Grenada and its Grenadines

Grenada and its Grenadines

The island of Carriacou was our first official stop in Grenada. This island is a shortish hop from Union in the southern SVG and still a slightly longer hop on south to mainland Grenada.  We asked our tour guide, Simon, how these islands were divided between Grenada and SVG – he had no explanation just said it was politics way, way back.  Both territories were most recently under British control before their independence, but the clustering of these islands don’t lend themselves to any clear grouping.  For sure there must have been some reason that Petite Saint Vincent is SVG while its close neighbors of Petite Martinique and Carriacou are part of Grenada.  However, for our purpose – Tyrell Bay on Carriacou made a great place to check in and once more change our courtesy flag. (This is flag number 16 – it should be 17 but we never got one for Montserrat – also four of the islands we visited are under the French flag!) The harbor in this tiny island is protected and busy – finding a spot to safely anchor is a challenge, but on our second try we managed.  After watching others – wander about and make repeated tries, we feel lucky it only took two attempts.  Sections of the harbor are covered with weeds, there is a small wreck and a couple shallow reef areas plus a channel that needs to be clear for the ferries!  Altogether, as more and more boats arrive on their passage south, anchoring is interesting.  We are wondering what space will be available in the harbors on Grenada???

Yet again, we are just about the only non-sail boat.  We did see a power cat come in and there are a few fishing “fast” boats, but most of our neighbors are monohull sailboats or catamarans.

Carriacou is home to a flourishing boat building tradition. There are boats under construction using the time-tested techniques – hand plaining wooden planks.  We saw many colorful finished boats and three in the works.  One was a fat hull wooden boat hoping to be launched this fall to join the tourist trade. Another was a racing sailboat but probably not going to make the races this August. Our tour with Simon covered just about every point of interest on this island, winding along the steep, narrow, and curvy roads from our start in Tyrell Bay up and over the rainforest to the Windward side and back again though the “big” city of Hillsbourgh. Along the way we had views of the barrier reef that protects this island and offers some of the best diving in the area.  Steve had to check it out with the Lumba Divers since the protected marine park was a short run from our anchorage. All in all, Carriacou is a pleasant cruiser friendly stop.

On to Grenada proper – our first stop was off St George and Grand Anse beach. Although very handy to town and the historic Carenage – this open anchorage is also subject to the ocean swells and as a result rolls rather a lot. After a couple of rolly nights we moved on over to the south side in the slightly more comfortable Prickly Bay.  This is a very popular and expansive spot.  Many mooring balls are located here but there is also ample room to anchor.  However, a further move around to the next bay or so east is rumored to provide a little more protection and even calmer waters.  Prickly Bay is also a convenient place from which to see the island.  Buses stop at the docks here and it is a shortish ride into the shops along the Grand Anse Bay or into the old town.  (it is shorter if one gets on the bus going in the correct direction -; )

St George Fishmarket

view of Prickly Bay

one of the more "interesting" boats in the harbour

We took advantage of our time here to do several tours.  Our first was a whole day “Cutty” island tour with our guide Mr. Cutty. Although Grenada is not huge – the roads must wind up and around the hills making covering even a relatively short distance an adventure of some duration. Nevertheless, Mr Cutty packed our day with stops to see the local Mona monkeys, views of the rainforest, a nutmeg processing plant, a chocolate factory and a rum distillery with time out for lunch and lots of stops to pick local fruits.

friendly guys

OK I am crazy for chocolate

sorting nutmegs

of yes, a waterfall to cool off at the end of the day

Another fun adventure took us at night to see the loggerhead turtle nesting grounds on the far end of the island.  We were at the end of their egg laying season so only saw one female on her nest but were able to see a dozen new hatchlings making for the water. The mama was huge and mostly unconcerned about her audience even letting folks touch her leathery shell, but the babies were amazingly small with gigantic oversized flippers.  Watching the waves roll them back and forth as they tried to get afloat, it was easy to understand why so few make it to adulthood. Although a late night for us cruisers, it was well worth the hours in the van to see these awesome turtles both big and small.

briefing

Mama

red light strolling or stumbling?

tiny baby with big flippers

No trip to Grenada is complete with out attending a “Hash.” So, we joined the group – conveniently via a Shademan Taxi – for a typical Saturday afternoon event.  Hashers are fondly called “drinkers with a running problem”.  However, one does not have to run the course marked out through the “bush” as walking or even just waiting back at the start are all permissible with plenty of beer and eats available. Since the overnight and morning rain made for a super mudslide route, I opted to walk closer to the road rather than on the trail, but Steve joined the throng and returned damp, muddy and thirsty. In the spirit of crazy fun this weekly event is enjoyed by cruisers, local expats and many, many local Grenadians.

briefing before the "fun"

One of the big reasons we hung around Grenada was to get new foam and have our salon cushions recovered. Many, many trips to shore with cushions stacked in the dink kept Steve and Larry of Nabela’s Upholstery Shop busy.  All the cushions were delivered several days before we got the cat’s papers and were set to make the final jump to Trinidad.

Yes, Teddy got a ride in the dink to visit the local vet for his paperwork to be legal in Trinidad.  Being a rabies free country, Trini has a stringent process for admitting pets. We had Teddy tested back in Puerto Rico to get a Rabies Titer which proves he is free of rabies, but there are also a number of other “treatments” he needed with in 10 days of traveling to Trinidad.  After receiving the permit approval from Trinidad, we spent three hours at the vet office on a Sunday afternoon with Dr. Amanda to get the proper forms filled out.  This was then hand carried on Monday morning to the Minister who signed off and it was couriered back for us so we could have it in hand for our departure. Teddy even got a few mats shaved off by the skilled Dr. Amanda and he hardly woke from his nap in the “cat carrier bag” during the whole process. A big thanks to Joel who provided taxi service as well during the thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon. Although he was good in the car and dink, Teddy appreciated not getting rained on.

When we weren’t working on the chores, cushions and travel arrangements, we managed to meet up with friends for dominoes or other fun. It is easy to see why many cruisers spend months in the bays of Grenada – there is always something to do – broadcast daily on the morning net. On to Trinidad…..

a deal everyday

sampling and advising on beer choices

view of Prickly Bay from St George's University Club restaurant