We dropped anchor in Mt. Hartman Bay on the south coast of Grenada the afternoon of Thursday, July 29. That evening by prior arrangement via SSB radio, we joined a group tour of some “pan yards” and “mas camps”. This being the week before Carnival (in Grenada) there was a great deal of activity among the “pan bands” (steel drums) practicing for the “Pan-o-rama” competition and in the “mas camps” where the mas (short for masquerade) costumes are made. Sunday afternoon means barbeque around the point at Hog Island. For $10 EC ($3.77 US) you get a quarter chicken, peas and rice, and potato salad; or for $5 EC you can get just the chicken. We get both and bring the extra chicken home for dinner during in the week. Monday, August 2, was an island holiday. Everything was closed and everybody, including us, was at the beach. Tuesday we toured the island with another group and visited a waterfall, nutmeg factory, rum distillery, the island’s 2 crater lakes and had lunch on top of a mountain at the Mt. Rodney Plantation. We attended the Pan-o-rama event Saturday night and joined a mas band for the Monday Night Mas. We’ve been “sleeping in” a lot.

We finally met up with Doug and Luann on “Whisper”. We knew it must be them when they came sailing into the anchorage because they had told us “Whisper” is a square-rigged schooner; there aren’t a whole lot of those in most anchorages! After they got their anchor down we dinghied over and began catching up on the past 11 years – what a great reunion!

As mentioned in the short note last time, we will be leaving the boat here in Grenada and flying home to Texas for the months of Sept and Oct. Today “Ma’alahi” and “Whisper” sailed the 6 miles over to St. David’s Harbour where a new shipyard is under construction. Their haulout facilities are already in operation and we came to check the place out as the probable location where we’ll haul out and leave “Ma’alahi” on the hard while we’re away. When we return we’ll give her a new bottom (anti-fouling paint doesn’t go as far in the tropics as it did in Clear Lake). We said good-bye to Doug and Luann this evening as they sail for Tobago in the morning.

We’ll return to Mt. Hartman Bay to get a propane bottle refilled then head around to St. Georges and mess about the city for a couple of days. There are some more anchorages we want to check out and a few waterfall hikes we want to do before we haul out at the end of the month. We’re sure looking forward to our trip home, where we’ll get to visit with many of you AND eat lots of Mexican food!

Best regards,

David and Claudia