August 2020

This corona virus looks like to stay for a while.
Lying with my boat in a nice bay on Grenada is okay though. These bays are used by most sailors as a save haven for the hurricane season. Some leave the boat and go home, others just stay on board and enjoy the entertainment around the coast. In normal times you would leave arround November, but now, no one knows.

 

 

Clarkes Court Bay

 

There is Hog Island with bbq’s, Secret Harbor with a nice restaurant and Whisper Cove, which has a small marina and a nice cafe and restaurant. Every Tuesday sailors come here for food and some make music. They play their own songs from Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, or where ever they are from.

A very nice atmosphere
The parking lot

 

 

Going home

 

But I would like to go to NL for a while, holding my Ellen again and seeing friends and family, but that is not as easy as it sounds. First storing the boat safely, second find a flight out and later try to come back again.

But I would like to go to NL.
I managed to book a flight for the 7th of September, but later this was cancelled. I was able to rebook the flight for the 28th of September, but this was cancelled an hour later. Now I have a reservation for the 2th of October. Fingers crossed.

This bay is quite a safe place. Good anchorage and nice to stay. I noticed lots of small buoys. They are owned by small companies. You can use these buoys instead of your own anchor and they promised me extra services. They will visit my boat every week to check. But when I asked what they will do in case of any issues, the short answer was nothing.

But visiting them was fun. The man has to many options, really. A boat yard, mooring services, maintenance, catering, etc.

Have a look:

I can leave the boat in the mangroves behind Hog Island. I know some people on boats over there and they assured me they will keep an eye on the boat. It is a social community.

 

 

St Georges

 

For shopping I take the bus to the capital St Georges. It is a special town if you take your time to have a look around.


It used to be a beautiful building used as a court house, but hurricane Ivan took the roof of and then all the rest of it. A guy from Australia bought it and had plans, but as it looks like now, he did not succeed.

Fish is an important business.

The fishermen sell their fish from their boat.
Or the market.

Here I managed to buy a Mai Mai. Totally against my own principles. I hate Fishermen at sea, but this was tempting. I caught a small one once and it is one of the best I ever tasted,

And of course lots of small food stalls.

And when I come by a church, I have to visit it. To me they are impressive buildings.

Here I came across a church with a view. Never saw something like that.

And then there are graveyards. This one was really special. It was just alongside the main road!

Not well maintained, but the funeral services where in a luxury building. I suppose funerary customs here are all about the service not the after life.

 

 

On board

 

On the boat I do not use my watermaker. In a bay I think it is not a wise thing to do so. Lots of boats around me and the water is not as clear. But in the tropics here, summer is the rainy season. I can collect lots of rainwater for the dishes, etc.

Guys coming by in dinghies offering vegetables, bread and services.

This boy came by on a broken surfboard, which he had borrowed from a friend. He offered me to polish all the stainless steel.

So it is a nice stay in Grenada. But still hope my flight will be carried out. I am flying to Toronto, Canada first and from there to Frankfurt, Germany. Hopefully the corona infection rate will not increase. I will see. Hope to see you in October!

Next . . . .

8 Replies to “August 2020”

  1. Hoi Roel, mooi verhaal weer.
    Het is natuurlijk goed toeven op zo’n eiland maar kan me voorstellen dat een bezoekje aan Nederland een welkome afwisseling is. In ieder geval heb je noodzakelijk onderhoud kunnen plegen en als er toezicht op de boot geregeld kan worden zou dat natuurlijk ideaal zijn.
    Met corona gaat het op en neer, denk dat dit pas wat meer perspectief gaat geven als er een vaccinatie beschikbaar komt, laten we hopen dat dit begin volgend jaar het geval zal zijn, dit zijn in ieder geval de optimistische verwachtingen.
    Ben zelf nog lekker aan het klussen aan mijn boot, deze staat nog steeds op de kant. Het onderwater schip moet eerst goed drogen voordat er weer nieuwe lagen epoxy, glas, barriercoating en tenslotte coppercoat op kan. In ieder geval voor mij een mooie gelegenheid om lekker te klussen. Een plek gemaakt voor de doorvoer van de nieuwe snelheid/dieptemeter, hennegatskoker verstevigd, autopilot geplaatst met de bijbehorende instrumenten, stuurconsole opgeknapt. Ben nu bezig met een nieuwe accubak zodat alle service accu’s netjes bij elkaar komen te staan. Geniet nog maar even daar in Grenada en laten we hopen dat het gaat lukken om er even tussenuit te gaan richting Nederland.
    Groeten..

    Reply

    1. Tjonge, flinke opknapbeurt. Net het voordeel van coppercoat gezien. Het zit niet op de saildrive. Na 1 maand was de schroef niet meer te zien! De rest van het onderwaterschip was nog nagenoeg schoon!

      Reply

  2. Hi Roel,

    Een mooi verhaal weer! Wel klinkt er wat meer heimwee in door. Hopelijk lukt het je in oktober naar Nederland te komen. Daar zal Ellen ook wel naar uitzien. 
    Groet en take care,

    Dick 

    Reply

  4. it’s a great island isn’t it.
    Fruit hanging on the trees everywhere. Try the star fruit and the breadfruit..
    I hope u hired the motorbike it’s a 450 endure I think it runs great.70 a week.

    Reply

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