End of the Cruise
Trip Start
Oct 15, 2005
1
10
Trip End
Aug 15, 2006
Grenada, Antigua, and back to Annapolis, Maryland
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
It is SO strange to be off Free Spirit and back in the condo. We have decided not to launch Quetzal until spring as I have so much to do to prepare for Boat Show and Al is busy sorting out all of the Pennsylvania "stuff" he relocated to Annapolis just before we left. He will also be going back to work at IKON on October 1 so we will just have to "mooch" sails with all our friends until spring.
When last I wrote we were in Mayreau in the Grenadines. When the weather improved we enjoyed the Tobago Cays though the anchorage was overcrowded following the stormy weather. I will avoid those French charter cats from Switch at all costs! We spent our anniversary at Union Island. The Union Island boat boys now work the Tobago Cays anchorage offering to "help you" anchor or moor at Union. We were lucky in that the boat boy we "kindly refused" indicating we were cruisers kept all other boat boys away from us when we arrived at Union Island. The anchorage was fine but the restaurants were disappointing. There is a group of produce stalls in town which had great variety at competitive prices. I had to walk to the airport to check out the next morning and then I met Al in town to finalize our produce selections. We had never been to Petit Martinique (Grenada) or Petit St. Vincent (St. Vincent & Grenadines). We took an overnight run over there, anchoring between the two in Grenadian waters. Grenada does not mind if you visit Petit Martinique for an overnight before checking into Grenada at Carriacou. We were able to fuel and take on water at any easy access dock on Petit St. Vincent. Unfortunately, our timing placed us there on a holiday so all else on the island was closed. We walked up to a small market that had been recommended and were amazed when the owner who lived next door saw us and offered to open up for us! This is typical of the Grenadians. As we found, the folks on all three islands of Grenada were warm and accommodating,
The process of checking into Grenada at Carriacou has been greatly improved. You can print your forms online (we had a printer aboard). Anchoring in Hillsborough can be a challenge as the holding is less than great. However, once hooked the dinghy dock is convenient and both Customs and Immigration are conveniently located. Once checked in, we moved south to Tyrell Bay, a favorite of cruisers. It was like "old home week" as many of the cruisers we had seen days and weeks before were all there. One cruiser who spends several months each year in Tyrell Bay has set up a WIFI service in conjunction with a local dive shop's DSL line. After a couple of days of visiting and exploring, we sailed down the Grenada coast and around Pt. Salines to True Blue Bay. Russ and Magdalena, owners of the True Blue Bay Resort, generously offer the use of their pool to cruisers and they sell WIFI connectivity. They also offer a fabulous room rate of $90 to folks on the hard at Spice Island Marine in July and August.
We rendezvoused with lots of friends for a week or so in True Blue Bay, Mt. Harmon Bay and Prickly Bay before we hauled Free Spirit at Spice Island for her annual service. Since Al had not been to Grenada and I had not been there since the devastation of Ivan in September 2004, we rented a car and toured the island. It is wonderful to see that the infusion of insurance cash has brought the rebuilding and considerable improvement of most of the commercial properties. The hard working Grenadians have taken full advantage of the assistance offered to the island as you can see improved business practices as well as improved selection in their rebuilt businesses. The nutmeg trees all over the island took a huge hit from Ivan. All of the other foliage has grown back well but they are seeking to replant nutmegs with stronger strains that should be able to better withstand wind. The Carenage in St. Georges in undergoing redevelopment but the process is slower there than in other areas. The market and cruise ship dock has moved out of the harbor to St. George's Bay and new facilities have been built. The harbor docks now house the commercial trade.
We hauled Free Spirit to do annual service to the saildrives and to raise the waterline a bit and repaint the bottom. Spice Island Marine was most helpful and its location could not be beat. I spent a lot of time on the bus between St. Georges and the roundabout at True Blue peninsula. We luxuriated at the True Blue Bay Resort while the work was being done. It was great to have a TV and A/C during World Cup soccer! It is wonderful to be in the Caribbean during World Cup as there are fierce loyalties among the locals and cruisers that make for exciting happy hours and spectating. I can only imagine the excitement that will pervade during the World Cricket Championships in 2007. If you are thinking of chartering in the Leewards or Windwards next spring you need contact Cays and Quays NOW (susan@caysandquays.com , 410-990-0213 or 888-990-0213) so that you are sure to get a yacht. A British invasion is expected during the ICC World Cricket Championships. Five of the nine venues for the championships are in major cruising/chartering areas: Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada. Bareboat and fully crewed charters will be at a premium as avid cricket fans move between the islands for the matches.
Hundreds of cruising yachts were gathered in southern Grenada while we were there. Most had insurance policies that required them to be south of 12 degrees by August 1. Night after night there were farewell drinks or dinners as waves of cruisers headed to Trinidad or Venezuela. We were the ONLY boat we encountered that was headed north. Then again, we were the only boat we encountered except crewed charters that had an all-Caribbean insurance policy. Once Free Spirit was back in the water we quickly provisioned and prepared to head north. We had completed all of tasks with the help of Spice Island, Budget Marine, Island Water World and a great sail/canvas shop, Turbulence, that offered superb service at reasonable prices. We really hated to leave Grenada but it was time to head north before any hurricanes brewed.
With the help of Skipper Dave and our Skymate weather/email system we kept our eyes and ears open for issues. We stopped overnight in St. Georges and then went on to Tyrell Bay, Carriacou before checking out of Grenada. Once checked out in Hillsborough we sailed west of Union Island and on to Bequia in high seas and winds. It was a great run! We stopped only long enough for sleep, flying our yellow flag. At dawn we continued north along St. Vincent and then crossed to St. Lucia, arriving in Rodney Bay after dark. Our sail had been great but we had weak winds along both island coasts. We did not anticipate the number of unlit boats in Rodney Bay. It is amazing to us that yachts anchor with neither their masts not their cockpit lights on! We wove our way through the anchored charter yachts (cruisers were already far south!) and found the entrance to the channel for the lagoon. Anchoring inside was a breeze. In the morning we visited Customs and checked in and out of St. Lucia, made a trip to the hardware store and chandlery, and stopped in to see our friends at DSL (Destination St. Lucia) but they were off island. We replenished our canned beer and soda supply and made one last grocery run. The next morning we left early and headed to St. Pierre, Martinique. You may remember that Customs is located at a cyber café here so clearing is a delight. We had a lovely dinner ashore at Tamaya and crashed early. The next morning we left Martinique, intending to stop at Deshaies, Guadeloupe that evening but the sailing was spectacular and we were making such great time that we sailed past Dominica, the Saints and Guadeloupe and all the way to English Harbour on Antigua averaging 9.2 knots!
After our four day journey north we anchored off Galleon Beach in English Harbour and did some serious relaxing. We were delighted to be back in Antigua but what a difference a couple of months made. The weather was just as spectacular as in February but all was quiet. There were few yachts and many of the maritime businesses and restaurants in English Harbour and Falmouth were preparing to close for Carnival and August. There was no humidity, a steady breeze from the east and the water was delightfully clear and calm. We read and swam all week. We knew that soon we would need to move up to Jolly Harbour Marina and prepare Free Spirit for the hurricane season. We savored every moment and watched reports on Tropical Storm Chris. Unbeknownst to us, Chris made a change of direction during the night and when Al was ashore talking to our buddies at Antigua Rigging, Stan asked why we were still at anchor when they were predicting a direct hit in Antigua! You never saw two folks prepare a yacht for departure any faster. We radioed ahead to let Jolly Harbour know we were on our way and we motor-sailed up the coast. As we entered the JH channel, there was a parade of yachts behind us looking for refuge. Thank goodness we arrived when we did not have a reserved slip until the following week. We secured Free Spirit in a wonderful large double slip, added lines, removed sails and all the other fun storm prep. By the time we were hunkered down, Chris had begun another change of direction and by the next day, Tropical Storm Chris had been a non-event in Antigua.
Al and I debated going out again but we decided to stay where we were, enjoy the beach and the pool at Jolly Harbour and begin the arduous process of preparing to return home. We had a challenge to remove all of our live-aboard gear from Free Spirit because shipping things home from Antigua was becoming prohibitively expensive and very complicated. We finally decided to give a lot away, pack 4 huge over-weight bags for the flight and pay the overage and pack up other gear to bring back on our next trip to Antigua. Time flew those last two weeks but as always in Antigua we had a great time.
We flew from Antigua to Philadelphia so that we could see our granddaughter Ayla before heading back to Annapolis. From there we went to Alexandria, VA to collect all of our mail from my "saintly" step-mom who had been a phenomenal mail and checking service during our cruise! We hit the condo on the run, preparing to fly north for a family wedding in Duxbury, MA that weekend. It was wonderful to have a quality four-day visit with Al's folks and to see both our grandchildren and their parents! We are now coming back to reality in Annapolis. We look forward to seeing some of you at the Annapolis Sailboat Show October 5-9. You will be able to find us at the Cays and Quays booth M6. Please come see us!
