Given that it is hurricane season in these waters we picked a weather window between tropical waves to cross from Grenada to Curacao. As winds were pretty light, we did quite a bit of motoring to maintain our speed above 6 knots so that we kept our time at sea within 3 days, staying well ahead of the next tropical wave which was showing some signs of possible development.

On the plus side, with loads of motoring we got to put our new 4 blade Featherstream propeller to the test. It is a great improvement from our prior well worn 4 blade folding Volvo. All of the vibration we previously had is gone and Give'r now backs up beautifully. Also, as we motored though patches of water with fishing net markers, we were very pleased we've decided to invest in a HydroAxe rope cutter.

As we were sailing past Bonaire and approaching Curacao we were met by intense lightning. For a while it felt like someone left big strobe light on, as the flashes were separates by seconds... With sunrise the storms dissipated, and Curacao emerged from the clouds. There is something magical about arriving at a new place by sea, especially as the land emerges after sunrise. The excitement of landfalls never gets old.

Curacao is a Caribbean gem.

We're anchored in Spanish Waters which is a very sheltered anchorage but with good breeze (keeps us cooler) and no bugs (yey!). Although it's pretty big area, it is absolutely packed with boats, so it took us a while to find a spot where we could keep clear of others. It's so nice to finally have our new ground tackle. We now have a 45 kg Spade anchor attached to 110 m of 10 mm G70 ACCO chain, connected with a Mantus S3 swivel. It's gear that is very much oversized for our boat (15 m, 16.5T displacement), purchased with high latitude cruising in mind. It does mean that here we can leave Give'r behind with confidence and explore the island and at night also sleep tight even when the wind pipes up.

Curacao has a great cruising community. Unlike Grenada where a large portion of the folks are "hanging out" in the Caribbean and living on board, here most boats are actively cruising and this is just a stop over before their next destination (typically somewhere West from here..). There is a nice vibe and a very friendly atmosphere.

The island itself is very charming, with interesting architecture, surprisingly active art community and loads to see and explore. As of yesterday, we've got wheels and are playing tourists. After a stop at a grocery store, a chandlery and a hydraulics shop (hey we're still cruisers that are always looking for boat bits & pieces) we went for a drive around the East side of the island including a tour of a local cave. A very nice change from focusing just on boat work!

Today is beach day - we've got our snorkeling gear and are headed to the West side of the island, known for its beautiful coast and underwater wonders... We're starting to remember why we're doing this in the first place 😊

Mid August is Carnival time in Grenada, it is a serious affair which involves various festivities spread of over approximately two weeks.

One of the main events is J'Ouvert. It is a street party deeply rooted in Grenada's culture and history. Hundreds of people pour to the streets covered in used motor oil, charcoal and paint, dancing to blasting soca music. Masqueraders dressed as devils called Jabs-Jabs (French Creole, from diable diable 'devil devil') parade through the streets of Grenada, together with the Ole Mas who are individuals that present satire and theatre on the events of the past year during the morning.


We decided to partake in this year's festivities. After a 4 am wake up call we joined other cruisers on the bus to town and immersed ourselves in this unique experience. It was fun, fascinating, rather messy and absolutely wonderful madness. Glad we were here for it.


In other news...

Give'r is back in the water (yeay!) and we're getting ready to depart Grenada soon. Our new bow thruster has been installed, unfortunately FedEx lost the box that had the control unit which will delay us a bit...

In addition to boat work we've become part of the local cruising community and its rhythm and various social gatherings.

A local yacht club hosted a J/24 race, and we got to play on one of the boats. Team "Get-R-Done" was assembled the day before racing. We finished 4th out of 11th, which we felt was pretty reasonable for neither one of us having sailed a J/24 before and one of our crew members, Gillian having never raced before. The other crew member, Poppy is here sailing with her husband having crossed from the UK a few months ago. They're sailing together but on separate boats, single handing their respective vessels...

Yesterday was Saturday which is Hash day, a weekly run/hike which takes place across various locations on the island. A great way to explore the island, get some exercise and socialize a bit as the run is followed by everyone hanging out with beer, BBQ & music.

Give'r still on the hard as we wait for our new bow thruster to be build in Norway and make its way to Grenada... She has a bowthruster sized hole that need t be filled and this seems like the best way :)

In the mean time we continue to work through our 'to do' list.

We recently replaced the hydraulic hoses on the ram on the lifting keel, while at it, the ram got a new paint job. It was quite an undertaking, as it went like this:
- get the yard to lift Give'r in a hydraulic cradle
- get the keel to rest on the blocks below, without bearing the weight of the boat (lift it a bit with hydraulics then let it set down gently)
- unbolt the top of the ram to disconnect it from keel box
- lift the ram out of the keel box using hydraulics (Tim connected extra long hydraulic hoses to extend the existing, so that the ram could be lifted above deck)
- replace hoses
- paint ram
- lower ram
- re-attach ram to keel box
- test the lifting mechanism
- get the yard to move Give'r from the hydraulic cradle, back to sitting on her keel and balancing in stands
- 6 hrs later we had new set of hoses (plus many hours of prior planning by Tim as to how to execute all of this, his plan made it go pretty seamlessly :-)

Last Friday another exciting project got completed; Give'r now has a small washer & dryer - WEPEE. No more trips to the laundromat or bucket laundry (which just never seems to get clothing as clean as machines...).

So if you're wondering what we're up to - yes, still working on getting Give'r in ship-shape, so that she is ready for sailing in remote waters of Patagonia. Lots of other items got checked off during the past few weeks. We're hoping to be back in the water soon...

It can't be all work, so yesterday we spent the day getting to know our local cruising community a bit better by partaking in a dinghy poker run. Yes, the task was challenging - make your way from one beach bar to another... As the day went on the crowd got a bit rowdier - it was all good fun and for a good cause, as it was a fundraiser for the Carriacou and Petite Martinique disaster fund. Not surprisingly lots of stories among the crowd as how they faired during the hurricane...

As you would have seen on the news there are a number of islands that are part of Grenada as well as St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Carriacou, Petite Martinique, Union, Canounan, Myerau...) that have been severely damaged by hurricane Beryl.

People that live there desperately need help.

There is a focused effort from local government and community to provide aid, but resources and supplies are limited...

You can help, every little bit counts. You can now donate to the Government of Grenada National Disaster Fund online using this link https://pay.gov.gd/

For additional information regarding various other donation options see a summary by Dole Guides

Beryl has passed.
We watched it go by from the safety of our rental apartment.
In the end we were fortunate to have not seen the worst of Beryl, as the eye passed to the North of us.
We just got an aerial photo from the boatyard & Give'r appears to be OK (its the one with red dodger). We hope to be able to go tomorrow to see her, provided that the state of emergency in Grenada is lifted.
Based on initial reports, it is evident that Beryl unfortunately has not spared all, as it has caused tremendous destruction in Carriacou & Petite Martinique.

As you may have heard Beryl, now a Cat 4 hurricane is heading towards Windward Islands. We expect it to arrive tomorrow.

Give'r is still on land as we await delivery of our new bow thruster. She is sealed up, stripped of all canvas and potential flying objects, tied down to concrete blocks, prepared as best as she can be.

We've checked into an AirBnB with an emergency plan and supplies (including two extra pizzas!); we'll see some scary weather in the upcoming 24 hrs, but we're hoping that we'll be spared from the brunt of it.

At least the Airbnb has internet, Netflix and air conditioning as long as the power holds out :)

Keep safe everyone & we'll do the same.