Life on board starts again
NORDLYS
David and Annette Ridout
Thu 27 Nov 2008 12:31
Life on board starts
again
Prickly Bay
Grenada
18th november
2008
11:59N 61:45W
As I walked off the British Airways B777 at Grenada
airport I have to confess there was a multitude of thoughts going through
my head. The aircraft was one that I had actually flown, this
time however I had sat in an economy seat having paid a lot of money for
the pleasure of doing so. This was a good decision as there were no spare
seats at all and Staff Travel would have been a non starter. These
thoughts were quickly left behind as the warm Caribbean breeze hit us and the
locals could be heard talking to themselves in the unmistakable accent of the
islands. Grenada lived up to its name of a friendly island and we were
through customs/immigration and had our car hire organised within half an
hour. Amazing. So began two weeks of hard work. We stayed in a
very local hotel just north of George Town and commuted for twenty minutes by
car to the yard where Nordlys lay. To avoid the heat of the day we were up
at 0500 and on the boat by just after 0600 as the sun rose. Most days we
retired to a local waterfront bar restaurant at lunch time and after a little
pretence went back to the hotel and its air-conditioning. The yard was
almost windless and stiflingly hot as the mercury went up into the 30s with very
high humidity.
They tell me that order does eventually come from chaos!
Two weeks of work behind us and Nordlys is ready to have her
hurricane cradle dismantled and to be 'splashed'
as the Americans call launching
In order to avoid the chaotic centre of town we went the back
way each day on our commute. Over the hill and through the grave
yard.
Very Caribbean. One night the whole place was lit by
thousands of lamps as it was all saints day and tradition says that
ancestors should be honoured. For the previous week many
had been working tidying up their family graves.
The trials and tribulations of getting organised in
a Caribbean yard will be glossed over. Work ethic and listening to
requests are not words that either the management or the workers
understand. Both however were such nice people that it was difficult to
get annoyed. The experience did however re-enforce our decision to sail
home to Lymington next summer and bring to an end our tropical voyages. At
least for some time!
The view from our veranda at the hotel at sunset or 'rum
and tonic time' as we call it.
A lot of stocking of the boat was done while we had
the car and so the old lady weighed quite a lot as she entered the water
but with the lift rated at 70 tonnes we were very relaxed. All worked, no
leaks even from the shaft seal. Engine started and we motored off to
anchor in the bay. What an introduction, an unforecast swell arrived and
we rolled and sweated all night. Next morning we found a much less rolly
spot right off the old Spice Island bar. It is here six days later that I
am writing this as the motor charges our batteries, Annette is beavering around
doing chores and we await the arrival of our new sprayhood, or dodger as it is
known locally and by all Americans. We hope that one fitting will suffice
but I expect that this will not happen. The last few days have seen huge
amounts of rain fall, over three inches each day, and life without the dodger is
awkward. Next to us are a charming Australian couple and their three young
children. They gave up their jobs as a mining engineer and geologist
respectively and flew to Europe, bought a new Beneteau and have over the last
four years done the Mediterranean from end to end, including the East Med rally
which took them to Egypt and the pyramids amongst other things. They have
been several hundred miles up a West African river and also one thousand miles
up the Amazon. They have been picking our brains as
they are about to set off on a very similar voyage to ours which will take them
to the San Blas Islands, through the Panama Canal and on across the Pacific to
Australia. How lucky they are to have jobs that they can take a break from
and easily go back to. Last night we taught them all how to play
Perudo. Very enjoyable and good experience for us as Grand
Parents.
A new use for old tractor tyres. Someone do tell
Colten's in case they wish to sponsor
any more roundabouts as they do the one at Pennington
The Anchorage in Prickly Bay. After Durban we are wary
of such skies but this one just produced water and
little wind
By way of a challenge does anyone know what this is a picture
of? I took it since we have been in Grenada.
The plan is once we have finished with the canvas
man and our new sprayhood, cushions and sail cover are all finished we will head
north to Bequia, hopefully arriving before Jago and family do on the 29th
October. It will almost certainly be a 70nm beat so should be a good(?)
testing for boat and crew.
Happy times to our readers
David and Annette