..and finally Grenada

Blogger: John

So. We're here in Grenada - the final island of the year's journey and it feels like the end to me! Yesterday morning we sailed from Carriacou down the west coast of Grenada to Dragon Bay. Just 15 miles to go to our haulout base of Grenada Marine on 22nd June. [Sorry Les, it's Grenada for us, not Trinidad. Fingers crossed P survives the next few months].

When we left Kas in Turkey almost exactly a year ago we knew we were in for an adventure. But looking back over the last twelve months it's been just amazing. We've grown from one of the more adventurous boats in the eastern Med to newbies in the big league. Gibraltar was a real eye opener with sailors crossing over on amazing journeys in a collection of boats. Gradually we joined this group and with Jen and Marcus we had great crew on the Transatlantic crossing. It's not often you get to have a solid month with your 29 year old daughter (remember the Minkie whales Jen?). We were tired when we finally got across. Not just tired but weary to our bones and that took a while to wear off. Emma got the worst of it. Tired parents and windy and busy BVIs (sorry kid!) but we still had a great time especially in White Bay (where the big motor boat guests were paying 28,000 US dollars a week, the local resort charged 750 US for a night and our mooring buoy cost 20 US!). All told we've covered over 7,000 miles, met sailors from all over the world, learned to dive (sort of) and visited a string of islands that we only knew about from TV programmes. Who knew that Dominica is different from the Dominican Republic or that Kick Em Jenny is an underwater volcano that we sailed past yesterday? Who knew that the French islands are still departments(?) of France but that the UK just left it's former territories to their own devices? We learned you can reef sailing downwind, that we can anchor pretty well indefinitely with our low power consumption, that Turkish flour has weevils inside the sealing flaps of the paper bags and that West Indian rum tastes great but leaves me in a really bad mood next day.

Petronella has been a star. At 43 years old she's getting on a bit but apart from a bit of chaffing, a couple of broken blocks and a blocked diesel tank she's been less trouble than many of the newer boats we've met. No broken masts, no new engines or new propellers required. The generator and water maker have been fine because we don't have them. She does have a forest growing on her hull though and she must be a knot slower than when we left Turkey. But she got us here and when the wind and waves got up during that first week of the crossing we were glad to be in a heavy displacement boat who had seen it all before.

And then there's the friends we have made. Leaving Kas was a real wrench especially for Gill. Jeri and Curt, Zerrin and her other Turkish friends, all our marina friends and the marina staff. Many of them we may never see again. But we made new friends and reconnected with others all the way across. New friends from the Atlantic Crossing Group, several of whom are now crossing the Pacific. Pippy and Richard who ran the informal group of cruisers, mostly first time crossers each with their own set of concerns and of course Dilek the Turkish single hander. Jack and Fizzy, great friends on Carpe Diem, have been with us on and off since Turkey and since we arrived here in the Caribbean its been Dick and Mary on Alacazam, Rob and Carla on Moody Mistress and the circus troupe on Island Swift! And just yesterday Les and Gloria the previous owners of Petronella got back in touch with us again. [Apologies to all those I've left off the list].

Now we're off to the southern Grenada bays to prepare P for the hurricane months.

What an amazing year.

The Three Joshuas

We are now on Carriacou island, the sister island of Grenada which will be our final destination before returning to the UK at the end of June. Carriacou is another of the former British colonies that we happily gave independence to and then just left to get on with their own devices. Unfortunately they don't have very many devices, so like Dominica, Nevis and Union Island it is now a poor place, and getting poorer as the recent global financial crisis reduces tourist income and increases local debt. But the people are friendly and Tyrell Bay where we are now is a great protected anchorage with a large area of mangroves in which to shelter your yacht when that inevitable summer hurricane comes along.

Since our last posting we have left St Lucia, spent a night on the west coast of St Vincent (ganja capital of the islands) and then sailed to the famous and stunning Tobago Cays for a couple of days.

Tobago Cays

Along the way we met Jeanlouis on his Joshua (Sagarmatha).  Petronella is also a Joshua and this is the first sister ship one we have met on our travels. You can find out more about these amazing boats and Bernard Moitessier who had Number 1 built for a famous round the world race here. Previously owned by the first Frenchman to conquer Mount Everest, Sagarmatha (the boatname is Nepalese for Everest) she is now owned by Johnlouis, a Joshua nut. He has spent hundreds of thousands of euros equipping his boat and now sails her six months of the year in the Caribbean. He told us of Uwe, a legend here in Carriacou, who has also owned a Joshua by the name of Salai for many, many years. We all met up, together with Jack and Fizzy, in a little shack on the outskirts of Tyrell Bay for barbequed ribs, wedges and beers. This is Uwe's weekly haunt. He has built himself both a wooden house overlooking the bay and a thriving maritime business here in the bay. Well respected and with values similar to Moitessier's, Uwe's Joshua is a collection of bits he has gathered togetherduring his life. Winches from little secondhand shops, battens from water pipe, hydraulic self steering from a JCB and masts from whole tree trunks. The antithesis of Sagarmatha; with Petronella somewhere between the two. It's amazing how the same basic hull can be utilised in such different ways.

Petronella, Salai and Sagarmatha in Tyrell Bay, Carriacou

Sagarmatha off Union Island

Petronella beating into the wind

We went sailing on his boat the next day along with Johnlouis and his attractive sailing partner Morgan. Well, what an experience. We sailed with the rails constantly underwater, flying along with sails taught. When the wind picked up and we would be reefing Uwe is cranking in the winches harder and harder til the rails along the side of the boat are 50cms beneath the water. Watch out Petronella we'll be working you harder in the future.

Sailing on Salai with Uwe and Johnlouis

Security in the West Indies

Blogger: John

Note: This entry does not contain a scary security event [update - oh yes it does now] just some words of caution.

Before we arrived in the Caribbean, security both of Petronella and ourselves was a key concern. In fact at one time we weren't even going to come across because of the perceived risk. In Lanzarote you may recall we had burglar bars fitted to all our opening hatches. They are removable but we have kept the centre (living room) and aft one (our bedroom) locked in place. We've been using our burglar bars at night on all hatches since St Lucia which means instead of being attacked by machete wielding locals we now risk instead being burned to death as we struggle to undo the various padlocks.

Two days ago we sailed past Vieux Fort at the southern tip of St Lucia. It was here that a cruiser was murdered last year while trying to protect his wife from attackers that swam out to their boat at night. As far as I know no one was ever charged in this small town where everyone knows everyone else. Last month in the Bahamas, another favourite cruising ground, a British man was killed on his yacht and we have heard of several other less serious events though usually only second hand.

These islands are generally poor and our yachts, even Petronella, must appear like fantastic wealth to men in rags who paddle a treasured windsurf around trying to sell a few windfall mangoes. Yet almost everyone we've met has been polite and courteous. Keen to get some money or a beer from us rich cruisers but generally good, interesting people. [One exception was in St Lucia was where a guy tried to get us to pay for a mooring buoy he said was his but actually belonged to the Park].

Yesterday we went to check in to St Vincent at Wallilibou Bay on the western side of the island. When we chartered here last year (remember the day Dave and Vera?) we were swamped by boat boys and we felt quite uneasy as unrest built amongst the competing hawkers. So now we always lock our dinghy to the boat each night and we leave nothing on deck to tempt curious hands. So far it's all been fine. Anchoring next to Jack and Fizzy's boat with their two large Labradors is probably a good idea too.

During the night in St Vincent we heard a banging on the hull. What's that, someone trying to get on board? Ah no, just the mooring ball tangling in the rudder. Get up, twice, sort it out, and back to bed. Rain starts. Get up, close hatches, and back to bed.

Another night survived in these amazing islands. St Vincent is one of the greenest and prettiest, well known for is ganja production. We are now less than 100 miles from Grenada, right in the south of the chain, not far from South America, where we will haul out for the hurricane season.

Update - We have just heard that friends here in Bequia, Paul and Cathy from Orchard House were mugged last week in St Lucia whilst there with his sister who is OK but badly bruised. You cant be too careful!

St Lucia

St Lucia

A dodgy place. Don't go there. A yachtie was killed there last February. It's not safe.         

That about sums up our preconceived ideas of St Lucia, formed on the other side of the pond,  although John has a cousin who is married to a St Lucian lady and he loves the place.

Once we arrived in the Caribbean and started talking to people who had actually been there a different picture emerged. So, in the company of three other boats, including Jack and Fizzy who had been there earlier this year and loved it, we decided to give it a whirl. And it is delightful. 

Arrived at Rodney Bay on the north west coast after a lively crossing from Martinique last Friday. We were the first to arrive in the marina and negotiated the narrow entrance and then the channel with a strong cross wind with great care. 

Chart of Rodney Bay Marina showing the way to the anchorage. It is as tight as it looks!

Picked up a mooring buoy with the smallest eye to pass the rope through we have come across on the fourth attempt just as Island Swift arrived, followed closely by Carpe Diem. Rob and Carla were already anchored out in the bay.

Check in was manic. Not for us a quiet lingerie shop, or an impersonal Internet cafe. A full on four official packed check in. Health first. Any illegal stowaways? Er.. No! Then customs and a foolscap form in triplicate complete with carbon paper to fill in. Then immigration with yet another form. Finally payment. 30 EC $. That's £8 ish. In 30 degree heat. A beer and an icecream  needed as a reward. After a quick shop with Carla in the local supermarket it was an early night for all of us. Windless flat calm in the anchorage. No rolling for the first time since Lanzarote. Bliss.

On Saturday the local ladies held a market in the marina and Fizzy and I went along to restock with fruit and veges which we had been unable to find in Southern Martinique. Great. Fresh organic (so they said) fruits, salad stuff and some veges.

Fizzy shopping in the local market

Jojo, Carla and I then had a glorious hour of wandering round the local shopping mall just being normal women, not boaties, enjoying the smells, sights and experiences I used to take for granted. Then in the evening all ten of us went out for a pizza in the marina.

Off by 9am on Sunday after a night of loud gospel music with an increasingly strident preacher ranting on until 6am! Sailed down the coast to Marigot Bay where we are now moored. It's great. Rafted up on a mooring ball with Carpe Diem is like being in a semi detached house. John and Jack stand on their respective sides of the boat guard rails discussing anchors and teak decks in the same way that they would talk about grass cutting and DIY over the garden fence if they were in the UK.

Petronella and Carpe Diem rafted up together in the centre of the photo. Hotel pool is in the background.

We can use the hotel facilities so every afternoon we repair to the pool to use the  internet, and the lovely staff keep bringing us drinks and amuse bouches. Today we've had bottled water in an ice bucket, sushi, a coconut drink, fudge and just now a rum punch. All free. All delicious. How good is that. And there are HOT SHOWERS. The first since November. Ahhhh bliss.

The pool at the luxury resort. The one for residents is much bigger!

Jack John and Fizzy chilling out on the Turkish beds. It's a hard life!

Our numbers are slowly dwindling. After a group walk up a steep slope name the Stairway to Heaven on Monday Carla and Rob left the next day for Bequia. JoJo and family sailed off this morning and we plan to leave on Friday. In the meantime we intend to make the very most of this unexpected luxury. John has a mast to climb,I have painting to do but we are enjoying being in St Lucia.

The Stairway to Heaven

Diving in Martinique (Gill)

Blogger: Gill

One of the things we planned to do this year was to learn to dive so that we could scrub the wild life off Petronella's keel.  Should we do the course in the UK in the cold and wet, or in Martinique in warm water off coral reefs teaming with tropical life? A no-brainer!

So here we are, signed up for a bapteme (introductory) dive then the PADI open water course with the wonderful Fabrice and his great team of Gregory and Guillaume. All Frenchmen, all calm and relaxed with impossibly sexy French accents and limited English. Yesss! Even being taught about exploding lungs and ears somehow sounds better when it comes from a suntanned Frenchman!

Jack and Fizzy, and Finbar and Lockie are doing the advanced course at the same time and we went on a dive with them which made it more fun. Thanks Fizzy and Jack for taking the photos.

For the bapteme all went well. We were towed round the first dive looking at corals and fish and both managed to sort of clear our masks and see things. But John struggled to get a seal to his mask so a dramatic pruning of the moustache took place before the next dive. Sadly this didn't make things much better and in addition his ears completely blocked and hurt so he reluctantly stopped at four dives.

I'm getting hooked. Really love the freedom of the underwater world. On yesterday's dives we saw turtles, lion fish - an alien species sometimes called the real pirates of the Caribbean - corals of all shapes and sizes, more fish than you could possibly count, fantastic colourful rocky reefs, moray eels, sea serpents: the list goes on and on. It's pretty knackering but my six dives are done, the exercises we have to learn are completed and I've passed. 

Tomorrow we move on to St Lucia for shopping and A couple of days on a mooring buoy belonging to a health club. Then hot foot it past St Vincent to Bequia. Time is going fast. We will be in the UK in less than two months and we have a lot of work to do on Petronella before we haul out in six weeks time.

Diving (John)

Blogger: John

So. It is fair to say that water, like snow, is not my natural environment. However I was well prepared to give diving a go. First off – “bapteme”. We gathered at Alpha Plongee, struggled into our wetsuits (no weeing allowed), donned our BCDs (Bloody Cumbersome Divegear), attached our octopuses (you what!) and off we zoomed in the black bullet. We jumped in (yes Em, I did it!) and off we went holding hands with the instructor (Gilly loved this bit with Fabrice our instructeur gorgeouse). Unfortunately my mask leaked, and so did the next one, and the next. Finally mask six was a bit better. Down we went to 8m. A few fish swimming about and some dull looking corals. Some nice bright blue chaps and a little moray eel. It was cold though and my mask was filling up. Quite interesting I guess and by the end I was swimming on my own. The Planters rum and fruit juice at the end was good.

Dive 2 (or Dive 1 of my Open Water course). Much better. I swam along, saw some stuff and cleared my, non leaking mask, helped by some vaseline and a newly shortened moustache. Still, a lot of hanging around though and my ears and sinuses hurt.

Dive 3 (or Dive 2 of my Open Water course). Same process. Into boat with gear, learn what we will do - take off mask and regulator underwater, jump in. HEY! Wtf, we’re whizzing away from the boat in a big current and waves are getting up my nose. Struggle back to the mooring buoy and get trodden on by people on top of me. Bubbles bubbling everywhere. Too rough, get back in the boat. Try the exercises back on the beach. I keep drifting away and turning upside down but I’m not scared at all and I manage all the “games” as the instructors like to call them.

Dive 4 (or Dive 3 of my Open Water course). We’ll learn how to go up and down by breathing in and out today. Oh shit. Mask leaks, sinuses horrid, keep sinking to the bottom so have to hold hands with Gwillem(?) for the whole time so I don’t go deeper and make my ears hurt even more. When we surface, having done none of todays “games”, brown gunge comes out of my nose. “You ‘ave the enrhume. Not good to dive”.

Fizzy tells me using her “oroscope” (didn’t they teach you nothing about dropping your haitches at school Fizzy) that I have impacted wax in my ear. So that was my last dive. I can’t say I was too sorry. I would rather be catching fish than watching them, everything was blurry because of my leaking masks, I was usually cold and going up and down and over and over. Still, I’ve given it a go and I could do it if I had to I guess. Shame, no more rum and fruit juices.