We made it to Grenada

So we finally made it to our midway point of Grenada and everyone is very happy about that.

We left from Tobago Cays on Monday and sailed across to Clifton on Union Island which is part of St Vincent and the Grenadines.  We cleared out and had lunch at the yacht club overlooking the harbour.  There was even a small shark pool beside the restaurant.  Clifton harbour is pretty spectacular as one half is protected by a reef and there is another reef like a roundabout right in the middle of the harbour.  It is quite a small place but can get busy as is a stepping off point for visits to the other islands.  We left Clifton mid afternoon and sailed to the western side of Carriacou where we anchored for the night in a remote bay called Limekiln Bay.  We spent the afternoon towing the kids around on the SUP using the dingy.  The whole area between St Vincent and Grenada has been a bit of an eye opener.  There are lots of islands down here and we have only just touched a few of them.  You could spend a couple of months in this area alone.

Clifton Harbour, Union Island

Next morning we completed the final 30NM leg down to Grenada with another great day of sailing.  Grenada of course was where some people will remember the US invaded to stabalise a volatile political situation in 1983.  That is all history now and Grenada has a fantastic reputation as a destination for both onshore and offshore activities.

We headed to the south west coast to the capital of Grenada called St George.  Sailing into St George from the North you cannot see the harbour entrance and it is only when you get right outside that a small gap between the headlands becomes clear.  The harbour is quite small and comprises two small bays.  The northern bay called the Carenage is where the town wharf is situated and across from that is another bay which houses the Yacht Club Marina and Port Louis Marina.  In between the two bays is a small commercial wharf which takes small freighters.  The harbour is surrounded by a number of small hills covered with houses amid lots of green lush vegetation.  Here and there the red Fambouyant trees stick out prominently.  The area around the Carenage is skirted by Georgian buildings and is a beautiful harbour reminiscent of something you would find in Europe.  Would benefit from some investment but the potential is there.  High on the northern headland is the old British fort.  We headed for the Port St Louis Marina and were placed on a 75m long pier usually used by the mega yachts.

The Carenage, St George

We secured the boat and the kids went to the pool while the rest of us relaxed at the bar for a few farewell drinks and dinner for Steve.  Steve flew out early the next day to New York and once again we are down to four of us.  Am sure Steve enjoyed the trip and we enjoyed having him aboard and we are looking forward to enjoying a Pain Killer or two next time we get to Bunbury.  The fact that he left uninjured was a bonus too.

St George has a really nice feel to it and we are all positive about the next three months.  The day after Steve left we got down to the business of finding a home for the next three months.  We hired a car for two days and started to look for a place to live.  Driving around the island gave us a good perspective and with the help of a couple of real estate agents had a few possibilities almost immediately.  We are looking for a comfortable house not too remote from the south west corner which seems to be where the action is.  The distances around Grenada are quite small but the roads twist and turn over the hills so driving a few miles takes longer than expected.  We also drove out to the Grenada Marine yard where Dulcinea is to be hauled out and talked to the staff there about the arrangements.  Currently we are slotted in for a lift out on 1st August but if we can find a place to live sooner we will bring that date forward.  

By the end of a couple of days we had a pretty good idea of the layout of the south west part of the island, had seen a few properties and had lined up a few more.  Scott predictably had found a few issues on the boat to work on.  It seems that we cannot come into a marina without him finding something to work on.  The aft cabin toilet was malfunctioning and so that has been torn apart to get the defective part out to a repair centre.  Luckily we could swap the toilet from the day head into the aft cabin but it took a bit of messing about - mess being the operative word.  We had to get the fridge regassed as there is still a leak in the system.  We only need it to work for a couple more weeks until we get out the water and then it will get a complete service.  In addition Scott has orgainsed for the decks to be sanded and the caulking repaired and had a local company fix some damage to the capping rail at the stern.  

Repairing damaged section of capping rail

We head out of the marina today and will go to anchor near a place called Hogg Island on the South Coast.  Here we will try and catch up on school which has been neglected over the past month whilst our visitors have been with us.  Hopefully by the next post we will have a place to live.