Tin Tin's Sailing Calendar

Friday 14 December 2018

Grenada to St. Vincent and the Grenadines

11th December
We motored out from Prickly Bay after a breakfast of fresh pawpaw and lime juice, passing the great red tiled rooves of the University on our way to the southern most tip of Grenada. Here we turne s north and motored up the length of the island, close enough to enjoy looking at villages and coastline as we passed. An occasional rain squall came over the mountains, bringing with it great gusts of wind. We passed Gouyave, where Stuart and I had strolled on Sunday, and we looked through binoculars for the "heritage" building that we had visited on the Main Street, which had been taken over by a church, who were trying to buy the property. The view from the sea uconfirmed what we had observed on land, that the town turns its back on the sea, with few properties facing it, and with no cafes or bars set up to look outwards. The church could do well to use its heritage property to open a restaurant and bar for tourists and, with the revenue, pay off the loans needed. In a way it's like any fishing village, where people prefer not to look out on the dangerous ocean from which they make their livelihood.

It was the same in all our tour of Grenada, apart from one or two bars in the southern bays where yachting has enabled marine industry to establish.

We rounded the northern end of Grenada, within sight of Sauteurs, and here set sail for Carriacou. The west going current was strong between islands, and we struggled to lay the course for Tyrell's Bay, eventually tacking and motorsailing in, in order to get there in a reasonable time. We eventually dropped anchor close to the shore, amongst many other boats. Nearby the blue painted Lazy Turtle Restaurant was built on the shoreline, with a welcoming little dock. We went ashore at sunset and enjoyed the Wi-fi, cocktails and. Sunset, topped off with a shared pizza as hors d'Ĺ“uvres. Depending on one's exchange rate cocktails at EC$22 cost £7-9.

Next morning we upped anchor and motored round to Hillsborough to clear Customs for St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Here we found a charming town, with characterful buildings along the Main Street, a steel pan/ keyboard duo playing beautifully outside the ancient tourist office. The Customs and Immigration guys were very charming and I was soon cleared out and ambled up the street with Stuart, whilst Âne and Beccy were up the other end shopping for fruit and veg.

We found a waterfront that acknowledged the beauty of the bay, with blue picnic tables and benches under a conical roof providing beach picnic spots. Here we met Leanna (Trinidadian) and Fabio(Italian) who live aboard their blue 28ft yacht AzzurrO. They are sailing up to Martinique.
Back aboard we enjoyed our salad lunch and then set sail for Union Island, clearly visible just 5 miles away.The wind and current were kind and we had a great sail close-hauled, and picked up a buoy for the night (EC$80) and bought banana bread from the boatman (EC$30)

Ashore we found that we had to walk to the little airport to complete formalities, and then wandered round Clifton village which was evidently much more attuned to tourist requirements. We enjoyed fruit smoothies on a nicely painted deck over. The water, and then headed back on board to relax and enjoy our evening.

Thursday 13 December 2018

11th December 2018 Carriacou

I collected Anne and Beccy at the airport in Grenada, having time before their delayed flight landed to go to Budget Marine to buy a new toilet seat for the forward heads, and 30 stainless steel circlips to use to hang the new blue shower curtains.

It was exciting to wait with locals for the arrival of family and, before it was my turn, I really enjoyed the excitement of families as grandchildren arrived. Then there was Anne and Beccy!

My little white rental car just about fitted them and their luggage in, and soon we talking excitedly and in no time were back at Prickly Bay. The dinghy managed to carry us all out including Stuart and all the bags. I prepared a salad lunch with the big creamy yellow green avocados from a market stall.

Later as the sun set we drove into the capital, St. George, and drove up the steep streets to the Roman Catholic cathedral renovated after Hurricane Ivan destroyed it in September 2004. When we last visited in LAROS in December 2005 it was still a wreck as was the neighbouring Anglican cathedral. Both are now gleaming towers above the town. We then drove through little back streets to the Fort overlooking the bay, where the Police have their HQ. The sun was setting and looking back t other hill with the cathedrals, all the buildings were in an amazing glow rather as if it was a stage set. But close to us the blackened skeleton of the Presbyterian church was a reminder of Hurricane Ivan.

Down on the waterfront there are only two obvious restaurants with balconies on stilts over the water. We went to BBs place which is run as a family affair with all the local dishes named after the owner's children or grandchildren. Our meal included lots of local vegetables and roots, including cassava, dasheen, yams, sweet potato, green bananas, and plantain, collectively called "Provision"!

Monday 10 December 2018

Sketch of Sauteurs Leap, Grenada

Grenada

Tin Tin left Peake Yachts at 16:30 on Wed 5th December and motored round to Scotland Bay and dropped anchor for the night it was glorious to be making progress at last.

The following morning we set off at 04:30 under a clear dark starry sky. And then had a fast sail north to Grenada arriving reefed hard down in sudden 40 knot squalls and rain. As we dropped sail we discovered that the engine wouldn't start.
We quickly hoisted sail again and tacked up until we could make our way safely into Prickly Bay to drop anchor (using skills from a Cornish childhood.

On Friday morning we cleared Customs and Immigration at 11:00 and then, finding that no engineers were available to help, we bled the diesel line and cleared air from it, solving the problem.

Ashore I hired a car and we spent Saturday and Sunday exploring the island. In the north we found the airstrip with two Russian marked aircraft wrecks, remnants from the American invasion to oust the Cuban «advisors». It was poignant to see the bullet holes in the metal and then to find an A4 sheet pasted inside mourning an American K. I. A. on 25th Oct 1983.

We continued northwards to a village called Sauteurs (or Leapers on different signs. ) where I sat on the jetty and sketched the cliff from which besieged Caribs leapt to their deaths. It's topped with a fine church, and on the beach below brightly painted fishing boats with big outboard motors are bombing at moorings or drawn up on the sand.

Grenadan villages don't seem to make the most of their sea fronts. Very little in the way of cafes or restaurants on our trip round unlike Barbados where some villages had places attractive to tourists, with funky beachside bars or cafes. We stopped in various roadside bars and eventually in Houyave on the West we found a local restaurant which served macaroni pie, fish and chicken.