Getting to Grenada
08 April 2016 | Prickly Bay, Grenada
Bill/partly cloudy and some wind
We spent Tuesday night at a small cove just west of the main cove in Trinidad where all the boat yards are so we could take off mid morning on Wednesday for the 95 mile trip north to Grenada. It was an easy night with just a touch of wind and with only one other boat in the small cove. We cleaned off the deck of most things that could be stolen(big problem in Trinidad) and locked ourselves below decks. There have been 126 murders so far this year on the island. Maybe not the best place to stay for huricane season. We pulled up the anchor and set off for Grenada about 1000 on Wednesday heading north through the channel and then headed east along the coast to get a better wind angle to get to Grenada. The wind was right on the nose at about 10-15 knots and we were hitting a 2+ knot current. We could manage about 2.5 knots. It was going to be a long day at this rate. Finally, about 1600, we reached the point where we felt we could turn north and actually head out for Grenada. We'd been passed several times by cargo and ferry ships as we transited the coast. Now heading north, it was no better. Ships came our was from the east and west, some miles off and some much closer. In the end, we transited the ship channel and continued on. No Grenada is pretty much north west of Trinidad but you can't aim straight at the island. There is a stiff current passing from the north east that wants to continually push you westward. It's one reason why we went so far east. Add in that there are oil rigs off shore that have been a place pirates linger to rob unsuspecting cruisers. One was boarded last December and they stripped the boat of everything, right down to the food and clothes on board. Venezuela is the home of most of these people and it's going through some very hard times right now. Anyone is fair game. We stayed about 8 miles east of the platforms and ran with no lights and our AIS turned off. Being a dark hulled boat made us just about invisible at night. As we'd made our way east along the coast, we had wind in the teens most of the way. As soon as we turned north, they dropped to single digits. It was going to be a slow passage. We pressed on with most of our sails up but with a double reef in the main. We didn't want to be caught should a big blow show up during the night. As we made our way north, Zephyr suddenly spun around and started heading back for Trinidad. As we tried to correct the sudden turn, we suddenly spun around again and headed back toward Grenada. No clue as to why we did a "donut" out there. On we pressed, sometimes in 5 knots and sometimes in 20 knots. Sails were in and sails were out. Over and over through the night. The current as so strong that our compass said we were pointed at 45 degrees, well east of the island but our chartplotters GPS said we were going at about 335 degrees. It was a crazy trip. We were betting hit again by swells from the northeast bashing into Zephyrs starboard sid e pushing the port rail under water some times when big gusts hit us. Waves were breaking over the bow as well as the starboard side. By early in the morning, we could see Grenadas light but there were no where near where we thought they should be. We were heading well east of the island. We slowed the boat to near zero and waited out the rest of the night, about 18 miles off the coast. We made enough forward movement to counter the stiff current that was still hitting us. Once the Sun came up, we took off again with the main still having a double reef and just a bit of the genoa rolled out. Eventually the winds and seas got so strong, we pulled in the genoa and motor sailed the last 8-10 miles into the harbor. It was still hard going as the swell were still slamming into the starboard side. Oh, I forgot, it rained during the night too just to add in some more fun. About 1100, we came into the harbor at Prickly Bay and dropped anchor a short way off LeuCat, one of our friends. We had a nice lunch and stowed a few things and launched our dinghy and headed ashore to get checked in. Prickly Bay Marina is also the home of the local Immigration and Customs offices so it was easy to tie up to their dock and get all checked in. There is a fee of $40.00US for a "cruising permit" good for 30 days. With all the different inlets around the island we can see why. Once checked in ,we ran into Bob and Elaine from Pippistrelle, another cruiser we've known since Thailand and had drinks and got caught up on their passage and plans. They are getting hauled out here for the huricaine season at one of the local yards. Being a bit tired, we got back in our dinghy and headed back to the boat. Dave from LeuCat came over and visited a short time later. They are also getting hauled out here and have rented a car for visiting the three main yards on the island. We are going out with him today to see what is available. We've had quotes from two of the companies in Trinidad, one not so bad and one really up there. Now we will see how much they want here. It's going to be another busy day. As for the Island itself, it's lovely and doesn't have the oppresive feel that we felt in Trinidad and the people are very friendly. We'll see how it goes.