We left Barbados at about 10:00 local time with fuzzy heads after the night before with 137 miles to go to Prickly Bay in Grenada. Again, the wind was with us and we poled-out the jib and set the main for an uneventful passage.
21st December 2006
As we neared Grenada, the whole horizon was illuminated by small looms of light and as the sun came up, we saw the Grenadine islands strung across the horizon like little emeralds on the green sea. The water here has turned from a deep blue to a green colour. We raced down the coast of Grenada just a couple of miles off with a good current pushing us and we were soon just off Prickly Bay on the South East tip. We gybed onto a broad reach and suddenly felt the force of the wind as we careered at 8 knots towards the shallows at the entrance.
From the sea, Prickly Bay seemed absolutely full of boats but as we weaved our way into the centre, we found a small spot to anchor near the tiny marina and close to the action.
23rd December 2006
We have hade a very nice 2 days here. Both days have been spent going to St Georges to buy provisions. St Georges is the capital and a short, but high-speed mini-bus ride from “Da Big Fish” restaurant where the dinghy can be left. The town hugs around the Careenage and piles up onto the promontory behind in buildings of many colours. Being Christmas, the town is buzzing with life and the colourful central “Rasta” market is in full swing.
Rasta Market - St Georges
Careenage - Georgetown
We have been invited to a "Pot Luck" - obviously an American thang where you each take a dish of something to a communal meal. We have been told to take a Tropical Fruit Salad and so we went to the market to pick-up the bits. We haven't got a clue how to make it but we have Bananas, Ugly-Fruit, Papaya, grapes, Apples and Oranges and "Golden-Apples". We haven't even tasted some of these yet and so it really will be pot-luck!
The Americans are friendly. One quick introduction at the bar and they instantly memorise your name. This must be an Americanism since, following introductions, every time they subsequently pass Nadezhda they shout "Hi Felicity, Hi Peeder!" very quickly to prove they still remember your name. We respond with "Awright??" since we do not remember anyone’s name.
So we are in a social whirl! Two nights on the trot we have been invited onto other Brits boats. The invite usually starts at 17:00 but we decline so that we can take happy hour at the bar at this time (others do the same and so it is a good time to mix). Then, onto brit-boat for a beer or two and back to bed. We have had no time for an evening meal so far and simply grab a sarnie when we get back from socialising.
We have very little for Christmas dinner. We are going to the pot-luck at lunch time but other than that, the fridge has nothing but fruit in it - no Sprouts!
Unfortunately, Nadezhda will not be getting her full Christmas present on-time. I used hull-cleaner to get the stains off the Port-side yesterday and then ran-out of the stuff. "No problem" I said, since the chandlery sells hull-cleaner. Unfortunately they had closed 10 minutes before we arrived and will not be open again before Christmas. So, Naz has one sparkly side and one dull and stained side.
We have been busy sanding-down the bottom of doors in preparation for the arrival of Mum & Dad. I even took the unprecedented step of taking a door off and getting a plane to the bottom. We now have two-out-of-three doors that close so you can have privacy in the toilet and bedroom!
25th December 2006
The morning was spent calling home on the internet connection that we have paid for. A good two hours was then spent chopping fruit for the fruit cocktail and slicing veg for the coleslaw before setting off for the “Pot Luck”.
The “Pot Luck” was much better than imagined. The food was very good and we both went around for second-helpings. All of the coleslaw we made was devoured and most of the fruit cocktail was eaten by the end. We hope the fruit cocktail was ok since neither of us actually tried it. I was so full of fruit by the time it was completed, I couldn’t face trying any myself.
Everyone kept to themselves afterwards and so we had a quiet evening.
26th December 2006
The large boat that was moored at the fuel berth left this morning. This afternoon, we were told that the marina staff were there and would serve fuel and so we are now fully tanked-up and a couple of tons heavier. This being done, we are now set to move-on since, although Prickly Bay is very nice, we need to see more of the Grenadines now that both Nadezhda and ourselves are fully re-charged.
27th December 2007
We set off fairly late from Prickly Bay headed towards Carriacou around the leeward side of Grenada. Having departed fairly late (about 10:00), we thought we would get just as far as the last anchorage in Grenada (Halifax Harbour). However, with good winds, we were there in a couple of hours and decided to press-on for a small deserted island between Grenada and Carriacou called Ronde Island. We approached between the mainland and some tall rocks called the “Sisters” as the current tried to sling us away and the depth sounder readings kept going down but were soon in an empty bay of pure blue water.
It was stunning and we saw turtles so close that we could see their flippers paddling ten to the dozen... really cute!!! We had a swim and then sat watching the sea birds and pelicans diving into the shallows by the shore.
The Americans are friendly. One quick introduction at the bar and they instantly memorise your name. This must be an Americanism since, following introductions, every time they subsequently pass Nadezhda they shout "Hi Felicity, Hi Peeder!" very quickly to prove they still remember your name. We respond with "Awright??" since we do not remember anyone’s name.
So we are in a social whirl! Two nights on the trot we have been invited onto other Brits boats. The invite usually starts at 17:00 but we decline so that we can take happy hour at the bar at this time (others do the same and so it is a good time to mix). Then, onto brit-boat for a beer or two and back to bed. We have had no time for an evening meal so far and simply grab a sarnie when we get back from socialising.
We have very little for Christmas dinner. We are going to the pot-luck at lunch time but other than that, the fridge has nothing but fruit in it - no Sprouts!
Unfortunately, Nadezhda will not be getting her full Christmas present on-time. I used hull-cleaner to get the stains off the Port-side yesterday and then ran-out of the stuff. "No problem" I said, since the chandlery sells hull-cleaner. Unfortunately they had closed 10 minutes before we arrived and will not be open again before Christmas. So, Naz has one sparkly side and one dull and stained side.
We have been busy sanding-down the bottom of doors in preparation for the arrival of Mum & Dad. I even took the unprecedented step of taking a door off and getting a plane to the bottom. We now have two-out-of-three doors that close so you can have privacy in the toilet and bedroom!
25th December 2006
The morning was spent calling home on the internet connection that we have paid for. A good two hours was then spent chopping fruit for the fruit cocktail and slicing veg for the coleslaw before setting off for the “Pot Luck”.
The “Pot Luck” was much better than imagined. The food was very good and we both went around for second-helpings. All of the coleslaw we made was devoured and most of the fruit cocktail was eaten by the end. We hope the fruit cocktail was ok since neither of us actually tried it. I was so full of fruit by the time it was completed, I couldn’t face trying any myself.
Everyone kept to themselves afterwards and so we had a quiet evening.
26th December 2006
The large boat that was moored at the fuel berth left this morning. This afternoon, we were told that the marina staff were there and would serve fuel and so we are now fully tanked-up and a couple of tons heavier. This being done, we are now set to move-on since, although Prickly Bay is very nice, we need to see more of the Grenadines now that both Nadezhda and ourselves are fully re-charged.
27th December 2007
We set off fairly late from Prickly Bay headed towards Carriacou around the leeward side of Grenada. Having departed fairly late (about 10:00), we thought we would get just as far as the last anchorage in Grenada (Halifax Harbour). However, with good winds, we were there in a couple of hours and decided to press-on for a small deserted island between Grenada and Carriacou called Ronde Island. We approached between the mainland and some tall rocks called the “Sisters” as the current tried to sling us away and the depth sounder readings kept going down but were soon in an empty bay of pure blue water.
It was stunning and we saw turtles so close that we could see their flippers paddling ten to the dozen... really cute!!! We had a swim and then sat watching the sea birds and pelicans diving into the shallows by the shore.
The "Sisters" rocks - Ronde Island
28th December 2006
We left early for the 12 mile passage to Tyrell Bay (Carriacou). The wind was bang on the nose and the seas between the islands are very disturbed due to the 2-knot west-bound current and so we ended-up about 5 miles west of our destination when squalls hit us and increased the windspeed to well above comfortable. We eventually gave-up and motor-sailed into Tyrell bay and into the teeth of a gale. The anchorage was all white water and so we dropped the hook as soon as depth permitted and waited for it to abate before moving closer to shore. I think we get a little extra wind in the anchorage due to the funnelling effect.
Tyrell BayThe evening was much calmer now and we had dinner out last night at the Lazy Turtle!! We both had pizza's which were huge, Pete's was better than mine... it was a one off as two pizza's, 4 small beers and 2 glasses of wine came to £40.....
We'll stay till after new year then head off to Union Island, Petite Martinique, Mayreau, Tobago Keys, Mustique, Bequia and then on to St Lucia to meet Pete's mum& dad.
29th December 2006
The fuel tap broke off the outboard motor yesterday and so I rowed the considerable distance from Naz to the boatyard to visit the chandlery. I found it in a dilapidated portakabin but they had no connectors of any kind nor did I get any more hull cleaner. On return to the boat, I found an American couple (Richard & Beth) circling Nadezda. They were admiring her clean side and her classic lines!
Richard said he had a host of spare hose connectors and soon returned with something to get the outboard going again.
Later, we went over to their yacht (Slow Dancing) and had sun-downers with them and then went back to the boat at 8pm... about 9'ish I could hear a live band playing reggae music so we dinghied over to the beach front..... it was superb! the band was excellent! dancing in the streets and quite a few rum cocktails later we left at 11ish or maybe 12, who knows!
30th December 2006
We went to Hillsborough by local bus in true Grand-Prix style. Apparently, the bus drivers in Carriacou do not drive fast but I think we must have picked a Granada infiltrator. On the back of the bus it said “Trust in God”, we certainly did not trust the driver as the smell of burning brake lining poured in through the rear windows.
Fliss……..
Ten minutes into the “ride from hell” a local lady with a baby got on the overfull minibus, I breathed a sigh of relief as surely now the driver would slow down, no chance! We took corners at break neck speed and missed other vehicles by inches. On every tight corner there was a cemetery and I’m not joking.
Hillsborough was ok but nothing to write home about and so we returned to Tyrell Bay a little later. As luck would have it, we got the same bus driver and prayed all the way back.
We took a walk along the Southern promontory of the island with spectacular views over the small islands to the South of Carriacou. Large Island, Frigate Island, Saline Island and White Island. Each of these were separated by a myriad colours of blue and the browns and greens of the reefs. I was really nice to stretch our legs again as we have not been doing much walking or exercise over the past weeks.
View South From Carriacou
31st December 2006
We left Tyrell Bay early to head just around the coast to Hillsborough to perform our exit immigration and customs. The immigration office was open but customs were closed. Fortunately, the immigration guy filled-in some extra paperwork for us and told us that we would probably be ok to leave.
With the wind whistling, we headed the few miles by motor to Petit St Vincent which was absolutely stunning, the water was this electric blue in patches and it looked like someone had turned a light on under Nadezhda. We found a good reef and went snorkelling the fish were really pretty and we saw a fish that was grey and speckled moving along the bottom of the sea-bed it had spikes on its back and had a frilly fins.... any ideas?
Petit St Vincent
2nd January 2007
The plan was to leave Petit St Vincent and go a couple of miles to the local reefs to do some snorkelling but the every wave had a white cap on it and snorkelling around the reef would have been suicidal and so we set the headsail and continued to Union Island. Clifton Bay was interesting getting into as the place is surrounded by reefs and it’s really busy with charter boats.
Now, looking to the front of the boat we can see a reef with waves breaking over it.... the water as you look to it goes from dark blue to electric blue & then you can see the reef itself. The beaches are white soft sand. The Caribbean is stunning and well worth the 15 days across the pond.
Union Island was given a bad reference by other cruisers but we thought is was lovely, surrounded by reefs with lovely clear water! Just as the sun went down we went to "Happy Island" for a sun downer... it was a amazing little reef in the middle of the sea which the guy had built up using conch shells to make a bar, as the Happy Island was round we had the most amazing 360 degree view. I can't see how it can be beaten but Pete says wait till the Pacific Islands!
3rd January 2007
We left Union Island at 11am and have arrived at Mayreau at 12pm my kind of sailing! We had a cheeky Frenchie over take us under engine but we soon put him in his place, out came a scrap of headsail and we raced past him.... another poor victim who has been slammed dunked by Nadehda... French boats appear to be her favourite!
Its really windy everyday, good 6-7s and bumpy seas so all we put up is a jot of headsail and blast to each island.
A cruise liner was anchored just outside the bay in Matreau and the beach was packed with holiday makers on sun-loungers. It felt a bit like a flashback to Maspalomas (Gran Canaria). We took a walk up into the small town and on to the top of the island where there were lovely vistas of the Tobago Cays whose reefs come right up to Mayreau.
Soon, the launches were ferrying the cruise passengers back and we put up the BIG Union Jack around the rear of the boat as a sunshade. This brought hoots of delight from the passengers who were all from the Midlands and the North of England
Sunday 7th Jan 2006
The Tobago Cays were amazing, the clearest water you can imagine and stunning deserted beaches, it really is holiday brochure stuff.
Snorkelling was interesting as there was a strong current running so you swam like mad and just stayed still, so we really didn’t stray too far from the boat on Thursday.
On Friday we decided to move closer to the reef, this required Pete had to take Nadezhda through serious shallows & reefs between the two islands, I was up front looking out for coral heads. We doglegged our way through and anchored off a little island that was surrounded by breaking surf & reefs, it really was a sight to behold.
Once we decided that Nadezhda was settled we took the dinghy to the reefs. We dropped the dinghy anchor in-between the reefs and swam of to look at the marine life. It was amazing, we saw Spotted Trunk Fish, Smooth Truckfish, Yellow Snappers, huge fluorescent fish and loads of other different brightly coloured tropical fish. My personal favourite are the trunkfish as they are little triangle things with small fins and pointy beaks if attacked they blew themselves up to be huge puffball. Swimming on the reefs was like being an extra in Finding Nemo! We loved swimming on the shallow reefs as you are so close that your stomach only just misses the coral. Fantastic experience to swim over deep coral and then skim the shallows. I did keep an eye out for reef sharks, not that I could have done much as I’m not a strong or fast swimmer .Pete was on a promise that he’d be ok and to give him his due he kept close by me.
It really is paradise and totally unspoilt, no souvenir shops and no sign of tourism, apart from all the yachts at anchor of course.
We were approached by a local boat who asked us if we wanted any fish so we bought a tuna, Pete did the usual and marinated it in soy sauce, ginger, garlic & olive oil and left it for two hours. I’ve got to be honest and say that it was lovely but I’m not a fish eater and I really can’t be doing with all the bones.
Who ever said that the French are good sailors? Must have been a French Man! They have the superb skill of hitting other boats whilst taking their anchors up. They love to anchor as close as they can to other boats and are startled when they collide. I reckon that all French charter boats should have a big rubber ring around the outside and they should fly a flag stating that they are French! That way other yachtsman know that they have a potential insurance claim coming up and can have their insurance details at the ready.
I was really sad to leave paradise behind but we were due to head off to my long awaited stop at Mustique the island of the seriously wealthy & famous. Apparently David Bowie & Mick Jagger have houses there.
So on Saturday we waved goodbye and dropped anchor to do the 20-mile trip to Mustique.
We edged our way out of the Cays and Pete said “Shall we shake the reefs out of the mainsail “… being cautious I said to keep them in for a while. As usual the wind wasn’t as forecast so we were close-hauled and too far west of our destination. Keeping the reefs in was a good move as we were hit a number of times by squalls that bring gale force gusts. After a few squalls Pete was just about to suggest that we reefed the gib there was a huge bang. The gib was flapping madly and something had broken. Frantic activity ensued as we rolled the headsail in. We were very lucky as the shackle pin had cone undone and no serious damage was caused, mind you it gave us a shock and seriously slowed our progress to Mustique. We motored the rest of the way!
When I was a little girl I always wanted to visit Mustique as Princess Margaret had a house there and it appeared so exclusive and exotic so it really was a dream come true for me. The saying springs to mind “Take only memories and leave only footprints behind” for Mustique the end should be re-written to “Leave only credit cards behind”….
We arrived at 1pm and picked up a bouy just off Basils Bar (only bar and restaurant on the island).
The island is very small at only 5 square miles and is the preferred choice of the rich & famous. The island is very lush and fringed by white sandy beaches, if looking for solitude then this is the place to be.
Being an exclusive island we donned our best salt free shorts and t-shirts (actually I wore a dress) to visit the harbour master.
We think it’s expensive to moor here at £20 per night so later we’ll move Naz and anchor slightly further out. The jovial harbour master told us that there was no banks or methods of getting cash out on the island and not to worry as everywhere takes credit cards!!!!
I did buy myself a souvenir mug that says Mustique, well, you’ve got to haven’t you?
Sun-downers at Basils Bar (which were expensive) and back to the boat for left over tuna….
Who ever said that the French are good sailors? Must have been a French Man! They have the superb skill of hitting other boats whilst taking their anchors up. They love to anchor as close as they can to other boats and are startled when they collide. I reckon that all French charter boats should have a big rubber ring around the outside and they should fly a flag stating that they are French! That way other yachtsman know that they have a potential insurance claim coming up and can have their insurance details at the ready.
I was really sad to leave paradise behind but we were due to head off to my long awaited stop at Mustique the island of the seriously wealthy & famous. Apparently David Bowie & Mick Jagger have houses there.
So on Saturday we waved goodbye and dropped anchor to do the 20-mile trip to Mustique.
We edged our way out of the Cays and Pete said “Shall we shake the reefs out of the mainsail “… being cautious I said to keep them in for a while. As usual the wind wasn’t as forecast so we were close-hauled and too far west of our destination. Keeping the reefs in was a good move as we were hit a number of times by squalls that bring gale force gusts. After a few squalls Pete was just about to suggest that we reefed the gib there was a huge bang. The gib was flapping madly and something had broken. Frantic activity ensued as we rolled the headsail in. We were very lucky as the shackle pin had cone undone and no serious damage was caused, mind you it gave us a shock and seriously slowed our progress to Mustique. We motored the rest of the way!
When I was a little girl I always wanted to visit Mustique as Princess Margaret had a house there and it appeared so exclusive and exotic so it really was a dream come true for me. The saying springs to mind “Take only memories and leave only footprints behind” for Mustique the end should be re-written to “Leave only credit cards behind”….
We arrived at 1pm and picked up a bouy just off Basils Bar (only bar and restaurant on the island).
The island is very small at only 5 square miles and is the preferred choice of the rich & famous. The island is very lush and fringed by white sandy beaches, if looking for solitude then this is the place to be.
Being an exclusive island we donned our best salt free shorts and t-shirts (actually I wore a dress) to visit the harbour master.
We think it’s expensive to moor here at £20 per night so later we’ll move Naz and anchor slightly further out. The jovial harbour master told us that there was no banks or methods of getting cash out on the island and not to worry as everywhere takes credit cards!!!!
I did buy myself a souvenir mug that says Mustique, well, you’ve got to haven’t you?
Sun-downers at Basils Bar (which were expensive) and back to the boat for left over tuna….
1 comment:
It would be great to have a holiday at cotton house mustique. It's an awesome place for a holiday.
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