Mehalah's Voyages: Bits and Bobs

Current Location: Clarkes Court Bay, Grenada

We spent a day mooching around Hillsborough, the capital of Carriacou. It’s known as ‘the city’ even though it is basically just two streets. One reason for going there was to see if the shoemaker had mended Graham’s (from Karma) flipflops. We found the shop as directed at the end of one of the streets. Known as The Snake Pit the cobblers doubles as a bar. Inside we found a rasta behind a counter with an enormous pile of shoes stacked up on it. I asked if my friend’s sandals had been mended. He rummaged to the bottom of the pile, pulled out Graham’s flipflops and said, as we had expected “No, they will be ready tomorrow”. [And indeed they were when graham went in the next day – beautifully stitched for 20EC, around five pounds – which was probably more than it should have been].

The Snake Pit otherwise known as the Cobbler

Beach Bar in Hillsborough, Carriacou

Vegetable shopping in 'The City'

Preparing for the new season. Carriacou welcomes Jerks!

We had so enjoyed our time with Louis and Jules at Sandy Bay that we decided to head back there in Petronella for a day or two. It was windy but the snorkelling was even better with fish everywhere.

Fish everywhere

Petronella at anchor off Sandy Island

The idea was to go on to the small island of Petit Martinique where they were holding a sort of festival called Maroon. But the next day the weather was perfect for a sail back to Grenada and down the eastern, windward (read windy) side of Grenada. The ocean here has come straight across the Atlantic with nothing in its way for over two thousand miles. As the sea shelves near the land the waves can get quite big. But today the wind was relatively benign and north of east so pushing us in the direction we wanted to go. Add in a favourable current and we were off. The best sail of our very short season. Forty odd miles all under sail with much of it over 6 knots. Lively, but a great sail back into Clarkes Court Bay where we were to haul out.

It was around this time that we agreed to sponsor a child’s education from Carriacou for a year. There really is very little they can do on this poor island. Our friend Jenny has set up a charity to allow a few of them to go to Grenada to get some practical training. Dante, the 15 year old we are sponsoring hopes to become a refrigeration engineer. We do live a pretty selfish life and it feels good to give something back to the Caribbean even if it is only money and a bit of educational support.

Next up though, another hash. This time right in the middle of the island in the rain/cloud forest. Tough terrain particularly as we found ourselves on the runners’ course instead of our chosen walkers’ route. Eight kilometres of slipping and sliding over tree routes and through waterfalls. Good training for this year’s big walk back in the UK next month. Gill teamed up with a French lady sailor who joined a boat in Guadeloupe to sail round the world but was already finding the skipper a difficult man to live with. She is looking for a new boat to sail on. At the start of the hash we had a minute’s silence for the victims of the Nice truck atrocity. Hosted by the Alliance Francaise group the event was as sombre as a hash can get.

Vive La France (I have never chanted that before today)!

Jungly jungle

Bottleneck on a tricky section

A well earned beer after a wet hash

We also spent several evenings on Freya learning the excellent four handed card game “hand and foot”. Louis and John came out undisputed champions though it has to be said that on some occasions alcohol did play a part. Jules is a great cook too and they gave us a Cuban evening with rum and Cuban food. great fun.

"Hand and Foot"

Dining - Cuban style

Then it was time to lift out for the hurricane season. This year we came out on a tractor/trailer combination, the first time since Portugal nine years ago. It’s a new yard and the staff were the best we have encountered everywhere. It wasn’t their fault that 10 minutes before our haul time of 8am it absolutely bucketed it down. Still all went to plan and we are now on cradles and tied down to big concrete blocks that we hope will hold us if a hurricane happens along.