
us back but the one that
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impressed us was from the Lambie Queen. I knew it
wasn’t Sherwin’s voice and sure enough, it was Edwin, Sherwin’s father calling
to welcome us.
We had a short siesta in the afternoon and then got ready for the party. I made a salad so large that the only bowl I had to hold it all was my largest calabash that I normally use as a popcorn bowl.
The party was huge and Rick and I were the barbecue chefs. I lost track of how many chicken legs we barbecued but it was somewhere between 50 and 60. Then we had about 30 good size red snappers to barbecue as well. The gathering around the barbecue grew as the food was almost ready. Finally, everything was arranged on large platters and taken to the serving table. It always amazes me that a meal can take hours to prepare but once served, it disappears in almost minutes.
Daniela and I had a rematch game of pool. This time I won but only by a hair.
Rick decided it was time to leave and when we got back to the boat, I was surprised to see that it was 12:30AM. It had been a great party.
It was Father’s Day so Rick was served a nice breakfast and given the option of doing anything he wanted during the day. He chose to reconnect the Racor filter on the engine. When that job was finished, he chose to go back to bed for a while.
The whole anchorage was very quite today. I think everyone is sleeping off last night’s party.
In the afternoon, Gary and Sharon (Elusive) came over and we had a nice visit with them.
There was a very active tropical wave passing through today so it was for most people a good day to relax, stay below and read. We planned to do some of that except that there was one little job to be done first.
There is no such thing as a five-minute job on a boat. A weld on the metal on the top of the stove had broken off. The part that came off is where the pots and pans sit above the flame. Rick decided it was a good day to take the whole top off the stove and give it to Domiinic (the welder) to repair. He learned that in order to take the top off he first had to partially remove the whole stove. This then became a wonderful opportunity to not only clean the back, sides and bottom of the stove but the interior oven as well.
Rick did most of the cleaning on the outside of the stove, places that when it is in place cannot be reached. I only had to clean the oven. Dominic promised to have the top repaired as good as new before dinnertime, which he did.
It was well into the afternoon when we remembered about the engine. Rick attempted to start it with the Racor back in place and wouldn’t you know it, there was AIR in the system again. He wanted to give it one more chance so he made sure the Racor was very full of fuel. We bled the air from the system and tightened the screw.
Just before dinner, we tried the engine again. Still we had air. As I was cooking in the galley, he began bypassing the Racor, right next to me. We were fighting for toe space but it all worked out ok. He finished the engine work as I finished stuffing the cannelloni. The timing was good and I didn’t turn the oven on until after he finished with the engine.
The axis of the wave passed by overnight and a few boats in the anchorage dragged but we were well set. We both slept well knowing that if we had needed to start the engine there would not have been a problem. So we thought!
As I was making breakfast, I suggested to Rick that he start the engine, just to double check. We couldn’t believe it! The engine started and immediately stalled due to air again. It was time to call in the big guns. I gathered laundry to be taken into the yacht club and Rick after delivering it, went to see Uwe the mechanic, for some troubleshooting ideas.
Uwe told Rick that he was on the right track. The air had to be entering the system somewhere between the fuel tank and the fuel pump. Rick returned and we started at the fuel tank. He removed the pickup tube from the fuel tank, inspected, and tested the anti siphon on the tube. There seemed to be a little leakage so he next took a huge magnifying glass for a closer look. A human hair was lodged in the ball portion of the anti siphon. Using tweezers, he was able to remove it and everything else appeared to be fine. We analysed the hair and determined that it belonged to our mechanic, Uwe.
We bled the system again and started the engine. Everything sounded fine but since we’ve been there and done that before, we will test it again in the morning.
We joined Gary, Sharon (Elusive), Ed, Julie (Free Radical), John and Ricarda (Drisana) at the Turtle Dove for dinner. Ed and Julie are Canadians from Peterborough who have just completed a circumnavigation. While we were at the restaurant, JB (Jean Baptiste) gave me a gift of a Turtle Dove apron. It really is one of the best and most comfortable aprons I have ever owned. The gift of the apron was because he saw me wearing one that I had bought at a souvenir store while I was barbecue chef last Saturday.
First think in the morning, we started and ran the engine for a while. It sounded perfect but I’m not about to trust it yet. I need proof that it is going to be reliable again.
After breakfast, Rick continued sanding the wood in the head. It’s a big job but he has already stripped a lot of it.
In the afternoon Rick and I took Sharon, (Elusive) Julie (Free Radical) and Ricarda (Drisana) for a walk to Paradise Beach and then to Georgina’s house in L’Esterre to see her calabash.
When we returned to Harvey Vale, Rick and I walked through town and noticed one of the local ladies cooking some chicken. It looked and smelled great so dinner was taken care of. We were still sitting in the cockpit after dinner when Gary (Elusive) came racing up with his dinghy. Sharon had baked in the morning and he had a nice fresh loaf of pumpkin bread for us. The timing was perfect. We had pumpkin loaf and a cup of tea.
It was Thursday and shopping day. Rick was still in the shower and I wasn’t quite dressed when Norbert (our favourite bus driver) called on the VHF to say that he had just picked up a couple of our friends. I told him we hadn’t left the boat yet but he said he had to drive up to Belmont and would look for us on his way back through Harvey Vale.
We quickly got ready and raced ashore in the dinghy. We were just walking down the jetty when we saw Norbert’s bus coming toward us.
It was a busy day in town. I got just about everything we wanted and then stopped at the new deli. It’s called “Patty’s Deli” and is run by Christine. Patty was Christine’s grandmother who lived in the house that is now the deli. Christine had many wonderful items including huge jumbo shrimp. The shrimp were not in this week’s budget but we did purchase some cold meat. Her prices were very similar to the prices in other stores. In fact, she was charging less for cream cheese than Matheson’s.
When we returned to Harvey Vale we stopped at Bek’s for lunch and then went back to the boat for a siesta.
A quick start and the engine ran nicely again. The benefit of the daily engine test is that I have hot water. The water in the hot water tank is automatically heated by the engine.
I made spicy pumpkin soup for dinner along with a nice cold meat and tomato sandwich. We both liked the soup but it was a little too spicy for us. We were just debating what to do with the remaining soup when Gus came by in his dinghy. Gus is a mechanic who works in the Haulout yard. He seems like a local but will remind you that he is from Dominica not Carriacou. Anyway, most local’s including Gus, like spicy food. He ate the rest of the soup for us along with a couple of beers. Problem solved!
Another tropical wave passed through last night. There is something about cold fronts up north and tropical waves down here. They for some reason always pass through in the middle of the night. It probably wouldn’t make much difference if they arrived in daylight hours because the wind and the rain is so fierce that we wouldn’t be able to see the bow of our own boat anyway. It would be nice however to watch it arrive and leave rather than to be awaken from a dead sleep by the howl of the wind and the driving rain. This one arrived about 1:30AM but was gone sometime within the hour. I didn’t wait for it to finish, I went back to sleep while Rick read for a while.
As soon as breakfast was finished, we started and ran the engine again. Everything seems perfect which I knew meant that Rick would want to reroute the fuel through the Racor filter again. He couldn’t do it immediately because he would have to wait for the engine to cool down.
Instead he worked on stripping the wood in the head again. While he was working away, I was out on deck and noticed a blue pirogue racing toward our boat. It was Buda from Union Island. He had come over to pick up a barrel of fuel and decided to look for us while he was here. He had a coke with us but couldn’t stay long as he was being paid to do a delivery.
I had called the lunch lady earlier on the phone and she was going to deliver a couple of chicken rotis to us at the beach. Just before noon we went ashore for lunch and a swim.
After a short siesta, we sat in the cockpit and watched for arriving boats. There were a couple but not too many people are moving right now. The wind and seas are a little high.
The winds although no longer gusty have increased and are quite strong. We have had our squall proof wind scoops over the hatches since we returned from Union Island and they have been working beautifully. A few squalls went through overnight and we could feel the wonderful cool breeze that they brought. The rain however was just a noise on the deck, we didn’t have to close any hatches.
After breakfast, Rick attacked the engine again. In record time (practice makes perfect) he reconnected the Racor filter and started the engine. It started and ran perfectly but we’ll wait and see how it behaves during the next few days. I can’t believe that all of the problems we were having with air in the system was caused by a single hair.
In the afternoon, Rick continued his sanding of the woodwork in the head. I prepared and stuffed a chicken for dinner that was the size of a small turkey. Of course, the propane ran out in the middle of cooking but it didn’t take long to switch tanks.
The winds are still high but the next tropical wave is still a few days away. Since it was Sunday I thought Rick might take a day off but there is no stopping him. He first checked the engine and then cleaned the bilge of any diesel we had slopped during all of the rerouting of the fuel hoses.
The engine sounded good but I still want a few more days of testing for air.
In the afternoon, Rick had a siesta. I made cole slaw, potato salad and Greek salad to go with the left over cold chicken. I was even able to come up with black olives and feta cheese for the Greek salad.
After breakfast and before doing anything else it was time to test the engine again. Rick was going into town this morning so he felt I could do that while he was gone. I didn’t have as much confidence in it as he did and so we started, or rather tried to start it before he left. Air again! Certain now that the Racor filter was the problem he first went and ordered a new Racor at the Haulout before going to town.
While he was gone, I did some hand laundry.
We both relaxed in the afternoon.
Well, there is another very active tropical wave due to arrive about the same time as our new Racor filter. Poor Rick has gotten extremely fast at rerouting the fuel lines and bypassing the Racor but it’s still an awkward job. Even so, he rerouted the lines again so that we could be sure of the engine starting if it was needed.
We went ashore with the dinghy and he sat on his upside down pail on the beach while I cut his hair. Normally, Venus, the apple lady is at her fruit stand across the road while we do the hair cutting routine. I was looking forward to having a couple of her apples but she didn’t show up. A car that was going by saw us on the beach and stopped. In it was an elderly gentleman and his grandson, they were selling mangoes. He asked if I wanted some, which I did, but only if they had the “non-stringy” ones. He gave me a bag of four nice sized “non-stringy” mangoes for $5EC (less than $2USD).
When the haircut was finished, we went for a swim and while we were in the water, Rick cleaned the bottom of the dinghy.
Back at the boat with enough chores done for the day, we relaxed.
The wind died overnight causing the boat to roll a lot. We listened to the weather in the morning to find out the status of the tropical wave that has everyone a little concerned. The low-pressure area that was in the wave last night was weak and has since dissipated. It is still a very strong wave with a lot of rain and gusty winds forecast to arrive later today.
The engine started nicely and we let it run for a while. Rick let out more rode so we now have about 100 feet of chain and 80 feet of rope out in 15 feet of water. The anchor is dug into some nice deep sand so we should be fine during the strong winds that are coming our way. It’s probably a little bit of overkill but the anchor and line work much better in the water than stored in the anchor locker.
Gary and Sharon (Elusive) joined us for lunch at Just Jinger’s. Sally opened her restaurant only a couple of months ago and we have listened to the conversations between new cruisers about trying the place with the great burgers. So, word has spread up and down the island chain that Just Jinger’s has great food.
While we were eating lunch, Norbert drove by. He happened to notice us sitting up on the deck and before we knew it, he was backing down the street with a full bus (van) load of people to see us. I went down to say hello and found that he had a large bag of just picked mangoes for us. He had driven by the other day and saw us buying mangoes so brought us some from his tree.
We started the engine again just before dinner. It started like a charm and sounded good.
The tropical wave is supposed to be almost on top of us yet we had one of the most beautiful sunsets in ages. The sky was a brilliant red with specks of blue sky between all of the clouds. A red sky is supposed to be a good omen for sailors but we’ll wait until morning before commenting.
This wave has been forecast to bring strong convection (thunder and lightening) south of 12 degrees and strong winds north of 12 degrees. We are sitting on the 12 degree line (really 12.5) but it will be interesting to see what comes our way overnight.
We awoke a little after 5:30AM to the sound of a downpour. It lasted all of 10 minutes and that was it. All night the winds had been very light and this was the only rain we received. It appeared to be the biggest dud of a tropical wave that we have ever experienced. That however is good news. When we listened to Eric’s weather report at 6:30AM we learned that the wave had veered north of us. The strong winds and heavy rains affected the islands to the north of us while Trinidad and Tobago to our south, received light winds but quite a lot of rain as well.
We had three options today. It was Thursday and we could go into town and shop. The new Racor arrived and we could swap out fuel filters. Last but not least, one of the feed pumps on the watermaker was acting up so that had to be pulled apart and checked. Rick chose the watermaker. I was able to help a little but it’s in tight quarters so for the most part, he was on his own.
He removed and cleaned the head on the one pump that seemed to be giving us problems. When it was re-installed the pressure was still not correct. He took it out again and installed a new pump head. Problem solved.
We had heavy rain showers off and on all day and while most boats were collecting rainwater, we were testing out the rebuilt feed pump on the water maker. By the end of the day, everyone’s water tanks were topped up including ours.
We missed shopping on Thursday this week and instead went in today, Friday. It had rained so much yesterday that many people seemed to have left their shopping until today. We were able to get a lot of fresh produce along with everything else on our list. Our bonus items this week we found at the new deli. I bought some rib eye steaks. There is no butcher on Carriacou and beef is not an island thing. Fish, chicken and mutton is always available and sometimes pork but not usually beef. We were also able to get some fresh sliced cold meats. We had a choice of about five different kinds and chose Serrano ham and a honey ham.
We returned to the boat and we were just putting everything away when Chuck and Lynn (Cyan) came by. They asked if they could have a look at our water maker. After spending quite a while on board Wind-Borne III, they invited us to their boat, Cyan for sundowners.
We had a very enjoyable evening once we were able to get the guys off their knees and away from the water maker on Cyan.
