We weighed anchor in Store Bay at around 6AM, a half hour before the sunrise. The day was cloudy but starting to get light. We were really looking forward to the 15 knots winds predicted to be on the beam for the whole passage. It was going to be a great sail.

The bay was very calm as Hideko pointed Swingin' on a Star into the wind. I raised the full main and tightened things up at the mast. I looked back and asked Hideko to fall off to leeward. She looked back and asked me which way that might be. I looked up and the mast head fly was whirling around in slow circles. Hmmm.

So we motored out of the bay and set out onto the bluster and briny sea ready for the building wind to carry us away at ten knots through the water.

Out of the bay the engines whirred. No wind.

We killed one diesel. No wind.

Tobago faded from sight. No wind.

What a rip off. Tobago to Grenada is a famous beam reach. The gradient wind forecast was for a beam reach.

Never underestimate the power of local conditions. Our trip was a motor trip. We had the main up but I wouldn't even call it a motor-sail. The main just hung there almost the whole way.

The seas were pretty flat so we made about 8 knots on one engine. There were little rain clouds and some taller squalls all around but nothing seemed to be moving. At one point we had a squall ahead to port and another ahead to starboard and neither moved. The port squall had rain angling a little to port and the starboard squall had rain angling a little to starboard but the upper level winds kept the clouds still. We sailed right between them. I couldn't believe that we didn't feel a drop of rain the whole way.

We had a nice visit from two separate pods of dolphins. One group swam along with us playing between the bows for fifteen minutes or so.

As we began to approach Grenada the wind finally appeared. Our ten hour trip saw the jib fly for only one of those hours.

As we closed on Prickly Bay, the southern most port for clearance, the AIS dangerous target alarm went off. I noticed a 200 foot vessel plying the southern coast. Wow, that is a big boat motoring so close to land. Usually they peel off at the point for Brazil or wherever they're going. I watched in disbelief as this one turned into Prickly Bay! Usually the biggest thing in Prickley Bay is the old 85 foot Aggressor live aboard dive boat.

I was further amazed to see the monster yacht backing onto the Prickly Bay marina fuel dock. The yacht turned out to be Blue Moon, the 24th largest American Owned yacht, and her beam took up the entire Prickly Bay Marina dock.

Things are changing in Grenada. The Prickley Bay Marina project is under construction and they are targeting mega yachts as they expand. The Port Louis Marina in the Lagoon at Saint Georges is also moving forward targeting mega yachts. Even Martins Marina is pushing mega yachts and they have three on the dock today as I understand it. This will be good for the economy in Grenada but I think it will change things quite a bit for the cruising public.

We anchored up close to the Calabash Hotel beach in the back of Prickly Bay. It is a beautiful setting a short swim from the beach bar at the Calabash and out of the way of the main dingy thoroughfare. It was also flat calm. Hideko, Roq and I settled in for our first non-rolly sleep in a few weeks.