Launch, Cricket and a Hurricane

Date: 2nd July 2021

Location: Port Louis Marina, Grenada

I'm writing this as the first Tropical Storm (TS Elsa), now just upgraded to a Hurricane, passes just north of us. It's grey, overcast, very rainy and humid. Although it is due to pass just north of us we are pleased with our decision to come into this well protected marina for a few days. Our friends are out in the south facing bays which might or might not see big swells rolling in later today and tomorrow. You can see the storm approaching here. We are the yellow cross.

It's started.

Treat 'em mean and keep 'em keen!

A week ago we finally launched but first we had to recover the barrel we sent out from the UK in December when we expected to return in January. Luckily Paul, our Grenadian friend, had stored it for us and we made short work of hoisting the contents on board. Just like Christmas all over again.

Unloading the barrel.

We also made sure that other key supplies were loaded aboard.

Vital supplies!

Finally launch day was with us. The picture below shows the process. We had already been moved from a welded cradle to props in anticipation. First the props were removed and reinstalled tilted to make room for the flatbed transporter. That picked us up on big hydraulic rams and trundled us to the travel lift. Once driven in, the lift took our weight and the transporter retreated. The travel lift moved over the water and finally dropped us into the water where we were allowed to reboard. Always a bit exciting/stressful but Spice Island yard were very professional and all went smoothly.

A quick check for leaking sea cocks and a working engine and we were off, gently motoring out to the Prickly Bay anchorage accompanied and encouraged by Roland and Lea (Victoria's Ghost) in their dinghy. A bit of excitement as the windlass stripper caught the chain, then we were settled. Hurrah!

There followed a week of sorting out. We had put Mehalah to bed VERY well when we left in August and there's still lots to do. But on deck things now look well under control despite one of our sacrificial lines being sacrificed as it dropped down inside the mast. Thank you Turbulence for a quick lesson in rope retreival and to James and Shelley (Carina) for extra hands to reinstall the main sail.

We're quite far south now though still well north of the equator but far enough south to be able to see the Southern Cross low in the horizon. I have to admit this is not my photo but we see it clearly enough on a cloudless evening.

The Southern Cross in all its glory.

It's also cricket season here, and with the T20 West Indies v South Africa series starting, Tony (English Rose) went into town to get tickets for the first match.

What a game. It was held at the Grenada National Stadium where we had previously seen a football World Cup qualifier between Grenada and Puerto Rico. The dog from that match made another appearance at the cricket and West Indies won the match in typical swashbuckling style. We even made it onto worldwide TV (caught by one of Jenny's friends in the UK who just happened to be watching and recognised us!). It's now 2-2 in the series with the decider tomorrow which we are hoping to watch though it does clash with England's Euro match with Ukraine. We shall see.

Another 6

That's about it for now. And whilst I've been typing the storm has passed by and things seem to have calmed down a lot.

Postscript for the animalphiles...

Green Iguana (80cm long) and Frangipani Hornworm (15cm long)

Grenada - Return to a COVID Free World

Date: 17th June 2021

Location: True Blue Resort, Prickly Bay, Grenada

We've spent the last few days prepping Mehalah for launch. As expected things have deteriorated during our nine month absence. The engine battery was down to 4.6v and getting it out required first moving the four heavy house batteries. Today's job is to try to source a replacement.

Some tidying required here.

Painting the battery box.

Meanwhile Gilly has been fighting the cockroach invasion. Almost inevitable I guess but not a nice job. Thanks to Celtic Rose for smoke bombs to blast them into oblivion. But it's still a nasty clean up job, now probably half done.

One of many.

But I'm jumping ahead of myself. First off thanks to the many of you who replied to our previous post. It seems that with lockdown continuing in the UK especially, our return provides a welcome reminder of what life used to be like.

So, after a carefully coordinated journey to Heathrow (thanks to Rachel, Hugh and Linda) we checked in for the best TransAtlantic flight ever. Virgin staff were fantastic and Heathrow was almost empty. Only sixty odd people aboard a big 787, everyone masked up to Barbados. Even the transfer to Caribbean Airways was smooth and soon we stepped off the plane to that gorgeous velvety warmth that is the tropics. Next we produced our PureSafe Grenada documentation (all present and correct), a quick Covid up the nose test, through immigration and customs without a problem and into a government organised taxi to our quarantine resort until our test results came through. This wasn't quarantine UK style though. Here we could move around the 'new arrivals to the island' zone appropriately masked up, laze in the sun chairs or swim in the pool. And within 24 hours of arrival our test results were through and our blue wrist bands were swapped for yellow ones.We were 'free to roam!'

Yellow freedom band.

View from True Blue.

The whole atmosphere here is so different from the UK. Masks are worn on busy streets, in cars and restaurants but there is a general feeling of relaxation. Grenada main island where we are currently has no active cases and the smaller island of Carriacou where we did last year's three months of quarantine has still not recorded a single case.

Liming (chillin' out).

We bought out a lot of stuff for friends, both cruisers and locals who needed items ranging from birth certificates to loose fitting shorts. These have now been delivered with oohs and aahs all round. The social life is vibrant with more establishments open than when we left. This southern part of the island is also home to a large American medical university. The students are still mostly not back yet but the restaurants and bars are open. Just down the road is the famous "Container Park" where from a series of converted containers you eat good cheap fare from all over the world. Our favourite? Indian Summer. Delicious dahl, biryani and Goan fish curry made from great lumps of freshly caught local tuna. Great to eat and great to catch up too with the molki crew again from Victoria's Ghost and now, Celtic Rose. Local organic farmer Jenny from up in the hills and her friend Paul (he of the barrel collection service) also welcomed us with lunch overlooking the ocean.

Friends reunited

But it's not all fun and jolity. There's serious work to do on Mehalah too. In addition to the cockroach and battery sagas everything has to be unpacked. Remember we left M for an unknown amount of time in August with everything packed in sealable plastic bags and nothing left on deck in case of hurricanes. For those of you who are fellow sailors you' recognise that period of total devastation where EVERYTHING seems to be out of its cupboard.

Chaos!

Talking of hurricanes we have arrived just at the start of this year's season. Still early but there are already tropical depressions beginning to form. Grenada lies south of the main track but still close enough for significant insurance implications. Most boats are hauling out. We are preparing to launch. Foolish? Maybe, but with a potentially small travel window from the UK and now double jabbed we felt the time was right. We shall see.

Wildlife you asked. Sitting at our waterside table on day one of freedom Gilly spotted a single dolphin in the bay. There's turtles and banaquits and grackles too.

Wildlife spotting whilst looking the other way! Breakfast with the university in the background.

In summary we're making good progress through the jobs but there are one or two larger ones that we have decided to tackle before relaunching. But more about those next time....

And finally, thanks to brother Phil and sister-in-law Jane for taking over the caring role with our mum. Only the four of us really appreciate just how much work that entails. Thank you both.

Boris Lets Us Out To Play

Current Location: Ebley, UK

Current Date: 8th June 2021

Click Here: I'm going to Barbados

Just a quick update to let you know we'll soon be back on the water.

Boris has said we can now fly to Amber countries, but not for 'holidays'. Grenada is Amber but we're not going on holiday, we are returning to Mehalah - we only have one way tickets. So on Friday we fly to Barbados on Virgin and then onward to Grenada on Caribbean Airlines.

But organising an international flight is no longer plain sailing, these are shark infested waters......

Before: Tickets, passports, go.

Now: UK PCR test, tickets (one each please, not two for John and none for Gill please Virgin), PureSafe document for entry to Grenada, pay in advance for another PCR test on arrival in Grenada and upload receipt, a transit document for Barbados, a booked quarantine hotel until the PCR result comes through....

But hey, who cares? We'll soon be back in Grenada, just ready for hurricane season. If we don't take the opportunity to go now maybe we'll be locked down again in the UK as the dreaded Indian, now Delta, variant spreads across the country.

I have to say it's been a bit of a moral dilemma. A significant percentage of the British population considers ANY air travel is selfish and potentially helps to spread the virus around the world (and I suppose they are correct really). So by flying to Grenada we become pariahs as far as that group of people is concerned. But others, mostly the people that we tend to socialise with, think that careful, tested travel is OK. So there is an element of guilt in what we are doing.

It's been a weird 9 months here. Frustrating but good to catch up with friends and family and to help my brother and his wife look after my mum. A family reunion in Leicester, a great visit to friends and family in the southwest, Emma's week here in Ebley, a surprise visit to Andy & Val, an 'interesting' upriver narrowboat trip up the flooded lower Thames, a couple of fabulous, cold days with friends Mark & Rachel in Pembrokeshire and plenty of time helping to restore the local canal.

So there we are. Packed and ready to leave. Next stop Grenada. 

2020

Current Location: Stroud, UK

Date: 7th January 2021

So there it goes. 2020 consigned to the dustbin where it belongs. But then we thought. "Was it really that bad?" We crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Not many people can say that. And our calculated crew risk proved very successful with Irish John and Mariel fitting in seamlessly. Maybe one day we'll get another opportunity to sail together on Cappoquin or on Mariel's new boat.

Next stop was to be Colombia where Jack and Fizzy on Carpe Diem were waiting for us and their storm drogue that we were bringing with us. It was not to be. Colombia locked down hours before our departure from Martinique and we scampered south overnight to Carriacou.

In no time we had joined half the world in lockdown. But our lockdown was in beautiful Tyrell Bay. For weeks we couldn't leave the boat where we were anchored a couple of hundred metres offshore along with up to 100 other boats. We heard them all on the radio and formed our own opinions of them but never met until slowly things relaxed. English Rose, Victoria's Ghost, Milly, Deuces, FlyD, Pontea and all the others became our new best buddies with invitations to visit amongst others Colorado, Belfast, Toronto and Cornwall in the future.

For a change we were in the same place for many weeks and we got to know a bit of how the island works and some of the characters that make it so special. Diane of Lumbadive, Sally and Paul, PoPo and Dexter the gas bottle man. We watched and waited anxiously for SS Amelia to arrive. Would the food arrive from Grenada this week?

We were then torn between staying in Covid free Grenada on Mehalah or returning to the UK to take some of the pressure off my brother and his wife who were providing increasing levels of support to my 92 year old mum. Finally the airport reopened, we sailed to Grenada main island, hauled out and put Mehalah to bed for who knew how long. Barbados airport was empty but the flight to Gatwick was full. A new Covid dominated world awaited.

And now, after a Christmas like no other, without either daughter allowed to visit, we are unlikely to return 'home' for several months. The UK has gone into Level 5 lockdown (NHS unable to cope, stay at home, meet just one person outside to walk, international flights banned), positive cases are rising exponentially and we have almost 1,000 Covid deaths a day. We had hoped to fly back next week and indeed our barrel of boat bits has shipped and will arrive in Grenada tomorrow. [Thank you Paul and Jenny for agreeing to collect].

With the new strain running rampant Grenada has closed its borders to UK arrivals and before long I can see vaccinations being required before entry is allowed. If Boris is right we get our first jab in March and the second 12 weeks later. And then it's hurricane season again. Did we make the right decision to return? I really don't know. Meanwhile we pass the time restoring the local canal, keeping fit, following the Vendee Globe and caring for my mum.

Add in Brexit which means only 90 days are now allowed in French Polynesia and our future Pacific plans may have to be delayed.

But we are all well, there is little sign of my prostate cancer returning and we will make the most of our enforced confinement.

Happy New Year to you all wherever you are.

JnG

A life on the ocean wave, A home on the rolling deep,

Where the scattered waters rave,

And the winds their revels keep!

Like an eagle caged, I pine

On this dull, unchanging shore:

Oh! give me the flashing brine,

The spray and the tempest's roar!

Once more on the deck I stand

Of my own swift-gliding craft:

Set sail! farewell to the land!

The gale follows fair abaft.

We shoot through the sparkling foam

Like an ocean-bird set free;—

Like the ocean-bird, our home

We'll find far out on the sea.

The land is no longer in view,

The clouds have begun to frown;

But with a stout vessel and crew,

We'll say, Let the storm come down!

And the song of our hearts shall be,

While the winds and the waters rave,

A home on the rolling sea!

A life on the ocean wave!

Epes Sargent

So sad.....

Date: 26th August 2020

Location: Barbados Airport

.....to be leaving Grenada.

We're finally on our way back to the UK. Last night I stood on our balcony and listened to the Tropics. A beautiful, balmy night with the ocean lapping on the shore and the tree frogs singing their hearts out.

After an emotional final meal with Lea and Roland from Victoria's Ghost it was back to True Blue, a final pack and bed. This morning the taxi arrived on time to take us to the airport to check in. And then a classic bit of Caribbean. Our flight did not even exist! No problem, we'll put you on another one. So here we are in almost empty Grantley Adams Airport waiting for our BA flight to Gatwick.

An almost empty plane.

Prepare for Covid!

Baggage reclaim at Barbados - spooky.

The last three weeks have seen us working ridiculously hard, usually 10 hour days, in ridiculously hot temperatures. One day last week it was 51.2°C in the cockpit. Still we got all the things done that had to be done even if many of the nice to dos didn't get finished.

Nice clean prop shaft.

Ties down with huricane straps. In with the big boats.

Dinghy cover. Third option.

Ropes protected from the sun.

The new cockpit cover. Great job Gilly.

The saving grace was True Blue Apartments where we were almost the only people staying, bar the quarantined guests recently arrived in Grenada - but we didn't see them of course. We got a great rate and this was our go to location as soon as we got back from the boatyard each evening. It was a hard three weeks. VERY hard.

Our very own swimming pool.

BA were good. All masks were worn. It was a full flight and we had rubbish seats. No hot food of course, no getting up to stretch legs. We watched "Maiden" though, the Tracey Edwards all girl Round the World sailing team. Excellent stuff.

As if to compete with Caribbean Airlines inefficiency, Enterprise cars in the UK decided we had to return their hire car to Cirencester 12 miles away from home rather than our local office 300 metres away from where we live. Some conversations later they agreed we could leave at Ebley after all which was after all where our booking said we would leave it!

Date: 31st August 2020

Location: Ebley, UK

And here we are back in the UK. Despite Grenada and Barbados being "green" countries which means self isolation is not mandatory we have decided to play things carefully as the only reason we are back here is to see my mum. We do go out though early in the morning to walk along the canal right outside our flat. We are the only people wearing masks. In Grenada you felt vaguely uncomfortable if you did not wear a mask when out and about. Here you barely see a mask. People turn away from us as we pass them as if we are infected pariahs. And yet Grenada has had 24 cases, no deaths, all recovered whilst the UK has had 334,467 cases and 41,499 deaths. Yes, I know the UK is much bigger but it just feels different here.

So until January we think we will be here in Ebley, a place where we don't want to be, where we are more exposed to the virus, where the weather is cold and getting colder, where visiting friends is problematic and from where we might not be able to get back to Mehalah. At least there are fewer mosquitoes and cockroaches here and you can do a job without sweat dripping on your work. Am I happy to be here? Nope.

So that's it for now folks.

Lift Out, Jungle and flight to the UK

Date: 9th August 2020

Location: True Blue Apartments, Grenada

After the southerly swell had abated we set about removing sails, preparing fenders and lines and generally preparing to lift out.

But before that we met up with land based friends Jenny and Paul.

We also joined a dozen other cruisers led by Peter from "Milly" to climb Mount Moritz. It was a hot day, very hot, and I found it hard, but 15 kilometres later we were back on the boat.

Liftout itself was the easiest ever. No wind, easy dock, experienced handlers, experienced us. All went to plan except for leaving the main hatch open as a storm passed through!

After two days of hot, hard work in the boatyard when we scraped the hull of a small amount of vegetation and congratulated ourselves on the condition of the copper coat antifouling it was time for another "Milly" walk. This time a bus took us up into the tropical rain forest from where we set off for Mount Qua Qua and thence through thick jungle to Concord Falls. Now this was described as a Very Difficult trail. I found it a lot easier than Monday's walk but it was higher and therefore cooler. It did turn into a bit of an epic though as we lost the trail for a while and bashed our way through the thick foliage tumbling through rotten bamboo stands and razor grass. Finally a rope down a cliff appeared and all was good again. A tired but happy group swam in the falls at the end of a great day's walk.

One casualty of the day was my poor left boot. A small price to pay.

All in all a very jungly day.

Here we are at the top of Mount Qua Qua.

More boat jobs followed interspersed with time at our lovely accommodation, True Blue resort.

Tomorrow our now firm friends, Peter and Sally leave for Toronto and in 15 days time we too should finally be departing Grenada. We have a flight booked back to the UK via Barbados. There's confusion over whether a Covid test is required for Barbados and whether any test that is done here is valid. However we think we have a way through.

We have a massive list of boat jobs to complete before we leave but I'm sure we'll get them all done. It'll be VERY odd to be back in Covid ridden England after our easy life here. Hopefully we can avoid it, avoid passing it to my mum, and enjoy our time back. We shall see!!

Hurricane Survived and Goodbye Carriacou

Date: 28th July 2020
Location: 2 miles off Les Tantes between Carriacou and Grenada

After four and a half months we've finally left Carriacou and are sailing south 30 miles to the main island of Grenada. 10 knots of following wind and a cross sea mean it's not all that comfy but that's what you get when you choose to come down the windward side of the island to avoid motoring.

Anyway, back to the hurricane. Or not as the case may be. Having made our decision to skulk in the mangroves we made our way in through the narrow entrance and tied up next to a pretty 40' Passport 40, one of the boat types we has considered buying. We motored hard nose in until the mangroves stopped any further progress and anyway by then we were sitting on the muddy bottom. On the other side of us Tony and Rosemary came in on English Rose. They have seen hurricanes previously further north in the Dominican Republic. Between us we cut lengths of chain to tie into the mangroves and prevent chaffing. We slipped hoses onto all the lines that could rub. Removed safety gear. Tied down the mainsail (we had already removed the foresails before entering the mangroves). Dinghied out a stern anchor (our half price eBay Fortress FX23 making its first appearance). In short everything we could do to keep Mehalah safe if the predicted strong winds arrived.

Good things included feeling we were in a safe place. The camaraderie. Bad thing. A LOT of boats, big and small. Great potential for crashes if one broke free.

We went to bed expecting to have most of Saturday to finalise preparations. At 5am the heavens opened and we were up doing the final few jobs - getting soaked at the same time. Winds gusting to 30 knots but only at the top of the mast - and that was that. All over by lunchtime. Gonzalo had decided for the first time in 40 years not to turn north. Instead it was Trinidad and mainland Venezuela that saw the worst of things.

With another storm forecast we decided it was time to head south to Grenada to haul out. So after finally managing to extract our new anchor from the sucky mud of the mangroves we returned briefly to a rolly Tyrell Bay for the final time.

A great goodbye meal at Tante Mavis' with English Rose and Victoria's Ghost and we were ready to depart.

At 7.30 this morning we upped anchor, motored to English Rose for a teary farewell and we were on our way with very mixed feelings.


So now here we are. Tied up to a mooring ball 200m from our lift out location. Down the eastern side of Grenada we had a big squall (cracking sail, maybe we should have reefed but 7.3knots was great fun if rather wet). Then it got very sloppy with swell and <5knots. More squalls and then continuous rain. Motoring and motor sailing. We eventually arrived at 3ish. Enjoyable? Perhaps. But definitely good to be here.

Wet, wet, wet.

And here we are sitting in the cockpit after a job well done. Further north the sky is red and angry, the edge of the next storm, Invest 92.

Ominous looking sky to the north.

Finally a quick shout out to all of you who sent your best wishes as Gonzalo approached and especially to John Almberg, Petronella's new owner, for the detailed forecasts from Chris Parker. Thank you all.