Leaving Grenada

It all started here with Paul guiding us in to Grenada
June 1

Our time in Grenada is about to come to a close….for now.  On Monday we sail to Trinidad, the most southern island in the Caribbean.  We will leave just as the sun sets for an overnight sail, getting us into our destination at about 8:00 AM.  Rob, Gerda, and their boys James and Alex will be sailing along with us on their steel sloop “Margie.” 

Rob (on Margie)
with his "Mr. Bean" smile

"G" and Richard preparing birthday dinner

Grenada has been a real highlight for us.  There are few places that we have been that have been as welcoming, friendly, and beautiful.  We dropped anchor here on June 1^st and have moved little during the past (just shy of) three months.  Because of the threat of hurricanes, many “yachties” stay put for long periods of time here.  It becomes a community of sailors that get to know each other.  

Friendships develop and new plans for travelling with “boat buddies” develop.  We hiked, toured, learned to play dominos and drums, did yoga and Tai Chi, attended concerts and more.  We learned about the history and traditions of this remote and independent island in ways that are difficult if you are only passing through.  We even joined the University Club and enjoyed their pool.

Relaxing at the University Club Pool

Carnival is something that should be experienced once and fortunately we were here for Grenada’s Spicemas. Hundreds of years ago, Catholics in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild masquerade (mas) festival before Lent. Since meat was not to be eaten during Lent, the festival was called carnevale meaning “to put away meat.” In the Caribbean, this tradition has combined with ancient African practices of parading through villages in costumes and masks. 

Today, this explosion of color, music, revelry and dance takes place throughout the Caribbean. For our part, pre-carnival we heard a steel pan band rehearsal and watched costumes being created with tons of glitter, feathers, sequins, bright fabrics, and beads stuck together by many people wielding hot glue guns. We attended the Groovy/Soca Final competition at the National Cricket Stadium, enjoyed the Fancy Mas Parade, and participated in the Monday Night Mas with the Carib band. For this event we dressed in our light-up Viking helmets and followed hundreds of others chipping to loud pulsating music blasting from a flatbed covered in speakers – think boom box on wheels.  

Youth Pan Band

FYI: chipping is a street dance requiring you to always have one foot on the ground and the other foot barely above ground while moving in a quick forward motion. My feet started to complain after the first mile.  Chipping should be accompanied by wining; gyrating your hips in three dimensions.  

Learning to Play for Carnival

Wining can be done solo but it usually ends up with two people grinding their pelvises together. I concluded that it not something North American hips are capable of. Although there were plenty of other events, we lacked the stamina to drink beer and dance for 24 hours straight and fully revel in the heaving, sweaty orgy of color and music that is Carnival.

The Vikings celebrate Carnival in St. George, Grenada

Most importantly, we have formed a number of friendships that we hope will endure well beyond our stay here in Grenada.  We are looking forward to a few weeks in Trinidad and then on to Suriname with Tony and Ann, sailing on Argosea.  We will be back in Grenada in about a month and a half after exploring Suriname and Guyana.  While sailing there feels like we are extending ourselves into uncharted territory, it’s only 300 miles, how can we not?

Thank you Grenada for being a wonderful respite from constant movement.  You feel like a second home.

Thanks for following.

Richard and Kay

Carnival Grenadian Style

Soca Concert
at National Stadium

SOCA 

Additional Pics from Grenada

Great Street Food

Returning to the Sea

Dinner in Le Phar Bleu

Hauling Atalanta
Getting new bottom paint

Diving off of St. George

Tony (from Argosea) and Richard

Kay and Susie on Hash (hike)

The Donut

Dingy Concert in Woburn Bay

Celebrating the Fisherman

Not who you think!

Jim (on Jady Jane) and Kay

A Change is Coming

We have been at anchor in Prickly Bay for over 2 months.  Cruisers here are required to renew their cruising permit monthly; we are now on our third.  Time spent reminds us that boats like to move and transport.  Therefore, we are formulating a plan and expect to leave in 3 weeks.

First, we will pull the boat from the water and go on “the hard.”  Spice Island Marine will accommodate us Tuesday–Friday providing us with a chance to sand and repaint the bottom of the boat with special anti-fouling paint. TecNick will install a 9-foot stainless steel pole and mount a wind generator to help us with our need for electrical power. Living aboard in this environment

Rodney and the crew from Turbulance that built
 our new dodger and bimini

makes having either wind or solar power essential. Those of you who thought Atalanta needed a more traditional dodger and bimini (including Richard) will appreciate the canvas work Turbulence has completed. Rodney and his crew did a wonderful job of making Richard happy with a new dodger while still enabling Kay to keep dry and/or warm in the cockpit with an enclosure.

Our first destination after leaving Prickly Bay will be Chaguaramus, Trinidad where we will take a berth at the Crews Inn Marina for a week to explore the island and provision for our push south to Suriname.  We will sail along side Anne and Tony on Argosea for the 500-mile passage to this beautiful yet somewhat remote destination.  Suriname has little tourist infrastructure but it is a safe and beautiful country that welcomes visitors to its shores.  In its abundant rainforests we hope to be fortunate enough to spot unusual tropical plants, howler monkeys and maybe even a toucan or jaguar.  We’ll tour for almost a month before heading north to Guyana, another remote country dominated by rainforests and rural landscape.  We are not sure how long we will remain in Guyana but when the time is right, we’ll return to Grenada.  Then perhaps heading north to the eastern Caribbean or sailing west to Panama will be next on the cruising itinerary. 

This adventure becomes ever more interesting as we travel into territory that few journey through. In the meantime we continue with dominoes, yoga, tai chi, drumming lessons, swimming, diving, socializing, and getting ready for CARNIVAL!

Thanks for following,

Richard & Kay

Another Month without a Hurricane in Grenada

Kay and Suzie at the Hash

Diving a Wreck off Grenada

Once again, this blog entry comes to you from Grenada, our adoptive home.  We arrived here on the first of June and are in our second month on anchor in Prickly Bay.  We find Grenada to be peaceful and beautiful. We have made friends from places far and wide and engaged in activities from drumming lessons to hiking.  We have been extended membership in the University Club giving us access to a beautiful pool, beach and restaurant. 

Grenada is a fairly good place for boat services and repairs.  As with houses, boats need on-going maintenance and upgrades.  The marine environment (especially here in the lower latitudes) is harsh and places demands on a boat.  Not only is the boat our home; it must be maintained for safety reasons.  The consequences for taking a boat to sea that is not seaworthy can be significant.  We are in the process of repairing sails, installing 

Kay Getting Ready for a Swim at the University Club

Richard's Lesson on How to Make a Dry
Martini

Secret Harbor

new canvas, and adding a wind generator to help keep the batteries charged.  We are dependent on an onboard 12-volt system for running our lights, refrigeration, instruments, and much more.  To do this we have four fairly large batteries (4D AGM) batteries each of which is about 4 times the size of a car battery.  Many boats charge these batteries with solar panels and/or wind generators but we have relied on a diesel generator.  The wind generator will help us create a smaller carbon footprint.

In a few weeks, Grenada’s Carnival culminates in St. George’s and we are looking forward to attending a variety of events from Soca and Calypso competitions to J’Ouvert celebrations where the traditional Jab-Jab bands emerge from the darkness of night to parade through the streets wanting to dab their body paint onto unsuspecting spectators. That’s it from paradise for now.  Hope you are all well and enjoying summer.

Richard and Tony

Thanks for following.

Richard and Kay

Hash

Hash isn’t just something to eat.  On July 6 and July 13 we participated in our first two hashes. Originated in 1938 in what is now Malaysia, the Hash House Harriers is now an international group of non-competitive running social clubs.  Individuals known as hares lay trails marked by shredded paper and it is up to the rest of group, the hounds, to follow the trail which included false starts, shortcuts, dead ends, circles and splits.  In Grenada, trails pass through all types of terrain including beaches, rainforests, village streets, and backyards and require participants to ford streams, scale steep hills, or slip & slide through mud. Members often describe their group as a “drinking club with a running problem” since beer is an integral part of every hash. At the conclusion of the run, a “on-after,” or “hash bash” is held with plenty of music and beer.

First time hashers, virgins, are asked upon concluding the race to pose for a photograph. While smiling for the camera, they are sprayed with beer by other hashers.  Here's our initiation into HHH.

Another custom dictates that anyone racer with new shoes must drink a beer from them prior to beginning the race.

It's great fun, a good way to work up a sweat, allows to socialize with cruisers and locals, and enables us to see parts of the island that we would not otherwise see. We can't wait to see what challenges next Saturday's Hash offers!

Some of This Week's Activity in Pictures

Here are a few pics of this week's activities...... we need to slow down.  Island time may be just a bit to fast.

Thanks for following our blog.

Richard and Kay

Street Food at the Fisherman's Birthday Celebration

Richard, Sophie, Ann, Tony and Jonas at the Fisherman's Birthday Celebration

Great Music at the Dingy Concert in Le Phar Blu, Grenada

Drumming Lessons in Secret Harbor

How Many Sailors Does It Take To Change A Lightbulb?

Picnic in Prickly Bay - 4th of July

Fisherman's Birthday Celebration

Fisherman's Birthday Celebration

View while on the Hash (a community hike and party)

Dingy Concert

Jazz at the museum in St. George, Grenada

Picnic in Prickly Bay - 4th of July

Poetry at the Museum

Post Hash