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.