Curacao to …….Grenada - yep we made it to where we wanted to get to!!
12 to 19 February 2012
No single photo seems to capture how many beautiful dolphins we were surrounded by.
This was a recovery voyage of sorts, after that last unmentionable one. We had lovely sunny days and the wind was moderate for the most part, even putting the engine on for a few hours to make the most of light winds and low seas. We changed the small headsail back to the large one en route since there were no nasty winds forecast. We passed Bonaire and the outlying Venezualan islands of The Aves, Los Roques and La Blanquilla deciding that it was far more sensible to keep going, since we were already underway. With such a long way still to go we were afraid our motivation might be lacking if we discovered another little paradise.
Another fantastic nature experience was bestowed upon us when an enormous pod of small and extremely hyperactive dolphins found us. The pod was about 50 strong and they were big show offs as they took turns darting out from under our bow, doing 360's and slamming their whole bodies into the sea. I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world when I get to see things like this. We both took a few videos of the action, so will try and remember to load it up on Facebook at some stage.
As usual we were beating straight into the wind and tacking regularly, something that is now becoming very common to us also (once again I reminisce about the 2000nm straight lines in the Pacific) trying not to go too far in one direction or the other. These tacks were often close to land, and sometimes at night. One night off the coast of Los Roques (The Rocks!!!) Ian was handing over the watch to me with a familiar line "there's no ships/boats about"…Of course there never is on his watch, only mine, which is a a phenomenon I've since encountered with a few other female cruisers. I'm sure it's not because they don't SEE them, since I have complete faith in Ian's competence and qualifications. Perhaps it's more that we (me and the other few females) are more nervous about our reaction time…. Anyhow, a red Port hand light appeared just after Ian settled in to sleep. I was watching it for about 15 minutes, thinking okay, it should be passing astern of me, no problems. I have no problem seeing lights of various vessels, but often can't determine their meaning (and there are so many different combinations) in between us and them bouncing around at sea, but red is usually the easiest one for me to see. But it didn't appear to behoving the way it should. I wait…watching watching, starting to think 'should I wake him?' (this is always a tough decision, since you feel like a fool if you DO and it's nothing, and a bigger a fool if you DON'T and it IS a problem!). When I started seeing flashing lights as well as the steady 'Port' light I decided it was time. Laani: 'Ian, I'm so sorry but there are lights up and I can't work out what's going on, there's a red one, a white one AND a blue flashing one'. Ian: 'there's no such thing' grumbling as he gets up and comes out to peer through the binoculars. Ian: 'we have to tack NOW!'….a Venezuelan fishing boat was drifting in the sea, engine off, all 'house' lights off, not keeping watch/ fast asleep, on a very dark and moonless night, with enough flashing and coloured lights to confuse a Christmas tree. Or a sailor. Phew close call. You couldn't make out what was underneath those lights until we were a few metres away, but Ian knew straight away that whatever it was, was not displaying the correct navigation lights, so was able to make that split second decision on what to do. If I'd waited any longer I'm not sure my reaction time would have been fast enough. We were lucky once again. The fisherman FOOL was completely oblivious as we cursed and glided silently into the night...
We had 3-4 knots of current against us around Los Testigos. Make of THAT name what you will, we sure made plenty of jokes about it. My theory is that it was so named because you need to have one big set of balls to go anywhere near the islands. And if you don't have an engine they recommend you steer clear because the currents are so strong you may never get out or away from them. The next night we were extremely close to making it in to anchor in Grenada but alas, it was too dark, unfamiliar territory and for all we new, not correctly lit. So it was another night at sea, which is very frustrating when you are literally minutes or miles from a nice flat bed and long sleep. Our early morning arrival into Prickly Bay was celebrated with several gin and tonics (perhaps it should be called Pickly Bay?), a cigar and a swim…all before 9am!
Grenada - the Spice Island and home of The Hash
20 February to 04 March 2012
The old rum factory
What a lovely bunch of people the Grenadians are. Incredibly open, welcoming, smiling, talkative, curious and friendly. And of course I'm completely generalising here but it does seem like everyone either has a massive head full of dreddies (men) or tightly woven braids (women). Our first bus ride into the city of St Georges was interesting. Little mini vans stop and start along the road, charging you the same set fee of EC2.50 (about AU1) regardless of where you get on or off. They have a driver and a co driver. The driver obviously does the driving. The co driver does everything else - touting for business (by yelling out the door), door opener, money collector, comedian and lolly pop sucker. There's no set route and no set time table. The loud music blasts through the speakers; usually reggae but occasionally something outdated and corny like Celine Dion; as you scream through the streets trying to pick up the next passenger before the bus in front of you gets them. All the while there is sweating, chatting and singing, with the occasional drug deal thrown in for good measure. All in all an interesting experience.
Another great cultural experience was going to the barber for Ians desperately needed haircut (his fringe was getting in his eyes it was so long). Barber you say? They don't show THAT in the brochure! This old guy and his mate were HILARIOUS! They were definitely a double act and the teensiest bit like an old married couple. The barber talked about driving a tank in the military (during the stand against the Americans), and also about how he " lovin' the ganja". The assistant barber talked about his ex Grenada soccer career and how much his friend the barber "definitely lovin' the ganja". They had us in stitches, although the incredible rum punch we had just before finding them in the market could have also assisted in that. The best bit by far was when the barber shaved off Ian's raggedy beard and left him with a mo! Ha!! He didn't even get my hints that the mo gotta go….so then poor Ian had to walk around with it for the rest of the day. Priceless.
Grenada is known as the Spice Island due to it's abundance of nutmeg, cinnamon, cacao, ginger, mace and saffron as well as loads of others. The markets are loaded with them and it's an incredible sight. We went on an island tour one day, happy to be driven around and told all the facts by a very informative local who pointed them all out to us in peoples little plots of land. We also visited and old rum factory which is still operating the way it did 100 years ago. It's incredible to see but a little lethal at the end. Their most popular rum is 90% proof and cannot be taken on planes….having samples of that certainly got the party started and of course where anything is free people get distracted. So we didn't get to the chocolate factory or the nutmeg factory because we were too busy at the rum factory. But we did manage a refreshing dip in the Annandale Falls afterwards (a good sober-up-er).
One of the best things we did was called a Hash (no it's not what some of you may think). Appointed people set a trail using confetti or shredded paper, through the bush/rainforest/along tracks and roads and you have to follow it. Some run, most walk. They try and get you a little lost along the way too. Buses, taxis or lifts up to the meeting point, sometimes in mountains, sometimes on private plantations. In our case it was up by Concorde Falls and it's numerous little rum shops, and was a pretty easy (but certainly slippery and muddy) trail. It's organised weekly and is a fantastic way to meet people and was originally set up by a group of ex pats looking for a way to be active and social, so there you go!
The night before that we went to a free 'jazz' night in town which was another huge highlight. It wasn't just jazz, it was poetry and local music too, and a few 'thoughts'. Its put on at the museum and was begun to give people - local and otherwise, a platform to express themselves and share their thoughts with others. The girl that stole the show was a tiny audience member, about aged 4 or 5. When asked by the MC 'what is love?' she was the first with her hand up, went up on stage and said loudly and confidently 'love is something you give away for free and it comes right back to you'….awwwwww….from the mouths of babes….We also met a fantastic Aussie couple heading back to Australia and spent some time with them. It was so comforting to hear the Aussie accent again after so long, and the relaxed charm that so often goes with it. Shame they weren't around us for longer, it would've been fun to have some friends going 'our way' for a change!
Another great cultural experience was going to the barber for Ians desperately needed haircut (his fringe was getting in his eyes it was so long). Barber you say? They don't show THAT in the brochure! This old guy and his mate were HILARIOUS! They were definitely a double act and the teensiest bit like an old married couple. The barber talked about driving a tank in the military (during the stand against the Americans), and also about how he " lovin' the ganja". The assistant barber talked about his ex Grenada soccer career and how much his friend the barber "definitely lovin' the ganja". They had us in stitches, although the incredible rum punch we had just before finding them in the market could have also assisted in that. The best bit by far was when the barber shaved off Ian's raggedy beard and left him with a mo! Ha!! He didn't even get my hints that the mo gotta go….so then poor Ian had to walk around with it for the rest of the day. Priceless.
Grenada is known as the Spice Island due to it's abundance of nutmeg, cinnamon, cacao, ginger, mace and saffron as well as loads of others. The markets are loaded with them and it's an incredible sight. We went on an island tour one day, happy to be driven around and told all the facts by a very informative local who pointed them all out to us in peoples little plots of land. We also visited and old rum factory which is still operating the way it did 100 years ago. It's incredible to see but a little lethal at the end. Their most popular rum is 90% proof and cannot be taken on planes….having samples of that certainly got the party started and of course where anything is free people get distracted. So we didn't get to the chocolate factory or the nutmeg factory because we were too busy at the rum factory. But we did manage a refreshing dip in the Annandale Falls afterwards (a good sober-up-er).
One of the best things we did was called a Hash (no it's not what some of you may think). Appointed people set a trail using confetti or shredded paper, through the bush/rainforest/along tracks and roads and you have to follow it. Some run, most walk. They try and get you a little lost along the way too. Buses, taxis or lifts up to the meeting point, sometimes in mountains, sometimes on private plantations. In our case it was up by Concorde Falls and it's numerous little rum shops, and was a pretty easy (but certainly slippery and muddy) trail. It's organised weekly and is a fantastic way to meet people and was originally set up by a group of ex pats looking for a way to be active and social, so there you go!
The night before that we went to a free 'jazz' night in town which was another huge highlight. It wasn't just jazz, it was poetry and local music too, and a few 'thoughts'. Its put on at the museum and was begun to give people - local and otherwise, a platform to express themselves and share their thoughts with others. The girl that stole the show was a tiny audience member, about aged 4 or 5. When asked by the MC 'what is love?' she was the first with her hand up, went up on stage and said loudly and confidently 'love is something you give away for free and it comes right back to you'….awwwwww….from the mouths of babes….We also met a fantastic Aussie couple heading back to Australia and spent some time with them. It was so comforting to hear the Aussie accent again after so long, and the relaxed charm that so often goes with it. Shame they weren't around us for longer, it would've been fun to have some friends going 'our way' for a change!
Carriacou - rum shops, goats and wooden boats.
05 to 11 March 2012
Boatbuilding in the village of Windward
Ahhhh now we're on easy street….we had a lovely light breeze for our quick 37 mile passage north to the little island of Carriacou. Such an easy and pleasant trip, we felt like all the hard work had finally paid off.
JUST KIDDING! It was a 12 hour beat to windward, with 2 reefs in the main, a furled headsail (between 20 to 30knots) and really messy waves coming at us from every angle. There was just enough light as the sun disappeared below the horizon to allow us to find a suitable place to drop the hook in a very busy anchorage. The captain was heard to shout " I don't know who's f***ing idea it was that sailing round the Carribbean was NICE!"…and the rest isn't fit for you lovely people that are kind enough to read our blog. although it wasn't all screaming winds and pounding waves, we did have some pleasant company in the form of several relaxed dolphins that were so big they looked like pilot whales.
Carriacou, is a lovely 13 square km island belonging to Grenada, but is really part of the Grenadines group and is known for it's multitude of rum shops; over 100 of them (essentially this is a deli or corner store, but also sells booze - brilliant!) and the handcrafted traditional wooden boats that are built on the beach. There is a pretty slow and relaxed pace here, even the mini van drivers trying to get you to jump in aren't pushy. We walked 5 or so km's into town from our anchorage in Tyrell Bay the first day, stopping for Guinness snow cones along the way. Some enterprising women mixed Guinness, milk and sugar in a little plastic bag and froze them. Brilliant for a hot walk and I could see these being a winner at festivals, or of course, Paddy's Day in Australia (you'd probably be shot in Ireland??).
We took a bus to the little village of Windward on the north eastern side of the island, which is the boat building town. We only managed to find one boat being built (unfortunately it it is a dying skill/ art), with it's massive wooden skeleton in place, and it's builder barefoot and with no eye protection as he cut and sawed. The only 'plans' for these boats are in the builders head, so everything is done by the eye which is pretty incredible. There was a nice, but hot, walk out of town past hundreds of goats and brightly painted houses, through mangroves on a trail lined with conch shells. The reward at the end of this was a skinny dip on a stunning and deserted beach, neither of which I expect will be happening again as we head towards the busier and more touristy islands of the Caribbean. Such a shame.
JUST KIDDING! It was a 12 hour beat to windward, with 2 reefs in the main, a furled headsail (between 20 to 30knots) and really messy waves coming at us from every angle. There was just enough light as the sun disappeared below the horizon to allow us to find a suitable place to drop the hook in a very busy anchorage. The captain was heard to shout " I don't know who's f***ing idea it was that sailing round the Carribbean was NICE!"…and the rest isn't fit for you lovely people that are kind enough to read our blog. although it wasn't all screaming winds and pounding waves, we did have some pleasant company in the form of several relaxed dolphins that were so big they looked like pilot whales.
Carriacou, is a lovely 13 square km island belonging to Grenada, but is really part of the Grenadines group and is known for it's multitude of rum shops; over 100 of them (essentially this is a deli or corner store, but also sells booze - brilliant!) and the handcrafted traditional wooden boats that are built on the beach. There is a pretty slow and relaxed pace here, even the mini van drivers trying to get you to jump in aren't pushy. We walked 5 or so km's into town from our anchorage in Tyrell Bay the first day, stopping for Guinness snow cones along the way. Some enterprising women mixed Guinness, milk and sugar in a little plastic bag and froze them. Brilliant for a hot walk and I could see these being a winner at festivals, or of course, Paddy's Day in Australia (you'd probably be shot in Ireland??).
We took a bus to the little village of Windward on the north eastern side of the island, which is the boat building town. We only managed to find one boat being built (unfortunately it it is a dying skill/ art), with it's massive wooden skeleton in place, and it's builder barefoot and with no eye protection as he cut and sawed. The only 'plans' for these boats are in the builders head, so everything is done by the eye which is pretty incredible. There was a nice, but hot, walk out of town past hundreds of goats and brightly painted houses, through mangroves on a trail lined with conch shells. The reward at the end of this was a skinny dip on a stunning and deserted beach, neither of which I expect will be happening again as we head towards the busier and more touristy islands of the Caribbean. Such a shame.