Week 48 November 10 to 16 2014

Well miracles do happen! We caught a fish! A lovely sized Mahi Mahi. This year, if Mel and I had to rely on our fishing skills to feed ourselves, well we would have, I think, starved to death. Yes we have caught barracuda but we have been reluctant to eat them (possible ciguatera poisoning) although many of the locals of the Caribbean Islands do eat them.

Monday and part of Tuesday was spent preparing for our sail to Trinidad. We had been watching the weather for some time and Tuesday afternoon through to Wednesday evening looked just right for us to sail south to Trinidad – we were a bit concerned about the height of the waves. Well, I should say I was – I don’t mind 4 – 6 feet (1 – 1.8m) but when the weather prediction websites etc. say 5 – 7 feet, then I am a bit more nervous than usual. Yes, when I am thinking logically and am rational, I am confident that Passages can handle “rough” sea conditions as she is an Ocean going vehicle. Island Packets in the yachting world are called the Cadillac’s of ocean sailing vessels. Unfortunately at times logic goes straight out the window/portholes!

We left Mount Hartman Bay/Secret Harbour as planned at 1.00pm Tuesday. The first 1 ½ hours are always my worst as I am trying to get used to the motion of the boat and we were sailing over some rather huge waves and swells. I think the wave heights and swells were much more than the predicted 5 -7 feet but then I had to also remind myself that on the south coast of Grenada, it is known to be rather choppy and rough as it is rather shallow for quite a distance out to sea.

By 4.00pm we were riding the waves beautiful although I seldom looked out to the bow as it went crashing down the wave/swell and the water splashed half way up the genoa! We were both relaxing and enjoying the sail when the fishing line went buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Great excitement!!! Mel managed to reel in the Mahi Mahi without too much of a fight. It is about time we caught a fish!!

 After the excitement of catching the fish, we settled down to prepare for the night. We knew on our way down to Trinidad, we would pass two HUGE Oil rigs, the Hibiscus and the Poinsettia Rigs. We had read that there was no way we could miss them as they stood out like giant Christmas trees and how right that was. They are HUGE! We sailed in between the two rigs, 2 -3 nm away from the Hibiscus Rig and about 12 nm away from the Poinsettia Rig.

Our AIS was working overtime as it was telling us that there were tankers around. In fact at one time, I was convinced we were going to collide into one as the AIS kept on warning us that we were going to collide into one. We didn’t obviously as we altered course – well the current which was coming from the east, kept on pushing us west. We were reluctant to go too far west, as we wanted to keep as far away from Venezuela as possible. There have been some issues with fishermen from Venezuela causing “problems” with yachts which we did not want to experience if we didn’t have to.

In the past when Mel and I have done an overnight passage, we have had all good intentions of taking turns to do proper watches but it never seems to work out that way. Not sure why so this time we were determined to do proper watches. By 10.30pm I was yawning away so went downstairs to sleep for a few hours while Mel kept watch.

At about 12.30am, I awoke and it was Mel’s turn to sleep while I did a watch, which I did until 3.00am. Mel slept in the cockpit. At 3.00am I went for another 1 ½ hours of sleep and then went back on watch so Mel could have a few hours more. By 6.30am we could see the coast of Trinidad and Venezuela but we were both feeling quite refreshed from having a few hours of sleep.

As we sailed closer to the coast of Trinidad, a dolphin swam in our bow but unfortunately it didn’t stay too long as the wind died and we started bobbing up and down. After about an hour of “bobbing” we decided to turn the engine on and motor through the cut called Bocas De Monas passing Scotland Bay, where we hope to spend some time in, along the way.

 

Chaguaramas

We made our way to Chaguaramas which is the main entry port for cruisers. First impressions – it is crowded, dirty, smelly and very busy.

We had been told and we had read that we had to tie up at the Customs and Immigrations dock in order to enter Trinidad and Tobago at the Chaguaramas docks and that the whole checking in procedure can be tedious.

We made our way to the Customs and Immigration dock only to find that there was no space for us to tie up, so we turned around and circled the main Chaguaramas anchorage hoping that by the time we had finished circling the Customs and Immigration dock would be clear. No such luck!

We saw a mooring ball and thought we would attach ourselves to the ball but we were told that you had to pay to moor there. Eventually after an hour we decided to just drop anchor as we were wasting fuel.

We dropped anchor - almost all of the chain as the holding in Chaguaramas is awful – the bottom is just mud and there is nothing for the anchor to grab or dig into.

Mel phoned the Customs and Immigration office to tell them that we had arrived and that we were unable to tie up at the Customs and Immigration dock as it was full only to be told that they were conducting some training at the dock so we would not be able to tie up. Great! We put the dinghy down and Mel went to check us in while I waited on board, ready to react if the boat should start to drag.

We were told that just the Master of the vessel needed to check in but when Mel went to check us in, he was told that we both had to be present. Oh dear! As mentioned the checking in procedure was tedious as Mel had to fill 4 forms in, in triplicate! They even had carbon paper – when was the last time we used carbon paper? There were no computers to make the whole procedure a lot easier and quicker!! I think we have just got used to doing most things online and were just shocked that Trinidad which is meant to be quite a modern country, compared to some of the other islands we have visited, the whole checking in procedure was just so outdated! After about an hour, we were eventually all checked in.

While we are in Trinidad and Tobago, we have to let Customs and Immigrations know our every move. If we want to sail to Scotland Bay, which we intend doing, we have to come into the Customs and Immigrations Office and inform them. When we leave to sail to Tobago we have to go through the same procedure. Such a nuisance!!

As soon as we could, we pulled the anchor up and moved to the Carenage which is around the corner from Chaguaramas and is meant to be cleaner, quieter and more pleasant.

Mel and I were exhausted so we decided to motor to the Carenage anchorage so we could put down our anchor and have a little snooze.

The anchorage here in Carenage is also quite dirty and oily but the holding is a little better and we are protected in most directions from the wind.

Thursday – the weather was awful so we stayed on board which was good as we could monitor the anchor and the holding.

Friday we went exploring around Chaguaramas – there are plenty of boat yards, Budget Marine and many other businesses associated with boats.

Saturday – we were told about the amazing market in Port of Spain so we caught the local public transport and headed into Port of Spain to look for the market.

WOW – there was fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, chickens, ducks, pigs – all fresh and very cheap! In fact it is the cheapest we have seen in the whole of the Caribbean. There were some sights there that were not great to see but it is a fresh food market and that is the way it is in Trinidad.

After the market we walked down to the main Boulevard – the Brain Lara Boulevard before heading back to the boat as we could see the weather was about to change and a HUGE thunderstorm was fast approaching.

Sunday was another – stay on the boat kind of day, as the weather wasn’t great. Mel and I eventually went for a walk as we wanted to see the new Chaguaramas Boardwalk, but it was a little further than what we had anticipated.

So here we are in Trinidad – Have a great week.

 Take care.

Love

Captain Mel and Admiral Caryn/xx

 

 

At the market
 

 

 

Week 47 November 3 to 9 2014

 Grenada is similar to Georgetown in the Bahamas in that it is a stepping stone for many cruisers.

Georgetown is where cruisers who want to sail further afield launch themselves from, i.o.w. if they want to sail down to the East Caribbean, while other cruisers are content to sail around the Bahamas for the cruising season then return to the States for the Hurricane season.

Mel and Ivo on Agent Orange (the kayak)
 going to land for a run

Grenada is where cruisers who are content to just sail up and down the Leeward or Windward islands of the East Caribbean stay for the hurricane season. For other cruisers who want to sail further, like sailing to the West Caribbean or Panama and ultimately crossing into the Pacific, sail west from Grenada.

During the first few weeks of November, as the official hurricane season ends, Grenada becomes a hub of activity with many cruisers preparing to leave Grenada, either heading north or west. Some cruisers arrive in Grenada, sailing north from Trinidad then sail either further north or west. Most cruisers one meets are eager to tell you their plans and are willing to share whatever information they may have on their cruising plans.

Mel has enjoyed listening to the various plans as it just encourages him even more to want to live the dream of sailing further afield to Panama and then into the Pacific.

A sign we saw while walking to the bus stop.

Many people are reluctant to leave the Caribbean as they know that in the Pacific there is no such thing as island hopping as one does in the Caribbean. In the Caribbean most places are “only” a day or night sail away, whereas from Grenada to Panama and in the Pacific, there is no island hopping within a day. It involves up to 4 – 5 days of sailing and even more between the Galapagos and the French Polynesia, which can be up to 26 days or more of continuous sailing.

Another reason why many cruisers are reluctant to leave the Caribbean are the amount of boat chandleries found in this area. If there is a problem with your boat, there is always somebody “close by” who can fix or help fix the problem. It is only once you reach close to Australia that this becomes possible in the Pacific.

Belmont Estate

Back to the present….. Monday, we decided we wanted to see more of the island so we took a bus into St George’s to the main bus terminal so we could catch another bus (Bus No 5) up to the most northern town in Grenada – Sauteurs.  The bus went along the west coast of the island passing places like Halifax Harbour, Gouyave and Victoria. It took us at least 1 ½ hours to get to Sauteurs but it was lovely to see the beautiful lush vegetation.

 
When we arrived in Sauteurs we took Bus No 9 down to Belmont Estate to the Grenada Chocolate Factory where we had lunch. Belmont Estate is in the NE corner of the island.

Mel enjoy some of the lovely chocolate

Belmont Estate is a 17^th Century authentic estate where it grows cocoa which is then produced into lovely chocolate at the Grenada Chocolate Factory. During the tour of the estate and chocolate factory, we saw the cocoa plantation where the cocoa is extracted and dried and made into the many cocoa products like cocoa butter and rich cocoa paste. We were given samples of the rich cocoa drink and chocolate.

The cocoa plantation -
the cocoa beans/tree

After a tour around the chocolate factory, we caught the No 9 Bus to Grenville which is in the middle of the island on the east coast. We walked around the main town centre then caught the No 6 Bus back through the centre of the island to St George. We could have caught the No 2 Bus back to St George which would have taken us along the SE coast of the island. We did this on Wednesday - We had lunch in Grenville then on our way back down to St George on the No 2 Bus we stopped off at Grenada Marina and the Boatyard to have a look at it, as this is where we intend leaving Passages when we return to Perth.

The boatyard looked fine although Mel is heart sore at having to leave his beloved Passages at all, let alone in a boat yard!



Grenville - all the CD/DVD's on sale
 outside the Revenue and Post Office

Wednesday evening we met up with a lovely couple – Ida and Keith on Cheers for dinner as we had some weather computer software they were interested in getting from us, as they are heading west to the ABC islands in a few days’ time.

For the rest of the week we have been weather watching as we are keen to head south to Trinidad but the weather has not been great – lots of squalls and rain showers with the humidity being between 90 – 100% most days.

On Saturday morning I went to the Mount Ayres School to help with the reading program like I did the previous Saturday morning. I had the same little girls as the previous week.

The week finished off with a dinghy race around Mount Hartman Bay. We did not participate but watched the event from our boat. Like with many events, it is just an excuse to drink and to have a good time.

As mentioned earlier, many cruisers are preparing to head out of Grenada so there are quite a few farewell “parties” on the various boats. As for Passages, we are hoping that the next time we write on our blog we will be in Trinidad.

Until then – take care.

Love

Captain Mel and Admiral Caryn/xx

Belmont Estate

The Red footed tortoise

The brown pigeon - very rare ( near extinction) and only found in Grenada

Belmont Estate - the drying racks for the cocoa beans.

Week 46 October 27 to November 2 2014

Halloween has been the main focus for this week. It seems that the whole week was dedicated to some Halloween event.

Monday morning we were determined to move from our anchorage in Prickly Bay as we had been rocking and rolling for far too many nights and we were in desperate need of a decent night’s sleep.

The Hobbit House in Hartman Bay

Before moving anchorages we went to the shops to get the never ending fresh supplies and to buy a few Halloween accessories to wear to the Halloween party on Wednesday night. We had been told and actually found a party shop, full with Halloween costumes in Grand Anse.

 By 3.00pm our anchor was up and we headed further east to Mount Hartman Bay/Secret Harbour – this was only 3nmiles away but required us to be vigilant as there were quite a few reefs along the way.

We had set down our anchor by 4.00pm and were amazed that we had not moved sooner as the anchorage was 100% calmer than Prickly Bay. Since then we have spoken to quite a few yachties who have expressed bewilderment that people spend months and some even years anchored in Prickly Bay when there are so many other bays that are much better and more comfortable.

There is just a very short walk over the hill between Prickly Bay and Mount Hartman/Secret Harbour.

Tuesday we spent time of the boat – but later in the afternoon we went to the marina for a drink and Wi-Fi.

Wednesday, as the day progressed, there was a feeling of excitement as there were lots of dinghies going backwards and forwards from the various boats, dinghy docks and marinas as the children started to prepare for their ”trick ‘n treat” on the water.

It was lovely to see the enthusiasm and excitement on the children’s faces as they visited the boats that had said they wouldn’t mind the children visiting for trick ‘n treating. There were 5 - 6 dinghies, driven by an adult of course, packed with between 3 – 6 children in each.

Mel and I put on our pirate hats that we had bought for the Halloween party  and had fun, handing out the treats – yes I know, very original but I was lacking in inspiration and we didn’t want to spend too much on costumes.

Mel and Ivo at the Halloween Party

Wednesday night’s adult Halloween party was great fun! We danced for most of the evening - we even stayed up until 10.30pm!! WOW that is a late night for us!!! We have found this year being on the boat, we are ready for bed by 8.00/8.30pm! How are we going to manage when we get back to our “other” life?

Thursday we enjoyed ourselves on the boat for most of the day. Mel went over to Prickly Bay Marina in the afternoon, as there was a gathering of yachties who are planning on heading west, through the Panama Canal and onto the Pacific. They exchanged information, tips and suggestions.

Friday morning we caught the shopping bus from the Secret Harbour Marina and did some provisioning and in the late afternoon we went to the Hash House Harriers’ Halloween event in St George. It was tiring but such a lot of fun! The race started at 5.45pm as the sun was setting, thus creating a “special” type of atmosphere!!!

Mel and  I at the HH Halloween Run

During the introduction of the event, the event organiser said there were no hills but just a few steps. Well that was the first trick as most of St George is hilly – the town is set between two main hills!! I walked while Mel ran, up and down these two main hills at least four maybe even five times!!  The last part of the course went through Fort St George , down alley ways and tunnels – here some people, dressed in their Halloween costumes, caused quite a few of us to scream and want to run in the opposite direction. We all had a great Halloween!

The three little children
 I helped with their reading

Saturday morning I volunteered to help with the Mount Airy reading program. The reading program was started by Jean, a retired university lecturer and her husband, a retired Headmaster at one of the local schools, a number of years ago. She was asked to help one little boy with his reading. Well this one little boy turned into 30 plus children every Saturday morning during the school term. Jean runs it out of her garage and all of the furniture and books have been donated by yachties who pass through or spend time in Grenada.

Sandra, on the Zimbabwean registered boat Ingoma, advertises for volunteers on the cruisers net during the week so I decided to give it a go. It felt good interacting with the children as I was asked to help three little 6 year olds with their reading. I have missed that part of my job – the interacting with the children.

Sunday morning was the monthly boat jumble sale – anyone who wanted to get rid of any bits and pieces from their yachts, could set up a table to display their wares for sale. We could have had a table of goodies but Mel is still a bit apprehensive to get rid of anything as you never know when you may need that “bit”.

We are preparing to sail to Trinidad within the next few days so are busy watching the weather. It looks as if we will most probably leave Grenada this coming Thursday, sail overnight, arriving in Chaguaramas mid Friday morning.

 Happy Halloween!

Have a great week until next time, take care.       

Love

Captain Mel and Admiral Caryn/xx

 

 

The HH event co-ordinator

 

A few of the characters we met along the race course

 

St George as the sun was setting