Leaving Grenada

We finally left Grenada after an amazing 7 months in one place. That’s the longest we’ve stayed anywhere in over 2 years. And I mean by a lot. A “long time” in one place prior to Grenada was 2 to 3 weeks…

After completing several projects, exploring Grenada’s waterfalls and beaches, rum and chocolate factories and having WAY too many delicious meals out – it was time to lift anchor and begin our slow move north, ultimately to Antigua.

It was a relatively short, but slightly bouncy sail from St. George’s, Grenada to Sandy Island, Carriacou. It took about 6 hours to go somewhere around 20 miles. Not the speediest sail ever, but at least we actually sailed for a change! The winds are averaging in the low 20’s these days. And the funny part there is that it never even crosses our minds not to sail. In the past, we aimed for 15 knots of wind, but now don’t really hesitate if it’s 5 or 10 knots higher. It’s all about the sea state, baby! How big are those waves, and most importantly for us, how close together are they?

We did have one wonky area where the seas got confused as we passed Kick Em Jenny. Not because the volcano is active or anything, but because the wave direction gets confused there and it’s a bit of a washing machine. Fortunately, we knew it would be over quickly and we just carried on to Sandy Island.

Welcome to Sandy Island!

Sandy Island is a small spit of land, just off the coast of Carriacou – a fabulous little island that is one of the 3 main islands that make up the country of Grenada. And this place is stunning!

One of our favorite upgrades so far is our new, slightly larger dingy, new dinghy chaps (made by Mark while I was in the States!) and the faster 15 hp Suzuki 2 stroke. Our 8.5′ Highfield dinghy failed this summer. And I don’t mean the tubes… It was only 3 years old and still under warranty when the aluminum cracked. Apparently, it’s a common failure on both Highfield and AB from a specific batch of faulty metal. And it was replaced under warranty, no questions asked. Amazing. Way to go, Highfield! We took the opportunity to pay the difference and upgrade to the 9.5′ version. That’s the biggest dinghy we feel like we can safely stow on the deck for long passages. So worth the investment!

**Mazi: named for Mazu, an Asian goddess of the sea. I painted a mermaid on our engine cowling this summer, because I can’t help painting, well, everything. So of course she needed an appropriate name!

Snorkel Circumnavigation

While the weather did not cooperate fully, we couldn’t wait to get in that water!

We snorkeled the far side of the island and found some of the best coral we’ve seen in AGES. Giant elk horn, brain coral, etc. And I found loads of tiny baby fish everywhere.

The sporadic showers/clouds didn’t make for great pictures, but the snorkel was excellent. After our circumnavigation, we headed back to the beach to check out the beach bar we heard about. Tim’s Beach BBQ is on the far end of the island, tucked up behind some trees. I think we were quoted 100ec for a lobster dinner (about $40us), and they also offer chicken, fish and ribs at different rates. We just settled for a drink, you know, to show our support, and enjoyed the views.

After 2 nights on a mooring ball (fees of 30ec/12us were only collected for 1 night) we moved on into Tyrell Bay to provision and relax for the Christmas holidays. These islands are largely Christian and love their holidays. On Thursday we headed into the Customs and Immigration office and officially checked out of Grenada! Up next? Union Island and the gorgeous Grenadines.

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