Sunday, 4 March 2007

Having arrived early in the morning in Prickly Bay, Grenada I rested on board as there was no check in today.  If you were desperate there probably was if you want to run around and pay overtime fees. 

Monday, 5 March 2007

I rowed ashore and checked in at customs and immigration in the bay, all rather simple.  In the afternoon I was invited over to Tixi Lixi for drinks with Lorna and later Andy came back. 

Tuesday, 6 March 2007

Went in with Andy and Lorna to catch the bus.  Great jump on minibus system, 2 EC$, very fast drivers.  Sticking to the route is a bit of a problem for them, they detour a lot, and I got on a bus going in the wrong direction and eventually ended up where I should have started.  I did not mind, but it made it difficult to know where I was going to have to get off on the return journey.

We stopped so that Andy could go to the cash machine; unfortunately the machine ate his card and did not give him any money.  We then had to wait for a printout from Barbados, I think, to check it was a void transaction.  Back on the bus and we arrived at the Lagoon where there is a good chandlers. 

Lorna went shopping and Andy and I caught another bus to pick up the table he was having made. 

I have been trying to decide where to leave the boat for the three months I expect to be away in the UK.  Options abound. Carriacou with a man to take it into the mangroves if there is a hurricane.  Grenada, hauled out in the boatyard, on the pontoon or on a buoy.  These were serious options as I expected to be back before the hurricane season got going.  I went through the options, each time thinking that was better than the last one.  The buoy in the bay where I went with Andy was the latest decision, absolutely. 

A quick drink as it was hot and lunchtime then back on the bus.  Andy went on, but I got off at the Lagoon and hailed Grover who were anchored there. 

We had a pleasant afternoon and evening aboard the boat, after having given Jonathan in the chandlers a hard time.  This was when I found out that my full moon had not just been behind a big cloud, it was a full lunar eclipse.  I even had the moon times and they said 00.00 Full, you think they would have mentioned such an infrequent event.  Good job I had the radar, that s all I can say.

It was dark when I left Grover and had to hail the bus.  They are just a minibus and look the same as a taxi or any other minibus, but I got one.  I made sure he was going at least to the roundabout.  I got off, hoping I was in the right place.  I had to walk the last bit.  It was dark, so I ran down the middle of the road.  When I could see the masts of the boats in the yard I felt much better.  Then it was just the ½ hour row to the boat from the dinghy dock.  The current is very strong and I am sure I rowed at least 3 times the distance it actually was.

Wednesday, 7 March 2007

Up and off in the dinghy at 7.30 because I was going on a tour of Grenada with the Grover guys and a very nice Canadian couple.   The monkeys did not show up for their banana, are they really there?  We did the rum distillery, using a water wheel to power the original old engineering equipment from the days when England made all those sorts of engines.  The nutmeg factory, all very manual and clever basic machinery.  The chocolate factory was a must or I was going to run amok.  It is all solar powered and organic.  They were not producing because they were having a new machine installed, but we ate all the samples they put out and bought a few bars between us. 

After the tour we hung out in the yacht club for a few drinks and had a meal there.  Then it was back to Grover for John to make a cd of the photos that they had taken of my boat leaving Martinique.  The buses do not run very late, but one came along soon enough. I was the only passenger and there were no diversions, it was amazing how quick the 6 or 7 miles was covered in a straight trip.  The row back to the boat seemed to take a long time and I was a bit worried that I could not find the boat, but it was still there and I found it eventually.

I had decided today that I was going to take the boat to Trinidad, in case I did not get back before hurricane season as that is the nearest place that I am insured for.

Thursday, 8 March 2007

I said goodbye on the Cruiser Net and Jonathan said was I leaving that evening to arrive in Trinidad the next morning, but I wanted to allow more time, I am only little.  I checked out and was leaving at noon.  I popped over to Tixi Lixi to get lots of information of Trinidad as they had been there for a long time.

I upped anchor right on noon and set off.  The weather forecast was 20 knots E, with 8 to 11 feet Easterly swell.  The wind was strong, but went more and more S.  Despite the good wind I had to turn the engine on to charge up the batteries which were nearly down to 10v. 

Friday, 9 March 2007

It was too much of an open sea crossing to put the dinghy on the front and so I stayed in the cockpit all night.  I passed what I think was an oil platform just after midnight and another one at 4am.  I am always pleased to see the daybreak.  Having left Grenada so many hours earlier than most boats I arrived in Trinidad at noon.