Grenada’s Independence Day

   Three cruise liners arrived this morning: Time to move on we thought. We toyed with the idea of going to the parade but wasn’t sure if it would be mostly speeches. There was an ‘oil down’ competition with tastings going on later in town, this being the local dish, but as the name suggests, the fat content would be far too high for ‘the stones’ and I. We upped anchor and decided to escape to the south coast of the island. It was about a three hour beat into wind to the anchorage passing many wonderful sights along the way and hillsides now parched and baron except for mangroves at the waters edge and trees high in the hills.

   The holding was poor and we dragged twice before moving down stream a little and it setting. We now sit in Clarkes Court Bay in tranquillity with a dozen or so boats in the tiny marina at the end of the bay, the village of Woburn tucked into the corner, a few houses in the banks to the sides, a few boats anchored around us and the privately owned Hog Island and Calivigny Island behind us. To our side also sits The Little Dipper, quoted as the cutest and best small restaurant in Grenada with only four tables and the tiny Whisper Cove Marina with eight berths and a delightfully pretty yellow and white wooden building. Internet proved a problem here too which was really bad timing as Si decided to nip back to England to see CJ at half term and was trying to book flights.

   Everyone knows the definition of cruising is boat maintenance in exotic places and this afternoon I continued to gradually replace all the stitching on the sprayhood which is slowly disintegrating and Si has been removing the silicon which was holding the broken solar panel in place. (Still no reply from his email!)

   Tonight over sundowners our view was not obstructed by ugly ships and the sun sunk peacefully over Hog Island.