April 2008
Grenada - The Grenadines
The first few days of April were spent in Prickly Bay, Grenada exploring more of the island while waiting for a weather window to go north to Bequia where I had agreed to have some work done replacing the rear oil seal on the main engine. On 7th I sailed round to St. Georges to stage ready for the trip north. The following day I sailed 48 miles to Chatham Bay on Union Island in just over 9 hours - a good sail close reaching most of the way. Kick 'em Jenny, the underwater volcano that lies on the direct route between Grenada and Carriacou again provided strange confused seas with standing waves which seem to bear no relation to tide or current conditions or to the profile of the seabed in that area. You can see how scary myths are born.
The next day a further 30 miles in 6 hours took me tacking into Bequia as the final 3 miles are directly up wind. For an hour or two I sailed in company with another UK flagged yacht (who didn't respond to a call on VHF Ch. 16!) The picture on the left is of one of their crew riding their bow through the swells.
I spent 9 days in Bequia during which the seal problem was made worse by a person / company reputed in the cruising guide to be 'an excellent diesel mechanic'. Ho hum - one of the frustrations of life afloat in the Caribbean.
Back to Grenada, again via the still unspoiled Chatham Bay, and the east, windward, coast of Grenada. The sail south from Union Island, at first hard on the wind to clear the windward side of Carriacou, was a fun exercise in making to windward under reduced sail as I don't want to tack unless I have to (because the inner forestay is rigged and this means furling the headsail before tacking) and not using the engine to assist (because of the oil drip making a mess).
Once abreast of Carriacou the course eases westwards as I progressed south and the sailing became freer and freer until I ended up on a dead run under main with a preventer rigged along the south coast of Grenada back 'home' to Prickly Bay. Although Prickly Bay is relatively rolly compared with the some other south coast bays it's convenient for facilities and social activities. Because of the number of yachts either passing through or anchored there for longer, it's the obvious place to stop for a few days, resupply and meet friends. The 'Grenada Cruisers Net' on VHF Ch. 68 at 07.30 local time (11.30 UT), which broadcasts among other useful things good island and offshore weather reports, keeps cruisers in touch and informed. The 'Coconut Telegraph' a HF radio net broadcasts on USB 4060 at 08.00 local time (12.00 UT) keeps us in touch with friends out of VHF range.
While in Prickly Bay I met fellow Moody owners Alan & April Baker on their Moody 346 'Moody Blue' who were preparing for their annual haul out.
Later in the month I moved round to St Georges and took a stern-to mooring at Grenada Yacht Club in readiness for the arrival of my sister and her husband who are visiting. Long showers and the excellent food available from the club made it a pleasant stay and a good base to crew change from in Grenada. If you need 110v power at GYC (as opposed to 240v) it's worth checking your shore lead will reach from your assigned berth - GYC doesn't have any extension cables and the 110v outlets are a long way apart.