Sunday, 22 February 2009
True Blue Bay, Grenada
We had resolved to relax for the weekend, both thoroughly exhausted after nearly 3 weeks of visitors and all of the emotions of a wedding and reunions with family and friends not seen for some months. So by Sunday we finally did. we barely left the boat Sunday and Monday, reading, enjoying the sunshine and catching up on sleep. Unfortunately the weather had slightly different plans for our relaxation, sending through some strong squalls through at night keeping us awake and adding to the excuse to do very little during the day and cooking and eating aboard.
Saturday, 21 February 2009
True Blue Bay, Grenada
I had volunteered via the Grenada Cruiser net (Ch 68, 07:30 Mon – Sat) on Saturday to take part in the Mount Erie tutoring group arranged by some of the longer term local cruisers and a local school teacher, an opportunity for cruisers to give something back to the local community by giving up a couple of hours on a Saturday morning to help a group of local children by listening to them read or practice some mathematics. A local taxi driver provides his minibus for free to transport the volunteers and at 9am we were collected from De Big Fish at Prickly Bay and collect some more from the very nice looking Clarke’s Court Bay Marina. I was sat beside a very nice couple called Jim & Lindi originally from Belfast but living in Canada for many years who spend their winters in Grenada and the Grenadine’s. They’d been to some of the places we were planning to visit such as Trinidad and the British Virgin Islands so I took some advice on the best places to go.
A group of the Mt Airy Young Readers
Whitney, a real character who was in every photo taken that day, who told me she was going to be my teacher as soon as I arrived!
Mt Airy Readers
When we arrived all the children were outside playing cricket as seems to happen on any spare piece of lawn on the island we were soon assembled into the community centre by a very enthusiastic coordinator who I think is a local teacher. She did a wonderful job in mustering the group and I was paired with a boy of about 12 called Danrick who read Huckleberry Finn to me. I think he was concentrating on the words so much he was missing the story which is surely a classic for all boys of that age and he was suitably amused when we paused to talk about what was going on.
Next we gathered in a group to hear the children read out loud to an audience which most did very well and then have some further biblical lessons before we knew it was 1pm and time to pack away again with a wonderful scenic drive back with views over the east coast and for a small tip a lift to the mall for provisions.
A group of the Mt Airy Young Readers
Whitney, a real character who was in every photo taken that day, who told me she was going to be my teacher as soon as I arrived!
Mt Airy Readers
When we arrived all the children were outside playing cricket as seems to happen on any spare piece of lawn on the island we were soon assembled into the community centre by a very enthusiastic coordinator who I think is a local teacher. She did a wonderful job in mustering the group and I was paired with a boy of about 12 called Danrick who read Huckleberry Finn to me. I think he was concentrating on the words so much he was missing the story which is surely a classic for all boys of that age and he was suitably amused when we paused to talk about what was going on.
Next we gathered in a group to hear the children read out loud to an audience which most did very well and then have some further biblical lessons before we knew it was 1pm and time to pack away again with a wonderful scenic drive back with views over the east coast and for a small tip a lift to the mall for provisions.
Friday, 20 February 2009
True Blue Bay, Grenada
Friday we mostly spent cleaning the boat and repacking again to accommodate wedding presents, I was busy writing to everyone to thank them for their presents, loading wedding photos to Facebook etc, catching up on emails and all the other jobs we’d been neglecting. It was also our turn to repay the visit for sundowners to Tuppence who joined us on Invincible for another lovely evening with Mike and Angie.
Thursday, 19 February 2009
True Blue Bay, Grenada
Thursday I had not been looking forward to at all as the last of our goodbyes had to be said to Alex Donna, Mark, and my parents and I have to admit to a few tears when the time came. We all met up in the Dodgy Dock though and had a nice couple of hours reminiscing about the trip before everyone left. Although it is good to know that they are all planning to come back to visit as soon as they can.
Lucille and Tamiaka of Grenada Weddings our wedding planners managed to get the official photos and DVD to us before everyone left, including a spare copy of the dvd for us to send home, a beautiful album and prints plus a lovely white photoframe of one of the group shots which we weren’t expecting. It was lovely to go through them all before everyone left and our thanks go again to everyone at Grenada Weddings for making it such a special day.
We were to be honest feeling quite bereft when everyone left, not knowing what to do with ourselves and were sat in the Dodgy Dock when a nice couple called Mick and Angie from Swansea on a boat called Tuppence that we met at the bookswap came by and invited us over to their boat for the evening. It was just what we needed to take our minds off some difficult goodbyes and we waved as the Virgin Airlines plane flew overhead and I am informed by Mark and Alex that they did see us!
Selection of the official Wedding Photos:
Lucille and Tamiaka of Grenada Weddings our wedding planners managed to get the official photos and DVD to us before everyone left, including a spare copy of the dvd for us to send home, a beautiful album and prints plus a lovely white photoframe of one of the group shots which we weren’t expecting. It was lovely to go through them all before everyone left and our thanks go again to everyone at Grenada Weddings for making it such a special day.
We were to be honest feeling quite bereft when everyone left, not knowing what to do with ourselves and were sat in the Dodgy Dock when a nice couple called Mick and Angie from Swansea on a boat called Tuppence that we met at the bookswap came by and invited us over to their boat for the evening. It was just what we needed to take our minds off some difficult goodbyes and we waved as the Virgin Airlines plane flew overhead and I am informed by Mark and Alex that they did see us!
Selection of the official Wedding Photos:
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
True Blue Bay, Grenada
Alex was up early again this morning disappearing off to hand in her assessments just along the dock at Aquanauts even before breakfast. However she came back grinning within half an hour, she had passed and was now a PADI Advanced Open Water diver.
Today we took Invincible of the surgy dock at True Blue Bay and Kevin, Alex, Mark and Ziggy went out fishing for the day. They had a good day out I gather with a couple of half strikes (bait eaten but fish not hooked up) and a hook up that got away plus a nice tour of the island and some dolphins. Also not to mention Ziggy’s very famous and much admired sandwiches.
I headed into St. George’s to retrieve our gas bottle being long overdue for collection and the current bottle being nearly empty, collecting Donna on the way for her experience of reggae buses. We had a drink at Grenada yacht club, where as soon as I went to the bar Donna was talking authoritively to some other yachties about propane gas fills in Grenada as I looked on amused! We went back for some lunch at the mall then to sit round the pool and wait for the fishing crew to return.
Meanwhile Dad has also been diving with the school located at his hotel, where his dive gear now was, having one of the best dives he has had for years with several sharks and lots of other bigger pelagic fish life such as grouper and barracuda on a wreck about 3 miles off Port Saline, plus 2 other good reef dives. Mum had enjoyed some relaxation on the beach with a book and they had both really enjoyed their week at the Rex, the grounds are very large and incorporate a large lake with small islets in which attract lots of local birdlife, Mum described a bush so full of egrets that it looked from a distance like white flowers.
Beach at the Rex Hotel
Dad enjoying some diving in Grenadian waters
We all joined them at the Rex for our final dinner together that night and everyone was really impressed with the variety and quality of the food. Mum and Dad were there on an all inclusive deal with Virgin Holidays and all those who had been AI before said it was the best they had seen. We all tried something of everything – crab cakes with papaya chutney, grilled marlin, roast pork, callaloo in coconut milk, various vegetable dishes, sautéed potatoes, salad bar, local soups etc and that’s without even mentioning the deserts though I think the banana pudding was the unanimous favourite. Several rum punches, beers and even pina coladas were enjoyed to celebrate the end of a fantastic week for Donna, Mark and Alex and fortnight for my parents Pete and Jan.
Everyone enjoying a final meal together at the Rex
Donna, Mum and I
Today we took Invincible of the surgy dock at True Blue Bay and Kevin, Alex, Mark and Ziggy went out fishing for the day. They had a good day out I gather with a couple of half strikes (bait eaten but fish not hooked up) and a hook up that got away plus a nice tour of the island and some dolphins. Also not to mention Ziggy’s very famous and much admired sandwiches.
I headed into St. George’s to retrieve our gas bottle being long overdue for collection and the current bottle being nearly empty, collecting Donna on the way for her experience of reggae buses. We had a drink at Grenada yacht club, where as soon as I went to the bar Donna was talking authoritively to some other yachties about propane gas fills in Grenada as I looked on amused! We went back for some lunch at the mall then to sit round the pool and wait for the fishing crew to return.
Meanwhile Dad has also been diving with the school located at his hotel, where his dive gear now was, having one of the best dives he has had for years with several sharks and lots of other bigger pelagic fish life such as grouper and barracuda on a wreck about 3 miles off Port Saline, plus 2 other good reef dives. Mum had enjoyed some relaxation on the beach with a book and they had both really enjoyed their week at the Rex, the grounds are very large and incorporate a large lake with small islets in which attract lots of local birdlife, Mum described a bush so full of egrets that it looked from a distance like white flowers.
Beach at the Rex Hotel
Dad enjoying some diving in Grenadian waters
We all joined them at the Rex for our final dinner together that night and everyone was really impressed with the variety and quality of the food. Mum and Dad were there on an all inclusive deal with Virgin Holidays and all those who had been AI before said it was the best they had seen. We all tried something of everything – crab cakes with papaya chutney, grilled marlin, roast pork, callaloo in coconut milk, various vegetable dishes, sautéed potatoes, salad bar, local soups etc and that’s without even mentioning the deserts though I think the banana pudding was the unanimous favourite. Several rum punches, beers and even pina coladas were enjoyed to celebrate the end of a fantastic week for Donna, Mark and Alex and fortnight for my parents Pete and Jan.
Everyone enjoying a final meal together at the Rex
Donna, Mum and I
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
True Blue Bay, Grenada
Tuesday morning another busy start to return the keys for the hire jeep and set Alex and Kevin off on the final two dives of their package. Kevin was going to be diving Bianca C a famous local wreck of a 600ft cruise liner which sunk after a fire offshore but was a regular visitor to the island from Italy. Alex was doing a reef dive to complete her underwater photography module and then they would dive the Veronica L wreck together for Alex’s wreck diving speciality.
Dive 1 - Alex's photography
Dive 4 - Alex's photography
Dive 4 - Alex's first Wreck dive - the Veronica L
Dive 5 - Resident seahorse on the Veronica L
Dive 5 - Kevin on the Veronica L
After spending a couple of hours going through our post which had been brought out by Donna, Sean and I headed out to make the most of his last day. I took him on one of the local reggae buses to Grand Anse beach where we met with Donna and Mark and had a roti which Sean had not yet tried before heading to the beach to swim in the crystal clear waters. I left him there to head back and let Alex and Kevin back into the boat and take them their roti’s coming back later to collect Sean having had plenty of sun to improve his colour before he grabbed his bags at the boat and headed to the airport, being the only ones on the bus back we persuaded the driver to take him to the airport. We said our goodbyes, but Sean has vowed to be a regular visitor and we hope to see him again before the end of the year. We got a text to say he was safely at the airport, checked in with a Carib watching the cricket, so he was sorted.
When they returned from diving Alex, Kevin and I took to the hotel pool to escape the heat on the boat where Alex completed the theory lessons for her PADI course from her book. She needs to hand this in the next day to make sure she completes everything in time before she leaves. Kevin had a swim and went straight to sleep, after a deep dive that morning and all the running around we are both shattered.
Kevin, Alex and I took the opportunity to have a family meal together on the boat that evening, Alex getting to eat the last piece of our Mahi Mahi with us, which she thoroughly approved us. We also saw Kate & Jonny for a quick beer as they called by say their goodbyes before they head off for Bonaire having finally received the Raymarine parts they had been waiting for that afternoon having been stuck in customs since Thursday. Again, it is strange to be saying goodbye to Kate and Jonny with whom we have been in regular contact for months all the way through our planning and cruising until now. However, we said that as we had been the forward reccy party this long having been slightly ahead of them until Grenada, it was their turn to search out all the best spots in the Pacific. Hopefully we will see them when they settle in Australia for Jonny’s 2 year transfer to the Sydney office.
Dive 1 - Alex's photography
Dive 4 - Alex's photography
Dive 4 - Alex's first Wreck dive - the Veronica L
Dive 5 - Resident seahorse on the Veronica L
Dive 5 - Kevin on the Veronica L
After spending a couple of hours going through our post which had been brought out by Donna, Sean and I headed out to make the most of his last day. I took him on one of the local reggae buses to Grand Anse beach where we met with Donna and Mark and had a roti which Sean had not yet tried before heading to the beach to swim in the crystal clear waters. I left him there to head back and let Alex and Kevin back into the boat and take them their roti’s coming back later to collect Sean having had plenty of sun to improve his colour before he grabbed his bags at the boat and headed to the airport, being the only ones on the bus back we persuaded the driver to take him to the airport. We said our goodbyes, but Sean has vowed to be a regular visitor and we hope to see him again before the end of the year. We got a text to say he was safely at the airport, checked in with a Carib watching the cricket, so he was sorted.
When they returned from diving Alex, Kevin and I took to the hotel pool to escape the heat on the boat where Alex completed the theory lessons for her PADI course from her book. She needs to hand this in the next day to make sure she completes everything in time before she leaves. Kevin had a swim and went straight to sleep, after a deep dive that morning and all the running around we are both shattered.
Kevin, Alex and I took the opportunity to have a family meal together on the boat that evening, Alex getting to eat the last piece of our Mahi Mahi with us, which she thoroughly approved us. We also saw Kate & Jonny for a quick beer as they called by say their goodbyes before they head off for Bonaire having finally received the Raymarine parts they had been waiting for that afternoon having been stuck in customs since Thursday. Again, it is strange to be saying goodbye to Kate and Jonny with whom we have been in regular contact for months all the way through our planning and cruising until now. However, we said that as we had been the forward reccy party this long having been slightly ahead of them until Grenada, it was their turn to search out all the best spots in the Pacific. Hopefully we will see them when they settle in Australia for Jonny’s 2 year transfer to the Sydney office.
Monday, 16 February 2009
Island Tour - True Blue Bay, Grenada
This morning was another busy day as we sadly checked out of our hotel room and delivered everything back to the boat, in the drizzling rain which was unfortunately in for the day. We said our final goodbyes to Barry and Marie-Jeanne before we dashed to meet the minibus, we wish them well on their onward journey and hope to see them in an anchorage somewhere soon.
View over St. George's
Today we had arranged for an Island Tour for those of wedding guests who were still around as a thank you for them coming out to see us all the way to Grenada. The centre of the island is so different to the more populated coastal regions being mountainous and covered in rain forest, with many rivers and waterfall, one of which was only discovered in the last couple of years, the vegetation being so dense and ground so steep. Alastair our tour guide arrived exactly on time with my parents already in the minibus and collected those of us from True Blue and them Donna & Mark at the Allamanda Hotel.
Carvings from the original native Carib Indians which are just on the road side
The route of the tour took us round the outskirts of St. George’s through the richer and poorer areas and overlooking the Carenage and dock areas past the newly built National stadium built by the Chinese for Grenada, Alastair provided a very informative commentary through the whole trip. Next we went up the Concord Waterfall where he pointed out Cocoa trees, local speciality Callalo, Papaya, nutmeg and banana growing literally on the road side. He stopped the bus at the falls where we took some pictures and tried a drinking coconut provided by the two brothers with shops there where we bought up lots locally grown spices such as saffron, bay leaves and nutmeg which cost a fraction of the UK and smelt so much more strongly flavoured. We also bought a couple of hands of small local bananas which tasted so much sweeter than those we get in England.
Alex enjoying coconut milk beside Concord waterfall
Next we travelled up the west coast of the island through the large local town of Gouyave the fishing tow on Grenada which looked quite prosperous, we saw people fishing stood on rocks in the bay and the local brightly coloured open fishing boats. We then went through the more forested area where Alastair pointed out the devastation to the trees on the island caused by Hurricane Ivan in Sept 2004 which also damaged 90% of the residential properties and I think 25% of schools. He also described how some of the 39 deaths were caused by the hurricane shelters come to meet those people heading to them.
We visited Dougalston Spice Plantation, which also run down looks like it had just been closed up and left since the last century with an office at the back with yellow receipts pierced on a peg and large dusty ledger books. The drying racks are still full of cocoa beans and one of the huts has been given over to the numerous people providing tours of the island where samples of the spices are laid out to see and smell including branches of cinnamon which also just grows at the side of the road. Obviously one of the local land owners does not appreciate being part of the tour though as he’d hung up signs on his cinnamon trees saying “stop messing with my trees” and “can’t you tour guides read” etc which were just as much fun.
Views over the interior of Grenada rainforest
A Eucalyptus tree in Grenada!
We then crossed the centre the island over the Belvedere road which tracks between the peaks of the island via hairpin bends and rain forests. There is not a house to be seen in most of the centre, through there is a small village quite high up who descend from the original Carib Indians the original native settlers whose appearance was much more south American. We were all amazed by the abundance of the island which must be ideal for anything to grown with the rich soils and alternating rain and sunshine, we saw various local fruits such as sour sop and apple and various others whose names escape me plus more recognisable oranges, lemons, mangoes, avocados and the imported sugar canes plus many beautiful exotic flowers such as birds of paradise growing in vast numbers.
We visited a crater lake which must be between 1000-2000ft above sea level and is used as a fresh water reservoir so no swimming is now allowed, although it was freezing up there and very misty really quite eerie. Onwards through the Forest Centre the National Park area before he dropped us all back out our hotels. We’d all enjoyed a great day out and definitely felt we’d seen a different side of the island.
When we got back to True Blue we were greeted by Paul and Lynn from White Hawk, a Lagoon catamaran who picked their boat up from Sables D’Olonne just up the coast from La Rochelle only a a few weeks before we got Invincible and with whom we have been in email contact for well over a year since the planning stages who’d just arrived in Grenada. Jonny and Kate joined us to meet them as they would be sailing the same route onwards and also Paul and Lynne had emigrated to Australia a few years before were destined for the same place. It was really good to finally meeting albeit for a short time on our journey’s as they were heading off on Thursday to Les Roques an island off Venezuela.
It now being 5pm and having still had no lunch, we headed out to grab some food and met with Donna and Mark (now being late for our lunch appointment with them). However, we had a few beers and a pizza as recommended by Mark and chosen by Sean who was on the last night of his trip, where had the last week gone!
View over St. George's
Today we had arranged for an Island Tour for those of wedding guests who were still around as a thank you for them coming out to see us all the way to Grenada. The centre of the island is so different to the more populated coastal regions being mountainous and covered in rain forest, with many rivers and waterfall, one of which was only discovered in the last couple of years, the vegetation being so dense and ground so steep. Alastair our tour guide arrived exactly on time with my parents already in the minibus and collected those of us from True Blue and them Donna & Mark at the Allamanda Hotel.
Carvings from the original native Carib Indians which are just on the road side
The route of the tour took us round the outskirts of St. George’s through the richer and poorer areas and overlooking the Carenage and dock areas past the newly built National stadium built by the Chinese for Grenada, Alastair provided a very informative commentary through the whole trip. Next we went up the Concord Waterfall where he pointed out Cocoa trees, local speciality Callalo, Papaya, nutmeg and banana growing literally on the road side. He stopped the bus at the falls where we took some pictures and tried a drinking coconut provided by the two brothers with shops there where we bought up lots locally grown spices such as saffron, bay leaves and nutmeg which cost a fraction of the UK and smelt so much more strongly flavoured. We also bought a couple of hands of small local bananas which tasted so much sweeter than those we get in England.
Alex enjoying coconut milk beside Concord waterfall
Next we travelled up the west coast of the island through the large local town of Gouyave the fishing tow on Grenada which looked quite prosperous, we saw people fishing stood on rocks in the bay and the local brightly coloured open fishing boats. We then went through the more forested area where Alastair pointed out the devastation to the trees on the island caused by Hurricane Ivan in Sept 2004 which also damaged 90% of the residential properties and I think 25% of schools. He also described how some of the 39 deaths were caused by the hurricane shelters come to meet those people heading to them.
We visited Dougalston Spice Plantation, which also run down looks like it had just been closed up and left since the last century with an office at the back with yellow receipts pierced on a peg and large dusty ledger books. The drying racks are still full of cocoa beans and one of the huts has been given over to the numerous people providing tours of the island where samples of the spices are laid out to see and smell including branches of cinnamon which also just grows at the side of the road. Obviously one of the local land owners does not appreciate being part of the tour though as he’d hung up signs on his cinnamon trees saying “stop messing with my trees” and “can’t you tour guides read” etc which were just as much fun.
Views over the interior of Grenada rainforest
A Eucalyptus tree in Grenada!
We then crossed the centre the island over the Belvedere road which tracks between the peaks of the island via hairpin bends and rain forests. There is not a house to be seen in most of the centre, through there is a small village quite high up who descend from the original Carib Indians the original native settlers whose appearance was much more south American. We were all amazed by the abundance of the island which must be ideal for anything to grown with the rich soils and alternating rain and sunshine, we saw various local fruits such as sour sop and apple and various others whose names escape me plus more recognisable oranges, lemons, mangoes, avocados and the imported sugar canes plus many beautiful exotic flowers such as birds of paradise growing in vast numbers.
We visited a crater lake which must be between 1000-2000ft above sea level and is used as a fresh water reservoir so no swimming is now allowed, although it was freezing up there and very misty really quite eerie. Onwards through the Forest Centre the National Park area before he dropped us all back out our hotels. We’d all enjoyed a great day out and definitely felt we’d seen a different side of the island.
When we got back to True Blue we were greeted by Paul and Lynn from White Hawk, a Lagoon catamaran who picked their boat up from Sables D’Olonne just up the coast from La Rochelle only a a few weeks before we got Invincible and with whom we have been in email contact for well over a year since the planning stages who’d just arrived in Grenada. Jonny and Kate joined us to meet them as they would be sailing the same route onwards and also Paul and Lynne had emigrated to Australia a few years before were destined for the same place. It was really good to finally meeting albeit for a short time on our journey’s as they were heading off on Thursday to Les Roques an island off Venezuela.
It now being 5pm and having still had no lunch, we headed out to grab some food and met with Donna and Mark (now being late for our lunch appointment with them). However, we had a few beers and a pizza as recommended by Mark and chosen by Sean who was on the last night of his trip, where had the last week gone!
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