It's Carnival Time!!

Its carnival time here in Grenada which basically translates to two public holidays (Mon & Tues), street parties, light parades, flotillas, costumes, engine oil, paint and loud music.  We have taken part in the past....getting up at 4am to join Jouvay, getting covered in engine oil and paint, joining the light parades and ogling the girls in ‘pretty mas’ and their elaborate costumes. I was going to tell you this year we choose not to take part. But we did, right at the last minute, we joined a small group and went into St Georges to enjoy my favourite part - pretty mas parade. As usual it was running hours late and it chucked it down right towards the end. But we had fun and were glad we made the effort to go.

I’m sure most of you have heard the news of the attack last weekend on two fellow cruisers here in the Hog Island/Clarks Court Bay area. There is no need for me to rehash the event that can be read about here. It was an awful experience for the two involved and we can only be grateful that they are safe now and wish them lots of love and strength as they put their life back together.  The cruising community united to offer support and have raised over USD$6500 in less than a week to help with repairs to their boat that was put aground.  The two suspects involved have been caught and the community and especially the two cruisers can breathe a sigh of relief hopefully. If you want to make a donation to the cruisers involved you can here.

The previous week has been filled with boat jumbles, hashes, drinks, rescues and rainbows: We have been out kayaking, exploring the coastline of our local area. The weather has been hot and humid with plenty of liquid sunshine producing lots of pretty rainbows. We sold a few items at the boat jumble the previous Sunday and used the EC$$ to buy a few beers that afternoon at Rogers Beach bar but not before we helped in the rescue of a boat that had gone hard aground trying to get around the shallow corner of Hog Island and Secret Harbour. 

Rogers Beach Bar - Hog Island

Sim has worked, we’ve caught up with friends, I’ve noodled, we’ve drunk beer, Sim helped rescue another boat that had gone adrift, I hashed in the pretty SW corner of Grenada called Hope Pastures, which took us through a cocoa plantation, plenty of hills, plenty of mud, lots of bugs and a beach. I thoroughly enjoyed it. All the while Sim chilled on the boat with his new found hobby, watching the sports on the internet; especially good now the Olympics are on.

Kayaking around the anchorage and up close and personal with wrecks in the northern corner of Hog Island

Rainy days = rainbows!

Rainy days also equal hot humid days where not much gets done!

The start of the hash - this week I went with Sharon and Paul.

Through rivers and muddy trails.

Plenty of killer hills!! but at least the views are rewarding. 

The hash took us through a plantation.

The Frangipani worm at Mount Hartman - nothing to do with hash I just wanted to add them - can you believe this colourful caterpiller turns into a big brown moth!

French Frolicks, Birthday Rainbows & Rolly Nights

Wandering Star searches for that pot of gold - photo Jon Constantine

Thinking fondly of those motionless landlubber days, the boat rolls from side to side.  Everything tumbles one way and then the next.  The full water tanks gurgle and slap.  The halyards spank the mast, the boom swings violently this way then that. Sim and I are tired.  Not just from the constant roll, where even being wedged between cushions still has you thrown about, not just from the constant racket from everything rolling about but also because Sim has been up half the night with food poisoning.  Such a shame as yesterday was his birthday.

 

Fort De France

But up until that point we have had a wonderful few days.  Friday we left St Lucia for French Martinique.  We didn’t intended to stay long but started a day ahead of our traveling companion Jon from SY Imagine of Falmouth so we could do a quick stock up in our favourite French supermarket – Leader Price.  The sail across was super, just enough off the wind to be comfortable.  We anchored off the old fort ruins in Fort De France; another noisy anchorage, this time we were serenaded with the sounds of tribal drums that kicked off some time after 9pm – don’t they know that this is cruisers midnight? I actually quite liked it and for a new anchorage where I normally don’t sleep too well until I become accustomed to where I am – I nodded off like I was one of the dead.  Bright and sprightly we awoke Saturday morning and walked around the shabby metropolis that is Martinique’s capital.  It’s a colourful place, much more modern than other Caribbean islands. It’s an eclectic mix of old and new from designer shops to Chinese bargain basements, modern buildings matched with tired and crumbling shops with wrought iron balconies, well maintained waterfronts to churches in colourful painted squares.

 

Fort De France waterfront

We shopped, watched some kite flyers and then got on our way to meet Jon at St Pierre at the north of the island to stage ourselves for the next leg of our journey north.  I love St Pierre.  It’s not always easy to find a place to anchor and it can roll.  But it is so beautiful.  I never tire of the majestic Mont Pelee – a volcano that caused all that havoc over a century ago destroying the whole town and killing its entire population.  The unpretentious village is scattered around old ruins and charred remains. There is not much not to like.  Though once again we were treated to some more nocturnal clamor – this time it sounds like an out of tune choir practice.

 

St Pierre, Martinique

Alarms were set for 5.30am on Sunday morning – no time for the birthday boy to open any presents or cards – we needed to get underway. Motoring out into a grey morning it looked as if we weren’t going to get much wind.  The squally weather treated us to the most spectacular rainbow – the first of many that morning.  When the wind eventually filled in it was a lot more than expected.  The seas got bigger with huge spumes of water rolling across the decks.  Wandering Star handled very well in what turned out to be a force 6/7, steaming along at 8.5kts. We practiced a little “heave to” exercise while we waited to see if Jon was doing ok with the sudden onslaught of wind. He was.  I can’t quite say that it was an invigorating sail as I was feeling fairly queasy.  For all those who have seen the recent info on plugging your non dominant ear for a sea sickness cure – I don’t think it works – but then maybe I had the wrong ear!  As we approached the lee of Dominica the seas started to calm. We motor-sailed up the coast to Portsmouth at the north end of the island.  

 

Sims birthday rainbow

Dominica is hugely mountainous – it’s the emerald jewel of the Caribbean.  Rolling hills and black sand beaches fringe the anchorage.  That night for Sim’s birthday we had a small BBQ on board Wandering Star before we fell into our rolling bed for a night of fitful sleep.

Colourful Streets in Fort de France

Church Fort de France

Lively street corners

Fort de France anchorage

St Pierre, Martinique

Imagine of Falmouth

Beautiful rainbow

Windy ride

The captain takes the chair!

Lovely sunset Dominica

The birthday boy