Grenada

Grenada

Our first visit to Grenada earlier in the year was only a brief one. A quick reunion with friends and picking up some spare parts had been the primary focus. Now we have been here a little longer, and are really starting to enjoy the island.

Firstly, it is a busy place for yachties who fall into two categories. Those who have their yachts hauled out and fly back home, and those who stay on in the water and sit out the hurricane season, which according to our insurance company is from the 1st June to the beginning of November.

Grenada last got 'hit' by a hurricane in 2004, when on September 7th, Hurricane Ivan caused catastrophic damage and left 39 people dead. Since then all has been fine as it lies in the Southern extreme of the zone, but never say never. All the local newspapers we are reading contain advice on what to do, and a list of emergency shelters to attend in the event of another episode.

Yachts that have been hauled out and are now in boatyards can be seen in special cradles, or with tie downs from the cleats to the land, or both. Some places even have hurricane pits that yachts are lowered into.

Those choosing to remain here afloat are in protected bays, sometimes in small marinas, others are at anchor and many on moorings. Another option should an event become likely is to seek refuge in some of the many mangroves. 

Hurricanes normally develop from the Cape Verdes and travel across the Atlantic, so forecasters can give fair warning. Even if our insurance company had given the green light to stay here, you have to ask yourself the question, what if?

Having said all that, and with the knowledge that we should get some notice of an impending situation, we decided to stay for a little while. Even though we are heading South soon, we intend to return in November when Lynne's brother Phill is due to fly in and meet up. This way we get to do a little research on places to go and things to do. Especially as Phill will be with us for his 50th birthday.

We normally try and get up in the morning to listen to the well run and organised radio net on Channel 66 at 7:30am. This announces social events, and thanks to repeating stations can be heard over a long distance, reaching into the various coves and bays. Had we chosen to stay here we would not have a shortage of things to do.

Although we anchored in St.Georges when we got to Grenada, the holding for the anchor can be a little suspect, plus you get wash from the commercial traffic going in and out of the harbour. With that in mind we only stayed a couple of nights, and then moved around the corner to Woburn Bay, or Clarkes Court Bay as it is now more commonly known. We are anchored in 10 metres of water, and the bottom appears to be mud so the holding is good. Reefs outside the anchorage protect us from the worst of the swell, but it can still get a little rolly.

At the end of the bay is Clarkes Court Marina with very modern facilities, although some are still being built. The hard standing is almost full, so it looks like in future years you would need to book well in advance. Nearer to our spot is the delightful little Whisper Cove Marina. If you can't see it on the chart, just look out for the small half submerged ferry near the entrance!

The Marina has good wifi and serves excellent food in a lovely setting. It also serves as a handy collection/pickup point for shopping and tour buses. Our bay is less crowded than some, with Prickly Bay being the most popular. The disadvantage to a popular bay is that boats are often anchored close together. Should strong winds come it is good to know we can let out some more chain without running the risk of swinging into a neighbour. This also looks like a good place to be for Phill to get a transfer to the airport later in the year. One recommendation though, if sailing around from St.Georges, is pick a better day than we did. As soon as you get around the corner, the prevailing wind is on the nose and into a big head sea. At times we struggled to make much over 3 knots under engine with poor Azzy slamming into the waves. Had we had any non-sailing friends or family with us, we would have had to turn back and try another day as the picture below shows.

Not the most comfortable passage!

Our first major outing took place at night. An organised trip to the North of the island to Levera Nature Reserve to a beach to see Leatherback turtles lay their eggs in the sand. Leatherback turtles are giants in comparison to other breeds of turtles. They average over 5 feet in length and can weigh over 400 pounds. The female turtles mate every 2-3 years and the mating season is between February and July. One female can lay eggs as many as nine times in one breeding season. About 9 days pass between nesting events. She will lay around 110 eggs each time she comes ashore, of which approx 85% are viable. She will come ashore and evacuate a nest above the high tide line. After laying the eggs, she carefully back-fills the nest, disguising it from predators with a scattering of sand. The female we witnessed laying her eggs was 5 feet 3 inches long and laid 135 eggs. The whole process from coming ashore to going back into the sea took about 2 hours. During this time, the turtle was in a trance-like state and focused solely on the task in hand. The eggs hatch in about 60-70 days. After nightfall, the hatchlings dig to the surface and walk to the sea. They typically come out of the nest at night when there are fewer predators about. They will then swim non-stop for 70 days. We were very fortunate to also witness some hatchlings emerge from another nest and make their way to sea. They are tiny in comparison to an adult turtle, at about the size of a cigarette packet.  

Leatherback turtles are one of the deepest-diving marine animals and can dive to depths of up to 1,280 metres. Typical dives are between 3-8 minutes, although they do occasionally dive for between 30-70 minutes. They are also the fastest-moving reptiles. They typically swim at 1.12-6.26 miles per hour. However, according to the 1992 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, a leatherback turtle was recorded moving at 21.92 mph! Their biggest danger is from sharks, so the ability to swim quickly and to such depths is essential.

Leatherback feeding grounds are in colder waters where an abundance of their jellyfish prey is abundant. The turtles that come to lay their eggs on Grenada spend most of their time in the Arctic, only coming to warmer waters to mate and lay their eggs.

We were only able to use red torch light, so as not to disturb the turtle too much, hence the photos we took are not too clear. The leatherback turtle does not have a hard shell like other turtles and is unable to retract into the shell. We were able to touch the shell whilst our turtle was laying her eggs and it really does feel like leather.

Laying the eggs

Hatchling

Our next excursion witnessed our participation in a local Hash. This is a non-competitive running (and walking) social group. Hashing originated in 1938 in Malaysia, when a group of British colonial officers and expatriates began meeting on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional paper chase, or 'hare and hounds', to rid themselves of the excesses of the previous weekend. Today, there are almost 2,000 groups in all parts of the world.

The 'hares' (organisers) mark their trail with paper, chalk, sawdust or coloured flour. Special marks may be used to indicate a false trail, a backtrack, a shortcut or a turn. The hashers will have to search in any direction to find the continuation of the trail. Trails may pass through any sort of terrain and hashers may run through back alleyways, residential areas, city streets, forests, swamps, deep mud and may have to climb fences, ford streams, explore storm drains or scale cliffs in their pursuit of the hare.

The hash we took part in took us through a forest and alongside a river. It was mango season and the trail was littered with fallen mangoes, which with the mud, made for very slippery conditions! The trail was split into two, with one trail approximately 4km for the runners and a slightly shorter route for the walkers. It takes roughly an hour to complete and at the end, all the hashers gather for a few beers and a bite to eat. On this occasion the choices were barbecued chicken or the local Grenadian dish of 'oil down'. Oil down is a stew of all local vegetables, including breadfruit, salted meat, chicken or fish, coconut milk and spices. 

Signing in

Pre-Hash Briefing

And we are off!

Where did the path go?

Nearly back

Yay, we made it!

No trip to Grenada would be complete without a visit to the local Chocolate Factory. Along with Bernd and Birgit (Rebell), Ian and Steph (Nautilus) and Paul and Rachel (Lynn Rival), we got on the bus to the Diamond Chocolate Factory where they produce Jouvay chocolate, which has recently been voted as one of the top 10 chocolates in the world. In Grenada, cocoa trees grow in their natural, optimal state, scattered amidst the fruit and spice bearing trees, in the rich, volcanic soil of the tropical forest. The cocoa pods are harvested by the local cocoa farmers, who are in partnership with the factory. The epitome of fair trade. 

We were hoping to see chocolate being produced from 'pod' to 'bar'. Unfortunately, they were not producing chocolate on the day we visited, but we still got a tour of the factory and an explanation of the process involved. The process appears to be a bit primitive but the end result is amazing.The best bit was sampling the various chocolates they produce. They do nutmeg and ginger flavoured chocolate, and they also produce a bar containing cocoa nibs. Lynne particularly liked the nutmeg and ginger varieties. They had a gift shop on site where you could by the chocolate, along with cocoa butter and chocolate tea balls. We just had to try some of these and were told it was best made with condensed milk. The result was a very sweet tasting drink just like hot chocolate. The onsite cafe also served chocolate beer, which the boys were not particularly keen on, and chocolate smoothies which were delicious.

Where the chocolate is made

Not sure these blocks would fit in the fridge!

 



We also visited the local rum distillery - Grenada Distillers Ltd at the top end of Clarke's Court Bay. Since 1937 it has been the largest and best known distillery on the island. They used to buy sugar cane from the local farmers to produce the rum, but since 1981, they no longer use sugar cane and instead import molasses, mainly from Guyana.

You can take a guided tour around the distillery. The first part of the tour shows the equipment that was used for crushing the sugar cane and extracting the sugar.

Hard hat obligatory

One of the rollers used to crush the sugar cane

The 'crushing' machinery with 3 sets of crushers

Vat of molasses fermenting

The award winning rums produced at the distillery

The rums lined up for tasting

 

Lynne has also been volunteering along with other cruisers, at the Mount Airy Young Readers Programme. This volunteer run programme runs every Saturday morning during the school term time. Volunteers assist children aged 5-15 with their reading, spelling and maths. The children are all so keen to learn and improve their skills, Lynne found it a joy to see.

At the end of the summer term the group had a Spelling Bee and Reading competition. 

The lady who runs the scheme with some of the students

Some proud winners with their certificates

 


Next up was a Cookery Class. If we have one area of weakness it is our cooking repertoire. Perhaps not so much if we had a European supermarket on our doorstep, but we still find ourselves unsure of how to cook local food. At True Blue Marina the two chefs, Esther and Omega, run an entertaining cookery demonstration preparing local dishes. Each observer is given a sheet with the recipes to take away. The best bit is sampling their dishes at the end of each session!

Esther and Omega

 

This particular dish - fish with gravy

Conch curry with stewed pumpkin. Delicious.

 


We also attended a 'Dinghy Concert'. This was the 31st dinghy concert on the island. In the bay around the corner from where we are anchored, a floating stage along with floating pontoons was set up. Yachties from all over turned up in their dinghies with drinks and food, tied up to the floating pontoons and each other, and enjoyed some local Grenadian music. The guest act was local musician Mr. Killa and Rebel 1.

Lots of yachts tied up together watching the show

 








We discovered that Lynne's birthday coincided with the annual Fisherman's Birthday celebrations. Each year the local fishermen have a day off, and the islanders thank them for keeping them supplied with fish. Basically, it is an excuse for a big party, which is held in the town of Gouyave. We decided to go along and see what it was all about. There were lots of stages set up, both on the streets and on the beach, and the music was deafening! We found an area where there was a display of all the different types of fish that are caught around the island. Some we have seen whilst snorkelling, and some you wouldn't want to swim with! There were lots of stalls set up where you could buy some local dishes, from roasted chicken, ribs and of course fish. We were only there for a few hours, leaving at 8pm, and things were only just beginning to get going. Sadly, we had a tour bus waiting to take us back to Whisper Cove Marina so couldn't hang around. The celebrations probably went on until the small hours, and we're betting there were some very hungover fishermen the next day!

Of course boat jobs are never very far away either. The contacts in the windlass control box had become badly pitted. You can't spend just a few dollars on replacing those items, so instead we had to purchase and fit a new one. At the same time we serviced the windlass, as both the top and bottom clutch plates had seized. Also the fouling on our hull and prop is hard to keep on top of. We are able to scrub the waterline, but Ian came to our rescue on the prop. Not sure if any formula of anti foul would be much good in these waters. We have now fitted a second regulator for the solar panels, one per panel, and this configuration seems to work well.

All four winches have had a service, with the exception of replacing the Pawls, which have no signs of wear at all.

A winch stripped down for cleaning

 

The generator has had its 100 hour oil change, the main engine needed a small coolant top up, and the mesh filters for the generator and watermaker have been cleaned again, plus we replaced the carbon filter and 5 micron filter on the watermaker. Our TDS readings are consistently between 230 and 270ppm, and the flow rate is about 30 litres an hour, slightly under the 35 in ideal conditions.

All our jobs are recorded in log books, and receipts kept for anything we purchase or for any work we have done. After all, we are mere custodians of Aztec Dream.

We had a brief respite from boat jobs for Lynne's birthday. A huge thank you to all the best wishes on Facebook, via email, FaceTime and in person. It was a lovely day.

Birthday morning with good friends

Thank you everyone

And the birthday present, a new pair of trainers and a custom made rain cover. What a lucky girl!

New rain cover for the forward hatches

With the end of the month approaching fast, our thoughts are turning to the next passage. Trinidad is our destination. Some of the winds of late have been from the South East, which is the direction we need to go, so we wouldn't be able to sail. Leaving the winds aside, what will make this passage a little different are the extra precautions we need to take. In December 2015, two separate 'Pirate' attacks took place on yachts in this stretch of water. In both cases the yachts were boarded by desperate Venezuelans. A harrowing experience for those on board, although no serious injuries resulted. They were just robbed of everything from money and electronic items, to food, clothing and even toilet rolls! Yachties are strongly advised to make a 'Float Plan' for submission to the Coastguard prior to setting off. The Trinidad and Tobago Coastguard have increased patrols to show a presence in the area even when there are no scheduled Float Plans, thus acting as deterrent, we hope... The Coastguard have also partnered with the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard (TTAG) who have been providing some much needed air support for the ongoing security operations. Additionally, they have instituted hourly communications checks with vessels while they are making the transit. These checks are conducted by the TTCG Net Control Station over VHF Ch16, and allow the Coastguard to reassure the crews of the vessels that they are monitoring their journey, and are standing by to render assistance if necessary. Both of the December attacks took place near to the Hibiscus Gas Platform in daylight. The last advice we read was to keep well off the platform, and if possible to pass it at night. Some also suggest to switch off navigation lights and Automatic Identification Transponders (AIS). It goes without saying we will file a float plan, and comply with the best advice at the time.

The issue of Piracy does loom large from time to time. Perhaps we are a little more aware of it now, having spent a little time in Grenada in the company of Paul and Rachel Chandler. A hugely inspirational couple who were held captive by Somali pirates for over a year.

Will do a quick update once we have cleared into Trinidad and found some wifi.