Day Sail on Bella Blue

Sailing aboard Bella Blue

On Sunday, September 30, four couples boarded our sister sailboat, Bella Blue, another Freedom, and sailed up to the Grenada National Marine Park.  Two of the couples keep excellent blogs and have photos of the day.  Kim and Scott of Bella Blue have a blog at http://home.earthlink.net/~kimdickens/   And Ann and Darrell's blog is linked to this blog.  We all enjoyed a well-earned day of fun and relaxation with our dear friends.

We met Jan and Bruce on Celtic Rover back in March on Mayaguana in the southern Bahamas and have traveled with them on and off until Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands where we've traveled together since.

We met Ann and Darrell and their Brittany Spaniel, Roxy, on Alibi in Luperon, Dominican Republic in April.  We saw them again in Salinas, Puerto Rico where they stopped for one or two nights.  We met up with them again in St. Martin in July and traveled for the most part with them to Grenada. 

We first spotted Bella Blue in the Virgin Islands at the end of May but did not speak with her crew.  A month later, while anchored off of Virgin Gorda, we looked up from our cockpit to see a Freedom sailboat very much like ours arrive at the anchorage.  We yelled to each other, "Hey, Freedom!" and waved.  An hour later, our new friends, Kim and Scott, were enjoying a sundowner aboard Wayward Wind.  They were headed south just as we were and asked if they could join us.  We said that we were traveling with Celtic Rover, and the more the merrier.  The next day, Celtic Rover said the very same.

Scott, Kim, Jan, Darrell, Ann, Bruce and part of Dave

I wanted to give some context as to how long we've been traveling with our friends.  And while a few months might not seem like a long time to form a friendship, the time has been jam packed with experiences from the mundane to the marvelous.  Between riding on the cruisers' van to visit the grocery, marine and hardware stores; helping each other with never-ending boat projects; exploring new walking trails throughout the enchanting Caribbean, communing over food and beverages while watching yet another magical sunset; putting our heads together to plan and watch for the next weather window; sailing together as buddy boats and providing much appreciated moral support, it feels as though we've been friends for a long time.  We are all very close.  Plus we all adore Roxy!

Roxy and one of her people, Ann

So after two busy months of working on boat projects, we decided it was time for a day of play.  Kim and Scott graciously offered to take us all for a sail and snorkel.  We sailed west around the SW tip of Grenada and north to the Grenada National Marine Park, about two hours total.  There we found the many statues sprinkled between the reefs.  Check out the sculptor's website for more info
http://www.underwatersculpture.com/index.asp 

The first sculpture we saw was a tribute to the slaves who died at sea on the arduous journey to the New World.  Two statues were lying on the ground and one was knelt in prayer.  It was very moving. 

Dave, Linda, Bruce and the kneeling woman

Another is a circle of 26 children of diverse backgrounds holding hands, facing outward.  Coral and sponges growing over the surface of the children give an unusual texture and somehow infuse life into them. 

Circle of Children, officially titled Vicissitudes

In another spot is "Lost Correspondent," a tribute to journalists who have perished in the line of duty, while writing stark observations. 

Lost Correspondent eternally telling the truth

We also saw some interesting marine wildlife.  Dave saw an octopus that scuttled away before we could get near.  We spotted a spotted eel and an entire group of cuttle fish just hanging out, not bothered a bit that we were several feet above them. 



What's the deal, Eel?



One of the many cuttlefish that we spied


Carnival, the Afternoon

First, I apologize for my two-month hiatus with the blog.  For the most part, we have spent our time at the dock working on the boat, so nothing exciting to tell.  Now we are anchored out in Mt. Hartman Bay finishing up projects.  I will write about a few of the highlights of the past two months. 

In August, I last wrote of my early morning trip to J'Ouvert or Dirty Mas where revelers splash paint and oil on you as you pass through the throngs.  I'd gone with my Australian friend, Maggie, as Dave didn't want to soil his clothes. : ) 

Carnival Band

Dave joined me in the afternoon for the Pageant Mas, which is geared for families.  It is much more subdued than the early morning Dirty Mas.  The main participants are women in feathery costumes, children looking cute as ever, and men -- the Short Knees -- in colorful costumes.  The adult leader of this children's group directed them to dance beautifully reminding them that this is not Dirty Mas so no dirty dancing!  Most of the children complied though a few were having a hard time keeping their hips from gyrating. 



Wee Devil

Bright colors

This looked heavy!

She had greenish contact lenses giving her an ethereal look

Here, a DJ spins tunes from the back of a flat bead truck.

Fantastic costume!

Short knee men sprinkling baby powder on the crowd.





Young and...



old.



Large and...

tall and...



small.
 



And just plain wild

We were all impressed with the amazing costumes.  We thought about going back the next night for the full bore carnival festivities, but none of us were particularly thrilled about reveling with the sweaty masses in the streets.  Happy to see the beautiful costumes in daylight.

Carnival!

Cruiser getting into the swing of things

Several intrepid early risers boarded the van for J'Ouvert (jhoo-vay) at 4:30am on Monday bound for St. George's.  (Dave, considering them to be nuts, choose to stay behind in the peaceful realm of dreamland.)  The main road was crowded with Jab Jab (bands of "devils") from different parts of Grenada.  The Jab Jab, who traditionally covered themselves with molasses or tar, appear under the veil of early morning darkness to revel in the streets before the light of dawn.  Nowadays old motor oil or paints are used.  Needless to say, old clothes are the dress of the day. 




Early morning revelers



Jab Jab with horns



Another name for J'Ouvert is "Dirty Mas."  I think this implies two things:  one, the oil and paint and the other, the dancing.  A man will approach a woman from behind and the woman will start gyrating as the man slithers his hips against her.  It sounds nasty, but most men are not pushy about it and the woman has the choice to dance or not.  One guy came up from behind and, without touching me, asked me if I wanted to dance.  I told him thanks but I didn't know how.  He said OK and left with a smile.

Doing the dance, or "Winin" (wine-in)

Each Jab Jab band used either oil or a paint color to signify their town or region in Grenada.

Chartreuse Jab Jab

Silver Jab Jab

Plum Jab Jab

And oiled Jab Jab

Linda getting painted by a happy Jab Jab

In search of musical bands, we finally figured out that the "bands" were groups of people who banded together.  Often they were accompanied by a large flatbed truck with a DJ and a humongous set of speakers blaring rhythmic tunes.  I'll post a video clip that may or may not play.  If it doesn't, hopefully the still photos give a sense of the din. 

 

People do a shuffle walk to the beat that is called "chippin'."

Jab Jab band truck cruising by with LOUD music ablare

Lots and lots of people

Jab Jab in training

Back at the dock by 10:30am, Linda (on the way to the shower) and neighbor Wendy

And that was just the morning!  Stay tuned for our next installment where Dave joins Linda for the merry yet subdued Pageant Mas that afternoon.

We're Fine

Ernesto turned out to be a non-event for us.  Some strong wind.  Some heavy rain.  That's it.  Better to be over-prepared.  And now we're ready for anything else that comes this way.  As I mentioned, most storms turn north well before Grenada.  It's interesting to see satellite images of disturbances coming off the coast of Africa and observe them over the days as they cruise west over the Atlantic toward the Caribbean.  It's one after the other.  Sort of like a bowling ball, you wonder (at least, I wonder) which way the thing will veer. 

After the preparation and storm, the past couple of days we've been working with Darrell on the boat.  Right now we're repairing stanchions and life lines and yesterday, the autopilot, which will need a technician.  Lots to learn and do.  Also I've been emailing Garmin about our chartplotter and trying various fixes all to no avail.  So will wrap it up today to send with Darrell and Ann who fly to Florida tomorrow who will mail it to Garmin.  Fortunately it's still under warranty. 

I'm going to come home for a short visit to see my family and to pick up boat parts.  Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in a few friend visits, too.  Dates are TBD.

The big news around here is that the day before yesterday, Kirani James won the Grenada's first ever Olympic medal -- a gold -- in the 400 meter race.  The government declared yesterday a half holiday, so all businesses closed for the afternoon.  Great day for Grenada.


Wayward Wind on her way to Grenada (borrowed from Alibi's blog, thanks!)

Tropical Storm Ernesto

We just finished prepping the boat for Tropical Storm Ernesto.  Yesterday the storm was directly west of us, but it has moved a bit north, which is the normal path.  So unless it takes an unusual jog south, we won't be blown away.  We should get some strong winds and a lot of rain, but nothing too bad.  Still we lashed the sail, removed the bimini, and cleared the deck of all loose items.  Better to over-prepare.  Tomorrow we should have the calm before the storm.  On Saturday is when it will hit Grenada in earnest.  Or should I say, Ernesto. 

Rollin'. Rollin'. Rollin'.

Written 8/1/12

After a rolly day and an extremely rolly night, we are eager to go to another bay.  On Monday, all six of us took local buses to St. George’s and St. David’s Bay to investigate marinas.  Celtic Rover and Alibi are interested in mooring balls and Wayward Wind is interested in a slip for two months because we need to have a lot of work done and it will be much more convenient to be at a slip with ample power and easy access.  Also, admittedly, we’re treating ourselves a bit.  The marina in St. George’s is too funky (even by our standards) and urban and right next to the main road so exposed to anyone walking by.  The boat yard in St. David’s is quite remote in a lovely natural environment, which would be nice if you were writing a book and needing isolation, but a bit too far from markets and such for us.  It is great for leaving a boat on the hard for hurricane season, which is what our friends on Manatee did. 

Beautiful Manatee all buttoned up awaiting her crews' return on November 2.

At 7:30 every Monday through Saturday morning, the local cruisers net is broadcast.  I’ve mentioned that these nets provide a wealth of information of local events and services.  One section, “Treasures of the Bilge,” is where folks can offer up anything that they want to get rid of.  The moderator or other cruisers are happy to answer any questions a newbie might have.  In St. Martin, we asked about a good refrigeration service.  A local cruiser who specializes in refrigeration chimed in and later came by saving us a trip to a marina and a bundle of money.  In fact, he didn’t charge us anything (“I didn’t fix anything.”) because he determined it was an electrical problem, so we contacted his cruiser electrician friend to come by later. 

Cruisers are the most helpful people I’ve ever met.  Actually, regarding the refrigeration issue, (I may have mentioned this) both Bruce and Scott almost seemed upset (bless their hearts!) that we didn’t go to them first before we got a “professional.”  Scott called us to find out what was going on then gave us suggestions.  Bruce simply showed up, started trouble shooting (which I’d done to my limited ability) and the darn thing started working again so the electrician did not need to come after all.  Time to clean the contacts.   Both Scott and Bruce made it clear that we should at least ask them when we need help.  We are acutely aware of our mechanical limitations and do not want to constantly burden our buddies with our problems.

Back to Grenada.  Grenada is fringed with several deep, well-protected bays along its south coast each sporting one or two marinas, which we’d planned to investigate for our potential new “home.”  The day before yesterday, my interest was piqued by an announcement on the cruisers net about a yoga class at Secret Harbour Marina in Mt. Hartman Bay, the next bay to the east.  Someone else there was organizing a hike.  Yoga and hiking, “Like.”  Yesterday Dave and I went to Mt. Hartman Bay and visited Secret Harbour Marina.  It seems to be what we’re looking for – close to bus stops and markets yet somewhat rural and somewhere between funky and fancy.  http://www.secretharbourgrenada.com/  The entrance of the bay is edged by swell-quelling reefs so little roll.  Yes!  While visiting the little restaurant, we met a cruising couple on Tiger Lily who are anchored out and gave us the lowdown on the area.  We walked the docks and met a couple who’d returned to the marina for their second season and gave it a good recommendation.  We spoke with Marlene (“like Marlene Dietrich”), a friendly French woman who runs the office.  Of course, it’s not perfect, but we’re planning on heading over today and staying for two months.  Again, anyone who wants to visit lush, humid, relaxed, green, hot, beautiful, intriguing Grenada, please come. 

Must mention two “interesting” encounters.  First, yesterday morning while I used the ladies room at Prickly Bay Marina, Dave began chatting with a British fellow having coffee.  He invited us to sit down, so I ordered a coffee, too.  Quickly it became clear that his opinions on the state of the world and religion were stronger than the coffee.  He spoke of “the illuminati” (which another friend had mentioned) who are a super wealthy elite bent on controlling the world by controlling water and food sources and putting two thirds of the world’s population into slavery.  And they follow Lucifer.  He spoke of his belief in the Almighty ad nauseum.  I don’t mean to offend anyone, and I’m an equal opportunity believer, but there are Christians and then there are Christians who give Christians a bad name.  I’ll say no more other than I can see why he is a single-hander. 

As we walked over the hill toward Secret Harbour Marina, a young guy in an SUV pulled up and asked us if we were going to the marina as he’d give us a lift.  We hopped in and he raced off, driving like a madman on the narrow hilly lanes.  Holding one Chihuahua on his lap and two more in the back with Dave, he rat-a-tatted out like a machine-gun, “I’m in a hurry because someone just stole my baby Chihuahua when I was in the parking lot and the dogs were near me and I turn to pick up the “sheet” and throw the bag in the bin and a truck drove away fast and I thought ‘Why he going fast with the dogs there?’ then the baby was gone and I try to find him but I know who he is I cannot believe he took the baby Chihuahua…”  We screeched into the parking lot, hopped out, and he looked again for the puppy.   There, in a little drain pipe, the tiny pup peered out.  “Oh, there he is!  Sorry I drive so fast.”

Grenada!

Celtic Rover



and Alibi cruising the coast of Grenada

We had a WONDERFUL beam reach sail to Grenada on Friday along with Celtic Rover and Alibi.  As Darrel said, "This is the ride we paid for." 






That evening we celebrated at the local marina and watched some of the Olympics opening ceremony.  Dave and I had grilled mahi mahi (unfortunately we haven't been catching a thing lately) while we enjoyed an amazing steel drum band perform. 

Steep hill rivaling those of San Francisco

Yesterday Dave and I took a local bus into St. George's, the capital of Grenada.  We hoofed it up a steep hill upon which a church was perched, then climbed higher. 

Green lawn mower

Interestingly, a huge cemetery was near the top with an outstanding view of the bay.  The "green lawn mowers" were white goats trimming the grounds.  We heard loud reggae music coming from a tiny shop where a man was weaving a belt from colorful yarn.  His cute little boy beamed, "HI!"  As we sat on the brick wall and cooled off with "Bottled in Grenada" Fanta cream sodas, we heard a familiar song, "You got to know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em.  Know when to walk away.  Know when to run"  The difference was that it was reggae-ized!  We sang along with a couple of local guys also sitting on the wall. 



There was a crooked house...

Walking down the hill, we passed a melange of small shops and homes -- some, very modest dwellings.  We found our way into the local Saturday market, which was starting to close up for the day.  One vendor asked me what I'm looking for.  I said, "I don't know?"  She said, "Well, I'll sell you some 'I don't know' then."  She ended up selling me a decoration of nutmeg, mace, turmeric root, ginger root, bay leaf, and cloves strung together in a loop.  The fragrance is spicy.  Grenada is known as the Spice Island.
 

Saturday market


Now the work begins. We are scouting out the best boat yard for us to have work done and to stay for awhile.  We hope to explore Grenada -- its waterfalls and parks, rum and nutmeg factories, and, of course, the people and their culture.



St. George's Bay

St. George's Harbour