Cultural Experiences in Grenada

This year, the Carriacou Regatta took place over the last weekend of July into the beginning of August. Since we just missed it last year, we decided to be in Tyrrel Bay for this year’s racing activities. Irie anchored in her usual spot close to the beach and we felt very happy to be back in this quiet, relaxed and friendly area, with decent WiFi. Once again, we were surprised with the discrepancy between the amount of anchored boats and the lack of activity on shore. Even during the regatta. We hadn’t seen our friends from SV Imagine, SV Alianna and SV Opus for at least two days, so it was time to catch up!

Sam and Jon from “Imagine” signed up for the yacht races and Sim and Rosie (“Alianna”) and Mark made up the extra crew. Jim from “Opus” decided to crew with the locals again in the Carriacou Work Boat class. These developments resulted in a lot of activities and sights for all of us. We joined a potluck, went out for street BBQ, saw the start of Imagine’s first race, were present at a sweltering hot auction for the Carriacou Children Education Fund (for which we donated a Wirie) and listened to the final race results. Imagine, with its great skipper and experienced crew did pretty well!

When Mark crewed his first race, Darwin and I walked over to Paradise Beach to see the launching of the work boats. From all over the Caribbean, competitors arrive. These boats don’t have engines, so they start the race by being pushed off the beach by the last person to jump in, with all sails up; an impressive sight.

On Sunday, the “day off” for the yachts, we collected some of our friends and took Irie to Sandy Island for a wonderful pancake breakfast and tasty late lunch. In between, we saw the Carriacou Sloops and Work Boats race past us, sometimes very close by. A great photo opportunity, especially when the colorful spinnakers were flying. Jim’s boat passed us as well. We tried to fling him a pancake, but that didn’t work out so well…

After the Carriacou festivities, it was time for carnival in St. George’s, the capital of Grenada. Mark and I saw a couple of parades last year and weren’t all that interested this time, but… Port Louis Marina offered great rates for a marina stay during this period. The location is pretty and convenient. We figured we could spoil ourselves once in three years and ended up staying at a dock for four nights. It was so easy to take Darwin for walks and rinse him off with fresh water. The showers are very modern and a real treat. Having our friends around in walking distance was a plus as well, with many social evenings as a result. The shopping was within easy dinghy reach, the unlimited supply of fresh water made hand washing our clothes so much more enjoyable and the internet connection was reliable, providing Mark with the needs to work hard for four days.

In spite of all the amenities, we had to deal with VERY hot, wind free weather (no air in the boat at this angle), a high rate of humidity, the loudest (repetitive) soca music anybody ever heard, a bunch of mosquitoes and sleepless nights. The pool looked very attractive, but the lack of shade around it and a beating sun on top of it, made the water as hot as a bath and not very refreshing. To say it with Mark’s words: “I’m done with marinas for another three years now!”

The last carnival parade took place on a superhot Tuesday August 10^th. With some friends I walked over to the main watching area and managed to see most of the groups, while frying in the sun (Thanks for bringing an umbrella, Rosie) and covering our ears from the thumping, vibrating noise. It was very similar to last year with scantly dressed women, seducing moves and just a few impressive costumes. Carnival in Grenada happens in the summer, because the competition of Trinidad in the “normal” carnival period is too overwhelming. It was a good decision to attract the crowds from the surrounding islands, but less sweat would stream and fewer headaches would be had in the more pleasant February climate.

Our (temporarily) last month in Grenada will be spent in the southern bays, trying to make a few more cruisers happy with The Wirie.

Life in Grenada

When we arrived in Carriacou, the northern most island of Grenada, we
were hoping for some well deserved peace and rest, enjoyment and exploration for a week or so, before getting on with the chores. Since leaving St. Martin, we had to keep moving to stay ahead of the hurricanes and Grenada would be our final destination this season. No rest for the weary, though, and soon enough Grenada turned into another St. Martin for us with many projects, stress and business related subjects. But first, we enjoyed our freshly caught tuna!

Checking into Hillsborough on Carriacou didn’t pose any problems and after a quick stop at Sandy Island for some snorkeling, we arrived in Tyrell Bay, surprised at the amount of sailboats. Wherever we stopped along the island chain south, there were just a few boats. The majority of cruisers had made their way to safer Grenada or Trinidad well before July started. We knew of a few boaters interested in a Wirie, so instead of relaxing, we started building another set of our WiFi devices (www.thewirie.com). Then, we heard about carnival in St. George’s, the capital. If we left that weekend, we would be in time for the big celebrations on Monday and Tuesday. So we did!

Before we realized it, we had arrived on the island of Grenada. Anchoring outside of St. George’s proved to be a bit troublesome for us. The holding (old pieces of coral) was very poor and we dragged each time we tried to set our anchor with the engines. It became a bit frustrating, looking at other boats getting the job “done” in five minutes and leaving into town. Luckily, there was no wind for a few days. After two hours, we finally got settled, but the day was gone.

Our South African friend Frik, who we met in Luperon (Dominica Republic) last year, has his sailboat in the capital and it was great catching up with him. Carnival itself was very loud, day and night, but the parades were all right. The atmosphere was festive and the costumes skimpy and less elaborate than the ones we watched in St. Maarten.

St. George’s is a good place to stock up on groceries and other products at better prices than the rest of the country. The food in Grenada is more expensive than we expected. One thing, fresh fish, is delightfully cheap, because it is subsidized by the government. Another highlight about the capital is its waterfront along The Carenage. Called “One of the prettiest harbors in the Caribbean” in many a guidebook, the collection of colorful, old fashioned buildings looks attractive indeed.

One of the reasons we wanted to spend most of hurricane season on the southern coast of Grenada is its many suitable anchorages. Prickly Bay is the most convenient one, with a marine store, a boat yard, a marina, easy access to buses into town, a big beach, and cheap happy hours. The anchorage does get rolly and crowded at times, which is when you move to another area. Hog Island anchorage is very protected and relaxed, with an empty beach on the island and Roger’s Beach Bar, when he’s around with a cooler full of goodies. Our favorite anchorage is around the corner from Hog Island, just into Clarke’s Court Bay. It is quiet, easy access to shore provides walks around Hog Island or to a secluded beach, the water is clear and internet is available with the Wirie! As in all anchorages around here, the water is pretty deep.

This blog is not a very exciting one, because –other than some social events- we haven’t really done anything fun or special yet during the month we have been here. While other people “play”, we’ve been occupied days and weekends on end with stuff we (feel we) have to do. Wiries, boat projects, lots of cleaning and running other errands have kept us very busy, believe it or not. Internet access has been our most important factor in finding good anchorages, which is not really the way you want to live life when you cruise, but it is very important to us. We hope all the activity, business related problems and boat projects are coming to a temporary halt soon, so we can take a couple of weeks “off” to see a bit of the country and the surrounding islands. More about that in the next blog, hopefully…