Squally skies and gunmetal grey seas
16 December 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Lest you all think that this life is all sunsets with umbrella drinks...let me assure you...it aint!
This morning we left St. Georges at 9am under beautiful blue skies...then about a half hour out the skies turned threatening and we watched squalls drift past the island ahead of us as we headed north. The rain made the boats ahead disappear from view and turned the sky and sea one grayscale painting. The winds were dead out of the north, so we were motoring into the squall and a choppy swell. The boat handled fine although I found myself wishing for the typical sunny Caribbean weather!
After two hours in and out of the squall, patches of blue sky appeared as we approached the north end of Grenada. I was concerned that the open water would have a bigger, more uncomfortable swell, but it wasn't much worse than what we were already experiencing. Now we just have be sure to clear the underground volcano which has a 1.5 mile exclusion zone....that expands to 5 miles during periods of activity. What I did not know until about 2 months ago was that the methane that escapes a volcano changes the buoyancy of the water and makes it NOT buoyant. Meaning should you sail over it while it is kicking up...boat no more float. This is a bad thing and one we definitely want to avoid - so we give this a wide berth.
By noon it is partly cloudy with patches of blue sky, we motor sail for a while since the wind went to 60 degrees, and can clearly see Carricou, and Union island beyond. Just before 2pm we enter Tyrell Bay and drop the hook near Wilhelm, a boat we met a few days ago in Port Louis. The new ground tackle is a dream, and though I snorkeled the anchor to check, we seem to be holding just fine. Simon, a local wine seller/handyman/taxi driver/and purveyor of all good things in Carricou stopped by to welcome us to the island and advise us of his services, which include providing lobster and oysters should we require them.
So here we sit, as the sun sinks lower into the western horizon, with a lush green island ahead of us, and the sea behind, in an anchorage with easily 100 boats - thinking...what was I worried about this morning in the rain? We are truly blessed and have a very blessed life.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROSEANN!!