Finally…Recap of our time in Grenada

Grenada is a beautiful island with lots to do and see.  Although we spent several months there we barley scratched the surface on what it has to offer.  Maybe we’ll make it back some day…

We had arrived at the end of June and quickly felt pressure to begin work on boat projects that had been piling up.  First item on the list was battery replacement, power problems had been sneaking up for a few weeks and finally the batteries needed to be changed.  The main sail had gotten us through to Grenada and too needed replacement.  There were many items on the “to do list ” which kept us from spending very much time just enjoying the island.

We did spend lots of time with our friends on Havkatt and enjoyed visits from Hugo and Guido.  They moved on to Curaçao about the time we hauled Echo.  In a previous post I had incorrectly said they were from Carriacou.  The two islands are very different but their names seem so close in my mind that I often get them mixed up.   In any case, Havkatt spent the summer in Curaçao and has since moved on to other islands and eventually the US.  We wish them Fair Winds and hope to reconnect somewhere along the way.

 

Grenada is a large, mountainous island with just about everything to offer for travelers.  It’s history is colorful including the 1983 “rescue mission” launched by the United States.  It was our mission to save them from becoming a Socialist State under the leadership of Maurice Bishop.  There can be very different reactions when discussing this part of their history with islanders.  There are those who would have preferred not to have been “rescued” and call the U.S. action an invasion. Many older people look back fondly at Communism and will speak passionately about that period of their history and the bloodshed the “invasion” brought to the island. Others, usually younger, are thankful for the “liberation” and the freedoms it brought to the island. Today, Grenada is a strong independent country and warmly welcomes visitors.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR STAY

Fourth of July Beach Party with people from many different countries all bringing interesting and delicious foods.  Well, the American boats celebrated our “Fourth of July” but I think the British couple that organized things didn’t choose that day for any particular reason.  It was a great day and we met several wonderful people from around the world!

 

 

One more trip to Tobago Cays.  During this visit we met Lavinia and Richard on Partners along with Les of Golightly.

 

One evening we joined a tour group or about 15 people to drive almost 2 hours to the spot on the island where leatherback turtles come ashore to lay their eggs.  It was amazing!  Our pictures don’t show anything so if you are interested in more follow this link – Turtle Nesting.  These incredible creatures nest every two to three years and travel over 10,000 miles to lay their eggs.  We were so fortunate to have this experience as it ended up being the last evening the tour ran that season.

 

 

 

We did an island tour with a group of boaters including John and Paulette from Seamantha and Catherine and Stuart of Kirby.  As we toured around the island we visited a rum distillery, chocolate factory, and a nutmeg processing plant.  Our driver/guide had served as a clerk for Maurice Bishop and was happy to share his experiences during the 1970’s.

While having lunch that day we learned the island had issued a tsunami alert and many medical students attending the summer semester were evacuated.  We later learned the tsunami alert was suspended but that the nearby underwater volcano, Kick ’em Jenny, was showing signs of activity and the 5 mile exclusion zone was now a requirement.  There remained an alert level for several days and some dive/snorkel areas were closed due to the presence of bubbles related to the volcano.  We were never in any danger but it was certainly a new experience for us.

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We did a hash!  Each Saturday there is a hash somewhere in Grenada organized by the Grenada Hash House Harriers.  You can follow the link and get more detail but a hash basically involves walking or running through the wild and drinking beer.  We met up with Jason and Gail of Two Fish and Stuart and Catherine of Kirby along with many other cruisers we have met along the way.

 

 

Mid August we hauled Echo at Grenada Marine where she stayed till early November while we traveled to Washington to see our kids.  Upon our return we spent 5 nights at La Sagesse hotel.  It’s a great place to stay while waiting o get your boat back in the water and their restaurant provides delicious meals!

At Grenada Marine we met several other cruisers who like us were working very hard to get back in the water.  We were happy to see Kirby along with meeting Sabina and Geno of Snickers, Kathy and Tom of Jumbie, Sean and Cynthia of Arkouda and Riley and Elayna of La Vagabonde.  Riley and Elayna have a great blog and post some amazing videos, we have added a link to their blog to our page or you can click here to take a look.

 

We were one of 3 Antares in the yard and were happy to meet Shaun and Neil of Escapade, Two Fish was there as well.   All in all there were 8 Antares in Grenada at the time, given there are less than 50 of these boats in existence that was a big part of the fleet.  We all met for dinner one evening at La Sagesse and got together in various harbors over the next week, it was great to meet other owners and see what they have done with their boats!

 

 

We were getting anxious to move on to Bonaire but one last project kept delaying us.  We (actually Jeff) had to get to the top of the mast and replace a wire which was preventing our navigation lights from operating.  Given Bonaire was a 3 day sail this project was a must!

 

We tried at various times and places but the wind and waves were too much to allow Jeff to get the job done for another week.  During that week we spent some time in other anchorages, did some snorkeling and visited Carriacou one more time.  We dove with Lumba Dive, it was a great opportunity to refresh our skills and prepare to go out on our own in Bonaire. We also finally reconnected with Richard and Estelle of Bella Stella who we met on the Erie Canal in 2012.  We last saw them at a mooring along the Hudson River and just happened upon them one day – it was great to see them!

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We finally got the navigation lights working and headed off to Bonaire in early December.

 

~ Jeff and Mary ~