Sunday 2 June 2013

 

We have been pottering about the bays along the south coast of Grenada.  Lin went to a Grenada Cookery demonstration at the True Blue Hotel and we’ve joined in with some of the various activities organised by cruisers in the area.

 

We didn’t join the quiz night.  It was suggested that it would be good to have a specialist subject and mine, ‘Shurflo 12 volt Freshwater Pumps’ was not accepted.

 

On Sunday we hopped into Cutty’s bus again and were taken to the north of the island to a beach where leatherback turtles come ashore at this time of year to lay their eggs.  This all happens in the dark and only one came ashore on the night we were there.  She slowly made her way up the beach and proceeded to dig a large hole as her nest.  There was a pond just inshore of the spot she chose and unfortunately the water was backing into the nest.  She spotted this and wouldn’t lay so we were all asked to back away for half an hour whilst she chose another spot.

 

Only red lights were permitted because white lights can blind them apparently so I didn’t succeed in taking any photographs.  Well over 80 eggs were laid which come in two sizes.  Those with yolks are about the size of small oranges and the others similar in size to table tennis balls.  These were collected by the wardens and reburied in a hole farther from the sea as it was felt that the turtle’s new spot would be swept away at high tide.

 

We were amazed at how large the leatherback is.  The shell was 5ft 6in long and about 3ft 6in wide.  Her digging is very deliberate and laborious and it takes about half an hour to dig the nest with just her back flippers.  She scoops the sand out from side to side.  She goes into a trance for the 20 or so minutes it takes to lay her eggs and we were allowed to touch her.  She was very slightly warm and the flippers have the appearance of elephant hide.

 

Once the laying is completed she then proceeds to sweep the sand back into place (she didn’t know the eggs had been removed as this all happened behind her).  This takes another half hour and she then ‘walks’ all over the area to disguise it before making her way back to sea.  In all she spends 2 or 3 hours out of the water.

 

It was a fascinating experience.