A Little Mangrove Adventure

What do you do when it rains non-stop for four days in a row? You watch Harry Potter movies and read. What if the computer and boat batteries are low because the lack of sun? You read and you read some more. But, what do you do if your book is finished (and you get a bit stir crazy)? You go on a little mangrove adventure!

Somebody had told us about a trail in the mangroves, which was shady and lead to a pretty little beach. Drizzle or no drizzle, Mark and I took the dinghy into Tyrrel Bay’s hurricane hole and located the “trail head”. Of course, we “forgot” that it had been raining for days on end and the trail looked more like a dirt track with muddy puddles. What happens when you walk through mud with flip flops? Your foot gets stuck, your flip flop might break and you kick up dirt spatters so your legs look like speckled broom sticks. I went barefoot most of the way, stepping in prickles a few times and collecting mosquito bites on every limb. 

After sinking into the mud up to my knees (Mark thought that was very funny) twice and dodging tree branches and thorny bushes we reached the end of the trail. Where was the beach? Not to be found… We backtracked on the mud path and returned to our dinghy in the mangroves. While walking through the water to untie the line, something sharp cut my toe. When trying to figure out what it was, nothing was present on the bottom. Then, I felt something on my foot. It was “snapping” and more movement took place close by… Crabs! I jumped and screamed and hopped from mangrove root to mangrove root into the dinghy. In between laughs, Mark yelled “You still have to untie us!” So, back I went – NOT through the water. Muddy and wet, we returned to Irie, ready for a saltwater shower and … to start another book, a less treacherous activity!

Driving into Tyrrel Bay's "hurricane hole".

Parked in the mangroves; we found the clearing!

Sinking into the mud, barefoot.

Where is the beach? We must not have followed the right trail.

Heading back to the dinghy along the mucky trail.

This Weird Feeling

Something weird happened the other day. Well, maybe not weird to other people, certainly not weird to other cruisers or even people who enjoy relaxing… Mark and I were still in Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou, with no friends around and not too many obligations. We couldn’t start any new boat projects, because if something would break during the process or if we’d find another problem, we’d be in trouble, since there were no marine or hardware stores around. I started a schedule of writing in the morning and errands or relaxing in the afternoon, if possible. Of course, on a boat there is always something to do, so the relaxing part, we saved for the weekends.

We sailed Irie to Anse La Roche, our favorite anchorage in Carriacou,. No other boats were there, just a few tourists on the pretty, building-free beach and later on some local fishermen who made the long steep walk down from the road to catch dinner. It was “naked time”, a very enjoyable feeling, to just take a shower in the sea without needing bathing suits! 

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Reflections on Carriacou

It is hard to describe why we like Carriacou… Even though there are always a whole bunch of boats anchored in protected Tyrrel Bay (around 40), it is still pretty quiet on the water. Some of these boats are “stored” during the hurricane season, others have live aboard cruisers who made Carriacou home for (part of) the year, a few have their owners onshore and about a quarter of the sailboats are like us. They come and go, sometimes staying for a couple of days, sometimes for a couple of weeks. As it is time for us to move further south to Grenada (mainly for business and boat projects), I come to reflect on why I like it here and why I already look forward to coming back later this season.

I recently talked to a couple of cruisers who call Tyrrel Bay home for half of the year. We were sharing why we like this place and –really- it all came down to the fact that the pace of life is still slow here, the people are friendly and nothing much will change over the coming years. It is the Caribbean how it used to be twenty years ago. While the other islands are developing rapidly, becoming more demanding of visitors and getting more and more focused on tourism and activity, Carriacou is different. Each time I go ashore to buy fresh bread or to see what’s available in the small vegetable stand (nothing much), I have a smile on my face and relax. I walk the one street, barefoot (sometimes regretting not having put my flip flops on when the afternoon sun made the road surface unbearably hot), sweating, but not caring about that, greeting pedestrians and drivers and browsing the same old stores and the same old stands and the same old food items, stopping for a chat here or there. That’s life in Tyrrel Bay.

After an hour or so, I get back in the dinghy, pull it off the beach and slowly drive back to Irie, carrying my valuable cucumbers, avocados and bread. Once again, I did not find tomatoes, lettuce or meat other than pig feet, chicken legs, chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks and chicken wings. We’ve been on a diet of chicken parts, callalloo and rice, or plantains and potato, but that’s OK. I did give in the other day and bought a pound of pre-packed carrots for the equivalent of US$3. We’ll have coleslaw, potatoes and … chicken tonight! It actually is quite nice to have limited choices and still enjoy our food. Eggs and produce is bought at room temperature and can stay that way for several days. Our fridge is loving it.

The place to be in the evenings in Tyrrel Bay is the Lambi Queen. Mark and I used to love coming here. We’d buy a “quarter” of local rum, a glass ½ liter bottle of coke and ask for two cups and a tray of ice cubes, freshly made in the freezer. For the affordable price of EC$ 12 (US$5), we have enough rum & cokes to last us a couple of hours. On Friday nights, we’d order food from the grill and listen to the steel drums. When no entertainment was present, we’d just hang out, pet Jack the dog and hear the “click, click, click” of local guys playing dominoes. The place is under different management now and when we took our friends out for a drink about a week ago, the same drink arrangement came to EC$ 19 (US$8) for no good reason. When we opted to have a chicken meal the following Friday, the price had also gone up with EC$5 (US$2). We checked other options “in town”, followed the street, inquired in different local establishments and settled on the Old Rum Shop.

This cute little bar/restaurant is no stranger to us (we had some fun nights here last year), but we had never seen it open this season. Mark and I joined some locals “inside”, ordered a BBQ chicken meal and our usual assortment of “quarter” of rum (Clarke’s Court Bay, not the lethal Jack Iron), bottle of coke and “homemade” ice. A couple of “old” salts joined our table and the food was delicious. For the equivalent of US$20, we had a good dinner with 2 rum & cokes each, without the nagging feeling of being taken advantage of. We sure will be back, with our friends, next time!

Since it was Friday night, we did swing by the Lambi Queen and enjoyed listening to a group of talented local guys playing African drums, while their kids danced and juggled some sticks to the tunes. We had a great evening combining the best of two worlds without breaking the bank!

Growing Roots in Carriacou?

The initial disappointment of not being able to sail to Tobago (unfavorable wind and current) is slowly ebbing away, while Mark and I are spending more and more time in laid-back Carriacou. This island has always been one of our favorite stops, but we never managed to stay “until we got bored” because of other “obligations” in Grenada, like carnival in St. George’s or conducting business in Prickly Bay, or because of the urge to get to St. Maarten to sell Wiries during the high season. So now, Tyrrel Bay finds Irie in its protected harbor, with tons of other boats over the Carriacou Regatta week.

Actually, that event just finished and –even though we didn’t race or crewed on somebody else’s boat this year- we were a little bit involved in some of the activities. While the regatta is in process, the Carriacou Children’s Education Fund organizes a whole bunch of activities to collect money for its good cause. Mark and I went to the annual BBQ and potluck and met up with old friends and new friends while savoring a variety of delicious dishes. The youngsters (that’s us and our German friends) hung out until midnight that day and even the electricity outage couldn’t chase us off. Hurrah for the flashlight that lives in my pocket every night to help us find our way back to Irie, a mandatory habit form the St. Martin days…

The auction, where donated items are up for bit, was also a great success, with record sums being gathered this year. We donated a Wirie, just like last year, and now there is yet one more of those decorating a cruising boat in the Caribbean. It was a very hot day, with little shade around, and all the organizers and volunteers did a fantastic job. Also, for the first time in my life, I joined a yoga session organized by one of the cruisers in return for a donation. The air was hot and humid and sweat kept running down my face, but I truly enjoyed the experience and already feel more at peace… Keeping it up is another (non-existing) story. It might sound like I am promoting the CCEF events a bit too much, but that is because I have been deeply immerged in all the activities. I was appointed to write articles about the CCEF gatherings and they will appear in the September issue of Caribbean Compass and the October issue of All At Sea (also available at the Annapolis boat show).

Last Sunday the racing cruising yachts had a day off and the whole Tyrrel Bay crowd moved to Hillsborough by local buses to watch the events taking place there. The local work boats took off from the beach for several races and many activities with funny names took place in the streets and on a stage, while loud music boomed through massive speakers. The local bars were flooded with islanders and tourists alike and the atmosphere was festive. Drinks were very affordable and the streets filled with party goers. As always is the case with island events, time schedules were way off and finding/watching some of the games and competitions proved impossible. Mark and I did manage to observe the “balloon shaving” competition, but missed out on the donkey races, which would take place the following day. We did purchase a T-shirt to support the “We CARE-organization” (Carriacou Animal Rescue Effort) in hopes that one day they will be successful in spaying and neutering all the stray dogs and cats and in making sure all pets receive love and a good home.

The big differences between sitting in Simpson Bay Lagoon (St. Martin) for a while and in Tyrrel Bay are the pace of life ashore (and onboard), the shorter distance to shore (we’re not going through 5 gallons of fuel a week anymore) and the fact that we manage to take (most of) our weekends off. [Another big difference is that most food items are hard to come by, but we manage and spend less money in the process.] The advantage of those weekends off is that we are actually devoting some time together, the two of us, that we succeed to relax a bit and that we explore new places, like two weekends ago. Mark and I motored into current and wind for a good hour and a half, to reach Saline Island, where we rested, read, enjoyed the scenery, marveled at and into the clear water and snorkeled amongst the pretty and colorful coral. (See full story on http://xwaters.com/blogs/topic/off-the-beaten-sail-path-saline-island-carriacou) It was nice and we’re hoping to do something similar the coming weekend. The goal is to find a healthy balance between work and fun and I think we might actually be on our way to achieving that!

Grenada with Visitors

Mark and I have been very busy lately and the arrival of visitors would mean we HAD to relax and do some fun stuff, at least while they were in Grenada. Irie got put back in the water right in time for the arrival of my cousin Griet and her husband Wim. The preparations were made for a nice, easy vacation and my plans included lots of sightseeing, relaxation on beautiful beaches, anchoring in deserted bays, swimming in the clearest of waters, watching millions of sparkling stars and snorkeling with tropical sea life. Why do I always have high expectations? When will I learn that making plans is impossible while living on a boat? Well, making plans is the easy part; it’s the execution of those well planned activities that require a little more than luck and agreeable weather gods…

For a little bit of extra money, the bus driver dropped me off at Grenada’s airport on Thursday, November 12^th. Mark stayed with Darwin. He can’t be left alone these days and we needed the room in the dinghy for the luggage anyway. Griet and Wim arrived from Belgium a bit tired, but in a good mood and ready to take part in our sailing life. The first evening we had a lot of talking and catching up to do. The cocktails added to a wonderful evening.

The first few days we stayed in Prickly Bay. It’s easy to take a bus from there into the capital St. George’s, which is exactly what Griet, Wim and I did on Friday. Mark had a lot of online stuff to do for The Wirie, since that got neglected a bit in the boat yard, where we needed to focus on Irie. I led my family around Fort George with its nice views of the town and The Carenage (the inner harbor) and we explored one of the many churches, the center and the local market. At night we all went out to the Tiki Bar for tasty drinks and the best pizza in the Caribbean.

On Saturday, we planned to rent a car for the day to visit Grenada’s interior. Darwin, however, decided to start ruining our plans. He had gotten into his tail again the previous evening and needed to be taken to the vet. This would be the fourth time! We still hoped to combine the morning vet visit and the island tour, but when Darwin-left alone in the vet office by the doctor for a few minutes- bit his tail until it bled, he and his disappointed daddy went back to Irie. Griet, Wim and I set off inland. Wim did a great job navigating the narrow roads, avoiding the crazy drivers and staying on the left side. I focused on suggesting the correct turns and keeping him from falling off the edge of the road. A high level of concentration was needed!

We had a great day visiting Annandale Falls, avoiding cruise ship passengers, laughing at the absurd tourist traps, enjoying peaceful Grand Etang, observing a couple of monkeys, having a yummy sandwich in a local establishment, driving around the countryside and exploring the Seven Sister Falls, our highlight. After following a narrow, bumpy dirt track, we arrived at the muddy trail to the falls. For about half an hour, we walked and slid through the mud down a hill to two pools at the bottom of nice waterfalls. After some quiet time and a dip in the water, we splashed back to the car.

Our last day in Prickly Bay was spent on a beach with many of our cruising friends. Over drinks and a BBQ, we shared stories and said our goodbyes for the time being or for longer, since all of us have different plans for the winter season.

Then, it was finally time to leave the South Coast of Grenada. Irie and her crew spent two days in Morne Rouge for some snorkeling, beach time and relaxation. Darwin behaved, but only because he wasn’t left alone. Mark and I decided against more tests for now and took the dog to the vet one more time in St. George’s to obtain a health certificate for the trip north. We also went shopping for the last time in a decent grocery store. That day, Griet and Wim did a few more sights in the capital and treated us to a fancy and tasty dinner.

The day before our planned crossing to Carriacou, a part of our outboard engine broke. With a lot of effort, Mark brought the four of us to shore. Our guests went of by themselves again to see their last points of interests on the island of Grenada, while I ran errands in town and Mark tried to locate the engine part for the dinghy. Our dinghy is as important as a car on shore, or even worse, since we can’t get anywhere without it. Having to take a dog to shore at least twice a day makes the dinghy invaluable for us. Darwin stayed home with a huge cone on his head. When Mark and I came back after a couple of hours, he had managed to reach his tail and bite more fur and skin off it! Needless to say, our moods were pretty foul… Mark spent the rest of the day fixing the engine in the beaming sun. He succeeded and I was very proud of him!

Once we left for Cariacou, the sky cleared up, figuratively anyway, because it actually did start to rain a bit more… Our group had lunch and a wonderful snorkel experience in Ronde Island, before continuing on to Tyrrel Bay, where we spent two comfortable nights. We all walked to Paradise Beach, one of the nicest beaches in Grenada and soaked ourselves into the local, relaxed culture of the island.

The following two nights, we anchored at peaceful Sandy Island for some snorkeling and rest. We also hopped over to Hillsborough, Carriacou’s “capital” to run a few errands and book a flight back to Grenada for Griet and Wim.

Next, Irie brought us to Anse La Roche, a cruiser’s secret of a harbor. We were the only boat there and the nice, undeveloped beach, clear water and snorkeling spots belonged to us for the day! Before we headed back to Tyrrel Bay, the next day, we took Griet and Wim out sailing for one last time. The hope was to catch some fish, but we failed. We nevertheless had a wonderful sail and a nice dinner on shore that evening.

All in all, we had a great time together and all of us enjoyed the experiences. Mark and I are very appreciative of Griet and Wim’s attitude on the boat. They were very easy and flexible guests, “taking it as it comes”, making all the things that go wrong less stressful for us. We are happy we could share our “usual” life on Irie with them. Their relaxed and positive moods rubbed off on us, while we have picked up our cruising life once more. Now I just have to get used to doing those dishes myself again!

(For many more pictures, look at itsirie.shutterfly.com)

Discovering Carriacou

Mark, Darwin and I spent a few days in Tyrrel Bay, to taste the local culture, meet some expats and test a couple of local bars. We walked to Paradise Beach on the north side of the island and have to admit that it is worth its name. Little development and great views add to the beauty of the white sand and crystal clear water. A couple of puppies accompanied Darwin for some play time in the sand. We didn’t stay long, because we wanted to walk back before the sun became unbearably hot. I am still waiting for some cooler weather!

In the capital, Hillsborough, we took a local bus to a little town called Windward. This place is famous for its boat building. Not much else is going on and even the old fashioned construction of wooden boats is in its low season. The “disco” is a good place (and probably the only place) to grab a cold drink and hang out with the locals in the shade of the mangroves, while overlooking the local fishing boats, the reefs and the islands of Petite St. Vincent and Petite Martinique.

Next on the exploration agenda was Anse La Roche. The cruising guides do not mention this bay and our curiosity got tickled because of a positive note in Lonely Planet. It is a real find and probably our favorite anchorage in Grenada. The secluded beach is barely visited and no development is present. The anchorage was quite comfortable, because of the absence of high winds and waves. I didn’t mind suffering from the heat here, because the beautiful water was only a jump away and we avoided work and chores. The reefs offered nice snorkeling and tasty treasures.

Our friends Chris and Christine of Gypsy Cat joined us in Anse La Roche and we were in for social and culinary treats, with lots of sailing stories, fresh caught lobster and a beach barbecue. The only downside of our two days in this wonderful bay was the presence of a female stray dog that tried to survive in the sand, rocks and forest. She really liked Mark and me after we gave her some friendly attention, food and water. Each time we left the beach in our dinghy, she tried to follow us and in the end we had to chase her away. Heart breaking. On two occasions, she actually swam out to our big boat while we were on it, to see if we would take her on board or when we would come to the beach. Once again we had to send her back. Very sad. She is not in the best condition and there is no vet on Carriacou. Darwin also doesn’t seem to like her, so giving her a new home is quite impossible for us. We hope another beach visitor will take her home one day or at least show her the way to civilization.

Our sail to Petite Martinique, the third “known” island of Grenada, took forever, because it is directly into the prevailing wind (east). It took us more than three hours to cover the 8 miles. No other cruising boats were to be seen and few people live on the island with its 1 mile diameter and short single lane road. It took us by surprise that there actually are cars that don’t do anything else than drive back and forth on this short road. The locals couldn’t care less whether you are around or not and remain their own identity this way. Most of the people are related to each other and while it is normally possible to understand the local dialect on Carriacou or Grenada, here they appear to speak a different language!

We planned on only staying one night in Petite Martinique and move to prettier looking Petite St. Vincent the next day, but the weather didn’t allow us to do so. It rained the whole day with a massive squall announcing the night, so we opted for a lazy Sunday afternoon on Irie instead.

The following day, we hoped to anchor near tiny Mopion Island for some snorkeling. The holding was very bad and the visibility still poor, so we couldn’t detect the sandy patches. After a couple of tries, we gave up on the anchoring and had to do with a few pictures of this lovely looking sandbank.

We returned to Tyrrel Bay for more boat projects, socializing and food feasts, before heading back to the south coast of Grenada, where Irie and Darwin will stay when Mark and I go on a little plane ride or two…