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.

Tourist for an Afternoon

Mark and I tried to leave Prickly Bay to go to Carriacou, a few days ago. On day 1 we encountered some problems with our depth sounder and the engine, preventing us to leave.  On day 2 the wind dropped and it was impossible to sail north. We decided to leave the busy south coast of Grenada anyway and had a very slow but pleasant sail “around the corner” to the island’s west side.  For a while, we were doing 5 knots over water, feeling the movement of the boat and the rush of the waves, but our actual progress was a little over 1 knot! More than 3 knots of current against us, but we didn’t care. We were not in a hurry, we enjoyed being back on the water again (it had been almost two months since we last sailed “for real”) and we had just decided to stop at Morne Rouge, one of our favorites.

On the way to Morne Rouge Bay, we passed a pretty stretch of yellow sand called Magazine Beach. This is the location of one of Grenada’s fanciest restaurants and we actually hoped to spoil ourselves here one night, before heading west. It’s just hard to get here without your own car. Seeing the groove of palm trees, the deserted strand bordering clear water and realizing that our destination was not too far away, a plan formed for the next day… Wouldn’t it be nice to take the dinghy for a little ride and spend the afternoon in this pretty looking area?

The following morning, we caught up on some work, had lunch on Irie and … headed for the beach after packing our bag and snorkel gear. I had anticipated a half day trip; quite the expedition. I was excited at the prospect of spending an afternoon at the beach and having dinner at a renowned restaurant, two things (especially the last one) we rarely do. Yes, we do live on a boat and are often anchored in front of a nice beach, but we find the cockpit a more comfortable place to hang out. We memorized the route in our heads for the nocturnal return trip and pulled our dinghy ashore in front of the Rex Resort. The afternoon was spent in the shade of some palm trees in the company of countless (biting) insects. We read our books and snorkeled around a beautiful area of massive boulders.

Around 5:30pm we moved into The Aquarium, our restaurant of choice for a decent and unprecedented treat. I ordered a pina colada (quite a tasty change from rum & coke), but Mark stuck to beer. When dinner time arrived we moved inside and scrutinized the menu for a long while. There were so many delicious choices… Since this was a very unique occasion, we let our fantasy and budget go wild. Glass of wine and a Stag, please! After a shared appetizer of bruschetta and fresh seafood soup with homemade bread and garlic butter, we went for the glazed pork wrapped in bacon (with goat cheese, mashed potatoes and gingered carrots) and the Aquarium seafood platter containing scallops, shrimp, mahi mahi and lobster (with sides of seasoned rice and steamed vegetables). The camera stayed hidden to not interrupt this scrumptious moment. Our eyes were bigger than our mouths and reluctantly we had to admit defeat and take leftovers home. Dessert? No, thanks! We were literally exploding and out of money. A leisurely beach walk under the stars got the digestive process started and brought us back to our personal water craft home. Ah, to be(have) like a tourist!

The Aquarium Restaurant

Magazine Beach

  
Snorkeling in "the aquarium"

The Importance of Good Meals: Samosas

When the weekend comes around, a little more time and effort is put towards the meals on Irie. For many cruisers there is no difference between the days anymore, “every day is Sunday”, but for us, after a busy week of work off or online and being too tired to cook big meals for dinner, it does make a difference when Saturday arrives. Sunday is even better! In the past, we have organized yummy brunches in our cockpit (or have been invited by friends for breakfast) and sometimes, we have the urge to put a great dinner together.

Sunday, it was time again for homemade samosas. We were a bit tired from Saturday’s events and it was yet another very hot and humid day, having us sweat constantly. Slaving in the kitchen all afternoon was not very desirable, but we had all the necessary ingredients, it was Sunday and we were looking forward to this wonderful Indian dish. We stuck to the plan and when our friends Susanne and Jan came over in the early evening with a tasty salad, we presented them and us with some really delicious samosas, the best I have ever had. What a treat! Yes, good food is important on Irie; it even warrants a few blogs a month!

 

Seven Sisters Waterfalls in Grenada

A highlight for most visitors to Grenada, but not part of cruise ship passengers’ itineraries or most island tour schedules, the Seven Sisters Falls have been high on our list for a while. A couple of weeks ago, we made an attempt to visit, but didn’t come further than talking some friends into joining us to then postpone the event, because of heavy rains. We had afternoon cake and coffee instead. Yesterday, under a grey sky, Mark and I bit the bullet and decided to “go for it”, no matter how the weather would turn out…

Visiting the Seven Sisters Waterfalls on your own is affordable and fairly easy to do. You take the bus to the bus station in St. George’s (# 1 from Prickly Bay and #2 from Clarkes Court Bay/ Woburn) for EC$ 2.5 and hop on bus #6 to Grand Etang/Grenville (EC$ 5 per person). Ask the driver to drop you off at the Seven Sisters (also called St. Margaret Falls) – which you will reach after a good half hour drive in the mountains - and walk the short distance to the little store in the parking lot. There, you sign in and pay EC$5 entrance fee, if somebody is present. The falls are located on private property and the fee pays to maintain the place. Grab a walking stick if needed, but don’t forget to return it afterwards. Finding a bus back to St. George’s that has empty seats is a bit challenging, but you might get lucky or creative (hitch a ride back or go to Grenville first).

Immediately after we paid, a massive rainstorm ensued, so we were soaking wet, before we even started! It kept us cool all day… We followed a road down to the start of the narrow, but pretty trail. The whole stretch to the falls is downhill, through some muddy areas, over rocks and a river. The wideness of this river depends on the amount of rainwater rushing down. After about 20 minutes hiking through the rain forest and moist, green foliage, the main waterfalls appear and are an attractive sight in a beautiful setting. It is a great spot for lunch, some contemplation while listening to nature’s sounds or a swim. If you are as lucky as we were, you have the whole place to yourself. A dip in one of the pools (there are two waterfalls at this level) is more than refreshing! It is possible to take a side trail and walk further up to the rest of the waterfall chain, but we haven’t done so (yet) and assume you need a guide. Mark and I both enjoyed the hike and the peace and didn’t even mind huffing and puffing, all the way back up (it really isn’t that bad)!

The trail was pretty wet (but "clean") right after the rainfall

Crossing the river before reaching the waterfalls

In front of one of the Seven Sisters

Massive bamboo

 

Avocado tree

American (Italian?) Home Cooking on Irie

Since we’ve been living on Irie, Mark has been craving a very special pasta sauce from his (younger) days spent with friends in the Oakland, CA area. I have heard a lot about this wonderful sauce and, based on the descriptions, wished I could have tried it. Not that my spaghetti bolognaise isn’t any good or special, but – we ALL know – Sean’s sauce is the best. To reproduce this famed pasta sauce, however, we needed the right ingredients, a few hours to spare and … the recipe!

Words and ravings turned into deeds a little while ago and Mark contacted his friend Sean to obtain his family’s scrumptious pasta sauce recipe. I was sent to Grenada’s most extensive supermarket, the IGA in Spice Island Mall, and came home with Italian sausages (expensive!), ground beef and pork (no veal available), fresh parsley (lucked out on that one), a block of Parmesan cheese (luxury!), Italian bread crumbs and tomato-based products. The other ingredients (spices, garlic and the like) already made their way to Irie as usual provisions. A visit to the fresh meat store in Whisper Cove Marina added a 4-pack of lamb merguez to the meal idea. Other than the canned tomatoes, no vegetables took part!

When you go through a bit of effort and expense to make a special dinner, it is customary to invite some friends to participate in the extravaganza. Susanne and Jan from SV Peter Pan couldn’t make it, but Rosie and Sim from SV Alianna – being avid meat eaters and food lovers – didn’t hesitate to come over. The four of us did our best to make a serious dent (and almost finish) the big pot of extraordinary pasta sauce with ten giant meatballs and nine sausages. The salad barely got touched, the fresh bread was a success, three bottles of red wine accompanied the feast and yes, we did serve pasta with the sauce!

The cook preparing his anticipated meal

Plenty of (big) meatballs...

... and sausages for four people

I'm in charge of making drinks (and baking bread, which has a tendency to collapse)

  

Plenty of dirty dishes afterwards!