We’re back. It’s a little later in the season than normal but that’s because we chose to stay in Canada until my niece (Heather) made us a Great Aunt and Uncle. Little Isaac was born in Kitchener on October 29th.
Our flight from Toronto to Trinidad was comfortable and non-eventful. We left on time at 11:15 PM and arrived at 5:30AM in Trinidad. Although we both slept a little on the plane (I slept a lot) we had 8 hours until our flight to Grenada.
We had breakfast in the airport and then walked outside for a while but since it was pouring rain we soon returned to the dry air conditioned interior of the airport.
After
going through security we found a new Rituals coffee shop. Rituals in the
Caribbean is very comparable to Starbucks in Canada. Although there is a
Rituals in the departure area of the airport the new one after security is
top class. It has divided areas with huge oversize upholstered chairs that
are just perfect for curling up in for a snooze which is exactly what we
did.
A little after 10:30AM we both awoke feeling very refreshed and moved to sit by our departure gate.
The flight from Trinidad to Grenada in a small prop plane was short and sweet. It lasted about 30 minutes but then we sat on the tarmac in Grenada waiting for a very heavy rainstorm to pass before deplaning. Eventually the ground crew showed up with ponchos for everyone to brave the elements.
We
checked into the Grenada Grand Hotel and remained in our room listening to
and watching the rain for the rest of the evening.
The heavy rain and strong winds caused our lawn to be covered with hundreds of blossoms from the Frangipani tree. The sky was grey and overcast but at least it was not raining . Since it was Sunday we felt it was unlikely that we would find breakfast anywhere but the hotel. Breakfast was a buffet and although a little disappointing, it hit the spot.
I took advantage of the cloudy weather and sat by the pool where I met Hester & Nick who are both working at the Veterinary University and living in the hotel for a few months. They eat their meals at the University however, not the hotel.
While
I was sitting by the pool, Rick went to the mall and bought a few bottles of
water.
By the time he returned the sky had darkened and the rain was beginning. We found a nice covered cabana where we relaxed and read while the rain continued.
Just before dinner we walked to the Spiceland Mall and purchased some cold meats and rolls for dinner.
There was a plumbing problem with the toilet in the morning so we left early to go into St. George’s because Rick had an 11AM MRI appointment. We went all the way downtown where we roamed the market before walking to the radiology clinic. It was lunch time when we finished and since we were both starving, next door was as far as we went for a great chicken roti.
Although it rained most of the morning, when we returned to the hotel, the sun was trying to poke through the clouds. It was as good as it was going to get today so we sat by the pool for a while and then moved onto the beach where we read and relaxed.
The hotel informed us that the plumbing problem was repaired.
There were some great thunderstorms overnight and wouldn’t you know it we had plumbing problems again. Even I was able to relate the amount of rain and the plumbing problem.
We
left and walked to Rituals for a great coffee and breakfast. While there, we
ran into Simon, a friend from Carriacou. Our next stop was the Spiceland
Mall but it was still a little early for most stores so we made our way back
to the hotel.
When we arrived back at the hotel, they informed us that we would have to change rooms to a different area of the resort because of the plumbing problem. The internet which is not free was down all day Sunday because of the rain and now we are in a block of the resort that has no internet. The Grenada Grand Resort is not so grand after all.
It was raining so hard that we sat in our little cabana for the afternoon reading until our friends Jeff and Susan (The Raggy’s) showed up for a visit. They were drenched from the downpour. We all stayed put until the rain eased off. It was a good time to go across the street to Rick’s Pizza in the Grand Anse Mall for a late lunch/early dinner. Just as we were leaving to return to the hotel we saw Uwe our friend and mechanic from Carriacou. He was stopping in Grenada on his way to Martinique where one of Jerry’s tugs in dry dock needs his help. Jutta, his wife and Kadisha their daughter appeared from one of the stores to say hello.
When
we arrived back at the hotel it was time for the manager’s cocktail party
which is where we spent our early evening before heading for our final night
in the hotel.
Electrical power and internet access were very intermittent because of all the rain. We tried to check emails and news before leaving but there was absolutely no internet.
We checked out of the hotel and arrived at the dock to wait for the Osprey ferry that goes to Carriacou. Our timing was good, the rain let up just long enough for us to purchase our tickets, the ferry to arrive and us with our luggage to get aboard. Rick and I both took a Gravol at 8AM. The ferry left dock at 9AM. Either the passage was not as bad as we anticipated or the Gravol worked really well. There were about four or five people on board who did have to use their sea sickness bags that were handed out by the crew as we left dock.
When
we arrived in Carriacou, Norbert was waiting for us with his brand new bus.
The bus is beautiful but Norbert was unwilling to take it down the hill to
the Yacht Club in the rain. We had him drop us off at the Lambi Queen where
we were hoping to persuade Sherwin to drive us and our bags down the hill.
As we were approaching the Lambi Queen I saw Sherwin’s pickup truck coming
from the other direction. I tried to call him but my cell phone battery
chose that moment to die. Oh well. We had Edwin (Sherwin’s father) plug it
into his charger and I called Fitzroy who informed me that he has no vehicle
at the moment, as it is out of commission. JP drove by and he said that his
car can’t make it up that hill when the road is dry never mind today when it
is a river. While waiting at the Lambi Queen we were welcomed home by many
of our friends who we haven’t seen for more than 5 months. Even the new
little kids (goats) welcomed us back. Finally I called Trevor (who owns the
Yacht Club) and asked him for a room for the night and a lift down the hill.
No problem to either.
After
throwing our bags in the room we raced up to the yacht club restaurant for
something to eat. We were starving after purposely not eating anything but
an apple before boarding the ferry. Since it was after 1PM, Tracy in the
restaurant let us know that she only had one piece of chicken left. So we
shared and order of chicken and chips and a grilled cheese and onion
sandwich.
Once our hunger pains had abated, Rick climbed aboard Wind-Borne to check how things looked. He was pleased that there were no surprises on the interior or exterior. The bottom is painted and hopefully if the rain eases off a little they can launch us tomorrow.
We were back in our room when Fitzroy and his brother Lyndon came by to say hello. When they left we made ourselves a cup of tea and settled down with the local newspapers to check up on what we had missed the last few months.
It was all I could do to hold Rick back long enough to drink his coffee in the morning then he was off to the boat. The haul out yard was extremely muddy but the sun was burning through the clouds and quickly the mud was hardening enough to walk on without sinking ankle deep.
I remained behind in our room and repacked our belongings in anticipation of a launch today. Rick got things ready onboard, Edwin touched up the last bit of antifouling paint, Gus worked on the outboard which needed new lower seals. During that time, I had forgotten about the tropic sun and too late realized my arms were a little red. I slathered on protector better late than never. It was understandable since this was the first sun we had seen since arriving last Saturday.
Although the boat was filthy we lugged the bags from our room in the Yacht Club to the boat and just left them while we changed and went to town. It was getting late in the afternoon and we needed a few provisions to hold us over.
It was almost 4PM when we returned to the boat and quickly called the office to turn on the water so that we could fill our water tank before they left for the day.
I began scrubbing the galley while Rick worked away outside filling the batteries with water and getting the generator up and running to give them a charge before turning on the refrigerator.
We found there was a leak in the plumbing under the sink in the head. The fresh water pump kept running and then the bilge pump would kick in. Rick found the problem, replaced a part and all was well.
Having done all we could do for the day, we had a bowl of cereal and went to bed.
Paw Paw (Simon the smuggler’s brother) had his work boat on the dock beside us. At 5AM he started the engines and ran it for an hour before shutting it down. We were both wide awake and had lots to do so managed another bowl of cereal before Rick re-commissioned the engine. It started and ran nicely and we moved from the dock to a mooring with the boom and dinghy still lying on the deck.
Life is much nicer away from the dock. There is no dirt, noise or mosquitoes.
Rick needed to climb the mast to put the spinnaker halyards in place and the line for the SSB antenna. The job was delayed a few minutes while a rain shower went through then I manned the winch while he climbed up.
Edwin and Punto motored by and stopped to talk while he was working away up top.
When the halyards were in place we were able to lift the dinghy off the foredeck and drop it in the water. Drop it is exactly what we did. Rick was manning the winch and I was controlling the dinghy in some pretty strong winds when the line slipped and it truly splashed into the water.
Next I returned to cleaning and unpacking down below while Rick worked at putting the fins on the outboard, filling the fuel tank and placing the dinghy lines on the davits.
Sherwin came by as well as Brad and Alana to see if we would be at the Lambi Queen tonight but we passed this time from pure exhaustion. The good news this year however, unlike last year, we are in the water one day after arriving on island.
The interior is still a bit of a mess but I was able to make a proper meal for dinner.
After an amazing night of sleep, gentle rocking, warm trade wind breezes, and a full sky of stars above we awoke to another day of chores. Oh well, life can be tough down here.
First on the list was to install the charcoal filter for the fresh water system. Next Rick wanted to install a new solar exhaust fan in the hatch above the head.
I continued my regular cleaning and organizing down below until it was time to raise Rick up the mast again this time to put a couple more halyards in place.
Finally, I cooked up a big meal of chicken and rice which was a late lunch and early dinner for the two of us with plenty of leftovers.
It was too hot outside without the bimini in place so we remained below and read in the early afternoon. As the sun got lower in the sky Rick moved outside and began cleaning the cockpit.
Well last night wasn’t quite as perfect as the night before. It rained off and on all night so we were up and down closing hatches and ports. Any stars in the sky were well hidden behind clouds. There was very little wind but what there was of it was from the wrong direction so we were rolling all night long.
We awoke however to a bright sunny Sunday morning. Our first Sunday back on the boat and the poach egg tradition has not been forgotten. Rick prepared poached eggs on toast which we ate in the not quite clean rolly cockpit.
Cigarette (Edwin) and Punto (Francis) stopped by on their way out to check fish traps. I told them that we would really enjoy some nice fresh fish if they found a few extras.
Rick spent the rest of the morning scrubbing the cockpit until it almost sparkled. He stopped for lunch and then rested down below during the hot midday sun. While he was sleeping Cigarette and Punto returned. They didn’t have extra fish but they did have a huge lobster for us. Twist my arm; although I hadn’t planned on lobster for dinner, I know how to improvise.
The sun didn’t last very long and there was a lovely rain squall headed our way. That’s normally an unusual statement for me to make because we love the sunshine. The one thing I have not done since returning is to un-pickle the watermaker. The reason for this is that we are going to leave the boat and go on vacation soon and I don’t want to have to add more chemicals to the watermaker therefore we are trying to conserve water and not use the watermaker at all. Rick has been washing the cockpit using salt water. We haven’t skimped on drinking water but we have been washing more often than showering. With this rain cloud heading our way, I raced below and got the soap and shampoo. Standing in the cockpit I had a lovely shower without using one precious drop of our fresh water in the tank. Brad and Alana (Witches Song) have offered to loan us their fresh water “jerry jugs” while they are away next week.
I cooked the lobster in foil with butter and garlic and again we ate in the cockpit but this day it was extremely clean. After dinner, we both read for a while and then went to bed early.
The night time rain continued but we can’t really complain because the
days have been mostly sunny with just the odd shower.
Rick spent the morning servicing the Gulper pump. This is the pump that drains the bath tub and it seemed to be pumping very slowly. I watched and supervised the servicing.
After lunch, Rick polished the stainless in cockpit that is normally a little difficult to reach when the bimini is in place. We are both anxious to put the rest of the canvas up and have a little more shade but it has been well worth leaving it off for a while.
We both jumped overboard for a swim in the early afternoon and it felt wonderful. It was a race however to see who could get their fair share of the pail of fresh water (about 1.5 gallons) I put in the cockpit for the two of us to bath.
We had just finished bathing when Punto and Cigarette came by again. This
time they had a large red snapper for us.
Since I have no flour on board,I cooked the fish with butter and garlic similar to the lobster.
Northern swells have made being onboard a little uncomfortable lately however last night the NE wind was strong enough to prevent the swells from rolling the boat and we had a wonderful night of sleep with absolutely no rain drills.
Rick continued polishing the stainless in the cockpit early in the morning before the sun got too hot. Afterward we went ashore, climbed our exercise hill and walked into Harvey Vale to do a little grocery shopping.
Rick and I were very impressed because we were able to purchase everything on our list without having to go into Hillsborough. Some of the items we wanted like “Pam non-stick spray”, peanut butter and even the ground coffee we like from Dominican Republic would have not been found at all on Carriacou a couple of years ago. Now we can get most things from our three little supermarkets and fruit stand on the beach in Harvey Vale.
We stopped at Bek’s for a local lunch and we were not disappointed.
Rick dropped the groceries and me off at the boat before going to Witches Song for their “water” jerry jugs. It was a good plan but the water tanks at the haul out were empty so we will have to wait for a fill up from the water truck, hopefully tomorrow.
Rick finished polishing the last of the stainless in the cockpit. He released the ropes holding the wind generator and put the nose cone back on. We now have extra amps and it was finally time to put the bimini on providing us with a little shade in the cockpit.
Now, not to push my luck but, I was getting very anxious to get the sails out from inside the cabin and up where they belong. The problem was that Rick brought a part for the head sail furler that needs to be installed at the top of the mast before the sail goes on. It’s been so rolly lately with the north swell that it would be inhumane to ask anyone to climb the mast. However, I calculated that this afternoon at slack tide would probably be the best time all this week. Having convinced Rick of this he went up to the very top of the mast and sat there for an hour. During that time, he re attached the masthead light, fed the headsail halyard into the mast and replaced the part of the furler. When he finally descended, poor guy was sea sick from the side to side motion at the top of the mast. I had to give him a Gravol while he rested for a while. The good news is that the sails and cockpit cushions can be removed from down below tomorrow.
At dinner, Rick fell in love all over again. I made him chicken roti filling, his very favourite. We didn’t have any roti skins onboard so we ate it like a stew but he said it is the filling not the skin that he likes.
We sat in the cockpit eating dinner and watching the sunset. Wouldn’t you know it…. just to make things perfect, there was an outstanding ‘green flash’ with the sunset.
As it got dark we looked ashore and noticed that there were no lights anywhere in Harvey Vale or Hermitage. Someone had lit a couple of candles at the Lazy Turtle Pizza but that was it.
We retired down into the cabin with our lights, and everything else we needed for the night.
It is one week today since the boat was launched and today we hoisted the
sails. It was a nice feeling putting the sails while on a mooring rather
than at anchor. I am always nervous when raising the headsail that we might
just sail off the anchor. It was no problem today. The winds were light but
that was probably because it was 7AM in the morning. After raising the two
headsails we stopped for breakfast and then put the main sail up.
I even polished a little brass today while Rick continued cleaning on deck and attaching the anchors.
In the afternoon we both went for a swim and tried to shower and rinse in a rain shower that arrived at the right time, but there just wasn’t enough rain and we had to use a little of our tank water. The haul out still has not received water yet so we are being very careful with what we have. Afterward we sat in the shade of the cockpit and read for a while.
Our friends Lois and Gary (Calico Clam) arrived in the bay. We haven’t seen them since Puerto La Cruz Venezuela so we jumped in the dinghy and went over to say hello. They are on their way home to Georgia where they will end their cruising life style after ten years and become dirt dwellers. Since this is their last time travelling up the island chain they are taking it slowly and will be here for a few days. We arranged to meet for dinner at the Lambi Queen tomorrow night.
This was an “Only in Carriacou” day! We were up early and listened to a couple of cruising nets on the SSB before heading ashore. I took our laundry into Selma, the laundry lady and then we stopped at the Alexis Supermarket for fresh (still hot) bread from the bakery.
We wanted to go into Hillsborough today to pick up some SVG airline tickets to take us from Carriacou to Grenada and while there we did some grocery shopping.
Rick sat at Cuthbert’s bar and limed with some locals and cruisers we know while I finished the last of the shopping. We took the Luxin bus back to Harvey Vale. It was a fun ride with a lot of joking going on. Luxin dropped us at the jetty, we returned to the boat and I started putting away the groceries. When there was nothing left to put away I realized we were missing a bag. Since I don’t have Luxin’s phone number I called Norbert in his bus and asked him to check with Luxin to see if we left a bag of groceries on his bus. It was only about 20 minutes later when I heard someone calling Luxin on the VHF and he was in range for me to hear him. When his call was finished I called him on the VHF and learned that yes our bag was left on his bus. He had given it to Norbert about 5 minutes ago. Next my phone rang and it was Troy who has a restaurant in Harvey Vale and hustles as a boat boy. He was calling me on my cell phone to ask if I wanted any limes. When I hung up from talking with Troy, Sherwin called. Norbert had left our bag of groceries at the Lambi Queen and we could pick it up whenever. Pretty good service and, only in Carriacou.
I called Kelly at the haul out to check the status of water. He had
good news. The
water was supposed to be delivered about an hour after 9AM this morning. It
was now 2PM and although it hadn’t been delivered yet, because they said
they would be there this morning means that they will probably show up
sometime today. I worked away below and Rick was scrubbing the side decks
on his hands and knees and sure enough at 2:30PM we saw the water truck
arrive.
Rick quickly went ashore and picked up the clean laundry for me and then headed to the haulout with the three jerry cans we had borrowed. Two trips or 30 gallons (thank goodness we have a water maker and this is not the norm) were enough for today; he will pick up the rest tomorrow. We both decided that lugging water jugs on a regular basis would not be fun.
While Rick was busy, I started the engine because it has been a week since we last started it. After I let it run for 30 minutes, I shut the engine off and started the generator. Both started beautifully without a problem.
At 5:30PM we went ashore and walked our exercise hill on the way to the Lambi Queen for Friday night dinner. We were meeting Gary and Lois there with their friends Carol and Richard (Ellusive).
Everyone ordered fish and it was cooked nicely. Sherwin brought us our bag of groceries just before we left so that it wouldn’t be forgotten again.
I don’t know how we did it but the timing of our walk back to the haulout and then in the dinghy to the boat was perfect. The dinghy was secured behind the boat and we were down below just starting to open ports and hatches when Rick said that it was starting to rain. We didn’t see it coming at all but there was a nice downpour after we arrived onboard.
It was a terrible, terrible night and morning. The north swell was causing the boat to roll so badly that it kept us awake all night and made it difficult to do much during the day.
After breakfast in the cockpit, Rick continued lugging jerry cans of
water from shore. Our tank is full and I had enough water in the bath tub to
wash some of the canvas pieces that were used to cover hatches and winches
while the boat was stored onshore for five months.
We lasted until after lunch when I strongly suggested that it was time to get off the boat and put our feet on solid ground for a while.
We went to visit Fitzroy and he surprised us with the fact that he is now
raising chickens. Most are still very young but in the new year I’m looking
forward to tasting one. We are now referring to Fitzroy as “farmer Fitzroy”.
We had a nice visit and then went for a walk to spend a little longer on
shore. We stopped and visited with JP (Lumba Dive) who has said he will
place a permanent mooring (sand screw) for us before we leave on vacation.
Next we walked to Alexis Supermarket and picked up a few things. Finally we stopped at the Lambi Queen and limed with Cigarette and Hope for a while.
By the time we got back to the boat things seemed to have settled down significantly. I checked the weather and the winds and seas are now forecast to be North East rather than North which makes a big difference in our comfort level.
A
boat launching was to take place last week on Petite Martinique (PM) but was
postponed until today. We thought we would make our way over there but since
everyone we know with speed boats was totally booked already we were going
to try and get a bus to Hillsborough and then another one to Windward where
we would be able to take a water taxi to PM. Buses don’t run frequently on
Sundays but our plan was to try and time our leaving with the church crowd.
We left the dingy at the haul out and walked through Harvey Vale. It was a little after 10AM and we could tell that the crowd at the Lambi Queen had been there a while. Cigarette was just putting out his happy hour sign “3 beers for the price of 2”. The soca music was blaring and a few people were already cooking on an open fire pit. We said our hellos and continued walking. There were no buses on the road and any buses that passed us going the wrong direction were actually taxis for the morning.
We
walked through the town of L’Esterre and when we reach the Hardwood Bar we
decided it was time to make a decision. We could walk all the way to
Hillsborough but if we couldn’t get a bus to Windward it would be a long way
back. Decision made, we would spend the day on Paradise Beach and forget
about PM.
We stopped for a while at the Hardwood Bar and said hello to a few
friends. They were waiting for Sherwin to pick them up in his boat and take
them to PM. Sure enough, he arrived with a boatload, a few more climbed
aboard and they headed off. When all was quiet, we strolled along the beach
back toward Off the Hook.
Curtis had just arrived when we got there so while
he ran a few errands and opened his bar we sat on the Adirondack chairs he
keeps on the beach. When the sun got too hot I moved to the shade of the big
almond tree and sat in a swing. We had a nice morning there liming with
Curtis and then strolled again along the beach back to the Hardwood Bar. Miss
Joy who owns the Hardwood made us chicken and chips for lunch and shortly
after we finished eating, Joe and Elaine showed up. We sat with them for the
rest of the afternoon and watched a great game of beach volley ball. We
tried to hang in there for the dance contest but things just didn’t get
organized so the four of us started walking back to Harvey Vale.
It was barely light as we made our way down the exercise hill and back to the boat.
