20 Grenada
23 January 2016
Well here we are again, re-united with Morven in Grenada.
It was touch and go as to whether we would even get as far as Grenada this year after I took a bit of a tumble in September and damaged my knee by tripping over a (very large) black cat in Greece during the first big thunderstorm at the end of the summer. I was on crutches for over 2 months and then unable to manage stairs or inclines very well. Not a very good state to be in when we were due to be staying in the boatyard, having to scale a ladder several times a day. I managed to get an MRI scan done in November and the consultant told me I had a seriously compressed tibia but it would mend itself, so long as I continued to use it without kneeling, or putting major stress on it, and then in about 4 months it should be more or less normal. Good news that it didn't need surgery or other treatment.
This confirmed, we continued with our travel plans and arrived back in Grenada on 5th December. We got to the boat yard the next day to find Morven looking a bit bedraggled and grubby, but nothing a good scrub wouldn't resolve. After emptying much stuff out onto the deck so we could at least find room inside to sleep we set to. I was of course on light duties with as little use of the ladder as possible.
We were originally hoping to get launched in late December so that we might spend Christmas on the boat, as our friend Rosalind was coming to Grenada for the holidays. The weather and my knee were against us though; the rainy season was going out in dramatic fashion. Torrential downpours nearly every hour meant that the outdoor jobs took a lot longer than they should. We also found some cracks in the stainless steel frame on the stern which required the specialist skills of the yard. The welder was eventually located and managed to get the job done but this delay on top of everything else meant that weren't ready to 'splash' before the yard closed for Christmas.
Life in the boatyard was hectic but fun despite the downpours and the time just seemed to fly past. Walking around in the dark was a bit of an adventure with frogs the size of a small cat almost invisible in the shadows, but somehow always in our path; sure they were trying to trip me up and injure more limbs. The birds and tree frogs made as much noise as a small orchestra at night in the mangroves and woods just behind us, so sleeping was often fitful.
Still in the yard, we made the decision to have ourselves a short break over Christmas and so booked a room at Big Sky Lodge where Rosalind was staying. This is a small plot in the north of Grenada with 4 rooms in two wooden lodges for rent. Very simple living and run by Ingrid and Tomas. Fresh fruit and vegetables are growing everywhere in the grounds and available for picking any time you want. We loved it, secluded and comfortable.
Ingrid set us a challenge on Christmas Day to find and identify as many fruit and vegetables as we could from the garden. In between more downpours, we foraged high and low and picked things we'd never seen before. There were two teams and, somehow, Ian and I emerged the winners although there were still many things we couldn't identify; Ingrid enlightened us. She then made us a fabulous spread for our Christmas dinner with fish, plantain, breadfruit, dasheen, callaloo, macaroni, salad, the special Christmas Rum cake with soursop ice-cream and rum laced sorrel juice, ginger beer and wine. There were 6 of us and it made for a very sociable gathering. Everything apart from the fish and wine was home grown and tasted wonderful.
While Ian was busy doing engine things in the yard, Rosalind and I visited a small cocoa farm for a couple of days; very good for resting the knee, and I expect Ian was glad to have a bit of peace and quiet. Crayfish Bay organic cocoa farm had a small house to rent in the heart of the rainforest country which was absolutely delightful. It is a working farm and we were allowed to 'tread the beans' (in my case, gently) during the sunny periods. When the weather was wet, we sat indoors, with the owners, hand rolling cocoa balls which are used in much the same way as ground cocoa, to make 'tea' or in cooking. Kim gave us a recipe for making a chocolate cake with them, yet to be tested as it's a bit hot for heating the oven on the boat. In a short afternoon we made around 800 balls. Very therapeutic and very good for your hands with all that natural cocoa butter.
Cocoa is one of the biggest crops on the island and much of it goes for export, although there are a couple of local co-operatives which farm the cocoa and manufacture wonderfully dark chocolate which is sold locally. Naturally we had to sample some of their delights.
Two days went all too quickly again and it was back to work in the yard. Rosalind came to help and I have to say that our cockpit teak has never looked so good, so thank you for all that scrubbing.
Travelling around Grenada is a wonderful experience. There are plenty of taxis for hire, but if you want to live the life, catch one of the local buses. They are very cheap, and regular, and go almost everywhere on the island. Although they have routes, if you need to be dropped off at your house they will make a detour, regardless of whether the other passengers want to go that way or not. All buses are minibus size and are built for 14 people, and the seats are not all that big. Rarely does a bus leave the depot with less than 18 passengers. The conductor perches himself on half a seat by the sliding door, and if all seats are taken then 'extra' seats are put in - a small cushion which balances between the aisle seats, and this way at least 4 more people can be crammed in. It's always a squash so you have to be prepared for an invasion of your space; well you are also in their space too.
Driving speeds vary from leisurely to rally, and the music from heavy bass reggae to gospel sounds. Our local number 2 route seemed to be at the rally-and-beyond end of the scale. Perhaps that's why they wedge you in so no-one moves when they take the bends? When you get to where you want to go knock on the roof and the bus comes to a very rapid halt. If you happen to be at the back, then everyone in front of you has to get off the bus so you can alight, then they all get back on again. Very occasionally the conductor asks where you are going and will seat people in the correct order. However, this really doesn't work when they have empty seats and pick up more passengers along the way! If the bus doesn't have a conductor, then the passenger nearest the sliding door assumes the role! A great way to see the island and its people but be prepared to be very hot when you arrive at your destination.
Grenada is known as the spice island, and there are countless spices grown all over the island, and sold in all the local markets. Rosalind and I wanted to see some of these home-grown delights so we took another day away from the yard and caught a bus. There are several gardens open to the public, flowers so vibrant they hardly look real, spices, palms, and numerous other plants, not to mention some very strange wildlife, but we learned it's always best to ring to see if they are open. We got the Spice Garden on New Year's Eve only to find it locked up with no-one home. A bit disappointing but as many herbs and spices just grow along the pathways, we did at least see real live nutmegs on the trees. Nutmeg is Grenada's other big export and is shipped in huge quantities; several million tons per year. The processing is still a very manual task which is done in 3 nutmeg 'pools' around the island, and we did get a tour - the quickest tour ever - which lasted about 5 minutes, and that was with us asking questions! I think the guide is more used to having large numbers from the cruise ships; we took our time looking around and managed to get a few photographs too.
The other big attraction here are the local rums; much more of interest to Ian compared with the flowers and plants. There are an amazing number of distillers for a relatively small island, brewing all kinds of powerful drinks. Every road is lined with tiny wooden sheds and shacks, most of them used as bars and rum shops. You are given a warm welcome, and often just the bottle to do with as you please. Locals seems to drink rum with water or a sparkling grapefruit drink called Ting. The local brew can be up to 139 proof, 69% alcohol, and ice actually sinks in it. Beware! It doesn't always taste strong, but it can sure give you a hangover.
We returned to Big Sky Lodge for New Year's Eve, or Old Year's Night as it's called here; the biggest party night of the year. Ingrid and Tomas had built a bonfire higher than the house with serious logs on it; ladies took food and men took drink, and the children organised a sort of charades game where everyone had to sing, dance, speak or do something. The bonfire gave of sparks the size of some fireworks and fire gazing became addictive. Another huge rain shower sent us all running for cover so Ian and Rosalind got out of doing their party performances (it was mentioned the next day by the children!) and the party ended up indoors for a while. The fire was still burning the next morning, good enough to cook potatoes on, but sadly it was back to work for us so that we could be ready for our launch on 6th January.
The boatyard re-opened on 4th and just when we thought we were ready to go the outboard engine started leaking and dripping fuel everywhere. Suzuki parts are not to be found on the island and so Ian spent a day trying to sort a makeshift repair. A couple of trips to St George's for bits and eventually it was running without leaks. Parts were ordered from the UK and we will have to try and get them to us somewhere, somehow.
Hurrah, we were ready to float the boat at last. Paid the yard bill (always painful) and off we went. Rosalind was there to witness the event (her last day) and we all celebrated with a cold beer in the bar.
We still had to rig the sails and stow a few things properly before we were ready to go to sea, but finally off we went - a massive journey of 5 miles around to Clarke's Court Bay. Well, I still have to take things easy for the knee to completely recover; the motion of the boat was quite disconcerting for a few days. Large northerly swells were forecast for a while so we enjoyed just floating and relaxing in the bay, swimming and watching the sun go down. Another 5 mile journey took us to Prickly Bay, much busier with yacht traffic, and entertainment on offer in the marina bar. Fortunately it seems the wet season has finally left us and more normal weather patterns are slowly resuming so soon we'll be heading north again, although right now there's a big north westerly swell running so Prickly Bay will be home for a few more days yet.