Category Archives: Grenada

Grenada

Back in the Water

Leave a comment

After a 4 hour mechanical delay in Miami, we arrived back in Grenada about half past midnight in the early morning of Nov 1. Our pre-arranged taxi-man, Darrius, was there at the Grenada airport waiting for us, thank goodness! But it was too late and there had been too much rain the past 2 days for him to be able to take us to the the boatyard where our boat was in dry-dock (its a mile down a private, unmaintained road that’s very difficult in the mud). So he found us a reasonable deal on a room in a small hotel in Grand Anse and our first night back aboard Ma’alahi was delayed another day. This turned out to be a good thing for 2 reasons. The first was that the hotel is very near a grocery store and we were able to pick up a few items for the next few days while in the yard getting the bottom done and there are no stores or anything else for miles around this new, still-under-construction boatyard. Also, the boat needed some airing out and cleaning up before habitation and that wouldn’t have been much fun at 2 in the morning.

Next morning we did arrive to find Ma’alahi right where we left her 2 months prior and in spite of a strong musty smell and a little mildew here and there in much better condition than we expected. We got busy putting things back in order and scheduled the bottom painting to start the next day. Wednesday, Nov. 3 we celebrated our 1 year cruising anniversary with cheeseburgers and french fries over at the yard’s snack bar. It was mighty fine.

Today, Friday Nov. 5, we got back in the water and in spite of the rainy clouds, strong wind and high waves, immediately headed back to Mt. Hartman Bay. This place was jam-packed with boats when we left at the end of August and now there’s only a few. They’ve all either gone on down to Trinidad and/or Venezuela or started back up island. We’ll hang around just a few days re-checking all systems and waiting for weather before heading on down to Trinidad ourselves.

It was good to go back and visit with everyone that we could, but it’s GREAT to be home and cruising again!

See you in Trinidad,

David and Claudia

Grenada

Adventures in Grenada

Leave a comment

We dropped anchor in Mt. Hartman Bay on the south coast of SecretHarbour_Pool_3Grenada 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 Schooner_Whisper_5here 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 Grenada_Marine_Maalahi_Davidhead 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