We slept a little late in the morning. Well rested and after a nice brunch we
went ashore to see what was happening. We knew that the street party was
postponed because the supplies hadn’t arrived on the ferry.
As we were getting out of the dinghy, Thomas, Troy, Dawn and Dawn’s brother saw us and drove down the jetty to pick us up. On New Year’s Day islanders visit one another to wish their friends and family the best in the New Year. Thomas told us we must get in his truck; we were going serenading across the island and stopping at Sherwin’s mom’s house for a party over on Windward. At first we said thanks but no thanks but then Thomas called Sherwin on his cell phone and convinced us to come along.
Before heading to Windward, we stopped at Troy’s to pick up a bongo drum and
maracas’. Off we went, Thomas driving, me in the passenger seat, Dawn, her
brother, Troy and Rick in the back of the pickup. Troy played the drum and Dawn
the maracas while we drove to the first stop. We found Sherwin and gang at a
little Rum shop on the way to Windward. Everyone got out, had a drink and danced
while Kevin (who grabbed the drum) played the bongo. We seemed to stop at
Aunts and Uncles of everyone as well as little rum shops along the way. We
hadn’t gone too far when the clutch on Sherwin’s vehicle (yellow dune buggy)
stopped working. Everyone (there were five) climbed off (rather than out) of his
vehicle and we climbed out
of ours. Thomas was under the fender fixing the
clutch, the guys were rapping in the shade, I was wandering down the road taking
pictures and Rick was passing tools to Thomas.
We made it a few more stops then I started to feel uncomfortable about the amount of beer our driver had consumed. Rick and I said our goodbyes and left them as they were about to turn off a main road onto another dirt road towards another relative.
We had a pleasant downhill stroll to Windward where we waited a little until a bus came by headed for Hillsborough. Hillsborough was almost deserted except for a few locals playing dominoes and watching a cricket game at Cuthbert’s bar. We again waited for a bus, this time from Hillsborough to Harvey Vale. It wasn’t long and Uncle Polo (a bus) came along. We made it back to the boat just before dark.
We are not off to a very good start this year. We ran the engine for a little while yesterday and when shifting into reverse there was quite a delay before it actually engaged. Rick said he would check it today.
He checked the fluid level which was fine, he disconnected the gearshift cable and cleaned it but when he manually shifted without the cable the transmission didn’t click into reverse at all.
We call Yerk to have a look and he came almost immediately but he couldn’t tell what the problem is until it is taken apart. So…. What else is new? Rick started removing the transmission. After dropping a hammer and a flashlight into the bilge which required a good part of the afternoon to fish them out he decided to leave the last two stubborn bolts until tomorrow.
He went ashore to pick up the laundry, bought himself a beer and a large bean pod. When I asked him what the bean pod was for he said that there was a local making maracas on shore with the beans from these pods. I’m not sure if Rick is going to start making musical instruments but we have the beans should he wish to.
We ignored the transmission today as it was time to go into town and renew with immigration. It doesn’t take long and I thought that Rick would go and take care of it while I remained onboard.
He suggested that we might pick up a few groceries and have a pizza while in town if I were to come along. I haven’t been feeling well the last couple of days and thought maybe a walk through town would be good.
We took the jerry can in for fuel, picked up groceries (even a leg of lamb) and paid our visit to immigration before stopping at the Butterfly Bar and Pizza place for lunch.
When we returned to the boat I rested for a while as I was still not feeling any better. I awoke just in time to prepare a salad to take with us for dinner onboard Gladys. She made a wonderful mild curried chicken which I thoroughly enjoyed but at 7:30PM, we had to make a sudden departure. Unbeknownst to our hosts my stomach pain had increased to the point that I could no longer sit and carry on a conversation.
When we returned to our boat I went right to bed. I mentioned to Rick that we should probably go back into town tomorrow so that I could see the doctor. Within a couple of hours the pain was very severe and coming in waves which left me feeling nauseated and faint. I finally decided I had had enough and would never make it through the night so started taking some Cipro (Ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic). When I was able to doze off for a couple of hours I would awaken each time feeling a little better. In the morning, I told Rick that the Cipro seemed to be working and it would not be necessary to go back into town.
It’s very rare that I am under the weather so I was pampered by a breakfast of dry toast (it tasted wonderful). Throughout the day I would doze. I read a little, watch a DVD and I slept a lot.
Rick finished removing the transmission from the engine, I was needed to help a little and pull it out with a come-along. Rick had rigged the boomvang to the boom creating a come-along. Once it was in the dinghy, he took it ashore to Yerk’s workshop where the two guys opened it up. Everything looked alright but there are some very intricate measurements that must be made. Uwe is still in Germany and returning next Friday. Yerk called him for advice and he suggested that we just leave it until he returns.
Meanwhile as Rick was walking back to the dinghy through the haulout yard he spotted a small black plastic piece near where our boat had been. Sure enough, it was our long lost piece to the Shop Vac. Someone must have moved something under the large fishing boat that had been stored next to us and uncovered it. Rick had sent Shop Vac an email a few weeks ago explaining what we had lost and Shop Vac had mailed a replacement part “No Charge”. I guess we now have a spare.
By dinner time I was feeling much better (almost 24 hours so far on Cipro) but still enjoying being pampered.
Since I was feeling much better but not actually well, today I allowed Rick to continue to pamper me.
It wasn’t heavy duty pampering since I made French toast for breakfast and cooked a leg of lamb for dinner (it had thawed so I had to). In between however, I did very little.
Receta stopped by to ask about White Island and I called Sherwin to arrange for him to take us there next Tuesday.
We hit the sack shortly after dinner and fell asleep to the sound of a local band playing on shore.
It was poached eggs day otherwise known as Sunday. Rick really does make the best poached eggs I have ever tasted.
We went ashore before lunch and I purchased all the makings for macaroni pie as well as many chicken legs to prepare for our trip to White Island. I stopped at Denise’s veggie stand to see if she had any yellow plantains but she had absolutely none. It was a worthwhile stop however as she is going to make a whole pan of sweet potato pudding for me.
We returned to the boat just before noon when we were to go to a 4th of July party onboard the Vagrant. Genie and George (the Vagrant) are the couple who’s wedding we attended last season at the yacht club.
The reason for them having a 4th July party on the 6th of January was because George happened to find hot dog buns in town. Sometime there are frozen hot dogs hidden deep in a freezer somewhere but I don’t think I have ever seen hot dog buns on Carriacou before.
I think it is an American tradition that they eat hot dogs and chili for Independence Day. George and Genie made the chili and hot dogs and threw a great party. I counted 18 of us in the cockpit. It was one of those times that after the fact I realized that I should have taken the camera. George was wearing his American flag shorts and they both had on a huge tall red hat.
When we left the party it was questionable whether we would bother with dinner as both of us had plenty to eat. Later we found ourselves a little hungry so I cooked up some fresh green beans, made a lettuce & tomato salad and added a few slices of leftover lamb. Judging by the amount of lamb still in the fridge we have at least another couple of meals to go.
It was a picture perfect day. Rick finished his work on the doghouse and put it back together. He is determining what he can pull apart next.
I made macaroni pie while Rick went into town for yellow plantains and BBQ sauce. When he returned I had just finished simmering 10 huge chicken legs. Everything was wrapped and put into the fridge once it had cooled a little. I started a to-take list for our day at the beach tomorrow on White Island.
We both jumped in for a swim and then sat in the cockpit watching the boats arrive from both the north and from the south.
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It was not one of the nicest nights last night. There was a nasty roll and
when the boat finally settled down at 3AM we had wind and rain showers all the
rest of the night.
It looked quite overcast at daybreak and according to our weather guru Eric, we will probably have rain off and on throughout the day and maybe the rest of the week.
I called Sherwin a little after 9:30AM as the sky was darkening over the
hills and there would soon be a lot of fresh water rinsing our boat. I thought
that our plans to spend the day at White Island may have to be cancelled.
Sherwin suggested that we wait until this squall passed by and he would take a
look at the sky and make a
decision. He called us back at 10:30AM and said it
was a go. I quickly notified Ann and Steve (Receta) and we were all ready in our
cockpits when he arrived around 11AM. He delivered a bunch of landlubbers to
White Island before coming for us.
I still had my doubts about the weather but we had so much food that I wasn’t sure what we would do with it if we didn’t go to White Island. Sherwin read the sky perfectly. The seas were a little rough getting to the island and the chop was so bad that none of us went in for a swim but it was still a great day.
There were 16 people altogether rather than 10 but still there was more than enough food.
We had BBQ chicken, red snapper, lobster, sausages, macaroni pie, cabbage salad, BBQ plantains, sweet potato pudding and brownies. Everyone brought lots to drink.
One of the people we met was Hans. When we were all introducing ourselves and
Hans heard that the four sailors in the group were from Toronto he looked at Ann
and asked if she had read the book “Embarrassment of Mango’s. Ann looked at me
and asked if I had set this up. I laughed and said she didn’t read it, she
wrote it. Hans was awestruck. His wife Frances had not come today and it was one
of her favourite books. She is “The Travelling Gourmet” (http://www.travellingourmet.com)
from Vancouver. Hans had to call and tell her with whom he was spending the day.
She immediately wanted to join the party. Sherwin ran a special pickup to get
her from just across the channel. She arrived, book in hand so that Ann could
autograph it. Next she phoned her 82 year old mother in Vancouver who is also a
great fan of Ann’s book, to tell her she was spending the day with the lady who
wrote her favourite book.
As the day went on we next learned that Hans and Frances also follow our web
site. She knew what we did on Carriacou from years ago. Granted a web site
doesn’t equate to quite the celebrity status as a book (no autograph) but it was
still fun.
At 5PM Sherwin said we should pack up and leave as the weather was going to break. We arrived at the boat by 5:30PM and the rain began by 5:45PM. I’m not sure why we listen to all of these weather gurus, we should just call Sherwin.
The day passed by so quickly I almost missed it. The weather was more like September with absolutely no wind just hot and sunny.
I did a little hand laundry in the morning. Rick worked on preparing the wood on the large butterfly hatch to be refinished.
We went for a swim in the afternoon and then joined Kathleen and Jeff (Gladys) for a walk up the exercise hill and down the road to the Lazy Turtle. It was a fun night to be there as Steve and Hope (Starshine) arrived and joined us. Fitzroy came by, Susan and Roy showed up. Dave who we met at White Island even came by.
The pizza was great and eventually we made our way back up and down the hill to the Yacht Club where the guys had a beer and Jeff met Trevor from the Yacht Club. Both had lived in Birmingham England for some time and had lots to discuss.
It was another calm and sunny day. In the morning we accomplished quite a few projects. Rick stripped a little more of the wood on the butterfly hatches. Then while the sea was still flat and the winds light, I hoisted him up the mast and he replaced our nicely repaired anchor and tri-light at the top of the mast.
I guess he had a good time up there because next we took the staysail down so that he could go up the mast again this time to replace a sleeve at the top of the furling foil.
Neither of us wanted lunch so we just snacked on an apple.
The plan was to quickly go boat to boat and inform everyone that during the funeral procession tomorrow for Cobbler (the Captain of the Alexia II), the Alexis family requested that the cruisers join in with the large ships and blow their fog horn or air horns as the procession passes. It’s hard not to stop and talk a little and there were a lot of boats so it took us until 4PM to inform the majority of cruisers.
We returned to the boat and although Rick had wanted to clean the anchor line, it was time to prepare for sundowners.
The day began as hot and sunny. While eating breakfast we learned that (Starshine) Hope and Steve had some electrical problems with their engine. They had a generator but had never used it to charge the batteries before so Rick said he would come by and help.
When Starshine was up and charging nicely, Rick took ashore a few canvas pieces that I had washed and he waterproofed them before we put them back up.
When he returned we put up the sun awning to provide a little protection for him as he works on refinishing the butterfly hatches. He was then able to do a little more sanding, this time in the shade.
It was almost noon when the large Amelia Ferry came charging into the bay. It doesn’t normally come up to Carriacou on a Friday but it was bringing a full load of friends and family for the funeral of Hubert (Cobbler) Alexis. It was arriving a little late and the funeral procession arrived at the jetty just as the Amelia was docking. It was difficult to differentiate between the normal horn blowing of a ferry coming into dock and the horn blowing that we were to join in with for the funeral. It was only moments after the ferry docked when all boats were blowing their horns. (Some were pretty sick sounding so it was a good safety test).
We planned to go ashore when everyone returned from the cemetery at 4PM but a squall went through at exactly that time. We waited until 5PM. Friends and family were gathering in the new ferry that had arrived a few days ago from Europe. The ferry was pulled up to shore and the ramp was down on the beach with a large tarp covering the sand between the beach and the road. I knew that the Alexis family was the largest on Carriacou but when joined by those from Grenada it is huge. There were two policemen trying to keep the one road of Harvey Vale clear for traffic but it was almost impossible. It looked like every vehicle on the island was trying to park within a four block area of the ferry.
The ladies of the family were serving the traditional Carriacou meal of rice balls, cou cou, stewed pork etc. The Prime Minister of Grenada and the leader of the opposition were at the gathering they had flown up for the funeral.
We stayed a while and said hello to a few family members and then made our way down the road to the Lambi Queen. Sherwin had called earlier to say he was having the steel band perform and that we should come.
It was an enjoyable evening but we left early. Good thing!! We were arriving back at our boat when large drops of rain started hitting us. We climbed aboard before the huge deluge.
It rained again overnight and was still raining when we awoke. We waited until a clearing appeared and headed to shore. Jeff and Kathleen (Gladys) joined us and we all went into town. There weren’t many people in town and there wasn’t a lot in the stores but we found just about everything we needed.
The rain held off nicely until we were just about back to Harvey Vale. It was another downpour so rather than get everything soaked; we had Norbert drop us at Bek’s Restaurant which is at the end of the jetty. There we had a nice lunch of mutton soup while Kathleen had the fish.
When the sky cleared, we headed back to the boat and put things away.
There were a few cruisers going to Lucky’s tonight for chicken or pork and chips. Mark and Deb (Sea Cycle) invited us to come along. We certainly weren’t hungry but we went along just for the fun. The place was packed. Even Andrea and Yerk came for dinner. We learned from them that Uwe did not return this week but will be here next week. This means another week without the transmission. It didn’t feel like we stayed out very long and were surprised to find that it was 9PM when we returned to the boat.
Finally, we had a night without rain and yet enough wind to keep the boat from rolling. This equated to a wonderful night for sleeping.
I didn’t wake up until after 7:30AM. Rick had the coffee ready and was waiting to make our poached eggs.
As soon as breakfast was finished he changed the oil in the generator and the headed to shore with more canvas to waterproof. While he spent the rest of the day working on the butterfly hatch, I made a large pot of beef stew to package and put into the freezer. I used a little of the beef to make beef stroganoff for tonight’s dinner.
While things were simmering on the stove, I continued with my knitting project.
It was a beautiful day with a nice warm, not hot, tropical breeze. Rick took the laundry ashore before breakfast so that it would be ready for us to pick up before lunch. We had a quick breakfast and then he checked with the haulout to see if the items we ordered from Grenada had arrived. They had, and one was an early birthday present for me. Although we bought two, it was me that wanted a sport-a-seat. They just happened to be on sale if you purchased two. So I received a birthday present to share.
As soon as I unpacked the seat and adjusted the hinges, I lounged in the cockpit and was asleep in minutes. The sound of a boat dropping anchor near us awoke me.
In the afternoon, Rick continued stripping the butterfly hatches and I started polishing the hatch hardware.
It was going on 3PM when we quit and jumped in for a swim. After our shower we sat in the cockpit (on our new seats) and had sundowners while the last few boats arrived.
We were up and on our way into town early. Rick picked up gas, I went for blood tests and when we were both finished we ran into Susan.
She said she could cut my hair today which was getting quite long. My last cut was the beginning of November. We gathered all of our goods and went up to her house. The contractors were there pouring cement for the new addition she and Roy are having built. It is going to be huge when finished and will always have the most awesome view in the Caribbean.
We returned to the boat and once the groceries were put away, we removed the sun awning. Although we love to have it up the forecast for the next week is for strong winds of 20 to 25 knots with higher gusts. We will both sleep better without the stays rattling which they would do in that kind of wind.
Well, the winds were up in the morning but nowhere near as strong as was forecast.
After breakfast, Rick continued his affair with the butterflies. I caught up
on some emails and did a little more knitting.
In the afternoon, I prepared some appetizers to take with us to a cocktail party at Frances and Hans house this evening. We had a little siesta, a nice swim and then prepared to leave.
We took Amy’s bus into Hillsborough and questioned her steel drum sitting on one of the seats. She let us know that she was going to be playing in a couple of hours just in front of the Jupa (the very centre of town). This was good news because if it was busy in town we would not have difficulty getting a bus back to the boat as long as we didn’t stay at the party too long.
When we arrived in Hillsborough, we walked to the end of town where the buses
going to Windward park. Uncle Polo drove by and asked where we were going. Since
we were only going just past the Green Roof Restaurant but not as far as Down
Island Real Estate, he took us. Other’s waiting for a bus going all the way to
windward had to wait a little longer.
We had Uncle Polo stop where we thought there house should be and I called Frances on the telephone. I explained that we were standing at the bottom of a very steep and long driveway and before walking up I wanted to make sure it was the right one. She said to wait a moment which I did and then heard her calling my name very loudly. There was another driveway, not quite as steep just a little further along and she was calling from the top of that one.
Frances and Hans have a marvellous house with a great view. The sun cooperated nicely and provided a magnificent backdrop as we all watched it set over the ocean. Oohs and Aahs were definitely appropriate as the sky turned into steaks of red. They had a nice group of people at the party, some who we knew but others who we had never met. We soon realized that we were the only cruisers at the party and felt very honoured to have been invited.
The food was great in fact we had croissants made by our own Jean Baptiste from the Lazy Turtle. It’s a good thing I didn’t know he could make croissants or I would probably not be able to brag about my most recent weight loss. Frances (The Travelling Gourmet) whose specialties I was dying to sample, forgetting all thoughts of dieting, ordered in trays from Patty’s Deli. I’m certainly not knocking Patty’s Deli as the food from there is always great but I sure wish that Frances hadn’t declared herself “on vacation”.
We left the party a little early and walked into Hillsborough. Yes it was dark and a good walk but I always have a torch (flashlight) in my bag. When we arrived in town, the pan band was still playing and the buses were gathering as they all waited for the ferry to arrive. We climbed into Norbert’s bus and listened to the band along with everyone else. As soon as the ferry arrived, the fully loaded buses headed out.
Everything was wet when we arrived in Harvey Vale so our timing was perfect. We had a nice dinghy ride back to our boat under a full sky of stars.
Rick attacked the butterflies again this morning. They are almost ready for me to do my part and apply the Cetol.
In the afternoon we went for a walk to L’Esterre with Jeff and Kathleen
(Gladys). It was 2:30PM when we went ashore and strolled down the road. We
stopped at Barba’s where the guys purchased a couple of T-shirts. There is a
tailor in L’Esterre but we have had a difficult time finding out what hours his
shop is open. Just as we were walking out of Barba’s, we saw the tailor
unlocking his door. It was probably sometime between 3 and 4 PM. He gave us his
card and let us know that he is open most days from 9AM to 6PM. He is replacing
the zipper in Rick’s shorts for $10EC (which is about $3.75US). I can’t buy a
zipper for that price back home let alone have someone sew it.
As we were walking along the road deciding where to go next, Kathleen said
that she would like to sit by the sea and have a drink. We knew just the place.
A little further along the road and we turned down the drive to Paradise Inn on
Paradise Beach. Kathleen was in her glory. She had never been here before and I
don’t think she ever wanted to leave. She was in love the place. Eventually
however, we dragged her away and walked back toward Harvey Vale.
When we arrived at the jetty, none of us wanted to go back to our boats yet
so we continued along the main street. It wasn’t far and we saw that Tanty
Lizzy was barbequing chicken on the beach so we all sat under her liming roof
and had chicken and beer. Now it was Jeff’s turn. He doesn’t think he remembers
ever tasting
chicken this good before. Kathleen and I decided that the
chicken was enough and we did not need to cook dinner tonight. A little further
down the road we stopped at The Old Rum Shop for a little more refreshment.
Before we knew it the sun had set and it was dark.
I had wondered when we left the boat whether I should leave the cockpit light on (we call it the porch light) but we were certain that we would return before dark. Oh well… At least I always carry a torch in my bag.
Rick was working on the butterflies and I was knitting when Susan called to tell me that Christine had sour cream at the deli. I asked her to pick me up 6 containers (they are small) but there were only 5 left. I took the remaining 5. This is perfect because we are going to Elusive’s boat on Sunday and I happen to have a little blue cheese in the fridge so I will make up a batch of Buffalo wings. Susan said she would be in Harvey Vale in 20 Minutes. Rick splashed the dinghy and went ashore for the chicken and to pick up the sour cream.
When he returned, I was my turn to work on the butterflies so as I applied the first coat of Cetol on the underside he went back ashore this time to the haulout to order more Cetol.
Although it was Friday night we stayed onboard. I made Captain’s Southern Chicken for dinner and purposely made extra for another day. Kathleen told me that this recipe tastes better the next day.
The wind is gradually getting stronger. The forecast now is that it will remain at 20 to 25 knots until next Thursday. The one good thing about it is that it makes for wonderful drying of the Cetol. I applied a second coat on the hatches in the morning and Rick did the same for the interior framing which is difficult for me to reach.
I spent the afternoon knitting while Rick started working on the screen frames for the butterfly hatch.
Gladys asked if we wanted to go to Lucky’s. They had never been there. When we arrived at the jetty with the dinghy we noticed a nasty swell coming into the bay. The seas are building quite large with the strong wind so obviously some of the swell is creeping into our bay.
We were walking to Lucky’s when Sherwin drove up in his dune buggy. I jumped in and told him where I was going. He was going to the same place.
Again Lucky’s was packed to overflowing with bother cruisers and locals. I was very pleased to see Uwe, Jutta and Kadisha arrive. Finally Uwe (the mechanic) is back on island. Hopefully he can start working on our transmission next week.
We have definitely fallen into a routine. It was Sunday morning so Rick made poached eggs. Next we each did our cetoling. Rick then went to work on the frames for the screens and I returned to my knitting.
In the afternoon I made some blue cheese dip, carrot sticks and started to make buffalo wings. Only as I was preheating the oven did I notice that the recipe called for 500 degrees but the oven on the boat only goes as high as 450. Oh well, I didn’t think that would be an issue. Wrong! I couldn’t get the wings to go crisp. In fact the recipe indicated that I should bake them for 10 minutes basting and turning frequently. I did the first pan for 30 minutes and still the skin was not crisp. A quick change of plan was required. I quickly tossed the ingredients together for honey and ginger wings. They took about 30 minutes per batch and were coming out golden brown and crispy. The only negative was the time it took me between batches to clean the burnt honey from the bottom of the roast pan.
Somehow we and the food were ready to leave for Gary and Sharon’s (Elusive) at 5:30PM. They had originally planned sundowners this night as they were going to leave and head north tomorrow morning. The forecast of 20 to 25 knots and seas of 12 to 13 feet discouraged them from leaving but they couldn’t get out of the sundowners.
I don’t know what happened to our wind overnight but it seemed to die down to nothing and because of the big seas, we started an uncomfortable roll. It only lasted a couple of hours but of course that was between 1AM.
After breakfast Rick headed ashore to see Uwe. They had a nice talk about his trip, looked at the transmission and that was it. Uwe said he would take a closer look at it in the afternoon after reading the Yanmar Shop Manual.
While Rick was ashore I washed some clothes in the tub. I was still scrubbing
away, when he returned and removed the bimini to take into In-Stitches to have
the zipper re-stitched. I did so much laundry that when he returned again
I suggested that we start making water early today.
Poor Rick went ashore for the third time before noon. This time he went to get a couple of chicken rotis for lunch.
After lunch we read and had a short siesta then a nice cup of tea and biscuits.
Enough already!!! I’m sure the people on shore think that the weather is beautiful. The temperature is perfect about 80F with very little humidity. It’s the winds that are getting to us. They have been blowing for so long that there are actual waves in the bay. Very few boats are moving anywhere because of the strong winds and big seas. This hinders our evening entertainment of watching everyone arrive and try to find the perfect anchoring spot. It’s a good thing that charter boats travel in any weather or life could get boring.
I finished the last of the laundry today which dried in almost no time. Rick went to visit Uwe who hasn’t been able to provide an estimate on the transmission for us yet because his internet connection is down.
We took a second day off from working on the butterfly hatch however we will probably be back at it tomorrow.
Normally the pressure gradient difference between 10 degrees north and 20 degrees north is 3 to 4 millibars. When it reaches a difference of 5 and once in a while we have even seen 6 millibars we know it will be very windy. Currently we have 8 millibars of difference. No wonder I feel blown away.
The wind sure helps drying the cetol so we both continued with the woodwork. I defrosted and cleaned the fridge before relaxing with my knitting.
Jeff (Gladys) called in the afternoon and asked if we felt like going to the Lazy Turtle for pizza. It was a great idea since I hadn’t been off the boat for a few days, it was an opportunity to climb my exercise hill and have a special birthday dinner. My birthday is tomorrow but we have to go into town and I doubt that we will have a chance to do anything special.
We met at the Restaurant and I asked JB (Jean Baptiste) to make a very special meal for my birthday. I didn’t want to order from the menu, I wanted something different, French and spare no expense as Rick would willingly pay.
He made me a wonderful dish of huge shrimp on fettuccini and I don’t know what all of the flavours were but I could taste a little anisette along with many other wonderful things. Desert was Crème Brule with sparklers.
I slept a little late. It was almost 7:30AM when I awoke. The way to feel pampered on this boat is to make ahead some nice bran muffins so that Rick can prepare a pleasant but quick breakfast. I had a doctor’s appointment at 9:30AM and had to leave the boat around 8:30 so that I would have time to get ashore and take the bus into town.
Well at 8AM we both realized that the house batteries were very low. We aren’t sure what caused it other than maybe the fridge wasn’t closed properly yesterday after I defrosted it. We would have to run the generator so Rick dropped me at the jetty and came and met me in town later.
Norbert arrived at the jetty just as I got out of the dinghy. I arrived at the clinic in plenty of time. Afterward as I left the clinic and walked along the street to the Marketing Board Rick was walking the other direction. We met and worked our way through the shopping list but at about 11:30AM the sky became very dark and we took shelter in a little restaurant and had rotis for lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent dodging rain showers as we finished going store to store. Norbert drove us back into Harvey Vale and we were even able to get back onboard the boat between showers.
Dinner was served by Rick in the cockpit. He did a wonderful job of reheating leftover curried chicken that I made the other day. It was wonderful because I didn’t have to cook or do dishes. I just sat in the cockpit, enjoyed my meal and commented on the squalls that seemed to be all around us but not over us for the time being.
Now that I’m much older I have to take it easy. So today after applying some cetol, I did a little knitting, read a little and just enjoyed the sun.
Rick made and served dinner (that means it was pasta) and afterward he even did the dishes.
We still don’t have an estimate on the transmission and it’s getting a little frustrating watching other boats come and go. Hopefully by Monday we should know whether or not we have to sell our first born to cover the cost.
The butterfly hatches and handrails on the deck are nearing completion. There are still the screens and a lot more wood to keep us busy while we wait for the transmission.
Frances and Hans along with Sue and Michael (from Thunderbay), Michael, Becca with Becca’s Mom, Chris and Patty (from Vermont) as well as Andy (Yellowbird) who likes to claim he is Canadian but he is really a Brit, decided to party at the Lazy Turtle. We were included as part of the “gang”. It was a fun evening and the food as usual was excellent.
Sunday is usually pretty quiet and today was no exception. The wind died overnight rolling the boat from side to side so much that it was difficult to sleep.
The morning began with a few showers passing through and just when we thought the day was going to be a write-off, the sky cleared, the clouds disappeared and the sun dried everything off. I’m not sure if I was pleased or not. This meant we could continue with the wood work.
I did my duty and then relaxed and did a little knitting.
We had some nice Mahi Mahi for dinner; the sad thing is that I didn’t get it from the fishermen. I bought it in the deli and can you believe it was a “Product of Taiwan”. It was probably caught in the Caribbean by the Taiwanese fishing boats that we see.
The woodwork on the butterflies is finished and Rick has begun to reassemble the hardware. The recirculation pump on the fridge is acting up so that was the morning project. Rick had it removed and pulled apart before breakfast. It looks like it is just worn out and needs replacing. I called to Grenada and Budget Marine has the identical pump in stock so we should have it this weekend.
Joe and Elaine returned from Grenada and brought us a couple of large Wahoo steaks from the fish they caught between Grenada and here. I had already taken chicken out of the freezer so the Wahoo would have to wait until tomorrow night.
We were getting quite a roll in the bay so we both remained on board and worked on small projects during the day. Rick went ashore in the afternoon to exchange the propane tank for a full one. He said it was almost dangerous trying to get ashore with the dinghy.
Jutta called regarding the transmission. She was not pleased with the price her contact was giving her and suggested that I try to see if I could get a new one for a better price. She was absolutely right! I was able to purchase one for a thousand dollars less from our favourite Yanmar dealer in Florida, Mastry. It still cost me my first born but I was at least able to save the second born.
I cooked the Wahoo for dinner just using a little fresh garlic, butter and lime juice. It was wonderful!
The swell was becoming very uncomfortable. Rick went ashore at the yacht club because the jetty is a little dangerous to use in this weather. He first returned the full propane tank to Fitzroy as we are using our own tanks again then walked into Harvey Vale. Our new windlass cover was waiting for him at In-Stitches. He picked up a few things at the Alexis Supermarket and a couple of papayas from Denise’s fruit stand.
When he returned we both agreed that a stern anchor was required. It set nicely and helped but it is still a nasty swell. We could hear the boats on the VHF in Hillsborough calling for a water taxi as they couldn’t lower their dinghies in the swell.
Before going to bed, I checked the FedEx tracking to see where the transmission was and to our surprise, it had already arrived in Grenada. That was overnight from the dealer in Florida to Grenada. We hadn’t even gone to customs yet to get the forms we need to claim duty free. These forms need to be sent on the ferry to the agent in Grenada. It was also time to renew with Immigration as everything in town is closed this coming Monday and Tuesday for Carnival. We certainly have a few things to do tomorrow.
Wow! When I awoke this morning I mentioned to Rick that a boat was up and leaving very early. When I poked my head out the companionway to see what boat it was, I found it was the Osprey. The Osprey is the high speed ferry that runs between Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique. The swells must be very dangerous for the ferry to come into Tyrrel Bay rather than Hillsborough. I can just imagine all of the people at the Hillsborough jetty being told at 5:30AM that the ferry would be arriving in Harvey Vale. It would certainly make the bus and taxi drivers happy as everyone scrambled.
We went ashore at the Haulout Dock. This is a very round about way to go into Hillsborough but the swells at the jetty were much too high to be able to safely get ashore. The dinghy dock at the haulout is very protected but it means a good walk up and down the exercise hill and through Hermitage into Harvey Vale before we could get a bus. It was alright however because we were able to say good morning to many of our friends along the way.
When we arrived in town, Rick headed for immigration and customs while Ulricka (Bird of Passage) and I went grocery shopping. When we were half finished we stopped on the beach at Cuthbert’s Bar for something to drink. There we watched the surf pounding ashore and on the large jetty. There were no local boats at the jetty only some crazy cruisers and charter boaters who were trying to get ashore. It was dangerous. The surf was lifting the dinghies up and slamming them on the concrete dinghy area. One dinghy was destroyed. Eventually, we left there and finished our shopping. As we walking back toward the Marketing Board, Rick came walking down the street from the opposite direction. We agreed to meet at the Butterfly Bar for lunch so he went directly there while Ulricka and I picked up our last few items.
May and Bubbles were driving through town and stopped to say hello. May asked if I would wear a costume and be in the Carnival parade next week. Why not! It will be fun. Although I have lost a little weight this year, this will not be a skimpy Carnival costume. I will be a pirate with many other pirates. May will start sewing my costume tonight.
The Independence Day celebrations were to begin at the new stadium which is on the way back to Harvey Vale. Norbert told us we could leave our groceries on the bus and attend the celebrations and he would pick us up later. We all decided however, that we were tired; the celebrations (speeches) would go on for at least a couple of hours so we returned to the boat. It took us two trips in the dinghy because the swells were so high it was like travelling in a dinghy on high seas.
We had released the stern anchor before leaving the boat in the morning and now we just winched it and turned the stern of the boat more to face the swells. Onboard our boat was not uncomfortable but we watched the others all rolling from gunnel to gunnel. Many boats had raised anchor and moved over near the mangroves where there was less swell. This was a good move but without a transmission we couldn’t follow.
Our transmission may be on the afternoon ferry from Grenada but Rick is not going to race ashore and check because even if it is onboard, there is now way he could get it onto our boat or installed in this weather.
