Into the Grenadines

We stayed in Carriacou just long enough to get a good jump on the schoolwork and to have a look around.  The wind has been a constant 15 to 20 gusting 25 with a bit of a swell wrapping around into the bay to keep the seas choppy.  Its not been the calmest anchorage but we decided to stay where we were rather than go in amongst all the other boats closer in where it would have been a bit calmer.

Carriacou is part of Grenada and is a smaller island to Grenada with a great feel to it.  Tyrrel bay looks very similar to many islands around this part of the Caribbean.  The bay is pretty open but being on the leeward side of the island is protected from the prevailing weather.  The bay has a long stretch of sand beach and palm trees most of the way around except at the two extremes where tall green hills rise steeply from the water.  There are a couple of reefs in the bay which need to be avoided when arriving on the water and in one corner there is a low lying mangrove swamp.  Behind the beach the land rises to high hills inland which is dotted with small houses.

Shoreline of Tyrrel Bay

A road fringes the beach all around the bay and is studded with hand painted signs advertising this or that business or community announcements.  Small houses and some local businesses are located along the road in a mixture of wooden cottages and concrete houses and most are painted in bright pastel colours but all suffering various degrees of fading.  At one end of the bay there is the government jetty which the ferries dock at and at the other end there is  a small boat yard.  One or two other small rickety wooden or concrete piers jut out every now and then from the beach.  There are supposed to be over 100 rum shops on the island but we did not see them.

Caribbean Signs

Ashore we met some expats running cafe / restaurant establishments.  These guys had only recently relocated to Carriacou and had quit the UK and decided to set up businesses on the island.  It was great talking with them and learning about their sea change.  Certainly relocation to Carriacou would be a big move but it is an idyllic place if you can relax, get into the rhythm and accept the isolation.

Luckily they gave us the name of a good refrigeration mechanic because the fridge had started warming again.  If it was a free standing unit I am sure we would have ripped it out and pitched it overboard by now.  This time there was a small gas leak from the dryer unit which had only recently been replaced.  Got that fixed and regassed the system and fingers crossed again.

Sandy Island off Carriacou

On one day we took a local bus over to the main town of Hillsborough.  We always like taking the kids on the local transport so they can get a better feel for the place and the minibuses are always so much fun with friendly pasengers and talkative drivers.  We jumped on one at the government jetty and straightwaway proceeded in the opposite direction we wanted to go.  The island is pretty small so you just go with it.  Turns out they had to drop off an elderly passenger and her shopping at her house and then pick up some kids from the local school before heading to Hillsborough.  As in Grenada the people seem to really take care of the youngsters and the elderly - there is a real community spirit which is not evident in a lot of other places around the world.

Sam and Calley choosing grapefruit in Hillsborough

Hillsborough is another leeward side town on a bigger bay.  It is bigger than Tyrrel Bay but more exposed.  We had a stroll around and bought some provisions before heading back to the boat.

School has been going well this week, probably due to us being old hands at it now.

On Friday (29th Nov) we left Tyrrel Bay and headed to an island called Petite Martinique.  This is a small island just behind Carriacou of about 1000 people and is also part of Grenada.  There are a few small islands around here all within spitting distance of each other, some owned by Grenada and some by St Vincent, the main ones being Petite Martinique and Petit St Vincent.  We ended up anchoring off Petit St Vincent as it was calmer and allowed us to let the kids try out a new kneeboard which they had got from their Uncle Lars and Aunty Lush.  Later we took a dinghy ride over to Petite Martinique to have a look around and to get some dinner at a restaurant on the beach.  The town is similar to that described above only smaller.

Sam trying out the new kneeboard at Petit St Vincent

So here we sit trying to get a jump on the schoolwork and planning on moving up toward St Vincent in the coming week ready to pick up Mark and Rosie.

Just heard the great news that our friend Walt in Glasgow is making an excellent recovery after some major surgery.  Walt, hope you are back to fighting fitness  soon.

Carriacou

We finally left Grenada on Monday 25th November.  

We had a pretty relaxing weekend on the boat and managed a very civilised brunch on Sunday at one of the nearby marinas which kind of knocked us out for the rest of the day.  On Monday morning we settled up all our outstanding bills ashore and then headed out of the marina around midday.  The weather forecast was for squally weather for the rest of the week but we figured it was time to get going.

West Coast Grenada

Given that we had not sailed for almost 4 months things went OK.  The wind was blowing E/ENE 20 to 25kts around the South of the island and we put up a reefed main and the staysail which had us barrelling along at around 8kts.  As we turned to run up the west side of Grenada the wind slackened in the shadow of the island with occasional squalls coming through which kept us on our toes.  We were headed to a place called Tyrell Bay on the next major island to the north called Carriacou which was about 35Nm away.  

Happy to be sailing again

Once off the north end of Grenada we had gusty 20 to 25kt winds for the crossing of the passage which put the boat close hauled and gave both boat and crew a good workout.   Happy to report there were no breakages.  About an hour from Tyrell Bay the weather started to deteriorate and as we were a bit late it was also starting to get dark.  Just as we started our approach to the entrance to the bay a terrific squall came through with torrential rain.  Scott was on the helm and Sam was up forward trying to spot any boats at anchor.  Nic and Calley were in the cockpit also trying to spot any boats.  Everyone was wearing wet weather gear but still got absolutely soaked after a few minutes.  We could not see a thing and knew from the radio that there were a number of yachts anchored in the bay many without lights.  In addition to make it interesting there were a couple of unmarked reefs which we had to avoid.  We made a run in but visibility became so bad we had to abandon and head out again until the rain stopped.  Even then it was pitch black and very difficult to see.  

We motored slowly in until we saw the first boat in front of us and then dropped our anchor.  We were still quite far out but figured this was the safest bet.  We could always move in the morning when things got clearer.  That night was a real welcome back to the boat.  At one point the wind got up to 40kts in the gusts.  Everyone slept well although Scott was up a few times monitoring our position and checking for anchor drag.

Next morning we woke to find a bay full of yachts in front of us and were extremely grateful that we had decided not to proceed further during the night.  A guy called Simon came around in a boat and sold us a couple of 3lb lobsters for dinner.

Simon and our lobsters

We will stay here for a few days until the weather abates and then continue North.  We have started school which everyone is really excited(!) about so will press on with that and maybe have a look around the island.

Getting Ready to Go (Part 2)

The last week has been very frustrating as we have had to revise our departure date a number of times due primarily to the problems with our fridge which no-one seems able to fix.

Initially we had scheduled the fridge guys to come in on Monday the 18th which would allow us to depart on the Wednesday 20th.  This kind of worked out because we were running a bit behind with a few of the other jobs.  However come Tuesday the fridge was still not working so departure blew out to Friday.  We threw in the towel with the mob we were using called Viking and who had been messing with the system for the last seven weeks and got another guy in on Wednesday.  The problem with this is that it takes at least 24hrs to see if the system is working and by then the guys are long gone and booked for the next few days.  The next guy seemed to know what he was talking about and regassed the system, moved a refrigerant line about and said “she’ll be right”.  Well next day she wasn’t right and he was busy.  So Friday comes around and another tech Stuart from the marina comes onboard.  He finds a problem with a leaking valve, fixes that, regasses the system and says” now she’ll be right”.  Two hrs later Stuart is on another job and warning lights start flashing.  He tells us he cannot return until Monday morning earliest.  That would mean a departure for us of earliest 27th.  Scott is beginning to tear the little hair he has left out.

Out of sheer frustration Scott had a troll around the internet to read up on the system and guessed that maybe the problem was the electronic controller.  We pulled out the old one, managed to get a new one locally and voila - we now have a functioning fridge.  Very lucky this time.  

The delays did have some benefits.  Calley has found some mates in the marina and so she is not seen from morning to night.  She runs around the marina with her friends playing at the pool, beach or one of the boats.  The rest of the family work on the boat.  Below decks is finally coming together and looks great with the new upholstery.  The hull and topsides has been washed and polished.  Scott and a local guy did the hand washing and polishing of the hull.  Scott was absolutely ruined after that exercise.  He is convinced that its a case of the mind thinking he is still 20 years old.  Sam has been cleaning out and washing the lazarette (a big deck locker where everything which does not have a home lives).  Nic has been busy down below hanging curtains and trying to find a storage slot for  the myriad of items we seem to have accumulated.  End result though is that the boat looks great.

New look saloon

And main cabin

Everyone has made the transition back onto the boat with relatively little trouble.  There have been no cries of despair over the lack of space and the house in Grenada with its huge rooms and swimming pool is now a distant memory.  Everyone is just keen to get started again.  We do have a trip to New York to look forward at X-mas.  We will be leaving the boat in St Lucia for two weeks and will fly up to New Jersey to spend X-mas with Scotts family.

This week we also started the process to get the boat on the market and are speaking with the broker which we bought the boat from back in 2012.  We wanted to get this started early as we think it will take some time to sell.   

We will leave Grenada on the 25th November.  Not sure exactly what will be our destination at this point but probably North into the Grenadines.   Hopefully will be able to start blogging a bit more regularly now.

A big Happy Birthday to our dear nephew, Ross, who turns the Big 10 today. Happy Birthday, Ross!

New look decks

Dulcinea polished and gleaming

Getting Ready to Go (Part 1 from 17th Nov)

We finally got the boat back in the water a week ago.  The yard was quite proactive in getting in the replacement shaft seal from Miami and it arrived in Grenada about 8 days after the aborted launch on the 8th November.  Typically that was a Friday and so the launch of the boat had to wait until the following Tuesday.

The launch on the 12th was relatively uneventful and once in the water we motored around the coast a  distance to a marina called Le Phare Bleu which is not far from the house and moored the boat stern to at the outer jetty.  We had visited this marina in July just prior to going into the yard and so were familiar with the layout.  Once moored we took stock of what had to be done before we could contemplate leaving.  There was a lot of work required even though we had just come out of the yard.  The biggest job was to move all our stuff from the house back to the boat and repacking it.  You would think that this would be relatively straight forward, after all most of the stuff came off the boat and there is only a limited amount of space however it is amazing how our stuff expands once we get onto dry land.  In addition the two week period we had planned on to complete the move had been shortened to a few days.  Apart from moving and repacking, there was work on the boat to be completed - the decks needed to be finished, the lazarette emptied, cleaned and repacked, the sails installed and a thorough clean carried out.  In addition Scott wanted to clean and polish the boat.

Dulcinea back in the water again - at last

Needless to say and without going into any detail the last week has been a little stressful and absolute chaos however everyone is still on speaking terms.  We basically shifted everything out of the house and dumped it on the boat and then found a home for it.  Most stuff is away now but at one point there was gear lying everywhere both above and below decks - it reminds us of our initial mobilisation in Newport a year and a half ago.  The work on deck and on the boat systems is just about finished with only a couple of tasks still to complete.  We have also to put the new upholstery onboard.  So all in all we are looking good apart from one major bugbear - the fridge is not holding temperature.  We have had people looking at this for the last 6 weeks on and off but they have still not managed to sort out the problems.  We are waiting for some other techs to have a look and try and get the system working but that will take a few days and so we will have to delay our departure.  Luckily we have a few days in hand and there are plenty of odd jobs to keep us busy.

Scott on the boom installing the mainsail

Whist we have been re mobilising we have also been saying goodbye to the people we have met on the island such as at Calley’s school, at our house, at soccer and just in general.  We have met some really wonderful and kind people during our stay and as a result our enduring memory of Grenada will be one of friendliness.  Most we will probably never see again but some we will try and stay in contact with.  We did a final road trip to the North of the island which we had not seen.  Being exposed to the Atlantic Ocean it is a lot more rugged and windswept that the western side which is sheltered from the constant trades and ocean swells.

The kids soccer team and coach

North East Grenada Coast

So everyone is ready to start sailing again even if the boat is not quite there yet.  We recieved the next batch of schoolbooks last week so everyone is very excited about getting a start on that - just think only 160 more lessons to go.  Current plan, fridge permitting is to sail leisurely up through the Grenadines with a view to getting to St Vincent by 9th Dec where we will pick up Mark and his daughter Rosie for a weeks sailing.

A Failure to Launch

So the long awaited launch day for Dulcinea came around last week but things did not go quite according to plan.

The work in the yard had been progressing well but the emphasis had definately come off with about two weeks to go.  It looked like a classic case of the 90/10 rule.  Most of the work had been completed but it was a matter of getting the last 10% finished and that seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time.  We just did not seem to be able to get anyone pinned down long enough to get the punchlist items finished but were continually assurred it would get done.  Scott managed to have a bust up with the yard owner over the rubber schedule with about a week to go which did not help things.  Eventually we were ready but items were still being completed just prior to launching.

Dulcinea ready for launch

We were schedule to splash on Wednesday 31st of October.  Scott wanted to go in a day early and then sit on a mooring in the bay for a night to ensure all the systems were run up prior to moving around to the marina where the final works to the decks were to be carried out.  However the weather was atrocious on the Wednesday so we delayed a day.  On Thursday things dawned much brighter.  The boat looked a million dollars and just after lunch the travel lift gathered up Dulcinea in its slings and trundled towards the launchway.  The final touch up to the anti foul was carried out and then Dulcinea was lowered into the water.  That was as far as we got.  A quick check of the hull integrity showed water coming in around the propellor shaft.  For some reason the seal between the shaft and the hull had started leaking and the only fix is a new seal which means that we have to stay out of the water until this is done.  So within a couple of hours we were back in our slot on the hard standing.  Very disappointing. 

Luckily the deck guys will work in the yard starting Monday but it kind of throws our schedule for the final cleanup and packing of the boat.

Over the last three weeks we have had a few visitors.  First Dave and Jenny came for a few days following a trip they had to the States.  Then immediately afterwards Sue and Mike (Nic's brother and sister) arrived for a stay of just over two weeks.   It was great to catch up with everyone given how long we have been away and Nic especially was thrilled to be able to spend some time with her brother and sister.  We both really appreciate people making the effort to come and see us especially as its such a long way from Western Australia.

Dave and Jenny with us at one of the Seven Sisters

The other big event was Calley’s birthday.  She has been eagerly anticipating this day for about the last 6 months.  She had a pool party at the house and invited most of her friends from school.  Everything went according to plan and she had a ball.

Calley's Birthday

So we are now waiting for the new shaft seal to arrive from Miami - latest news is that it is being Fedex’d and should be here in about a week.  That would put us back in the water around next weekend.  We have to be out of our house by the 15th so will probably need a few days in some short stay accommodation to allow us to get the boat packed up properly.  Will see how all this pans out.