Grenada

Prickly Bay Anchorage

11.59.985 N

61.45.818 W

 

Looking out of the new
Prickly Bay Marina Bar & Restaurant

2021.01.15      Dale started the day with changing the oil and impeller on the starboard side engine before we called Joel, our taxi driver, and made a trip into town to the Ace Hardware store so that he could pick up the new starter battery he needed.  They didn’t carry the AGMs that he normally prefers but both he and Gerry felt that the one he chose will work for the task assigned.  I took the opportunity to pick up some cleaning supplies and Nicky looked for some ramakins.  Unfortunately, she was only able to find some small bowls for the job. 

                        Of course, since we were out and about, a quick trip to the Container Park was in order for a tasty lunch of Thai salads. 

                        We were back and forth with Port Louis Marina again.  The 4 parts (2 surge protectors and 2 meters) are supposedly on the island but they aren’t available for pick up when they send their person over for them.  We text Aaron, the electrician, to let him know, it will be Monday but we will call to confirm when the parts are in hand.  We tentatively set a date for Tuesday or Wednesday for installation. 

 

2021.01.16      Not much happening today.  Dale was finally able to actually speak with Aaron, the electrician that Port Louis hired to install the surge protectors and gauges.  He requested photos of the electrical panel which we took and then I spent the next 3 hours trying to upload and send over a very persnickety internet.   Dale finished up his oil and impeller changes by crawling into the “hole” for the genset.  Naturally, he dropped a nut for one of the bolts in a spot that he couldn’t get his hand into.  So it was back and forth a couple of times to get the tool for that specific job before he could finish up his tasks for the day by emptying all of our jerry cans of diesel into the fuel tank.  Then he ran the fuel polisher for an hour.  The new battery seems to have made an improvement on the battery performance overall.  He says that the solar input is much more effective now and all of the batteries fill up quicker. 

 

2021.01.17      Sunday!  Brunch at The Brewery.  Our standard trip to the Brewery for brunch, had live entertainment today.  A very talented guitar player/singer was performing for tips and drinks.  A really big guy who’s drink of choice appeared to be mimosas from a very delicate glass.  We enjoyed his music and listened long after we had finished our meals.  Our conversation was mostly concerning the upcoming week as it appears that our parts will be installed mid week as hoped.  Dale is a little apprehensive after the electrician hired by Port Louis Marina wanted to know if he was going to have to fabricate something to make everything fit.  After that, conversation gravitated to when our visas expired; Gerry said that since we paid until the end of the month, he was inclined to use them up before leaving.  My drivers’ license expires next Friday, which would be our normal grocery shopping day so we kicked around whether it would be better to hire a taxi instead of renting a car for the day.  I think we settled on the idea that it would be cheaper to take a taxi.  It’s a week away; things could change. 

                        I heard from my sister in law in Oregon.  Things sound like they are going from bad to worse.  She was saying that they have been warned of impending news, phone and internet blackouts for Inauguration Day.  I think that would just make everyone staying at home watching things unfold on TV be more curious and take a drive in to see what was going on if they couldn’t watch in the comfort and security of their own homes; but that’s just me. 

 

2021.01.18      We start our day with a text to Charlotte at Port Louis Marina about where our parts are.  By noon, we’re told that the surge protectors are still on the ship and are slow to be cleared.  One of the 2 meters has arrived at Budget Marine but one is missing.  An APB is put out for its location.   We advise Aaron, the electrician that we still don’t have the parts in hand.  We order Indian take out to be delivered to the dinghy dock. 

 

2021.01.19      Happy Birthday Kyle!

                        This morning’s text flurry only confirmed that our parts are still not in hand.  The surge protectors are still on the ship and the latest information on the missing meter, is that it was sent to the wrong store; when that store didn’t recognize the invoice, they returned it to the manufacturer.  Let’s just say that Dale is beside himself and leave it at that. 

                        We make a run to the butcher’s for the beef ribs Nicky told me about, sliced ham and baguettes.  I freeze most of the ham for our trip. 

                        Our afternoon series of texts informs us that the 2 surge protectors have been released from Customs and that they and the 1 meter that Budget does have in hand will be delivered to us by evening.  A quick call to the electrician informs us that he is booked up for tomorrow but that a Thursday install is possible.  Dale ends the day by meeting the Port Louis man and finally has 3 of the 4 parts sent to Grenada in hand; don’t forget there is still 1 meter back ordered and 1 meter missing in action.  When he gets back and opens the boxes, the 2 surge protectors are about 3 times the size of the original ones.  It doesn’t matter, at this point, they are being installed. 

 

2021.01.20      Today Port Louis is trying to find out how long it would take for the remaining meter to be returned to Grenada.

                        I spent most of the day preparing and cooking tonight’s dinner of ribs for everyone (Nicky brought a banana, toffee cream pie).  The internet went down last night and still hasn’t been restored but being busy most of the day, I didn’t suffer from as much frustration as you might think; I spend most of my time just trying to stay connected in any event.  

 

2021.01.21      Dale dinghies in and picks up Aaron, the electrician, and returns for the big install.  I make myself invisible and listen from my bunk.  They mutually decide that since the back of the electrical panel needs to be partially disassembled in order to access the meters, it would be best to wait until all of the meters are in hand before tackling that job; particularly when Aaron finds wires disconnected from various places that the original electrician (Simon Clay) left for whatever reason.  That leaves the installation of the 2 surge protectors.  Truly, Aaron makes short work of replacing the 1^st surge protector but due to the new size, the 2^nd surge protector is relocated to the floor of the electrical panel and they return to the discussion of why there are a couple of dangling wires the original electrician left disconnected.  It will require the disassembly of all of the wires to track down where they come from and where they are supposed to go.  I remind them from afar that Gerry was present during the original investigation of the electrical panel and that he might recall why the wires were left dangling.  A quick call to him now has 3 gentlemen all gazing into the abyss of various colored wires.  Being as it was over 3 months previous when all of this happened, little is recalled as to why those particular wires are still without a home.  Consensus is that this too will be left until all of the meters can be installed when most of the wires will have to be moved to access the area and the loose wires can be tracked down at that time as well. 

  
                      Since it appears things are winding down, I come up into the salon a take a seat out of the way but close enough to see what they are all talking about.  Pieces and parts are being put away, the tools are being sorted as to what belongs to whom, and I can now see the placement of the 2 ginormous surge protectors.  I question whether they checked to make sure the door would close and am quickly assured that yes, of course, they checked (silly girl).  I see the back cover for the panel has indeed been brought back into the salon and let it slide but the more I look at it, the more I’m compelled to ask again if they’re absolutely sure.  Yep, not a problem.  Then they replaced the plexiglass cover and closed the door.  Let’s just say I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day when I heard Dale say “I hate it when she’s right!” 

 

2021.01.22      Friday, our last shopping day before the next big move.  We start off refueling our diesel jerry cans before going into Port Louis Marina to discuss our options as we now know that the AWOL part will not be arriving prior to the expiration of our current visas.  We agree that our best option is to have the cost of the missing parts, plus a sum for the installation of those parts, plus the agreed on sum for the A/C reimbursements, will be given to us as a credit on our credit card.  Neither of us is happy.  To date, we have constantly been disappointed in the promises of when things will happen and the actual delivery of said promises.  I understand the predicament Charlotte is in and I truly believe that she is working on the issue but from our stand point, every day we have new delays.  Today’s explanation is that she is working with underwriters out of England and the current delay is due to the time differences.  Dale just flat out tells her that we don’t trust her.  Very diplomatic!  She is hoping to have the money to us by the end of the day.  We don’t, of course, but we’ve come to expect that. 

                        We have lunch at the Container Park again before heading off to the local IGA grocery store and mall.  I really don’t have very much on our shopping list as our first hop will only take about 3.5-4 days, so if needed, we’ll stock up when we get there.    I run by the souvenir shop one last time to pick up a few more T-shirts before catching up with everyone else. 

                        Both crews of Opal and Gypsy Palace end our day with a dinghy ride into the Prickly Bay Marina restaurant and bar which is actually quite nice.  They have been working on it the entire time we’ve been here and finally opened it with a limited pizza menu.  The pizzas were a bit on the small side but the drinks were strong so (in a way) it evened out in the long run.  I really enjoyed our evening.  We ran into Chris and Helen and even saw Charlotte and her family checking out the competition.  I thought it best to keep business during business hours and didn’t bother asking what had happened to our reimbursement. 

 

2021.01.23      Another quiet day.  I make up lost time on the computer by trying to access any news I can get but then am distraught over what I do find.  Rewriting history and “deprogramming” people and their children because they disagree with you, remind me of the book 1984.  A most frightening book.  Whatever happened to live and let live?

                        Gerry and Dale empty out our forward lazarette and hoist our Code Zero back into place on the deck, check to make sure the lower level is still free of water and transfer our hooka to Gerry’s boat.  Then they review and refresh how to down load our email and weather information through the sat phone.  They discover that when we renewed our sat phone last, somehow the weather information wasn’t renewed at the same time.  Dale will call on Monday to clear things up. 

2021.01.24      Sunday!  Our last Brewery Brunch.  Gerry, Nicky, Chris, Helen, Dale and I meet for our Sunday brunch, veggie shopping and today, another live music day.  This time it was a steel band group that really had the volume cranked up.  They were quite good but I noticed that we were all leaning in to hear what the others had to say in spite of the CoVid concerns.  I’m certain that nothing was transmitted but I found it interesting that I noticed it at all. 

                        I had hoped to have one of their pulled pork sandwiches that Dale thought was so good, but they were out, so I settled for my standard breakfast sandwich.  I have decided that they have the best fries on the island.  Unfortunately, I didn’t discover them until the last couple of Sundays. 

 

2021.01.25      Today is a flurry of activity.  Dale and Gerry hail Joel and make their trek over to Port Louis to check us all out with Customs and Immigration.  A quick stop at Charlotte’s office to learn that she’s “still working” on getting us our reimbursements and another at the Container Park to pick up a couple roti’s and gyro’s to go.  We plan on ordering Indian food to be picked up at the dinghy dock and eaten on our boat for our last night together before the next big leg; I have a special dessert that I’ve been carting around since we left the States that I think will be a big hit. 

                        Dale tops off our water tanks, secures our jerry cans, runs our jacklines, takes down the shade cloths and gets ready to secure the dinghy for a long haul.  I’ll secure the galley once all of our dishes are done for the evening and all of our computers, books, etc., last thing before we hoist anchor.  Hopefully the catamaran that came in this afternoon and anchored either over or very close to our anchor doesn’t mind an early morning wake up call tomorrow.  We’ll give them a heads up tonight that we like to leave early. 

                        Once again, we’re off on an adventure. 

 

Grenada

Prickly Bay Anchorage

11.59.985 N

61.45.818 W

 

January 1, 2021          

Happy New Year Everyone!

                  If what you’re doing on the 1^st day of the year is any indication of what you’ll be doing for the remainder of the year, we’ve got another long row to hoe.  We awoke to a beautiful blue sky with black clouds on the horizon.  Soon enough it was overcast and not putting any amps in the can.  Since it rained most of the day yesterday, Dale went to start the genset to help our batteries along.  Nope, not today!  The dang thing sputtered and moaned and wouldn’t catch.  Next, he climbed into the hole it lives in and tore it apart.  He changed the fuel filter and tried to fire it up again.  It sputtered a few more times but again, wouldn’t catch.  Back into the hole to ponder his next thought.  Back out of the hole and into our stateroom to suction out some fuel to backfill the filter.  This time it makes a more concerted effort to start but still no joy.  About this time, I text a surreptitious note to Gerry that his tinkering expertise may be needed.  Dale then asks that we don our headphones and attack the genset from 2 different directions.   He to bleed air out of the fuel line and me to push the start button.  This time it made contact and we were cooking with gas.  At least the genset was running.  Then another quick text to Gerry to call off the Calvary.  

                        My next task was to upload the end of December onto the blog.  You would think this a matter of a few key strokes but alas, I believe in reading, re-reading, editing, reading, editing a bit more, re-reading, having Dale read it, incorporate his suggestions into the mix, start at the beginning and read the whole thing all over again, upload the text to the draft blog, down load photos from the phones to the computer, upload a couple of photos to illustrate the text, upload the draft to the preview, read the whole thing over again for those errant typos, and then post.  It takes hours!  And that’s with a decent internet connection!  I know its my own OCD but when I first started doing this, I’d throw it out there only to have it thrown back at me for typos, questions as to what was I really saying, cautions that I might possibly offend people with my sense (or lack) of humor or requests for more photos.   Now I go through all of these perturbations and text one of my daughters to read it and send comments.  I’m happy when I get the return of a thumbs up!

 

 

2021.01.02      Today, just to do something different, we (the crews of both Opal and Gypsy Palace,) braved the wind and waves and dinghied in to east side of Prickly Bay to Le Bouchuer (the local meat market) to see what was available.  As luck would have it, it was closed but there were two men sitting drinking wine at a little bistro table in front and asked what we were looking for. We told them that we were looking for primarily baguettes but that the shop was closed.  Oh no, one said, come on in; it was the owner and his friend.  We entered a little shop that had a butcher’s counter opposite the door (although it was completely empty), a bit of a bakery to one side and a wine selection with another bistro table at the back.  Gerry and Nicky knew exactly what they wanted and we stood to one side watching. 

                        When it was our turn, Gerry and Nicky turned toward the wine selection.  I had seen a sign indicating pork chops for sale, so I asked for pork chops, ham, prosciutto, and my baguette.  Nicky saw some type of meat hanging (aging) and asked what it was.  The butcher said it was home made coppa and gave us a sample to taste from one already cured.  I guess my taste buds aren’t as refined as Europeans because I thought I was going to gag; I was certain that it had spoiled the previous month and no one wanted to tell the proprietor.  I kept from spitting it out until we got outside but the taste remained in my mouth until I could get back and brush my teeth.  Sorry guys, I’m obviously not as culinarily experienced as others.  I know my taste buds are different than most; I’ve never been able to drink coffee and most wines taste like vinegar to me regardless of how expensive they are.  In any event, I’m sure we made it worth it to him to open up for us. 

 

2021.01.03      Sunday.  When we walked over to the Container Park a couple of days ago, the clerk in the grocery store said that he thought the Brewery would be open by today.  Dale made a call to them at 9am, 9:30am, and 10am before he got an answer that no, it still wasn’t open but that the Ministry of Health was to make another review and recommendations sometime today.  So, no brunch, veggie shopping or game watching. 

 

2021.01.04      Well, its been a week since we last heard from Port Louis Marina about ordering our parts, so we fired off another e-mail to see if any progress had been made.  What was the ETA of the parts that could be ordered; what was the status of the back ordered part; etc?  Never did hear back for the rest of the day. 

We finished up the day by finally cooking those pork chops and inviting Gerry and Nicky over for dinner.  Our visas expire at the end of the month, so the guys are starting to look at weather and discussing our chart coverage to Australia. 

 

2021.01.05      About the only thing of interest today is that we took a walk over to the Container Park to pick up a late lunch.  We swung by Opal, seeing Gerry adding another layer of teak oil on his toe rail (as it keeps getting washed off with rain before it has a real chance of sinking in) and checked with them to see if they wanted to either join us or have us pick up something for them.  He declined, so off we went. 

                        On our arrival at the dinghy dock, we became aware of a confrontation on the dock between a female cruiser and a local teen.  Apparently, she had seen him taking an unlocked dinghy for a joy ride and was giving him a proper dressing down that only a 6’2” tall, lean and very intimidating Amazonian could do.  I’d say picture Wonder Woman but as the cruiser was blonde, it would have been closer to Wonder Woman’s warrior aunt!  From our various encounters with her before, we’re guessing she’s been here for some time as she is very connected with the locals about town and is greeted by name at various establishments.  In any event, she had either seen him taking the dinghy or bringing it back and known that the owner was distressed by its disappearance.  When she was done, she leaned into me and gave me the warning to lock our dinghy as the kid liked to take joy rides in them.  We always do, but I thanked her for alerting us.  Strangely, Dale and I had found our dinghy untied a week or so prior but as we do lock it each time, nothing further was noted.  Now we’re wondering if we had been a target but since it was locked up, nothing had happened. 

                        I double checked the lock before we left the dock, gave the kid my most fearsome motherly stink eye, and off we went.  This time as we walked the dirt road to the Container Park, we came upon a dog and 3 puppies in the bushes; we stepped a bit closer to count them but continued on.  Apparently, the owner of the dog and her puppies works on the construction site next to the restaurants, saw us looking toward the puppies, swung by in his giant dump truck and made sure we knew that those animals were his.  We told him they were good looking pups and continued on.  I know that some cruisers take it upon themselves to gather strays and take them into the vet to have them neutered; maybe he thought we were one of those. 

                        We finally arrived and were surprised that the restaurant we thought would be open wasn’t and the one we thought would be closed was opened.  The owner told us that she became bored with her vacation and came back early.  So we had roti’s instead of gyro’s.  By the time we had finished eating, the gyro take out was opened, so we ordered 2 for the road and have something for lunch tomorrow. 

                        Thankfully, our dinghy was where we had left it and that was the end of our exciting day.  Back at the boat, we killed time until it was sundowner hour and finished the evening fighting the WiFi for a decent enough internet to watch a Netflix movie.

                       

2021.01.06      Today, Dale and I combined efforts to accomplish our individual tasks.  I needed to defrost the freezer before shopping on Friday and Dale wanted to vacuum out the condenser on the refrigerator/freezer as he had started thinking about all of the dust we’ve been finding since being in the yard and wanted to make sure that the condenser’s air flow was unblocked.  Since he had to turn everything off to do so, perfect timing for me to defrost.  Also, since he had to run the genset for both of our tools (hair drier and shop vac) it was also a good time to make ice and run a load of laundry through.  Thankfully the sun came back out by the time we were done so that the clothes could be hung out to dry.  After that, it was cooking for the remainder of the day. 

                        Nicky was hosting tonight’s steak dinner but I was bringing a potato side as well as dessert: a pineapple upside down cake.  My potatoes and onions were nearing the end of their life expectancy and as I had found a hunk of cheddar cheese at the bottom of the freezer, it demanded that I create an au gratin casserole, so I spent the rest of the day slicing, dicing and grating.  I was happy with the casserole result and everyone was happy with the cake.   However, Friday’s shopping list is getting longer by the minute as both Nicky and I are at the end of our fresh produce and baking needs.  We had managed to stretch our main shopping trip to 3 weeks instead of our normal 2 but our pantries are starting to show the result. 

 

2021.01.07      Another rainy day.  I’m glad we were able to run a load of laundry through yesterday to wash the bedding and a few bathing suits.  Dale’s shorts will have to wait for another day with some sun in it. 

 

2021.01.08      Friday, shopping day and quite possibly one of the most infuriating days of my life in more ways than one.  We make a trip to Port Louis to shake the tree again about where our parts are.  We’re closing in on 3 months and we’re both becoming less tolerant of the constant delays and excuses.  Charlotte is unavailable but emails us later in the day saying that she is working on getting authorization and that the one backordered part won’t be available until well after our visas expire again.  Dale is exasperated.  We were under the impression she already had authorization from their underwriters to partially reimburse us for the A/C repairs and replacement and was simply waiting for the parts to arrive.   Now we find out that she still hasn’t been given authorization to make agreements with us. 

 

2021.01.09      Quiet day on the boat.  I take the time to send out a broadcast to the cruising community asking if any of the other boats that had been damaged at the same time as we, are still waiting for repairs. 

 

2021.01.10      Sunday!  Finally, the Brewery is opened again, although with a limited menu.  I was able to get my breakfast sandwich but Dale, Gerry and Nicky wanted lunch, which wasn’t going to be served until 2pm.  Everyone ended up eating breakfast sandwiches as well.  I love them.  Nicky thought them to be mediocre.  We bumped into Chris and Helen whom we had met originally in St. Thomas back in April/June of last year and had a nice visit. 

 

2021.01.11      Charlotte e-mails us that 2 of the 4 parts ordered should be on the island by the end of the week with the remaining 2 due in by the 1^st of the following week.  However, now, the electrician who is most familiar with our boat is no longer available.  She will contact another.  

 

2021.01.12      The new electrician that is being tasked with installing the surge protectors and meters is currently on another island but should be able to be here by next week to do the installation.  We dink in to the Sandbar restaurant on the beach and bemoan our situation to Gerry and Nicky.  We start off with drinks and wings but stay long enough for an early dinner. 

 

2021.01.13      We e-mail Charlotte again that we still have not been reimbursed for the A/C repairs/replacement per our agreement. 

 

2021.01.14      We start our morning watching a boat that is dragging in our direction being assisted by 4-5 dinghies.  We have been having really high winds off and on throughout the day and night in Prickly Bay ever since we got here and last evening was no different.  However, last night one boat dragged from the mooring field, a considerable distance in front of us, to just in front of us, bringing its mooring ball with it.  So it was a slow drag.  A slow drag towards Opal.  Dale texts Gerry to make sure he’s up and watching the goings on as they clearly have enough hands (and ideas, I’m sure) to handle the situation.  Gerry on the other hand, stores his steering wheel off the stand to allow more room in the cockpit and might need a heads up as to what is heading in his direction.  Thankfully, he is up and watching.  Eventually, the boat disentangles itself from the mooring ball and its own anchor (thrown out to slow their roll) and is dinghied back to another mooring ball close to where it had begun its journey.  We never did find out why they didn’t or couldn’t start their engine.   We return to our regularly scheduled computer games and Kindle books. 

Charlotte e-mails us saying that she is still waiting to hear back with regard to the proposed settlement. 

Dale takes the dink in to the beach so that he can do some repairs on the bimini attachment.  When he returns, he sees in his maintenance log that we’re due for engine oil/impeller changes on everything.  While he’s changing the oil on the port engine, he discovers that the starter battery is hot to the touch.  Not good.  He borrows Gerry’s battery resistance tester and learns that yep, its shot.  We’ll need a new one.  It’s the last of the original batteries, so now the boat has a new set of batteries all around less than a year old.