Mayday in most of the islands including Carriacou is officially, Labour Day, a bank holiday. Almost everything was closed and there was a parade in Hillsborough that we didn’t go to see. Instead, Rick replaced more than twenty five hose clamps on the water maker plumbing system under the forward bunk. While he was doing that I made some bread dough for refrigerator rolls and put them to rise, where else but in the refrigerator.
In the afternoon, we were a little late jumping in for a swim and I knew that I would be in trouble with Nigel. Sure enough, at 4PM he arrived to pick me up and go hustle for the Lambi Queen Friday night dinner and steel band, I was still in the water. I explained that when I had to choose between hustling and swimming, the swimming won out.
Rick and I arrived at Lambi shortly before Linda and Gary (July India) who were joining us for the evening. The dinner and the entertainment were excellent, I had barracuda and Rick had chicken. Even though I hadn’t gone with Nigel, he had hustled up a good size crowd.
I received an email from our friends Jeff and Susan letting us know that some other friends, Cathy and Ernie on Stonecutter and Val and Lloyd on Puddle Jumper were all coming up to Carriacou from Grenada today. We were to keep a watch for them.
Rick went into Hillsborough after breakfast in search of pecans for my carrot cake recipe. He came back with some mangos, papayas, and carrots but no pecans, not on this island.
I made a chicken curry stew and baked some nice dinner rolls for a late lunch, early dinner. While the oven was on, I also made the carrot cake to take with us to a barbecue at Susan and Roy’s house tomorrow.
The Amelia ferry arrived and sure enough, the rigging as promised, was onboard.
The water was extremely calm today, as there was no current, waves or wind. In fact, the boats were all floating around in circles. While in the water even without a mask on, we could see every ripple in the sand below. The water is about 15 feet where we are moored and it seemed as though we could just reach our hand down and pick up a few sea urchins.
In the afternoon we saw our friends pull into the bay and anchor. We went for a swim and gave them a while to anchor and settle in. We then started to dinghy over to say hello. On our way, Kadisha, Zacharie and Mia were all playing in the water on a surf board and were holding onto one of the boats behind us. They called when we were passing and asked for a tow over to the boat “Stillus”. Three on a surf board yelling, “faster” and Zach even tried to stand. They all fell off multiple times but wanted more. When we finally got to Stillus, they then wanted us to tow them quickly around the boat on their backs without the board. While we were doing this, Nigel came by, he offered an opportunity for me to make up for standing him up last night. I could go hustling with him tonight. I figured I could do this and invite our friends as well.
When we arrived at Puddle Jumper, I had them convinced that Lambi Queen was the place to go. It didn’t work so well with Stonecutter. They had already been talking with some other boats and learned that a crowd usually goes to Lucky’s on Saturday night. If you can’t beat them, join them which we did. Even Nigel, came to Lucky’s.
I knew that Rick was anxious to get started on the rigging when the
poached eggs were served almost before I finished my first cup of coffee..JPG)
When breakfast was done, I quickly made the cream cheese icing for the carrot cake and put everything in the fridge before going on deck to help Rick.
He was super organized and we quickly had the four lower shrouds up and connected. The uppers we left for tomorrow.
Roy picked us up at the haulout at 11:30AM and took us up to the house. Susan had a beautiful prime rib roast ready to put on the barbecue. Meanwhile we were shown all their new appliances that had arrived from Europe. She now has a beautiful six burner stove with a separate grill as well as two ovens and a storage drawer. She also got a new dishwasher and a full size fridge with a matching full size freezer.
We had a very pleasant visit and it was almost dark when we returned to the boat.
We didn’t rush outside today because there were heavy dark clouds overhead. We waited until the sky was reasonably clear before hoisting Rick up the mast.
The upper stays are a little more work to install than the lowers so it took us until 12:30PM before everything was attached. Rick will still have to go up again another day to reattach the mast head, wind indicator and SSB antenna but at least the mast is now secure.
In the afternoon, the sky had cleared and we both jumped in for a swim.
We had a nice breakfast then Rick left and went to town for fuel, food and money. While he was there I asked him to visit Dr MacIntosh (Carol) since Dr Freddy is off island. He still has this nagging cough. Carol checked him out and said it has been going around the island since January. She gave him some more antibiotics to take for it.
While he was gone, I tidied and cleaned the boat. Everything was finished by the time he returned. We had a quick lunch and we were just about to settle down for a short siesta when Val and Lloyd (Puddle Jumper) arrived.
We gabbed with them for quite a while but I didn’t really have anything to offer them in the way of drinks so I suggested that we go ashore to the Lambi Queen and lime for a while. Eventually Ted and Mia along with Brianna joined us. A British couple, Mike and Beverley who had just anchored their catamaran near us (Whitebird) came and joined the group. Finally, Alana (Witches Song) stopped by as well.
When Barbara arrived (the cook) we ordered a large platter of Lambi Fritters. They disappeared in no time flat so we ordered another platter.
A rain shower went by and we had left everything wide open but it didn’t last long enough for anything inside to even get damp.
The sun had set by the time we returned to the boat. It had been a nice afternoon.
Today we were invited to join a gang of cruisers who were going to Paradise beach. We left the boat at 10:45AM and were on our way to the jetty when it dawned on me that Beverley and Mike who we met yesterday might like to join us. We stopped at their boat and found Mike had gone to shore but Bev was anxious to come along.
It didn’t take her long to change, send a message to Mike and shut things down on the boat. She climbed into our dinghy and we joined a crowd of more than 12 people waiting on the dock.
It was a pleasant walk to Paradise and when we arrived at off the hook, we learned that others were joining us by Hardwood. The large crowd left and walked along the beach to join their friends. Ernie stayed with us and Cathy and Bev went for the walk but said they would return in time for lunch.
Ernie, Rick and I went for a nice dip in the sea. Eventually, Sherwin came by and joined us for drinks and lunch. We all ordered the Blue Marlin lunch and enjoyed it tremendously.
We all walked along the beach and joined the others near the Hardwood Bar. Miss Joy called a greeting as we arrived. Michael and Lynn, a couple of locals we met this year were in having a swim. Lynn dove under the water and brought up a beautiful large star fish (just for a look).
It was a pleasant day on the beach with as usual, too much sun but no burns.
We walked with Bev back to the jetty and our dinghy leaving the others far behind.
It was laundry day onboard Wind-Borne III. Rick took it ashore for me and returned with a warm loaf of pan bread from the Alexis Supermarket.
While he was gone I used some of the refrigerator dough to make cinnamon rolls.
At 2PM just as my guests were due to arrive the sky opened up with a lovely rain shower. This meant that after just turning off the oven, we had to close the ports and hatches. The cockpit cushions had to be tucked out of the rain and when it stopped, five minutes later, we had to dry everything off and open up again.
Alana (Witches Song) as well as Bev and Mike (Whitebird)came for a visit and slide show. Mike and I had tea while the others preferred cold drinks. The cinnamon buns were still warm when I served them and Bev brought some sapodilla fruit to share. The sapodilla trees are all loaded with fruit at this time of year, so it doesn’t get any fresher.
It was 5:30PM when everyone left. We relaxed for a while then, Rick prepared a nice pasta dinner.
Rick wanted to work on a couple of things inside the boat today and the only thing I had to do was, stay out of the way.
First, he emptied the bilge and cleaned the floor of the bilge while cleaning the bottom of the mast. He was hoping there was extra VHF wire in the mast so he could use the existing and clip off the top if it was pulled through a little further. No such luck, the wire is out of stock everywhere right now, so he’ll wrap the top with rubber tape and see if that will help it to last a little longer.
Next, it was time to service the engine. After only 22hours on the engine this year it is time to change the oil. It seems like a bit of overkill but it is part of the preparation for the boat to go on the hard.
After changing the oil, he replaced the racor filter and checked the transmission fluid. So other than spraying the engine with oil and loosening the fan belt. The engine is ready to put away for the season.
At 1PM, Dave (Kasheater) arrived to look at the work involved in replacing our counters in the galley and head. He will give us an estimate so we can decide whether to do it all or do it in stages. Hopefully it will be done while we are on the hard this season.
At 3:50PM, Nigel arrived. He was ten minutes early but he wanted to make
sure that I didn’t stand him up this Friday night.
We did a thorough boat-to-boat hustle for the Lambi Queen and then returned to shore.
It was obvious that it would be a very busy night when a party of ten and five others walked into the bar before Sherwin arrived. Poor Claire was on her own and asked if I would help her a little behind the bar. I did my best but I doubt they will want to hire me soon.
We had nothing planned for the day. Rick went ashore in the morning and picked up fresh bread and mangos.
We both went ashore just before noon and had lunch (Oil Down) at Bayside
Restaurant (Natasha’s place) and then walked to the other end of town to see
what was happening at Lambi Queen.
There were huge piles of earth dumped on the edge of the road and beach. Sherwin wasn’t there but Cigarette was. He said they were taking the earth from the back yard (where they will build a new cistern and guest house) and putting it by the road where they will widen the road a little for parking and plant some trees for the beach.
On our way back through town we met Cathy and Ernie (Stonecutter) having the same lunch we had. After joining them for a while, I invited them for sundowners and the slide show. They had heard about it and wanted to see it.
Back at the boat, after letting the dough rise, I put a few more cinnamon buns in the oven to bake and prepared some cheese and crackers.
We had a nice evening watching the DVD in the cockpit.
May
10th, CarriacouWow, it was after 8AM when I awoke and that was only because the phone rang. It was Mother’s Day and Rick had let me sleep. Susan called to invite us up to her place for a Mother’s Day lunch along with Joe and Elaine. That sure let Rick off easy.
When I got up I went to check the internet but the power must be down on the island. It usually goes down for a while every Sunday morning. Today was a little different, we learned later that the power was going to be down all day.
No power, put Susan into almost panic mode. She had just arranged for a
dinner for eleven people to celebrate Mother’s Day with her Mother. She had
no cold beer! I was able to buy a case of beer from Cigarette at the Lambi
Queen but it wasn’t cold.
Next,
Roy tried to find ice but since no one east of Six Roads had power, no one
had ice. We went up the hill to their house where Roy then made a few phone
calls. He found ice! On this island nothing is ever more than five miles
away so he and Joe, jumped into the car and drove to Hillsborough where they
were able to buy a few bags of ice.
Without power, Susan’s new ovens won’t work even though it is a gas stove, the two ovens need electricity for the clock. Without the clock they cannot be lit. The pump from the cistern is also useless without power, which means no water.
Well, Roy came to the rescue by filling a tank on the roof, which
provided gravity feed of water to at least the one washroom and kitchen.
The stovetop burners worked fine, the large pork roast was on the barbecue so the only issue was the dinner rolls I had prepared. We had to bake them in the barbecue as well. They baked perfectly.
We had a wonderful day with Joe and Elaine (Island Girl), Sally and Paul (Stillus), Daniela and Jerry (TBYH) and of course, Roy, Susan and her Mom, Marjorie. It was dark when they drove us back down the hill.
We had left our dinghy at the Lambi Queen and when we got out of the car, Cigarette who was there said he was starting to worry about us and glad to see us safely back.
We had a lovely day onboard. The winds were light so Rick wanted to go up the mast again. He was up there quite awhile, fixing the VHF antenna wire, sealing the top of the mast and installing the wind indicator and SSB antennae.
There was less roll than last time he was up there but the concentration of applying the silicone neatly and detailed work all in one place, Rick forgot to look around once in awhile. When I lowered him down he was feeling very dizzy and seasick but the job was done.
After he sat on the deck for a while and got his sea legs back, it was lunch time and then time for a swim.
Meanwhile, my ear had been bothering me a little yesterday and by the afternoon, I had a major sore throat. It was so severe I couldn’t swallow without a lot of pain. I diagnosed it as an ear and throat infection (who knows?) and put myself on Cipro and ibuprofen. The problem was I couldn’t swallow the pills so had to crush them as best I could.
It was tough trying to sleep but I did feel a little better in the morning so continued taking the pills and skipped going to the doctor for now.
There was a little problem onboard. We were almost out of ibuprofen. Rick wanted to go into town anyway for some fuel so he picked up the pills and a few groceries while there.
In the afternoon, I was feeling much better so prepared some refrigerator dough and cooked chicken wings to take with us to (Whitebird).
We had a nice evening with Mike and Bev first by watching the sun set and then they provided us with a slide show of their time in Morocco.
I still have a lot of pain but it’s more noticeable in my right ear and throat now so I added an antibiotic eardrop to the treatment. If things haven’t improved significantly by tomorrow I will pay a visit to the clinic.
My dough was almost overflowing the bowl in the fridge so I made some cheese buns for lunch and cooked a huge pile of chicken wings which turned out much better than the ones I baked yesterday.
Rick rebuilt the macerator pump because it seems to require servicing each season. He also made some new starboard covers to replace the depth sounder and knot meter so they can be removed rather than covered while the boat is on the hard.
We had Nolan come by and showed him the counters in the galley and head, that we would like for him to replace this summer. He said he will get back to us with an estimate and meanwhile I started trying to order the sinks that we will need.
I awoke feeling much better. All of the antibiotics I’m taking are kicking in. We listened to Eric from Trinidad, who reports the weather each morning on the SSB. He announced the first tropical wave of the season. But when I checked later in the day it appeared to have dissipated so we’ll know tomorrow whether Africa is shooting duds at us.
I worked on cleaning up our old computer so it can be donated to someone. We went for a swim and then called Punto and Barb to invite them to join us for the Bogles Maroon tomorrow night. Barb answered and said that Punto was in Belmont preparing meat for the Belmont Maroon tomorrow night. Two Maroons on the same night is awkward. Normally they are held on different nights. We had to make a decision. Belmont will be a very local and small Maroon while we know that Bogles will have the big drums and Maroon dancers. We agreed to go first to the Belmont one, stay awhile and then move on to the other side of the island to Bogles.
We went for a nice swim and then Rick prepared dinner. Even though I’m feeling much better, he is still pampering me.
Rick had been wanting (I don’t think that is an appropriate term but never the less, his words) to clean the holding tank.
I definitely stayed out of the way while he was doing that and it took
him a good portion of the morning. Afterwards he went to the haul out and
picked up some items he had ordered..JPG)
In the afternoon, we went for a swim and then gradually got ready to go ashore. I thought we were to meet Punto and Barb up the road toward Belmont at 5:30PM. We took the dinghy ashore at Lambi Queen and Sherwin suggested we come along in his truck and we would pick up Punto and Barb along the way. They were already at the corner waiting for us and then I learned that I had the time all wrong. We were supposed to have met them at 4:30PM. It all worked out fine because with Sherwin driving us rather than walking we arrived about the same time if we had walked leaving at 4:30PM
It was a very local Maroon on the beach which is a black beach located just behind Sherwin’s mother’s house. She has a rum shop by her house so we stopped and had a little visit with her before going down to the beach. While there, we saw Norbert driving by so I called to him and asked that he come back later and take us to Bogles.
The food at the Belmont Maroon was very good. There were no big drums or dancing. The Maroon finished just before dark because it would be difficult to walk on the uneven ground afterward.
.JPG)
When
we arrived at the road, Norbert was there waiting for us and took us all the
way to Bogles which is not his route. In fact, it is a double bus ride
normally to get there or a taxi. Along the way, we noticed that any fields
that were to be used for growing had been dug, ploughed, and waiting for
planting. There are a couple of tractors on the island so people with a
large field hire the tractors to plough it for them. Most however is done by
hand.
When we arrived at Bogles, Norbert parked the bus and wouldn’t accept any
money. He said that he was going to party with us. Since we had eaten at
Belmont we didn’t want any more food, even though it is all free.
There was a huge crowd waiting for the drums and dances that started about 8:30PM. They were very good and although we were enjoying the Maroon, at 10PM I felt it was time to leave.
Norbert was there waiting for us and as we drove across the island we could see that it had been raining. That’s what a Maroon is all about. It had been a heavy rain everywhere else but there was none while we were in Bogles.
Norbert dropped us off at Lambi Queen and still wouldn’t let us pay.
The steel band was playing and after we sat for a few minutes they began playing a new song (Rum Family) just for me. I had requested it last week and they said they would learn it for me this week. It is good thing that we showed up. Two Maroons and Lambi Queen all in one afternoon evening is a lot.
Anyway, as they started to play it and when I recognised it and nudged Rick to tell him, I saw Leroy, the leader look over at me and smile because I recognised what they had done for me.
We left the Lambi Queen at about 11:30PM and Rasta Randy saw us and came to help us pull the dinghy into the water.
Ok, this is becoming weird. Rick went ashore in the morning to get bread and a few other things. As he walked by Denise’s fruit and veggie stand she gave him a bag of tomatoes and two bunches of plantains and she wouldn’t charge him for them.
When he returned to the boat, he finished applying caulking around the companionway door and started on the stern of the boat then we sat and had some nice tomato sandwiches for lunch.
The winds were very light and although it had rained during the night everything was dry. Even though the sky was very overcast, we decided to take down the sails. The headsail is the largest and usually the most difficult so we began with it. It dropped like a rock, neatly piled on the deck. Without any wind, it folded easily. We finished folding and bagging the two head sails and we were in the process of folding the mainsail when I watched the sky turn very dark behind the hills. It was such perfect timing, all sails were neatly stored below, Rick had the furling line tidied and in place as well as all the halyards secured on the mast properly when the first drops of rain hit the deck.
It was time for a siesta.
We went for a swim in the afternoon and then got ready to go to the Lazy Turtle for pizza. Since we were ready early, we decided to dinghy over to check on Val and Lloyd (Puddle Jumper) and see how they were doing. While talking we mentioned where we were off to for dinner and they decided to join us. I’m so glad that they did because shortly after our pizza was delivered, Socony and Levi arrived and sang for us. A little later, Andrea and Yurk arrived and Andrea added drumming to the guitar music. It was an excellent combination. A little later still, Sherwin arrived and also joined us.
We as usual were the first to leave but it was late for us so we said our goodbyes. I heard the music stop shortly after we returned to our boat.
It was good that we removed the sails yesterday because although the forecast was for very light winds all weekend, it isn’t happening, they are blowing 15 to 20 knots today.
Rick finished his caulking today; I emptied and cleaned beneath and behind the starboard settee.
In the afternoon, we both had a good swim and then relaxed in the cockpit.
We have started to eat down what is in the fridge and cupboards so tonight we had teriyaki chicken, scalloped potatoes, cabbage and plantain. A weird mix but it created a nice hole in the refrigerator.
Rick requested French toast for breakfast which almost emptied our last jug of maple syrup.
I worked on emptying and cleaning under the port settee and then the hanging locker in the aft cabin. I sorted through our big first aid kit, which contains many things that we will probably never use like dozens of syringes, equipment for emergency surgery etc. Some items we will keep but most are no longer necessary.
Rick meanwhile was out on deck servicing the furlers.
In the afternoon, we went for our swim and then sat in the cockpit watching the last few boats arrive before dinner.
We have a tropical wave south of 10 degrees and it is very weak but it is the first of the season. Meanwhile a low-pressure area with circulation has formed up in the Bahamas and Florida area. Once it crosses Florida into the Gulf of Mexico it just may form into the first tropical storm of the season.
We had a lot of running around to do today. First however, I had to strip the bed and gather laundry. So the first stop was the laundromat and then we needed to go into Hillsborough. The first bus that came by was Tuwie. We have taken his bus before but not often, so I was surprised when after climbing in he told us that Icelyn (Sherwin’s Mother) wanted us to come to her place (in Belmont) on Sunday afternoon. It was her birthday. I wonder how we would have found out about the party if we had taken a different bus.
Next stop was the medical clinic where I gave Dr. Carol a large bag of items from our medical kit that she may or may not use but it was the only way I knew to dispose of all the syringes.
We picked up a few groceries, Rick dropped of our propane tank at the gas station and we were finished in town. I asked Norbert if he would drive back to Harvey Vale by way of Bellvue so we could pick up chicken at the Cow Foot Restaurant. He always says yes to that and he knows I will get chicken for him as well. We left Hillsborough and before we got very far (Brunswick) we came across Uncle Polo’s bus stalled by the side of the road. Everyone from that bus jumped into Norbert’s bus and we all went the long route to Harvey Vale. When we arrived at the Cow Foot, Rick got out and went in to get our chicken but it wasn’t ready. Teresa, the owner thought when I called her that I was making reservations for three people for chicken lunch. My fault, I had neglected to tell her it was “take away”. I jumped out of the bus and Norbert said he would come back for us. The chicken didn’t take long and nor did Norbert.
We returned to the boat put things away, finished our lunch and had a quick siesta. In the afternoon we took items to the yacht club to give to Trevor for the Carriacou Children’s Education Fund auction that will take place in the summer when we are not here. Well Trevor wasn’t at the club so we try again later.
Next we went to Lambi Queen and got rid of a machete and some outdated flares by giving them to Cigarette.
It was time to pick up our clean laundry but rather than take the dingy we walked to the other end of town and picked it up. We were just putting everything into the dinghy when a new couple arrived at the dock and asked where to buy things in town. We all returned to the Lambi Queen, limed for a while and then we all went our own ways.
One more stop at the yacht club but Trevor still wasn’t around so we returned to the boat.
Rick and I were sitting in the cockpit eating dinner when he exclaimed that the boat yard was on fire. The flames were huge. I quickly called Jerry who we saw in town earlier but he answered from Canouan a (a few islands north of here). We saw Tim, the yard manager jump into his dinghy and race ashore so Rick did the same. In fact, many dinghies were racing over there. When they arrive it was found to be someone burning the brush in the field beside the boatyard not the yard itself. I quickly phoned Jerry back and apologized for any panic I may have caused him.
In the morning, we both continued with our boat storage preparation. Rick took down each of the screens and re-glued the screen to the frame, which seems to be required each year because the heat or sun on the metal disintegrates the existing glue.
I emptied and cleaned storage areas. We ran the generator and topped up the water tank so that I can begin washing the canvas.
A Bayfield anchored away back in the bay. We were wondering who it might be when, Dennis and Allayne (Audrey Paige) came by to say hello. Problem solved, we now know which Bayfield it is. We were going ashore for a party (Alana is leaving and two Birthdays to celebrate) at the Olde Rum Shoppe in the evening so we invited them along.
We went ashore a little early so that I could stop and pick up a little gift for Alana to take with her and we limed for a while at Lambi Queen. Ted walked by with the girls, Mia and Zachary and a friend, Helen. He stopped and invited us to a party at his house on Monday night.
As usual, the Old Rum Shop was a little slow in opening and by the time they did there was quite a crowd. Sherwin joined us later in the evening and we stayed until well after 10PM.
This morning Rick polished stainless on the deck while I continued packing things away down below.
I baked some cinnamon and raisin buns to serve to Dennis and Allayne in the afternoon. They came for a visit and we compared Bayfield parts and ideas. It was nice to see them again and good fun discussing boat differences.
They left and we jumped overboard for a swim and then sat in the cockpit to watch for arriving boats. Sherwin came by and joined us and only a few minutes later, Bram (Bad Dog) came aboard as well.
Chicken and vegetables were in the oven baking while we were liming so when our friends left I just had to cook up some rice and dinner was served.
We were up and at it first thing in the morning. Rick went to the store for bread and I washed the cockpit cushions before starting on the canvas.
Just before lunch, we had a call from the Haulout. The carpenter that was recommended for redoing our counters was there and waiting for us. Rick quickly went ashore to get him and although it was his first time on a yacht, he managed very well. We came to an agreement and while we are home this year he will redo our counters.
In the afternoon, we went for a swim with just enough time left for me to get ready before Nigel arrived for our Friday night hustle.
Dinner at the Lambi Queen was very good and the band was excellent. Norbert drove up while we were there and called me over to his bus. He had been carrying around a bag of mangos all day hoping to see us. I thanked him and carried the bag back to our table. I was the envy of everyone else who wanted to know where to get mangos.
As usual, we left before they finished and made our way back to the boat.
We are getting close to our haulout date. Today I washed the bimini and connector piece leaving just the dodger and jerry can covers remaining to be washed and dried.
After removing the outboard motor from the dinghy, we were paddling ashore when our neighbour (at anchor) Bram, saw us and gave us a tow using his dinghy.
Rick scrubbed and cleaned the dinghy bottom then collapsed the inflated tubes to clean sand and salt from the inside as well. It is sparkling and ready to be stored. When we paddled back to the boat, Rick continued to clean the tubes while I jumped overboard for a swim.
I washed the last of the canvas this morning and hung it to dry. The unshaded cockpit is now hitting oven temperatures so it is a place that we will now avoid for a few days.
Barbara and Winston (My Island Girl) came by in their dinghy. They are anchored well back in the bay and arrived yesterday. It took all of us a while checking schedules to find some time that we could get together. Tomorrow for breakfast works for everyone.
Rick and I removed the medicine cabinet in the head. The laminate on the wall behind the medicine cabinet will be replaced and we thought it would be easier for us to remove it rather than leave it for the carpenter. I started preparing an instruction list for the carpenter so that when we get together next, I won’t forget things.
After a quick lunch we got ready and went to visit Fitzroy for a
while. We couldn’t stay too long because we had a long walk to Belmont for
Icelyn’s (Sherwin’s Mom) birthday party. We got as far as the Old Rum Shop
where we met Joe and Elaine who were going to the party as well. We joined
them for a drink first and then continued on our way. They were hoping to
snag a ride.
It was a hot day but the breeze made the walk very enjoyable. There were
mostly family and neighbours present at the party so it was quite an honour
for Joe, Elaine and Rick and I to be invited. The ladies had cooked up a
large Oil Down (I’ve never seen a small Oil Down) as well as some stewed
mutton and bread, homemade roti skins and filler. The men caught some fish
and cooked it on the
barbecue while everyone limed and sang. Socony was entertaining with his
guitar and Joe even played and sang a few songs. Tuwie sang along with all
songs.
Joe and Elaine left before us but around 5PM I suggested to Rick that if
we wanted to get back and walk the hills in daylight we should leave. After
saying our goodbyes, we headed up the hill to the road and started walking
toward Harvey Vale. I don’t think we had walked 100 yards when we arrived at
Tante Jean’s Rum Shop and who should we see sitting just inside but Joe and
Elaine. We joined them (again) and met
Tante Jean and Kevin a young man who just happened to be there. After
another drink, the four of us started walking up the road when a bus came
by. Elaine just about through herself on the ground in the middle of the
road but the bus would have stopped anyway. Now, with the bus ride we were
back in Harvey Vale in plenty of time before sunset. We got as far as the
Lambi Queen when we saw Punto and Barb relaxing with a drink. Of course, we
had to join them. Finally, it was after 6PM, we watched the sunset and then
started on our way to the Lazy Turtle for dinner but learned that JB had
closed it tonight.
So, we made it back to the boat just as darkness arrived and ate leftovers
for dinner instead of pizza.
This morning we met Barb and Winston (My Island Girl) for breakfast at Natasha’s (Bayside Restaurant). We were all have Bake and Eggs and she gets her eggs from her own chickens so often she only has a few. On our way I stopped into Alexis Supermarket and picked up a dozen eggs for her. Natasha makes the lightest textured Bakes so we all enjoyed breakfast and had a good time catching up on happenings this season. While sitting there we were joined by Jim (Watermark III). Barb and Punto came by and got a take-away breakfast with them for their trip to Grenada on the Amelia. The travel rule with the Amelia ferry is that you must be on the boat by 10:30AM but it leaves whenever the captain is ready. There isn’t a set departure time so we saw Punto and Barb still waiting on deck when we were on our way back to the dinghy.
I stopped at After Ours (Phyllis’s supermarket) and picked up 8 lbs of chicken wings to bake this afternoon.
We returned to the boat and I emptied the drawers and shelves in the head where the carpenter will be working then with nothing else to do while the chicken was thawing, Rick and I jumped in for a swim.
Afterwards it took a couple of hours to cook the chick%20and%20Joe%20entertain%20at%20Ted's%20party.jpg)
en
because I had to bake it in two batches in the oven. It finished in time to
leave for Ted’s party but at the same time a very dark cloud filled the sky
as it came over the hills. We met Bev and Mike (Whitebird) at the Haulout
dock. They were going to the party but didn’t know where to find Ted’s house
so we walked together.
The rain looked imminent as we walked along the beach, so Rick suggested
a short stop at the Lazy Turtle for drinks as we waited for it to pass.
While there, Susan and Roy arrived to pick up a couple of pizza’s to take
home so we limed with them for a while.
We arrived at Ted’s house and joined the party. Ted is leaving the island
and moving back to England where his children will continue their education.
Josh is already there in boarding school but this isn’t working out
well. Zacharie will go into high school this coming year so they will live
close to the schools with Ted. Mia will remain here with her Mom until
she is ready for high school. The going away party was also for Ted’s friend
Helen who has been visiting Carriacou for the last couple of weeks. Elaine
and Joe were at the party along with Aiden (Slinger). Joe and Slinger
entertained us all evening with their guitars and some wonderful songs. Ted
joined in with his harmonicas and everyone else joined in by singing when
they knew the words and even times when they didn’t. Helen made some
excellent curried chicken and rice for everyone.
The party broke up at about 10:30PM and we all made our way down and up the hill back to the dinghies.
The wind picked up and was honking through here all night but we had no rain. It was time to go into town for a few things today so we were up and on the go when the sun came up.
Our first stop was the clinic which had called and wanted to give Rick his lab results from when we was so sick. Since he is fine now we weren’t really concerned about the results but we went in anyway. We learned he had the viral flu that had hit the island around the beginning of the year.
The next stop was the Marketing board where we picked up some eggs and said our good byes for the season.
It was a little too soon to get a few days extension with immigration but we decided to give it a shot. At first they wanted us to return in a couple of days but when I explained how busy we would be, they very nicely extended our stay for another month. We only needed a few days but they work in months.
It was very hot so we stopped at Cuthbert’s for a cold drink before proceeding up the hill to the hardware. We had to stop in many different places and get our hugs and best wishes for the next season.
On our way up the hill we stopped at the gas station and paid for our propane tank which had returned from Grenada and was waiting for us.
At Paddy’s Hardware we ordered the new laminate for our counter tops, identical to the existing.
It was definitely lunchtime now and one more hill to climb so we could have lunch at a restaurant that had been recommended to us by the owner’s husband, Kennis (cousin of Sherwin). Lunch was very nice we had the fish (swordfish) with macaroni pie, rice, salad, and fried plantain.
After lunch, we walked down the hill back into Hillsborough where we met Norbert who drove us back to Harvey Vale.
We had accomplished a lot so far but we were on a roll so, I cleaned the oven that had been sprayed before we went into town. Lastly, I defrosted and cleaned the refrigerator.
It was time for a swim and while in the water, Rick cleaned the mooring lines and set them up for an easy release tomorrow afternoon when we will move the boat into the haulout slip for the night.
We were up early and worked all day. Upholstery cushions and pillows were bagged. Items that could be stored were put away.
Rick went ashore and picked up lunch at Natasha’s so that we could keep working.
The boat was looking very bare by afternoon with everything removed from the walls, blackout curtains hanging on the ports and some of the hatch covers were already in place. The outboard motor was on the stern mount but we left the dinghy in the water.
At 1:30PM it was time to move the boat over to the haulout slip where we would stay until tomorrow morning. It was a little early in the day but that was because at 2PM there is a big game on that all of the yard workers want to see.
I called over to the haulout to let them know that we were coming but got no answer on the phone or radio. We made a quick call to Trevor next door in the yacht club and asked him to look in the yard for anyone who could help catch our lines. He couldn’t find anyone. We made a quick call to Whitebird and asked them to catch our lines for us.
Everything went very well. When we arrived at the dock there were a couple of the yard guys standing on the dock and they took our lines as I eased the boat along the big concrete jetty.
Now it was time to raise the dinghy, pickle the water maker, change the filters, clean the strainers, freshwater flush the engine, service the outboard and continue packing things.
It was only 5:30PM but we had worked hard and it was dinner time. We strolled along the beach to the Lazy Turtle and there we ran into Becka and Michael who invited us to join them.
When dinner was finished we made our way back to our boat and crashed for the night.
We were both up before 6AM. Rick made coffee but there was no time for breakfast. I quickly removed the sheets from the bed and covered it with a clean sheet to protect the mattress. This is where all of the cockpit cushions, main salon cushions and pillows will be stored along with a few other items. Once the settees were clear, we could move the outboard engine from it’s mount outside into the cabin and onto the settee. I hate this job as the engine is awkward and heavy. Phillip who works in the yard was walking down the dock so I ask for his help. He didn’t help, He took over, lifted and carried the outboard by himself down into the cabin. At that moment both Rick and I felt very old because there is no way the two of us could have done that.
Rick released the backstay for the travel lift and lowered the boom onto the deck.
Down below I was working like crazy. Our clothes that go back to Canada with us were packed. The clothes that we leave we bagged and stored. All of the galley cupboards were empty and same with the head area. Food was bagged and ready to go to the cottage even the refrigerated food was bagged and left in the refrigerator for now.
By the time the yard workers arrived (8AM) to turn the boat for the travel lift, I was ready to abandon ship. Rick still had many things to do some that couldn’t be done until the boat was on the hard but I was done.
We went for a nice breakfast at the yacht club while Sam power washed the hull. When we returned to the yard we found Sam was already sanding the grunge and old paint from the propeller. Once he had it shining like new, Rick passed him some primer paint so he could continue working. Next he cleaned the large dynaplate on the hull.
Meanwhile Rick was tidying things on deck and lowering the anchor chain that we store on the ground.
I was standing under the hull when Levi walked by. I asked him were he was going and when he said the Lambi Queen, I hitched a ride in his dinghy and took three large bags of laundry to the laundramat next door. I walked back to the haulout yard along the beach and as I returned to the boat I saw Phillip drive down to the boat next to ours with a new prop and shaft. I asked him if he would let us load our bags into the car and take them up the small hill to the cottage behind the yacht club. Rick lowered the bags using a line from the deck to me standing on the ground. Philip loaded everything into the car and in one trip delivered everything to the cottage.
Things were going very well, we had help with all of the heavy jobs that I dread.
I set things up at the cottage and unpacked the food. Rick arrived a little after lunch time for a quick shower.
In the afternoon, when I thought that the laundry would be ready I walked along the beach into town. I stopped to visit for a few minutes with Nigel and then went next door to the laundramat (I don’t normally use this one). The laundry wasn’t ready and the lady had been very busy so she figured that probably by 4:30PM it would be finished.
I returned to the cottage and waited a couple of hours. When Rick arrived we both walked along the beach stopping at Lumbadive to give JP a copy of the slide show he had requested. We arrived at the laundramat to find that the laundry still wasn’t ready. What can you do…. We had to go next door and drink and lime for a while. Socony and Aiden where there when they left, Bev and Mick (Whitebird) arrived, then Ted and lastly, Nigel. At a little after 7PM the laundry was ready. Rick and I were about to walk back up the road with it but Nigel said that he would take us back to the yacht club by dinghy. We accepted his offer.
Back at the cottage, I had a quick shower; we snacked for dinner and then went right to bed.
We had a good night sleep in the air conditioned cottage on a bed that doesn’t rock and roll. From the cottage we can look past the yacht club and see our mast in the haul out.
As soon as breakfast was finished Rick headed to the boat where he worked on the last few things that needed to be done for storage. His biggest job was that he wanted to re-epoxy the inside of the battery box where the old batteries had leaked a little.
I made a list for Kenton (woodworker) who arrived about 9:30AM for a last minute check of the galley and the head job we wanted him to do. He brought his wife Shereen along and introduced her. They are a lovely couple and I am looking forward to having Kenton do some more woodwork for us when this job is done.
In the afternoon, Fitzroy stopped by the cottage for a while and when he left I walked to Daniela and Jerry’s house. Daniela wanted to see our pictures from the Middle East. We played the slide show on her large screen TV and had a nice afternoon.
It was Friday night so we had our final dinner and Pan Band evening at the Lambi Queen.
We have been lucky with the weather this haulout. The winds were
light for taking down the sails, then the winds were strong when we wanted
to dry all of the canvas that I washed. Best of all we have had no rain and
therefore working on the hard in the yard has been as good as it can be.
This morning after being awakened by one of Fitzroy’s roosters we had an early start to the day. Rick headed to the boat right after breakfast. I stopped in at the haulout and checked that our accounts were settled then did the same at the yacht club. I took a nice beach walk into town where I said good bye to many of our friends.
When I returned to the cottage it was almost lunch time and I learned
that Rick had finished his list of haulout jobs on the boat and was ready to
relax and have some fun.
After lunch, he sat in the shade of the tamarind tree while I cut his hair. we then walked along the beach and went for a short swim before returning to the cottage to just relax.
I did a little hand laundry, we had dinner and went to bed early.
I awoke sometime in the middle of the night to total silence. I know that that might sound good but it was too silent. The air conditioner was not running which meant that the power was off. It is a normal occurrence that the power is shut down on a Sunday for a couple of hours but before going to bed I thought I saw the lights flicker a couple of times. Sure enough, when we awoke in the morning the cottage was warm, there was no water (the cistern pump is electric) and no electricity. It’s a good thing that the stove is propane or we would have had to start the day without a coffee which is not good.
Fitzroy stopped by around 8AM with his little niece. His cousins were on the beach scraping fish so he brought the niece to see us. Fitzroy has no power either. He said there was a wire down and only a few houses are affected. He had already called Grenlec (the power company) and wanted me to call as well. He even dialled the number for me. I did speak with the representative who said they would send someone to investigate (on a Sunday). I didn’t have a lot of confidence in having it restored this morning but in less than an hour, the fridge pump came on and I knew we were back in business.
We could now wash the dishes and even have ashower. I immediately called Grenlec back and thanked them for such a quick response. I think that the rep. was so used to taking complaints that he was a little shocked at first and not sure how to respond. He then thanked me for calling back.
It was 10AM when we walked along the beach to Scraper’s. When swimming from shore his area of the beach is the nicest. It is all sand with no coral or rocks. We floated around in the water until lunch time when the sun was getting too hot. I don’t want to go home with a sunburn.
On our way back to the cottage we ran into Don (Asseance) who was dropping JP off at Lumbadive. He said that he would go and get Heather and they would come to visit us at the cottage. I asked them to give us 30 minutes so I could first have a quick shower to get rid of sand and salt. I had just finished dressing and Rick was still in the shower when they arrived. We had a nice visit and then they headed out to Paradise beach.
Rick and I decided to skip lunch and have an early dinner. I cooked the last of the chicken in a modified creole sauce using up the last of many vegetables and served it with almost the last of the rice.
We had finished eating and I was relaxing (Rick was washing dishes) when
Fitzroy arrived. We loaded Fitzroy down with the bags of our remaining food
items keeping only cereal, coffee and juice for breakfast. Rick helped him
carry it next door to his house. By now it was only 5PM and we were ready
for tomorrow morning. Bags are packed, clothes laid out and travel documents
in my bag.
We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and reading.
We were up with the sun having had a great night sleep. After breakfast
we took our bags outside and in less than 5 minutes, Bubbles arrived as
promised at 7:15AM and drove us to the airport for our 8:15 flight to
Grenada. In Grenada we found the airport almost deserted. This is Whit
Monday a bank holiday in most of the Eastern Caribbean islands. Our flight
to Barbados left a little early but when we stopped in Canouan we had to sit
for a
while to wait for a squall from a tropical wave pass by.
We arrived in Barbados at 11:30AM and in no time we were whisked to our hotel where we found Kelly and Sherwin waiting for us. We went for a little walk along the beach and ended up at a beach bar where we had a nice lunch and then quite a few drinks while we again waited for the rain to ease.
When we returned to the hotel we had a nice swim in the pool.
The
four of us went for a walk through St Lawrence Gap and stopped for dinner at
McBrides Pub. Dinner was great but the servings were huge. We walked a
little of it off on our way back to the hotel.
We all met at the pool for a nice breakfast after which Kelly and Sherwin left for the airport while Rick and I hopped a local bus to Bridgetown.
I couldn’t believe the number of Frangipani trees of every different
colour growing along the side of the road. It must be that time of the year,
the Flamboyant trees were brilliant red and the Breadfruit trees were heavy
with fruit.
In Bridgetown, we walked through the downtown area; I purchased a couple of new dresses and looked for a gift for one of my nieces without success.
We returned to our hotel where we went for a swim and relaxed by the pool and read for a while.
Having had a large breakfast, we weren’t very hungry so we shared an order of flying fish and chips for a late lunch.
Just before dark, we again walked toward the Gap where we bought chicken dinners and brought them back to our hotel room where we watched and movie while we ate dinner.
This is our last full day in Barbados so we wanted to make the best of
it. In the morning we walked a few blocks to Accra Beach. This is supposed
to be the most popular beach in Barbados.
It
was a beautiful sandy beach with nice fun surf, beach ladies selling their
wares and chairs and umbrellas for rent.
We rented our chairs from a rasta man named Rusty and bought some shirts and a dress from one of the beach huts.
It was about noon when we decided to leave the beach and take a local bus
to Oistins a fishing village not far away. When we arrived there we walked
through the fish market and asked one of the ladies cleaning flying fish
where to get a good flying fish lunch. She recommended Lexies Bar, right
beside the market. We had flying fish sandwiches and then walked on to the
beach where some local men were cooking their lunch on a wood fire.
They
were making Coo Coo and fish soup.
It was a quick bus ride back to Worthing in Christ Church and our hotel. We went for a nice fresh water swim in the pool and sat around for a while before returning to our room for a siesta prior to our big night out at the Plantation House.
We were picked up by the Plantation House bus a little after 6PM which had only one more stop to make before we arrived at the Plantation.
As we entered the house we were provided with a rum punch before having our picture taken with a couple of the performers. Cameras are not allowed during the performance so we later purchased the picture.
The
dinner and show were wonderful and we had a front row table right in front
of the stage. Everything ended at about 10PM (just our style) and the bus
was waiting to return us to our hotel.
Today is our last day in Barbados so we took advantage of the warmth and the sun by spending the morning by the pool. Our taxi arrived on time and took us to the airport at noon. There, after checking in, we killed time by having lunch and buying a few souvenirs. Before we knew it we were on our way back to Toronto where we will spend the next five months.
