After six glorious days floating and relaxing in Friendship Bay, Bequia, until just before Thanksgiving, we decided to strike out on what we dubbed a “camping trip”. Since we had to miss the Tobago Cays on our way north from Grenada this trip, we decided to revisit that lovely set of islands for a few days of world-class snorkeling and exploring.
It was an easy day sail back to the south to the Cays, where we anchored in the gin-clear water among some twenty or so other boats. The Toabago Cays is a National Park for the St. Vincent and Grenadines, as it is one of the most spectacularly beautiful areas we’ve ever seen. It is a reasonable large area so we didn’t feel crowded at all. The Cays, or islands, are enclosed by a horseshoe shaped reef which protects them from the brunt of the Atlantic, just on the other side of the reef system, due east. It seems very odd to see large waves approach from the open ocean from the east, then watch them hit the reef and dissolve into mere ripples as they approach your boat. Because of this reef, the anchorage is very still and quiet although the wind continues to come in, unabated at a good clip. This allows for a bug free anchorage and a constant cooling breeze.
One thing we remembered from our visit here last Spring, was that there are many large sea turtles in the anchorage. They seem to “welcome” each boat into their chosen spot by coming near the boat, surfacing to get a breath, then diving below the surface into the safety of the depth below. Then, several times during one’s stay, they would resurface, from nowhere, to “check us out” then scurry below again as if we’d frightened them. They truly are curious and beautiful sea creatures.
Early in this season’s travels, we reunited with a couple of boats we’d just begun to know last season. When we arrived in the Tobago Cays, we found them again and settled in near them at anchor. They had traveled with us to Friendship Bay, Bequia, and were part of an original consideration for a Thanksgiving get together. They had gotten itchy to move from Bequia before we were ready, and had moved back down to the Tobago Cays since they had missed them as well this year. Once we settled in, we were all together for cocktails and dinner aboard the English monohull Magic (Dave and Donna) with another English couple, Linda and Tim (of Matsu) to plan a Thanksgiving round up. Interestingly, Dave and Donna had been living in Minnesota for several years prior to coming sailing, and had found Thanksgiving to be one of their favorite “adopted” holidays.
The Thanksgiving party was planned as a pot luck on Matsu, a beautiful 50’ wooden monohull. One couple had found a turkey breast and was bringing that, Suz and I made a lovely chicken & pasta salad, Another couple made some bread and hummus for appetizers, The host and hostess made some delicious chicken pot pies with stuffing as well as a superb cranberry/sweet potato/bread pudding and some chocolate brownies for dessert. There were mashed potatoes and gravy as well as some cranberry relish. All inj all, it was the traditional American style Thanksgiving pig-out. Everyone left for home thoroughly sated and was ready for bed before long.
The following days were spent reef snorkeling and hiking the cays. We swam with some nurse sharks at one site and saw a school(?) of small squid at another. Each snorkel place was special in its own right and we felt glad that we made the decision to go “camping” back down in the Cays. It really felt like we had gone to a National Park for a good re-connection with nature.
Friday morning we decided to head over to another of our favorite spots, Salt Whistle Bay on the island Mayreau. The others were still deciding when and where to head and wound up following us as we left the Cays. Once inside Salt Whistle bay, we found the anchorage to be untenable with rollers, so we rounded the small island to different bay and found calmer waters for the night’s anchorage.
In the morning, it was decided that a return trip to Union Island was the right choice for clearance out of the country, even though we would be back-tracking an additional 10 miles or so to get clearance. As Union Island, and its port town of Clifton, is not one of our favorite spots and we regretted returning to that port, even for a short stop. We arrived at Clifton and proceeded to clear customs and did some quick provisioning for some necessities like beer and bread. We were back aboard before noon and quickly began our windward slog into the waves back toward Bequia.
This trip turned into what we have to term a real “exhauster”. The wind and waves were coming from the worst possible angles and sailing or motoring into them both made for a very long and uncomfortable passage. When we finally arrived into Admiralty Bay, Beqia in the dark (something we never like to do!) around 8pm and were glad to take a mooring ball for the night as we both were near exhaustion after the long day. Anchoring in the dark can be quite the experience as it is never quite as comforting as planting the hook in the light and “seeing” that you are securely down. Therefore, a ball was the right answer after that tough day bouncing about. We crawled into bed soon after a snack and slept hard all night long.
We planned on stopping in Bequia for the night, as weather was kicking up for the next few days, allowing us only one short window to get north before weather forced a possible week-long delay in northbound travel. When we arose early that morning, we were not sure we felt ready for another day of pounding through the seas, and considered waiting for the next good window to move on. Yet, after a cup of coffee and a clearer head, we decided we had been on BEquia long enough already and should push on , knowing that if the trip became to bad, we could always turn around and return to wait out the storm. The trip to St. Lucia, two islands up the chain proved much kinder than the one the previous day. Although we had to go further, and across a large open-to-the-Atlantic passage, we maintained good speed and direction to minimize the larger uncomfortable swells.
Since St. Vincent, the in-between island, has a reputation among cruisers for being somewhat unfriendly and somewhat sketchy in terms of security, we decided to forgo a visit there and sail past it to the former French Island of St. Lucia. We all arrived in St. Lucia after a long, but more pleasant sailing day where Mother Nature really displayed some of her finest works. As we passed th beautiful Piton mountains, rainbows abounded as squalls surrounded us, in the distance, with dramatic dark clouds, while whales rose off our port side close enough to nearly touch. We were so surprised to see them that unfortunately they were gone before our cameras could be turned on! We arrived into Marigot Bay on St. Bequia near dark after a much more relaxing day “out there”. We will head ashore here to clear into the country before heading north to Rodney Bay later today. Our intent is to stay in Rodney Bay for a few days as it is a major cruisers hub for food provisioning and boat repairs, the former we need, the latter, thankfully, we don’t. We have only had to make minor fixes on the boat so far, nothing unusual. We hope this trend continues as floating problems cause major concern since one never knows to what extent the problem may manifest. As an example, on the long arduous trip from Union Island, Suz, during our periodic checking of the engine compartments, found a water drip in one engine. We shut down that engine and since the seas were so rough it was decided to forgo restarting it until we could go below without upchucking to inspect the source of the leak. Since it was not a major spraying, we knew it was not likely something major, so it could wait until the morning. That morning we found a hose clamp totally loose on a part the marina had replaced for us this summer. The installer had neglected to tighten a hose clamp and this allowed for water to seep through the fitting. A quick tightening and we were ready to go once again. Simple fix, good news. These kind of repairs quickly surpress the anxiety of a blown engine block which is also considered during times of uncertain repair needs. As non-mechanic types we like these easy fixes!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
So here we sit.
We arrived into Bequia last Wednesday, almost a week ago, expecting to stay only a couple of nights. We found a beautiful bay anchorage at Friendship Bay on the south coast of this most comfortable, tiny island. There is a rather posh resort about 200 yards off our port side, ashore, where guests must be paying upwards of $500 per day for a room. We sit out here, at no daily fee, enjoying the same view, the same breeze, and the same superb white sand beach and crystal clear water. It seems somewhat surreal.
Upon our arrival to Bequia, we had heard that a rather uncomfortable NW’ly swell was heading toward the island and that boats in the main anchorage at Admiralty Bay around the corner of the island would be open to seas between them and this large swell. It was expected that the swell, anticipated to be upwards of 13 feet would arrive on Friday last, so we stayed in the more protected anchorage we chose upon arrival. For those unclear about what a swell is, most swells are just rolling waves which are natural in the open sea. The anticipated swell we had been warned about consisted of a rather over-zealous version of the normally sized ones. For this version, think of a mini-tsunami, like the one which devastated the Indian Ocean’s mainland after the horrible under sea earthquake a few years ago. Friday came and went, however, and no damaging swells occurred on the island so we decided to stay put in this idyllic spot we had chosen for a couple of more days. The internet was free and the connectivity was strong, the beach was white sand, the snorkeling was superb and we felt somewhat mesmerized by the location’s splendor.
Since Thanksgiving was coming, many of the boaters have begun to try to make some sort of plans for the holiday. We decided that since our anchorage was so nice, we’d just stay put until Wednesday, then move around the point to the larger and more populated Admiralty Bay for the feast day. No matter what George Bush says, down here, weather is always the great decider. With an appealing weather window opening of late, some of the boats have made decisions to move on sooner that Thanksgiving so the anticipated Turkey Day celebration seems somewhat anticlimactic at this point. We will stay on the island until Friday. However, then move north to St. Vincent to a harbor called Wallibalou, another of the outrageously beautiful sites used for the filming of the last Pirates of the Caribbean film. From there, we will continue north to St. Lucia hoping to arrive sometime early next week.
There is talk amongst the cruising community about attempting to get a gathering together at Antigua for the Christmas holiday, but after watching the plans for Thanksgiving unravel so quickly, I hold less hope for a holiday gathering to happen there either. So, the old phrase, one must be his own captain, continues to hold true out here. Plans, no matter how well intended seem to be always the second import to the opportunities presented when the weather turns, either good or bad.
Before our arrival into Bequia, we stayed at Carriacou for about a week before heading off to Union Island where we checked in, then anchored at an adjoining island we enjoyed so much onj our way down, Mayreau. It was at a pretty spot called Saline Bay. Nice anchorage but the rain was relentless. Oddly, when we returned to Grenada in November, we found the rain clouds seemed to act like we were the character “Pigpen” from the old Charlie Brown comic strip. They always seemed to be following us around. So we left Saline Bay when we heard that the weather had improved north of us. After a rough 7 hour passage across the open Atlantic waters between Mayreau and Bequia we arrived into Friendship Bay where we still sit, comfortably at anchor.
We have really enjoyed our stay here in Bequia, as the weather has been perfect and the island very friendly and accommodating to the cruising community. Yesterday, we took a rather strenuous hike around the coastline of this end f the island to a point where one could view the Atlantic and Caribbean Seas at once. It was quite a breathtaking site. We have also found our way into the town nearby to purchase provisions, even stopping for lunch at a quite good pizza joint where we enjoyed a good conversation with another cruising couple we met last year who also are from Colorado, Margo and Bob from Ivory Star. Tomorrow, we’ll head, via local bus, back into the town to re-provision, then return to our boat for Thanksgiving.
Non-cruising friends often ask: “What do you DO all day?”, as if we must feel bored not having to fill our days with the usual work-a-day activities. Since we’ve been back, we’ve made several boat repairs, done a thorough cleaning of the entire boat (as we found mealy moth infestation upon our return to Grenada!), we’ve enjoyed some shopping for food and boat parts, snorkeled a few times, hiked a bit and spent time catching up on some intended reading. Not quite the grind, many of us are used to, but still we keep active.
We are finding that we enjoy the exploring and adventure more that the repeat of re-visiting familiar places. We regret we weren’t able to go west to Bonaire and up across the big Caribbean to the Virgins but the return trip north, this way, will allow us a chance to visit some islands we either skipped past on the way south or where we felt we’d like to make a more thorough exploration. Stay tuned…
Upon our arrival to Bequia, we had heard that a rather uncomfortable NW’ly swell was heading toward the island and that boats in the main anchorage at Admiralty Bay around the corner of the island would be open to seas between them and this large swell. It was expected that the swell, anticipated to be upwards of 13 feet would arrive on Friday last, so we stayed in the more protected anchorage we chose upon arrival. For those unclear about what a swell is, most swells are just rolling waves which are natural in the open sea. The anticipated swell we had been warned about consisted of a rather over-zealous version of the normally sized ones. For this version, think of a mini-tsunami, like the one which devastated the Indian Ocean’s mainland after the horrible under sea earthquake a few years ago. Friday came and went, however, and no damaging swells occurred on the island so we decided to stay put in this idyllic spot we had chosen for a couple of more days. The internet was free and the connectivity was strong, the beach was white sand, the snorkeling was superb and we felt somewhat mesmerized by the location’s splendor.
Since Thanksgiving was coming, many of the boaters have begun to try to make some sort of plans for the holiday. We decided that since our anchorage was so nice, we’d just stay put until Wednesday, then move around the point to the larger and more populated Admiralty Bay for the feast day. No matter what George Bush says, down here, weather is always the great decider. With an appealing weather window opening of late, some of the boats have made decisions to move on sooner that Thanksgiving so the anticipated Turkey Day celebration seems somewhat anticlimactic at this point. We will stay on the island until Friday. However, then move north to St. Vincent to a harbor called Wallibalou, another of the outrageously beautiful sites used for the filming of the last Pirates of the Caribbean film. From there, we will continue north to St. Lucia hoping to arrive sometime early next week.
There is talk amongst the cruising community about attempting to get a gathering together at Antigua for the Christmas holiday, but after watching the plans for Thanksgiving unravel so quickly, I hold less hope for a holiday gathering to happen there either. So, the old phrase, one must be his own captain, continues to hold true out here. Plans, no matter how well intended seem to be always the second import to the opportunities presented when the weather turns, either good or bad.
Before our arrival into Bequia, we stayed at Carriacou for about a week before heading off to Union Island where we checked in, then anchored at an adjoining island we enjoyed so much onj our way down, Mayreau. It was at a pretty spot called Saline Bay. Nice anchorage but the rain was relentless. Oddly, when we returned to Grenada in November, we found the rain clouds seemed to act like we were the character “Pigpen” from the old Charlie Brown comic strip. They always seemed to be following us around. So we left Saline Bay when we heard that the weather had improved north of us. After a rough 7 hour passage across the open Atlantic waters between Mayreau and Bequia we arrived into Friendship Bay where we still sit, comfortably at anchor.
We have really enjoyed our stay here in Bequia, as the weather has been perfect and the island very friendly and accommodating to the cruising community. Yesterday, we took a rather strenuous hike around the coastline of this end f the island to a point where one could view the Atlantic and Caribbean Seas at once. It was quite a breathtaking site. We have also found our way into the town nearby to purchase provisions, even stopping for lunch at a quite good pizza joint where we enjoyed a good conversation with another cruising couple we met last year who also are from Colorado, Margo and Bob from Ivory Star. Tomorrow, we’ll head, via local bus, back into the town to re-provision, then return to our boat for Thanksgiving.
Non-cruising friends often ask: “What do you DO all day?”, as if we must feel bored not having to fill our days with the usual work-a-day activities. Since we’ve been back, we’ve made several boat repairs, done a thorough cleaning of the entire boat (as we found mealy moth infestation upon our return to Grenada!), we’ve enjoyed some shopping for food and boat parts, snorkeled a few times, hiked a bit and spent time catching up on some intended reading. Not quite the grind, many of us are used to, but still we keep active.
We are finding that we enjoy the exploring and adventure more that the repeat of re-visiting familiar places. We regret we weren’t able to go west to Bonaire and up across the big Caribbean to the Virgins but the return trip north, this way, will allow us a chance to visit some islands we either skipped past on the way south or where we felt we’d like to make a more thorough exploration. Stay tuned…
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
New function added to view Map of our journeys
Hello all! Please note the message at the top right of this blog... and the interactive map at the bottom of the page. Please enjoy! Now you can track where we've been!
Love Rick and Suz
Love Rick and Suz
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Back to Grenada... back off the hard.
Life in the tropics sounds so idyllic. Lush vegetation... cool ocean breezes... clear azure water everywhere... happy, industrious locals eager to complete your every request in a timely and professional manner. Some of the above is very true. Some is a bit of a stretch and some is a ball-faced exaggeration. Guess which is which.
Our return trip to the boat was just ahead of the approaching snow storms readying to hit our Steamboat Springs home. Whew! We escaped just in time! Making our return from Colorado, via Savannah to visit Suz' Pop for a week, we arrived at Miami International for what we found out would be the inaugural direct flight from Miami to Grenada. Once at our departure gate, we found a festive atmosphere of balloons, wine & cheese, snacks, lots of formally dressed dignitaries making speeches into a portable PA system set up in the seating area. It seems this direct flight has been a long time in the making and this, being the first one, is a pretty big deal to the Grenadian government.
Once airborne, we settled in for the 3.5 hour flight and were surprised to be greeted individually by some of the dignitaries whom were returning home from the Miami festivities. Then Ministers of Finance, Tourism, and someone else slowly made their way through the plane greeting each of us and welcoming us to their homeland, Grenada. It was pretty interesting as it was like some of our US cabinet members were traveling on the same plane as we were to make us feel welcome for our visit to the US!
landing at Grenada International, we deplaned into the hot humid evening air and walked the short distance to the terminal where we were met with more balloons, a steel local children’s drum band some rum punch and a festive atmosphere which indicated that more Grenadian dignitary speeches would be forthcoming. We waited patiently in line to clear through the customs gates, all the while enjoying our rum punches and the short walk to retrieve our bags from the luggage carousel.
Once our bags were found we loaded them atop each other to roll them out of the terminal. Once outside we were to find our hotel’s driver, Mr. Boney. Sure enough, he was waiting for us and quickly loaded our stuff into his van for the 15 minute trip to our lovely hotel. It was about 10pm when we left the airport, and although we ate some food in the Miami airport, we were still a bit hungry. He informed us that the staff had placed a fresh fruit plate, a large bottle of water and a couple of beers in our room fridge for our arrival. A really nice welcome back to Grenada, we thought.
The next morning we arose fairly early due to the time changes and were anxious to get to the boatyard and see what shape the boat would be in. The hotel shuttled us to the boat yard and as we approached the gate we could see her sitting patiently on the hard awaiting our return. A bit dirty, a lot dusty, but a good sight for us both to behold. We noticed that the bottom painting had not been done yet and wondered aloud what else hadn’t been completed prior to our arrival. We had frequently emailed with the yard manager and been thorough about our needs and our return dates and somehow expected all to be completed as discussed prior to our arrival. Much of the mechanical work had been done but the cosmetic stuff had yet to be started. These processes take a few days to complete and we felt disappointed we would need to stay out of the water until they were done. It would only be a matter of a couple of days, however and we were finally ready to launch. Overall, the interior of the boat was the worst as some mildew had found a good breeding ground and made substantial headway into turning our cleanly left boat into a rather nasty haven for microbial growth. A generous dose of Clorox mixed with sufficient elbow grease lubricated with ample amounts of sweat and we had the back in clean shape and ready for another season afloat.
The outside was found to be badly needing waxing and polishing and the bottom paint still needed to be applied. This process, we learned, was much like rolling the house walls with a paint roller. Not a difficult chore, but with some expertise needed to be certain. We watched this process and felt we could do it ourselves next time. The paint used is quite expensive as it is designed to flake off when a barnacle attaches itself to the bottom. These little creatures try to hitch a ride with one’s boat by affixing themselves to anything underwater. They continue to grow if unchecked and will completely cover the underside of the hull in time. Over time the speed of the boat is greatly diminished because of the new roughness of the surface. Therefore, bottom painting is a main project at any boatyard. The paint, because of its flakey layering characteristics is outrageously expensive ($150-350/gallon depending on the quality) and several coats are the norm for correct application. Therefore, although you want to get a good job, using too much paint becomes a double-edged sword. Our twin hulled catamarans bottoms were cleaned, sanded and then painted with two coats of the good stuff and it looked like a million bucks when completed. Fortunately, the bill came too less than that.
Once the sails were rehung and the rigging checked, we were ready to schedule our launch time. “Too late today, tomorrow we do it, mon.” Thursday we awoke, anxious to get afloat again. But we knew we had several last minute things aboard which need to be done prior to splashing into the sea. Our time was set for just after lunch. At two, the big crane lumbered down the lot toward our boat and stopped as it hovered over the boat like a huge praying mantis with cables lowered around the hulls and tighten together, she was ready to lift, drive back through the crowded boatyard, out the launching dock and be gently lowered into the water. But wait… the crane operator calls up to me, “have you cleared your bills with the office yet?” Seems they’ve been left holding an empty bag sometime in the past and the drive knows to see paid receipts before the boat gets wet. I expected to make my final payment to them as the boat was being driven to the dock, but they won’t even pick it off the ground without completion of this detail. Not to worry, Master Card and I are becoming quite close these days. One quick swipe and away we go.
Now that the boat is back in the water we both sigh a huge relief and feel so much more relaxed than when we were working up in the air out of the water, on land. Just the gentle rocking of the boat on the waves puts us at a bit of rest again. Hard to believe it’s been five months since we sat in here cockpit on the water. It feels right.
We stayed in the boatyard harbor for that night, since it was getting a bit late to travel, and decided we’d head away the next day or so after we’d done our initial provisioning and stocked the fridge and freezer with essentials. It took us a two more days to complete the shopping, as everything takes longer down here. Still can’t find any tomatoes or head lettuce but everything else seems to be pretty well available. The food prices are not appreciably different than shopping in Steamboat, we think, although the meat quality and variety is definitely lacking. We did find a good deal on chicken breasts and stocked up a bunch to keep frozen and use, as we need them.
We finally left the boatyard harbor and moved up coast to another pretty bay and anchored there to begin to settle back in to life aboard and found it much like remembering how to ride a bicycle. Another day ashore to try to find tomatoes and lettuce without luck and another bay up the Grenada coast when we hear a familiar voice on the radio. It is our friends Jake and Carol from Offline, just pulling into Grenada from Trinidad where they’d left their boat for the summer. A quick rendezvous over the squawk box and we find we’ll anchor near each other and get together for dinner later that night.
Great to reconnect with them after a long summer, catch up on their happenings and on ours and we find it’s much like returning from summer vacation to one’s school year friends. They had just heard of the tragic cruiser’s shooting off the coast of Venezuela the day before and were equally alarmed at the event. Seems some pirate-types stopped some cruisers and asked for water. When the gent returned from below with water he was shot and killed. Someone else on the cruising boat grabbed a shotgun and killed one of the gunmen and injured another before the bad guys fled. These incidents, although rare, seem to continue to happen and will certainly trigger a rather rapid exodus of boaters from the waters around Venezuela. It only takes a couple of thugs to wreck it for everyone else. Due to this experience, our friends had independently agreed with us to abandon our plans to visit some of the most beautiful places in the area (those off that same coast of Venezuela) and not visit the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. Very unfortunate but a decision we all feel is appropriate under the circumstances. We now intend on retrace our steps northward, back up the lovely Windward and Leeward islands visiting and exploring some of the stuff we hurried past last spring, back to the US coastal waters, pausing for perhaps a couple of months in the virgin Islands to entertain our families and friends who can get to us.
We are presently in Carricou after a pleasant 6-hour sail from Grenada this morning. We intend on staying here a day or so watching the weather and waiting to continue north once it is confirmed amicable for passage. The boat is handling very well and our sailing skills seem to have improved even with out practice! It feels good to be back in the water that is for sure. And one other thing… as we toasted our reunited friendships last night, the toast went up… “It’s Good to be Us!”
Our return trip to the boat was just ahead of the approaching snow storms readying to hit our Steamboat Springs home. Whew! We escaped just in time! Making our return from Colorado, via Savannah to visit Suz' Pop for a week, we arrived at Miami International for what we found out would be the inaugural direct flight from Miami to Grenada. Once at our departure gate, we found a festive atmosphere of balloons, wine & cheese, snacks, lots of formally dressed dignitaries making speeches into a portable PA system set up in the seating area. It seems this direct flight has been a long time in the making and this, being the first one, is a pretty big deal to the Grenadian government.
Once airborne, we settled in for the 3.5 hour flight and were surprised to be greeted individually by some of the dignitaries whom were returning home from the Miami festivities. Then Ministers of Finance, Tourism, and someone else slowly made their way through the plane greeting each of us and welcoming us to their homeland, Grenada. It was pretty interesting as it was like some of our US cabinet members were traveling on the same plane as we were to make us feel welcome for our visit to the US!
landing at Grenada International, we deplaned into the hot humid evening air and walked the short distance to the terminal where we were met with more balloons, a steel local children’s drum band some rum punch and a festive atmosphere which indicated that more Grenadian dignitary speeches would be forthcoming. We waited patiently in line to clear through the customs gates, all the while enjoying our rum punches and the short walk to retrieve our bags from the luggage carousel.
Once our bags were found we loaded them atop each other to roll them out of the terminal. Once outside we were to find our hotel’s driver, Mr. Boney. Sure enough, he was waiting for us and quickly loaded our stuff into his van for the 15 minute trip to our lovely hotel. It was about 10pm when we left the airport, and although we ate some food in the Miami airport, we were still a bit hungry. He informed us that the staff had placed a fresh fruit plate, a large bottle of water and a couple of beers in our room fridge for our arrival. A really nice welcome back to Grenada, we thought.
The next morning we arose fairly early due to the time changes and were anxious to get to the boatyard and see what shape the boat would be in. The hotel shuttled us to the boat yard and as we approached the gate we could see her sitting patiently on the hard awaiting our return. A bit dirty, a lot dusty, but a good sight for us both to behold. We noticed that the bottom painting had not been done yet and wondered aloud what else hadn’t been completed prior to our arrival. We had frequently emailed with the yard manager and been thorough about our needs and our return dates and somehow expected all to be completed as discussed prior to our arrival. Much of the mechanical work had been done but the cosmetic stuff had yet to be started. These processes take a few days to complete and we felt disappointed we would need to stay out of the water until they were done. It would only be a matter of a couple of days, however and we were finally ready to launch. Overall, the interior of the boat was the worst as some mildew had found a good breeding ground and made substantial headway into turning our cleanly left boat into a rather nasty haven for microbial growth. A generous dose of Clorox mixed with sufficient elbow grease lubricated with ample amounts of sweat and we had the back in clean shape and ready for another season afloat.
The outside was found to be badly needing waxing and polishing and the bottom paint still needed to be applied. This process, we learned, was much like rolling the house walls with a paint roller. Not a difficult chore, but with some expertise needed to be certain. We watched this process and felt we could do it ourselves next time. The paint used is quite expensive as it is designed to flake off when a barnacle attaches itself to the bottom. These little creatures try to hitch a ride with one’s boat by affixing themselves to anything underwater. They continue to grow if unchecked and will completely cover the underside of the hull in time. Over time the speed of the boat is greatly diminished because of the new roughness of the surface. Therefore, bottom painting is a main project at any boatyard. The paint, because of its flakey layering characteristics is outrageously expensive ($150-350/gallon depending on the quality) and several coats are the norm for correct application. Therefore, although you want to get a good job, using too much paint becomes a double-edged sword. Our twin hulled catamarans bottoms were cleaned, sanded and then painted with two coats of the good stuff and it looked like a million bucks when completed. Fortunately, the bill came too less than that.
Once the sails were rehung and the rigging checked, we were ready to schedule our launch time. “Too late today, tomorrow we do it, mon.” Thursday we awoke, anxious to get afloat again. But we knew we had several last minute things aboard which need to be done prior to splashing into the sea. Our time was set for just after lunch. At two, the big crane lumbered down the lot toward our boat and stopped as it hovered over the boat like a huge praying mantis with cables lowered around the hulls and tighten together, she was ready to lift, drive back through the crowded boatyard, out the launching dock and be gently lowered into the water. But wait… the crane operator calls up to me, “have you cleared your bills with the office yet?” Seems they’ve been left holding an empty bag sometime in the past and the drive knows to see paid receipts before the boat gets wet. I expected to make my final payment to them as the boat was being driven to the dock, but they won’t even pick it off the ground without completion of this detail. Not to worry, Master Card and I are becoming quite close these days. One quick swipe and away we go.
Now that the boat is back in the water we both sigh a huge relief and feel so much more relaxed than when we were working up in the air out of the water, on land. Just the gentle rocking of the boat on the waves puts us at a bit of rest again. Hard to believe it’s been five months since we sat in here cockpit on the water. It feels right.
We stayed in the boatyard harbor for that night, since it was getting a bit late to travel, and decided we’d head away the next day or so after we’d done our initial provisioning and stocked the fridge and freezer with essentials. It took us a two more days to complete the shopping, as everything takes longer down here. Still can’t find any tomatoes or head lettuce but everything else seems to be pretty well available. The food prices are not appreciably different than shopping in Steamboat, we think, although the meat quality and variety is definitely lacking. We did find a good deal on chicken breasts and stocked up a bunch to keep frozen and use, as we need them.
We finally left the boatyard harbor and moved up coast to another pretty bay and anchored there to begin to settle back in to life aboard and found it much like remembering how to ride a bicycle. Another day ashore to try to find tomatoes and lettuce without luck and another bay up the Grenada coast when we hear a familiar voice on the radio. It is our friends Jake and Carol from Offline, just pulling into Grenada from Trinidad where they’d left their boat for the summer. A quick rendezvous over the squawk box and we find we’ll anchor near each other and get together for dinner later that night.
Great to reconnect with them after a long summer, catch up on their happenings and on ours and we find it’s much like returning from summer vacation to one’s school year friends. They had just heard of the tragic cruiser’s shooting off the coast of Venezuela the day before and were equally alarmed at the event. Seems some pirate-types stopped some cruisers and asked for water. When the gent returned from below with water he was shot and killed. Someone else on the cruising boat grabbed a shotgun and killed one of the gunmen and injured another before the bad guys fled. These incidents, although rare, seem to continue to happen and will certainly trigger a rather rapid exodus of boaters from the waters around Venezuela. It only takes a couple of thugs to wreck it for everyone else. Due to this experience, our friends had independently agreed with us to abandon our plans to visit some of the most beautiful places in the area (those off that same coast of Venezuela) and not visit the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. Very unfortunate but a decision we all feel is appropriate under the circumstances. We now intend on retrace our steps northward, back up the lovely Windward and Leeward islands visiting and exploring some of the stuff we hurried past last spring, back to the US coastal waters, pausing for perhaps a couple of months in the virgin Islands to entertain our families and friends who can get to us.
We are presently in Carricou after a pleasant 6-hour sail from Grenada this morning. We intend on staying here a day or so watching the weather and waiting to continue north once it is confirmed amicable for passage. The boat is handling very well and our sailing skills seem to have improved even with out practice! It feels good to be back in the water that is for sure. And one other thing… as we toasted our reunited friendships last night, the toast went up… “It’s Good to be Us!”
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