Monday the 11th November was a showery day and very humid once the rain stopped. We spent most of the day in the bar at the Cove, looking at charts for the ICW (Inter Continental Waterway, on the east coast of the USA) and waiting for Terry to contact us about the watermaker but we heard nothing. It was an early night, with the hatches closed due to the inclement weather.
The following day, we took the shopping bus from the Cove, via Clarke's Court, to the usual places. The rain was torrential, at times and the road to Clarke's Court was flooding. Having returned to the Cove with our shopping, we had to remain in the bar until 2pm as the rain had become a thunder storm. When we did get back on board, the bucket was completely full of rain water and the dinghy was a foot deep in water. We changed the mooring lines to the black stretchy ones, as the wind was yanking on the non-stretchy lines, jarring the boat and both of us in it. Sheldon and Kyle arrived to refit the watermaker, which was working fine in the workshop but they couldn't test it as the water was thick with mud, after the storm. We agreed that we would move round to Grand Anse next morning and pick them up in the dinghy. We headed to the bar, for happy hour, where we were joined by a Dutch couple, Nic and Mar, who we got on with very well.
Wednesday, we were up at 0615 hours and it was bright and sunny. We filled up with water and lifted the dinghy and engine, ready to leave the dock, once Randol had arrived and given us our bill. It was agreed that Dexter would come by to assist with untying the lines on the buoys, at 10am and another yacht would take our place on the dock. We prepped our mooring lines. At 0925, Sheldon and Kyle arrived to test and then fix the watermaker, so we then couldn't leave. The test failed again. At 1330 hours, Sheldon found the problem, a hairline split in a three-way valve that was pulling in air. They said they had a spare in the workshop, so would fix it the next day, in Grand Anse. We had a late lunch at the bar, with Nic and Mar and lamented the situation. At happy hour, we met up with Nic, Mar, John from Four Winds, Jim from Mobius and eventually, Susie from Spirited Lady. Mike and Jenny (SY Happy) were also in, having tea with friends. We left at 7pm, leaving Jim and Susie to chat for another 2 hours.
Thursday, we were up at 0615 again, preparing to leave, when we had a message from Terry saying the boys were coming to the Cove to fix the watermaker. We said we were leaving but eventually agreed to move onto a buoy outside the Cove, so the other yacht could come in. We slipped our lines at 10.10 am, with Sheldon and Kyle on board and picked up one of Dexter's buoys; got it first time! With the 'new' 3 way valve, the watermaker worked. We borrowed a TDS tester from Jane on Coco de Mer and the PPM value was 310. Anything under 750 parts per million is fine for drinking. At long last, we were in business. Pete took Sheldon and Kyle, one at a time, as our dinghy is small, across to Clarke's Court. We had a relaxing afternoon, with a breeze, out on the buoy, before taking the dinghy into the Cove for happy hour, with Nic, Mar, John and Ian. Susie was having dinner with Jim, on Mobius. We had a much better night's sleep, out on the buoy, with a nice breeze through the cabin and no mosquitos.
We departed Woburn Bay at 0745 hours on Friday with careful pilotage through the reefs. Outside of Prickly Bay, we raised the foresail and had a lovely downwind sail to the most south-westerly point, coming round to close on the wind as we headed towards Grand Anse and Gren Mor mooring field. With a mile to go, we put the engine on as we couldn't get any closer to the wind to make our destination. There were a few dive boats and divers to avoid on the run in and then the calorifier blew, filling the bilges with hot water. This seems to happen when the water overheats and the pressure increases. An investigation is required, behind the companion way steps, to confirm whether there has been an expansion tank fitted! We picked up a buoy at 1015 hours, appreciating the breeze out here. We cleared the bilges and then set about making water for the first time. We ran the Spectra 150 for 2 hours and 45 minutes, before back-flushing to remove saltwater from the membrane. We launched the dinghy so we could get in the sea for a swim, before clearing up the aft cabin from the chaos caused by the watermaker refit. Around 3pm, Tracey and Paul, on Magic Pelagic, arrived back from their trip to Carriacou, with Paul's brother and sister-in-law. One more yacht and all mooring buoys were taken. I saw my first sunset since arriving in Grenada but with cloud on the horizon, there was no green flash. Shortly after, the full moon rose, lighting up the sky and illuminating the sea. So far, we had not received any communication from Terry, regarding further costs for the watermaker fitting. Perhaps he was going to honour his promise that all work subsequent to testing was included in the test fee we had paid. We had also told him we would pay Sherri directly for the new pump. Fingers crossed! We had the hatches open all night, as there was no rain. At one point there was no breeze but by the early hours, I was actually feeling chilly, with the wind blowing through the cabin.