Back home in Grenada on Petronella

Current Location: Grenada Marine Boatyard

Today was a GOOD day because....

1. We found that my missing Debit Card had been handed in to the boatyard office. Thank you Christopher for being so honest.

2. Amazingly the yard had a spare tin of red Pacifica Plus antifoul. We had previously bought two which should have done two coats but it didn’t. We needed another tin. So, by 8.50am our two main tasks for the day were complete!

3. Mum and Dad have exchanged contracts on their house and completion is on 29^th January. Another worry gone.

4. No rain was forecast so we got the second, and last, coat of antifoul on.

5. Three of the four sails are back on.

6. My cousin Pete has invited us to his house warming party in St Lucia on 21^st February.

7. Jenny (she of the beautiful wooden house) is still with jilted Serge after a passage up to Carriacou on his yacht.

8. Our Jenny got safely back to the UK for her friend’s wedding next weekend.

As you can see we have slotted happily back into the boatie life but not before the final leg of our American trip. We left you in Panama City and that’s where Hugh and Linda arrived the following day. 

Friends reunited

Hugh and Linda are friends we made in South Africa over 30 years ago. We bought the landrover they had driven from the UK and then drove it back to England in 1984/85. By then they were back in the UK and over the next few years their two boys, Jenny and Emma all arrived. When the children were 5, 4, 4, and 2 we took all four back to the Sahara for 8 weeks, us in trusty DBL and them in a “new” landrover. Hard but fun times – mending the alternator in snow in France, freezing nights and short days in the desert and Emma shouting “Wait for me” as the other three slid down sand dunes on tea trays. Another 8 week overlanding trip to Namibia and Botswana 10 years later and then Linda turning up in Ibiza to crew the last bit of the Med last year when we were just shattered. Great friends. Good enough that they lend us their house when we are in the UK and our car lives in their garage for when they are in the UK. They just happened to be flying out of Panama the next day having completed their second stint as Project Leaders with Operation Raleigh.

Panama City is full of contrasts. It has a huge modern skyline of variously shaped skyscrapers. Lots of money from somewhere. Casinos all over the place, Porsche, Jaguar and Ferrari dealerships and building everywhere. All more American than anywhere else we’ve been. 

Panama City - a modern skyline

But away from the commercial centre is the old town. A fascinating mix of different styles. Churches, a cathedral, museums and other cultural stuff. But also restaurants (we ate at one overlooking the sea), our first view of the Pacific Ocean (we paddled in it), ice cream parlours (we made our own yoghourt ice cream milkshakes) and of course, Panama Hat shops (Hugh and Gilly bought one each).

Panama Hats!

We didn’t have long with Hugh and Linda as they flew out the next day but we had to go and see the Panama Canal. We know a few people who have transited the canal either on small yachts or big cruise liners but fewer people who have watched the ships passing from the shore. We caught a taxi to the main lock at the Pacific end of the canal (Miraflores). The canal was completed in 1914 and is now managed by Panama. 20% of all world shipping cargo is said to pass through the canal from which Panama does very nicely thank you. It is very impressive. We watched for three hours in the afternoon. At that time of day traffic is passing from the Caribbean/Atlantic side into the Pacific. In the morning it’s the other way. The new sister canal is now almost complete which will allow cargo to pass in both directions at the same time. It’s not cheap but still cheaper than the fuel needed to go south and around Cape Horn (it’s also considerably less stormy).

Next day Hugh and Linda left and the following day it was out turn for Jesus to take us to the airport (though it turned out to be his friend who I thought should be called God but was actually called Clinton). The dreaded US immigration people gave us an easy time as we passed through Fort Lauderdale but Caribbean Airways needed a lot of persuasion (and Petronella’s insurance document) before they would let us board the plane to Trinidad. This was because we did not have an onward ticket from Grenada and neither are we residents of said country. After sleeping on the floor one more time in the airport at Port of Spain, Trinidad our final flight bought us back to Grenada, Petronella and home.

We hope to “splash” on Monday and then finally start sailing again.