Week 11 Arrival in Grenada

Saturday  June 21st 2014

GRENADA ! It is so nice to see you, and may I just say that you are looking gooo-ooood !

So, we made it ! After two weeks of meandering in Martinique, we have finally arrived to our new home (for the next few months) . It was a fast crossing as we had winds on our beam averaging 20-25 knots (and gusting to 30+) the whole way down from Martinique. On Meghan and I's night watch we saw Amelie speed up to 9.5 knots at one point !  It felt like we were flying !  

We have arrived to the famed “Spice Island” just in time for Meghan to get together with her friend before she and her family left for their South American adventure!  The girls had three days together in which they managed to squeeze in a game of Monopoly, a sleep over, lots of “bracelet making sessions” and one dinner party with her parents !  Since they had been here for over a month already, our friends from Dartura generously shared all of their knowledge and enthusiasm about the place! Now we can’t wait to get out exploring ! And, now that school is officially over for the year, we will have full days to do this ! Yipee !

From everything we have heard so far, it seems like Grenada has the most to offer us in terms of “things to see and do” , so I have been happily busying myself at planning our getaways and destinations. Now I am not going to giveyou any hints on what's in store, there will be no spoiler alerts !  I shall wait to share with you our adventures in the next few blogs once we have actually seen something or been somewhere ! For now we are just content in being back “out here”, anchored in a quiet bay in the South End of Grenada, enjoying the freedom and the relaxed pace. Matthew is quickly making up for all the lost swimming time he had in Martinique, spending hours in the water everyday ! The world is good again!

Meg jumping into the Annandale Falls

   

Looking up from below the falls

                                                        

Mark and Matthew at the Annandale falls

Playing Volleyball at Prickly Bay

Meg, in the blue shirt, playing in the adult team

We did manage to get ourselves “plugged in" to the kids social scene down here.  As there are a great deal of cruising families spending Hurricane Season in Grenada; there are many organized activities scheduled. A few days ago we went to our first Volley Ball Game. The kids, no matter what their level, all gather together on the sandy court and are taught a few basic skills before the game starts !  Once the kids are done playing, the adults have a go. It was lots of fun and we will be coming back, as volleyball happens every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. MC will try to get to the (free!) yoga classes offered at 6:30 am three times a week, well, she hopes to make it at least once ! 

Lesson learned this week : What ever you do, do NOT try to speed up defrosting your freezer with a knife, as you *might* puncture your Aluminium Evaporator Plate and render your fridge/freezer out of service, as Cptn Mark found out last night !  Ooops !  Looks like we have another project starting up!   (Update: Thanks to well stocked chandleries here, the freezer was back up and running in only a few days!)

Luckily the VERY nice people at the nearby Whisper Cove Marina (actually a couple from Montreal) offered to keep our frozen meat for us in their freezer until we get a replacement !

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Meghan on Amelie Blog (written in June 2014) : 

Island Tour

We had a great island tour around Grenada thanks to an awesome tour guide named Cutty! We started the tour by getting out in the forest and exploring all the different fruit and spices and learning what they look like. If I can remember correctly this is what each of them looked like. After that we (ie: me) had a quick jump and swim at the Annandale waterfalls! Let’s just say it was not the warmest water I’ve been in! For me, it was my first time even seeing monkeys so it was absolutely the coolest sensation ever and still today I bring up: “Hey, remember when we saw the monkeys?”Also when you felt the pouch under their chin, you could feel all their stored food… too cool! 

Cocoa

Nutmeg

Is that a monkey on your back ?

Calling the monkeys with bananas

M-C's new buddy

After the monkeys were full we set off to see a couple factories that helped us understand the process of how chocolate is made! 

We started at the cocoa processing factory where all the harvested fruit was dried, packed in sacks and then shipped to different places around Grenada with chocolate factories (as you see in the pictures).

Enjoying the dark chocolate

Edwin, our tour guide at the chocolate factory

We also visited the nutmeg processing factory which they had 17 of in Grenada! I’m not too worried about not having any for my eggnog at Christmas (hee hee!!)! The pictures describe the experience better than words can so here is the nutmeg processing factory. 

Nutmeg Processing Plant

Nutmeg as far as the eye can see

To finish off the trip we visited a rum factory. I am not going to explain the experience of this factory because this is the third I’ve been to and I think the adults will be much more enthusiastic to explain it than I will!

In our log book we have a section to record the new foods we have tried and it is called “Culinary Courage”. During this tour we all tried breadfruit. I don’t know if it is just me but when I heard that name I never wanted to try it because it made me think of soggy bread but it turns out that I really liked it and funny enough it tasted exactly like a potato! 

Sea Turtle Watching

The night after the great island tour, we went to go turtle watching on the beach! We first took a really long and not to mention crowded (15 people in a 13 seat bus!) ride to the centre near the turtle watching beach. The instructions and information was briefly explained and then we were off to the beach hoping to return with wonderful memories (because it wasn’t a guarantee we would see anything).

A leatherback turtle laying eggs on the beach at night

In a few minutes of being at the beach the scientists released some baby hatchlings out of a sandy bucket so we watched (but never interfered) them struggle and find their way to their ocean home (we later found out that those hatchlings had hatched in the morning so the centre had put them in the bucket so no predators could hurt them)! You are probably all frantically wondering this question: “Did they all make it?!?!” so here is the answer: “Yes!”

After those hatchlings had all finally made it (the ones who had started going the wrong way figured out the right way to go) we sat for a while and just watched the stars. It really is like a ceiling of diamonds (everything you could see was shining!) and I even saw my first 4 shooting stars! Yes, even waiting for the turtles was exciting! 

After a few hours of stargazing and waiting for either more hatchlings or a mommy turtle to come, the tour guides decided that in order to see a mommy turtle we were going to have to move so we walked for about 20 minutes while during that time we saw 2 more groups of hatchlings (one which we came a centimetre close to stepping on!) and then finally we saw the great mama turtle who had come to lay her eggs! 

It was really, REALLY cool seeing the whole process right there a few metres away from her (even though it took around 4 hours)! We didn’t see her come out of the water (sadly) but I am still in awe that we just even got to see her! When she started digging the hole, the scientists looked for a tag on her back fins to see if she had been there before but there was none which means that this was her first time (so she is only about 15 or 16)! She first dug the hole, then laid her eggs, camouflaged it (covered it up), after that she made a few fake camouflages to fool any predators watching and finally made her way back to the ocean! I found it quite amazing to see the huge difference between the little tiny babies who were no bigger than your hand and then seeing the adult who was the size of your dining room table and just imagining the transformation over the years! We were pretty close to her the whole time but once, they let us sit right beside her while petting her and watching the eggs coming out…SO COOL! Then she struggled a bit to move but over a couple of hours she managed to make at least two fake camouflages while panting heavily! My favourite part though was when she got herself back to the ocean! 

You could tell she was so excited to feel the water again because she was moving quite fast across the beach and then finally a big wave came and she was back home! While walking back to the van, we walked by 3 other mother turtles laying eggs. In the end we got back on the boat at around 1 am but it was so worth it!!!

Week 10 Martinique - Le Marin Marina

Monday June 9th 2014 

Life Underway: Description of a 3 day crossing 

When I was little, I used to love to go to the Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. Once inside, the first place I used to run to was the “Crazy Kitchen”, where you had to walk across a slanted floor without falling. It was my favourite place in the whole museum. I am not sure if it still exists, but I sure loved that place ! Turns out, that without realizing then, I was actually training for my future life, because let me tell you:  this is exactly what it is like walking around on a healed sailboat feels like, well, except that, on a sailboat, the floor is also moving UP and DOWN and UP and DOWN. Oh, and occasionally a “bigger than average” wave hits the boat and lets just say that holding on in NOT an option !

Matthew safely tethered-in during crossing

As we sailed, on our three day crossing from The BVIs to Martinique, memories of life onboard Mahina Tiare III * came crashing back (*where Mark and I each spent a couple of weeks training for our trip back in 2011) Because it’s not just walking through the cabin either...there are other challenges too. Simply put : you basically have to relearn some basic daily living skills; like getting dressed. I choose to use a wall to lean against or sit down and I  have learned to use just one hand as I hang on for dear life. And don’t get me started about the challenges of going to the bathroom, ’cause that’s a WHOLE OTHER story ! Then there is what I like to call  “Galley Yoga” : as I stand there, propped against the galley counter, legs wide apart, my upper body and left arm stretched out to get our small fridge door open without it slamming too hard, all the while holding on to the apple on the counter with my right hand, so that it does not roll away.I end up looking , exactly, like the “Warrior Pose” in yoga ! Thank goodness for all my yoga classes, I actually can manage it, and still feel balanced as the floor beneath my feet keeps moving up and down, up and down, and all I can think of is: “This must be great for my inner core” ! At night: it is quite a rush !  As you lay down , with your body half way on your bunk and half way up the “wall” (actually not walls but “back rests” for each bunk and they are quite soft and comfortable-thankfully) it feels, very much, like you are ridding on a roller coaster. I wonder : Are you the type of person who likes to go “head first” or “feet first” down a roller coaster ?  Meghan, and I like to go feet first, but Matthew chooses to go headfirst most of the time, as he lays down on his bunk, head facing towards the front of the boat, and sometimes, as the boat rides up and down bigger waves, you can even become airborne for a few seconds, yeah, and you can hear the water rushing by next to you, through the walls that, suddenly, give you the impression of being very thin, (although they are not).The first time  that you hear a wave pounding into the bow it may sound like you have just struck land, it is so loud and you feel the vibration run along  throughout the sides of the boat but then, you get used to it, just like you get used to everything else by the second or third day.

And, as you get used to the constant movement, your body starts to automatically work with the motion of the boat, and you find that you can use it to your advantage. It reminds me of the video footage I once saw with the astronauts in the space station, using their “no gravity” condition when they are working on something. They can just drop their pen, or screwdriver and it will stay right there beside them, when we are all  sitting our “tilted cockpit”, if someone sitting across from me needs something, say a cup, I just put it down on the floor and it rolls right over to them, same with cookie tins, They just slide their way across....no effort needed !  

So.... why am I mentioning all this now ?  Well, up until now , we have had many DAY crossings, where we arrive at our destination within 4-6 hours...or overnight crossings when we arrive the next day by mid-morning. This three day crossing was a first for our kids.....three days of non-stop motion, of wearing tethers and life preservers while in the cockpit,three days of eating meals out of bowls, and roller coaster rides at bedtime.... It is quite different than what they have been experiencing so far. 

They actually did very very well. I think that they adjusted better than the adults actually !  They were so resilient !  The first day was the toughest, we had planned all kinds of activities to do to keep everyone from getting bored but, it turns out that all anyone really wants to do of the first day is just to stick to the essentials:  Sleep, eat, drink water,look out at the horizon, fill out the hourly ships log. It’s the same with Mark and I, we stick with the basic requirements except that we also have to adjust sails,keep watch and feed the kids and ensure everyone is getting enough rest. It is about all that I can manage, especially if I am feeling seasick, just the essentials.I just focus on keeping myself healthy and comfortable, splashing cold water on my face, brushing my hair & teeth, and what helps a lot too is listening to music, everyone on board loves that and the sunsets are all the more breath taking when you are out there, with no land in sight.

By the second day, you feel a bit better you can manage to do a little more than the essential: you can work on that sewing project you were keeping for the crossing, you can play a game, you can wash those dishes that have been         sitting, sideways, in the sink.

It is also important for everyone to keep their spirits up during the difficult first few days ; one of the things we do is to remind ourselves of how much we will appreciate a nice shower at the end of it all and how our first stop at our new destination will be to find ice cream.

I guess that it is just like when you are out in the cold, wet winter days, and you look forward to coming indoor and having a hot chocolate and sitting by the fire thawing your toes. It bring new appreciation of the simple pleasures of life !

Martinique...again. 

Martinique, more specifically, LeMarin Marina, is like a black hole for us. Everytime we sail near it is like we get sucked in and it is always very difficult to leave !!!! Don't get me wrong, it is a very nice place and the people are lovely, it’s just that it is also the place where we end up "waiting" an awful lot between our other destinations.

You see,  originally we had planned to sail from BVI directly to the Grenadines, however, having quite a few mechanical issues come up which could not wait ; we set our course for Martinique, where we know we can find the help we need to address them.

When we pulled back into Le Marin Marina, again, on Sunday June 1st, (docked  “stern-to”-i.e. we had to back into the narrow berth- which is always an adventure!), we told the dock master that we would be staying, at most, three days, but a mere 24 hours later, once the mechanic had had a good look at the diesel engine (bad diesel picked up in St Lucia), he told us that "Le Marin Marina" would be home for at least two weeks !!!  Say what ??!! 

The new AMEL 64 next to us makes Amelie look tiny 

 I’ll be honest, the news was not greeted with cheers from anyone at our end, in fact there were many frowns on faces that day. Two weeks in Le Marin Marina !?!?What are we going to do??!! So, Mark found a good dentist to get a new  crown, at 1/3 the cost he paid in Canada. 

Mark getting a new crown

And Matthew and Meghan put on brave faces, finding positive things to focus on : Chocolate, Ice cream, Pastry shops, and riding bicycles,

and MC went to the Tourism Information Kiosk, to try to work something out, to find something fun to do, making lemonade out of these lemons. 

So, while Amelie got a herself a mini Make-over, which included;

• WaterMaker checked (again) and cleaned, including new hoses 
• Diesel fuel cleaned (polished) because of bad fuel we picked up somewhere in St Lucia
• Exhaust fan replaced
• Rigging checked (one shroud in particular looked at)
• Sail maker repaired a few spots on the main sail which need minor stitching
• Filled our propane tanks
• Main sail furling motor looked at (again)
• New Liferaft (since we could not find one in St Marteen)

We concentrated mostly on getting school done, finishing end of year projects and on the weekend we rented a car !  

Saturday we went to visit the “Musee du Coquillage” (seashell museum) where we saw 

thousands of species of seashells but also interesting specimens of fish and other sea creatures. We then went to see “Le Musee de la Pagerie” where Josephine, as in Napoleon Bonaparte’s First wife,  was born.

  

Josephine's home

Napoleon's wife, Josephine

Miniput

We then had a lovely lunch in Anse Mitan followed by a fun filled afternoon at “MangoFil"  (A giant outdoor park for kids). Matthew and Meghan enjoyed the enormous netted walkway- like an elaborate maze of trampoline through the trees- and then Mark kicked everyones butt at  miniputt. 

The giant outdoor park, MangoFil

Matthew making his way through the mesh maze

On Sunday we drove to the East Coast where we rented sea kayaks and made our way across to Islet Chancelet where we saw some impressive ruins of an old sugar plantation and encountered a few of the endangered  iguanas called “Iguana delicatissima”. These islands are the only place on earth where they still can be found. We then enjoyed a swim in the renown “Fonds Blancs” (white sandy bottoms). 

The endangered Iguana delicatissima

Old sugar plantation

Nature claiming back the buildings

Fonds Blancs

Enjoying a cool swim at Fonds Blancs

And to finish our weekend right,  we visited the “Domaine Clement” where the kids learned about Creole Life, Botany and Rhum Agricole and mom and dad got to do a tasting ! It is a great place to spend an afternoon. Very pretty grounds and very interesting to visit. 

                                               

Domaine Clement, Rum factory

Riding the cane train

That's a lot of rum !

Sugar Canes.

The beautiful grounds at Domaine Clement

Grenada Bound! When we got back that evening we received great news! The mechanic called and he will be able to start three days early and should be finished by Tuesday!  So we will aim to leave on Wednesday. To make up for lost time, we will not be stopping at the Grenadines as we had previously planned. We are setting or course directly for Grenada where we hope to meet up with our friends from SV Dartura before they leave for South America. 

The crossing should take us about 24 hours.