Two near deaths in five minutes!
Stream
Darrell Jackson and Sarah Barnes
Sat 7 Jun 2014 18:29
12:01.41N 61:40.72W
> We left Dragon's Bay on May 28th, mainly because we knew we could not endure another night of Karaoke! The sail down to the coast was pleasant, but we did have to reef the genoa due to the 25+ Knot gusts of wind. However, once we rounded Point Salines and were beating into the wind and a very confused sea with huge swell created due to the shallow water, all the ingredients to make the kind of sailing that makes Sarah very ill. It was slow progress the last few miles to True Blue.
This is a small bay with a tiny marina and boutique hotel, with a fairly expensive bar/restaurant. They run a small yacht charter business from the bay too. But it was quiet and we had a lot of space to anchor. The positive aspect, well in Darrell's view, was the fact that they also have a very small (garden shed sized) micro brewery; The West Indian Brewery, where they make two beers and a cider. Darrell enjoyed tasting the ale! Also, from Darrell's point of view, it was a short walk from a chandlery and the Spice Island boat yard, so he could check them out! True Blue was the place to start sorting the boat out and getting her ready for hauling out. Therefore it was imperative that certain items were purchased! (Darrell's excuse! Although why it took four visits is beyond me.)
However, although it is near the huge Grenadian university and is a residential area, food shopping was non existent and required a bus journey to one of the many Malls over at Grand Anse. The buses here practically drag you off the street and take you off. They are determined that you need to go their way, even when it is clear you are heading in the opposite direction.
While in the bay we did start the deck cleaning and organising the packing up of equipment. It is amazing how long the list gets.
Saturday 31st May
We motor sailed the short distance along the south coast to Le Phare Bleu. This is only four miles, but due to the wind and sea conditions, and after much tacking, it took a while, but we did manage to miss the Porpoises, a reef rather than the mammals Sarah was hoping to see.
Darrell was keen to stop at Le Phare Bleu, due to it having its own Light Ship (just like the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club in Blyth!) It is another small marina in a bay surrounded by reefs and quite a tricky buoyed channel into it. As we got no reply on the radio we picked our own berth and went alongside, nice and easy for us and luckily they didn't mind as they were very quiet.
We rolled off the boat for a much deserved drink and meal. Darrell had the largest beer ever, which must have been at least a litre in the glass! Our time at Le Phare Bleu was spent feverishly preparing Stream for the hurricane season. Sails were removed during one of the few less windy moments; all sheets and removable deck lines and jack stays were removed and washed and the teak decks were cleaned. Below decks a mammoth spring clean took place with even the bilges getting the Sarah hoover and disinfection treatment. We could have eaten our lunch out of them!
On the second day we went ashore for a sundowner and Sarah asked for her usual Iced Tea while Darrell had something stronger. Sarah only put the glass to her lips and realised immediately that there was alcohol in her drink! Darrell rushed to the bar to ask what they had put in it and the first ingredient mentioned was gin! They had served her a Long Island Iced Tea cocktail. Sarah always carries a rucksack with her Epipen in but, Sod's law, this time she didn't have it and her lips were burning and fingers were tingling. Stream was on the furthest berth from the bar and so Darrell set off running to get an Epipen from the boat. Now whilst Darrell is quite happy cycling a long way, running is not one of his strong points and by the time he got back with the Epipen his heart rate and breathing were causing concern to the gathered onlookers! Pen used and Darrell sitting down, the panic was over and all was finally well, particularly as the bill for lunch was cancelled "due to the inconvenience". It could have been a lot more than "an inconvenience" for them, but everyone was very apologetic and kept asking how Sarah was feeling.
Other than this, we had a pleasant stay in Le Phare Bleu and met several Canadians who have taken the big step of leaving home and living on their yacht for undefined periods ('we are seeing how it goes, we thought that we would give it at least a couple of years before deciding whether to continue', was their usual refrain,)and were making the decision where to spend the hurricane season. We also met a couple of sailors who were from Corbridge - small world!
June 4th 2014
We were up early for our final motor around to Grenada Marine in St David's Bay. With no sails it was a case of bumping through the roller coaster waves for the short journey. Luckily, it was only an hour to picking up the mooring buoy. For some unknown reason our radio had decided not to work so we didn't get the message that they were ready for us. So it was a quick rush on board getting fenders and lines ready, before we motored across and reversed into the travel lift. Now the Grenadians are not a communicative bunch and it was quite difficult to interpret the hand signals and grunts, especially for Sarah who has never been around when Stream has been hauled out before. Darrell was slightly phased when they asked for a photo showing the hull below water, luckily the good people of Troon had put marks on the boat where the hoist straps go, so this was easily overcome. We had to step off the back of Stream as they began to lift her and watched from the shore as she was lifted out of the water. Sarah cringing when she saw the marks the anchor chain had made during the debacle at Basseterre, luckily it was not as bad as she thought. In fact after the jet washing Stream did not look too bad. It only took an hour to scrape off all the little barnacles that had avoided Darrell's attentions during our adventures. Stream remained in the hoist while the workers went off for lunch, Darrell hoping we don't have to pay for that time but it did mean he could get some photos of her out of the water. Then she was skilfully put on her cradle and secured with large ratchet straps, ready for whatever the summer winds may throw at her.
Once the ladder was attached to the back we could get on board to complete the decommissioning tasks, which took a while. Thankfully, Darrell had organised for us to stay at La Sagesse, a local hotel on a beach that does special rates for the marina customers, in fact as we were the only guests - it was like having our own private resort. This meant that we could end each day with a swim in the sea and a walk along the beach. At last a bed that was on a stationary floor, however it was still moving for us! But we had the sound of the surf to lull us to sleep after each day of working hard on the boat. Stream is ready for her rest and has someone to check up on her while we are away. The sailmaker has the sails, although it looks like the Genoa is truly "dead" and will need replacing, too much sun is bad for sensitive types!
Friday June 6th
After a quick return to Stream for some final bits and pieces, we climbed on a local bus to Grenville, so we could see some of the island. Grenville is a large port town on the Atlantic coast, where the trade boats to and from Trinidad dock. It was a busy day in Grenville. The local high school drum band was parading in the streets raising money for the blind. A local politician was visiting, which caused chaos as roads were shut and buses were diverted.
We hopped on another bus, up to the Belmont Estate. This is a 400 acre cocoa estate that provides the raw ingredients for Grenada Chocolate company. We had a pleasant couple of hours exploring the gardens, goat dairy and cocoa drying areas, but it was not as fabulous as Hotel Chocolat. We did enjoy the traditional drumming and cocoa dancing - a man and woman dancing special choreographed dances on the dried cocoa beans to polish them, a bit like grape pressing but to the beat of the drums. Then it was two very crowded bus journeys back to our hotel and a much needed last swim in the Caribbean Sea, a pleasant end to what has been an absolutely fantastic experience for us. A final meal and then an early night before a 05.00 start to get to the airport for 06.00 to start the epic journey back to the UK via some Caribbean islands on the way.