August 28. Yeah, we're finally in Venezuel

Yeah, we're finally out of the hurricane belt and it feels good. We had the best sail ever, we left Prickly Bay yesterday morning at 9:30 and as soon as were out of the channel we pulled the sails up and turned the engine off. From the get go we had a half to one knot current with us that lasted almost all trip long. Our speed was anywhere from 5.5 to 7.5 and we even saw an 8 on the meter. As we left the lee of the island it was spinnaker perfect and we sailed with full spinnaker all day long and didn't take it down until sunset. The wind calmed down a bit during the night and when the jib started flopping around, Sid attached the whisker pool to it and we averaged 5 to 6 knots all night long. Getting in to the Los Testigos Islands we sailed through a weird current which tossed us around for a couple of hours. Then it was smooth sailing again. In the morning the wind finally died down but we didn't give up yet, pulled the spinnaker up again and waited about 20 minutes and wouldn't you know in no time we were up to 5 plus knots again and sailed all the way into the anchorage in Isla Margarita. You should have seen the starry night, the milky way lit up the sky, we saw lots of shooting stars and the water was sparkling with phosphorescence as well. This was by far the most stars we've ever seen and the best sail ever. Just a perfect passage in and on Paradise and Sid said: "that's why I bought a sail boat for!"
Welsh Rover and Maja left Grenada 3 hours after we did and said they didn't get the wind conditions we had, so they motor sailed all the way. Neos and Lyoness, both catamarans left last night at 6 and they arrived a couple hours after us. So as tired as we are, in a few minutes at 5 we all are going ashore for Happy Hour, cheers!

August 26. Tropical Wave over Grenada

We knew that the tropical wave we've were waiting for was going to be a strong system and prepared accordingly for it. It was a huge system and we knew that we would have bad weather for a couple of days so we also did some provisioning. I think everybody else in the anchorage did the same. Then the report came that the system split in two, just before it arrived in Grenada. One part went south and dissipated and the other went slightly to the north and over the day started strengthening and as soon as it was passed Grenada built into Tropical Depression 5 and later the same day into Tropical Strom Ernesto. As it now was slightly north from us it brought us wind out of the direction we really didn't want to get it, out of the S and SW as our anchorage is not protected from that direction. As the direction of the wind started changing to the SW our boat started swinging towards shore and we finally had 6 feet of water left behind the rudder and had to pull anchor fast not to go aground. A couple hours prior several boats left to find a more protected anchorage and left us plenty room to re-anchor with nobody even remotely around. The flopper-stopper was in position and we were ready for the incoming swells which were now around 3 feet and later grew to 4 with an occasional 5 footer. As Depression 5 was strengthening it kept the wind coming in from the SW and chances of the swells for the night to slow down was slim to none, even though towards the afternoon the wind started to turn back to the E, the swells still came in and as the boats started to swing back to the E the swells hit the boats on the beam. I tell you the flopper-stopper is an incredible tool to have, it breaks the rolling motion of the boat and makes it more comfortable. We had one roller big enough to make some noise down below, so Sid immediately jumped into the dinghy, I lowered the stern anchor down to him, he set it and we were facing again into the swells and had a comfortable night. We had a good night sleep while everybody else in the anchorage was being tossed wildly around in the swells, poor guys. The swell kept coming in the following day as well and still everybody was bobbing around very uncomfortably. Even Welsh Rover which is a 50 footer rolled from ear to ear, Toni finally called Sid to help him set a stern anchor before sunset. After that was set they help Maja do the same as they all started to feel a bit seasick. This morning all was back to normal and every boat was comfortably resting in calm water in this beautiful anchorage as nothing ever happened, except for the very exhausted sailors. While Ernesto is headed for Jamaica still strengthening, we will pull anchor tomorrow, Sunday and finally sail to Isla Margarita in Venezuela. The forecast has 12 to 15 knots of wind out of the E for us, we should have a comfortable sail. It shows how powerful mother nature can be and how fast she can turn against you, we consider ourselves very lucky that it did not strengthen into a stronger system before it came across Grenada.

August 23. Still in Prickley Bay, Grenada

Where does time go, we've been almost one month in Grenada and it's been so relaxing that we simply forgot to update our Blogg and position report, sorry about that. We attempted to leave several times already but every time another tropical wave stops us from doing so. In the mean time Carnival has passed, which we and most other cruisers missed. We had many reason for missing it:

1. The music known as Soca, a dance music which is a mix of Trinidad's calypso and Indian music and rhythms, as is often said, a fusion of soul and calypso, unfortunately with modern age turned into a nerve wracking reggae rap and is blaring on every bus, so that by the time Carnival came around we had enough of it and didn't want to listen to one more tune of it.

2. All the locals we talked to stay away from Carnival as people drink themselves silly, have fights and is not anymore what it used to be. They even told us to actually see the Trinidad Carnival instead, which is a lot better.

3. The parade we really wanted to see involved a group called the Chub Chub which grease themselves down with black motor oil and hug anybody in sight ruining their cloths. Some cruisers went and were actually very disappointed in the parade itself, they even mentioned that it is not what it used to be.

4. and last, we were too relaxed to even think of leaving the boat. There you have it our reasons for not going, besides we'll be coming back to the island again and will have another chance to see it.

We also took a tour around the island and are most impressed. This is yet the prettiest island and is recovering well from hurricanes Emily and Ivan, even though there is still a lot of destruction to see. The west side of the island is steep to and overgrown with a lush jungle. To which a question pops up: What's the difference between a weed and a house plant? Simple! The house plant costs a lot of money as it grows here all wild. Some of the potted little, colorful plants sitting in our living rooms are here giant lush trees. On the west side also is the Nutmeg Farm, which really took a beating with the hurricanes, as they nearly whipped out all the nutmeg farms and they slowly are growing back and it will take at least another 6 years to fully recover. The good thing about that is, they are growing a new type of nutmeg tree they say will withstand hurricanes. The Nutmeg Farm mainly runs for tourism now until it is back to normal. Walking through the farm filled your nostrils with the pleasant aroma of nutmeg and it was interesting to know the history of how it is farmed, dried, packaged and finally shipped around the world. Of course we loaded up on some too, as it is a wonderful spice to use especially for soups.

The north sides vegetation is more on the dry side, but has the most spectacular view to the islands to the north and on a very clear day St. Vincent can be seen. The east side is more populated and has a beautiful charm. The south side where we are is low lying land and is the home of expensive homes and resorts. On our tour around the island we also visited the River Rum distillery, which is the only one left running with a water wheel. It was an interesting tour and of course afterwards we got to try the rum. Then we visited the chocolate factory, which was a bit disappointing as we hoped to see the coco plants and beans and the process of it, well we learned the making of chocolate bars instead and of course bought some too.

Not just are the locals here very friendly but there is a lot to do here and the cruisers organize many fun activities as potlucks with karaoke. As many of you know Sid is not a very good singer and couldn't carry a tune in a wheel barrel and would NEVER step up to a microphone to sing a song. He even told us on our way to the potluck that there is not enough rum on this island to get him up there and sing. WELLLLLL, you have to know that the rum here is a bit more potent than anywhere else. The Grenadians believe that the stronger the rum is the better it is, the rum here is actually so strong that when you take a sip it evaporates immediately in your mouth. So with 79 % = 158 proof rum Sid was one of the first in front of that microphone singing away. We had so much fun and since we're stuck another week due to weather, I think he will sing again. The boys also had a day to themselves and participated in Hash House Harrier. For those who don't know (like me) what that is:

The Hash House Harriers is a more social version of Hare and Hounds, where you join the pack of hounds (runners) to chase down the trail set by the hare or hares (other runners), then gather together for a bit of social activity known as the On In or Down Down with refreshment, humorous camaraderie, song and sometimes a feast. (http://www.gthhh.com/) . He liked it so much he'll participate again this coming Saturday. I've had my fair share of fun as I love to go to the local fresh market shopping for the most tropical fruits and every time I go I find something new. In the mean time I can tell we've been here too long as all the locals at the market know me by my name now and there is always a friendly welcome for me and most of them throw something extra into my shopping bag.

Since we left the Dominican Republic I've been trying to get a banana flower (burgundy tear drop looking flower hanging below the growing bananas) without any success. Finally within 2 days I ended up with 4 banana flowers. The banana flower makes a wonderful salad, so I brought each one who gave me one a sample along with the recipe and added a new food source to their table as they throw the banana flower away.

It's easy to prepare:

BANANA FLOWER SALAD

Slice flower and soak in salt water at least one hour. Drain.

Cover with salt water and boil 5 minutes. Drain and cool.

Mix 1 cup each soy sauce, oil and vinegar with crushed red peppers and garlic. Heat.

Mix flower with 1 chopped onion.

Pour on warm dressing. Stand one hour. Chill and serve with sliced bread or crackers. Holds well in refrigerator

Hopefully we'll catch good weather this weekend so that we can finally head to Venezuela. One more waves is headed out way and may turn into a Tropical Depression but is not expected to build stronger than that until it passes us. In the mean time we'll be relaxing some more and we'll try not to forget to keep you posted on what's going on.

August 11. Chilling in Prickley Bay, Grenada

We're just chilling in Prickley Bay, Grenada and never made it back to the lagoon in St. George as it is know for thievery. Especially at carnival time and this year the boats were even warned by the locals not to be in the lagoon for Carnival. We had left by then already. There are still boats in there that don't take the warning seriously. We all monitor Channel 68 on VHF and leave it on at night for safety. Two nights after we had left the lagoon a distress call came over the radio at 2:15 in the morning. Sudiki had a boarder on board and needed help. Sid called the Coast Guard for them, but by the time they finally arrived at Sudiki the intruder had managed to jump over board and escape. They did take a photo of him though and had his empty lute bag on board. Sudiki was anchored around the corner from the lagoon and still some boats don't take it serious and are still in the lagoon.
We still had our propane tanks at the Grenada Yacht Club and mail waiting for us as well and decided to take the bus to pick it all up. I tell you taking the buses here is a hoot and worth experiencing. The buses all are mini vans and I believe they work on commission as they honk at any person walking and fill the bus to the rim. It can get pretty cozy and tight in them and sweaty as they don't have AC, sardines in a can comes to my mind. Each bus has loud local music blaring which is controlled by remote, depending on the phone calls the drivers receive. The ride costs 2 $EC(75 US cents) no matter where you go and for an extra $EC 5 they will drop you off in front of your house, so we got to see some neighborhoods we would have never seen otherwise. The buses now and then come to a screeching halt, put the transmission in reverse and race a couple hundred yards backward to pick somebody up and that on a road with frequent traffic, an adventure I tell you. When you need a bus and one honks at you, even if driving the opposite direction, get on it, eventually you will end up at your destination. Everything and everybody here is on island time, so don't expect to get service at the counter right away, they will get with you when they are food and ready. That is GMT = Grenada Maybe Time.
Carnival has started this week and the biggest event is this coming weekend with parade on Monday and Tuesday. After talking to all the locals, especially the bus drivers, we're not sure we want to get even close to it as they stay away from it themselves. Crime rate is up, too many drunks and fights and we cruisers are sticking out like a sore thumb and are therefore targets. One Soca group everybody tries to avoid is covered with black motor oil grease and hug anybody in sight and will ruin your cloths, no thank you. So far what we heard of the local music, which is blaring in every bus, it's not what we would listen too, type Raggea rapp, so I think we'll just stay in our quite little anchorage, put some Jimmy Buffet on, grill some yummy ribs and relax.
It's been really wonderful to chill for a change, instead of having to keep an eye on the weather and beating into it. Although we still are not in the clear as we still are in a hurricane area. Yesterday for instants a tropical wave appeared from nowhere. Martinique got hit by tropical storm winds, we had a big squall with 30 knots and hurricane season ist just starting. Welsh Rove is still in Martinique but are leaving for Grenada tomorrow. We'll be waiting for them but are leaving with next good weather window to Venezuela.
In the mean time we keep enjoying ourself with our daily noodeling cool offs in the water in the afternoon, toasting sunsets with a cocktail and oh yeah, tonight watching the meteor shower.
Our toes are mending just fine and for those who don't know what happened: Poor Sid broke his left middle toe the other day and I felt such sympathy and love for him I broke the same toe three days later. Now I know why they say love hurts.

August 4. Prickley Bay, Grenada

We're are having such a relaxing time, we even forgot to place our new position report. We spent 3 days in the lagoon in St. George and mainly relaxed. We have use of the showers at the Yacht Club Marina for not even 50 cents a person and the drinks at the bar are not bad wither and the view over the lagoon, which by the way is an underwater crater, is magical. The laundry is another thing, a washer load costs EC$ 8(US$ 3) and dryer costs 12 EC$ ($US 4.50). I had 4 loads of washer and 3 dryer and paid over 25 bucks and had to do my own laundry, ouch that is expensive.
The town itself is very charming and the shopping is fun if you go down town to the vegetable market, I found all kind of exotic stuff and even came home with some cashew fruits, we learned of in El Salvador. The fragrances of nutmeg, saffron, turmeric, vanilla, mace, paprika, curry and others are wide spread in town. I went through four grocery stores and wasn't all too happy on what I found, especially in the meat department, all is frozen, nothing fresh and meats are cut into unrecognizable pieces, so it looks like we'll be living of chicken legs, which by the way are almost the size of turkey legs, and baby back ribs, those are really good, had them twice already. Vegetables are scares too and not all too fresh. We have to get used to the local currency as the change rate is 2.67 to 1 $US, so a calculator come in handy. Yesterday I took the bus over to Grand Ans and checked out the Food Fair but not much better, but the Spice Market is a far better store and actually has some fresh beef to a very high price so it's going to be chicken and ribs. As I was back at the dock I called Sid on VHF to pick me up and somebody else answered and wanted to know if that was the Paradise with Sid and Manuela on it. Ed and Linda on Dreamtime were two years ago in the Ortega Yacht Club Marina with us. So since there was a potluck on Friday at Hog Island which is just a bay before Prickley were they staid we sailed around and stopped to see them. So nice to finally run into cruisers we know. We never made it to Hog Island for the potluck, I wasn't feeling well all day long and so we just relaxed where we were. Saturday we'll head back to the lagoon in St. George. Carnival is just around the corner, which we decided to stay, so we're going to head back to the Lagoon before everybody else does. Something I keep forgetting to mention is that we're amazed about how cool and pleasant the evenings and nights here in the Caribbean are. If the weather holds up we'll we be able to be here for Carnival. There is a low building across the Atlantic, which could be our next hurricane, so we'll keep a close eye on it and if it decides to grow into a storm, we'll leave with or without Carnival and sail straight to Venezuela.