12:02.684N 061:44.900W Back In The Marina Again

Irene IV - World Adventure
Louis Goor
Sat 22 Jan 2022 14:32

Friday January 20th, 2022

Back in the Marina again

As our resident Irene IV author extraordinaire, Sabine is taking a well needed day off, I have been given the task of updating the blog.

We have arrived in heavy winds, gusting 30-40 knots in Port Louis (aptly named!) in the capital of Grenada which is a large developed island at the end of the Windward Islands in the Caribbean. The marina we are in, St. Georges, is beautifully landscaped and has top class amenities, which is quite a change from the many stunning and basic anchorages we have been at since we started on Jan 9th, 2022.  
As Louis, Sabine and Captain Stuart take stock of the first 11 days of a 485 day voyage around the world on Irene IV, a beautiful Oyster 655 sailing yacht, it is not lost on me that as a guest crew member, like a bug hitching a ride on a windshield, I have just experienced @2.26%(or @400 nautical miles) of the time it takes to complete this incredible journey around our beautiful planet. We have had some highs and lows, seen some incredible scenery and wildlife and experienced some unexpected adventures. 

As you may recall from earlier blogs, we had a rather auspicious start to the Oyster World Rally in Antigua; after crossing the starting line in pole position of a large 25 boat start, we quickly returned back to Falmouth Harbour where we over-nighted waiting for a negative test from Sabine, and Stuart could complete the arduous paperwork before we could begin the voyage. She had inexplicably contracted Covid, and thankfully recovered quickly, but had to get the all clear before we could leave the beautiful waters of Antigua.
Our first overnight passage was a first for me, we travelled down to the tiny islands of Isle Des Saints, Guadalupe, where we had our first real trial of fixing a complicated boat while on the open water. The generator stopped working, so Stuart and Louis rolled up their selves and showing true teamwork, were able to isolate the issue and fix it. Myself and Sabine, as mere voyeurs to their troubleshooting, decided that our help would not be constructive and explored the incredible nearby coral reefs. Paving the way for Louis and Stuart to snorkel after their engineering success. (A low and a high…) 
After a couple of days in this stunning island we embarked on the next part of our journey to Port Elizabeth on the island of Bequia. This is part of the St. Vincents and Grenadine islands and is packed with small islands and incredible snorkeling and coral reefs. This was a long offshore sail of @ 30+ hours with me helming for the night shift from 6:00pm-8:00pm and then again at 4:00am-6:00am - this was my favorite time slot as you got to experience the amazing night sky with the millions of stars, unobstructed by human lights and then witness the glorious dawn as it slowly creeps over the horizon and begins another day. A great time to reflect on life and the journey at hand. 
We explored a number of the islands around Bequia and spent a wonderful evening at Mayreau Island where we were greeted as we arrived at our anchorage by a young man in a bright red wooden boat, asking if we wanted any banana bread and inviting us to a beachside BBQ. As Sabine had described before, I am usually skeptical of such forward sales tactics, but to my surprise Sabine and Louis said yes to the BBQ and I was immediately thrust outside my comfort zone. Imagining that we would be kidnapped and or worse, I told Stuart, who remained behind onboard,  to contact my wife if anything happened… Our new friend Alvin came to pick us up in his speedy red boat @5:00pm and we went around a headland in very choppy seas into another gorgeous idyllic, palm tree lined, white sandy beach. A number of beach side bars and ramshackle huts lined the beach, but he directed us behind them to a lovely picnic table with lights and umbrellas and he introduced us to his family and his little daughter Shakira, who was adorable. I realized that my big city cynasism should be left behind when exploring these beautiful islands and offers a great insight into the friendly welcoming nature of these hard working people. This was a true educational experience for me personally, immersing into the local cultures and cuisine is essential to truly experience a new country. I can only imagine, with this honest and open approach to exploring the 25-30 countries that Louis and Sabine and Irene IV will visit will offer the most incredible experience and truly life changing. 
There are so many moments that I would love to highlight, but have run out of time. I wish them the best of success with their year and a half journey and will truly treasure the incredible life changing experiences that I have been lucky enough to be part of such a small piece in such an adventure.

      

Iles Des Saintes, Guadalupe
         
      

Louis on night watch

 

Alvin, Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau


Angus enjoying a cool drink, Port Elizabeth, Bequia