Go Up! A Bit More on Grenada

Advice for cruisers, or other travelers, looking to detect the essence of cultures on these islands: go up, venture in.

Captain Linda Perry Riera

It is easy and comfortable to stay in the cruising neighborhoods of the islands. Semi-manicured marinas  and beach fronts with pruned palm trees, restaurants with pizza and wings, activities and socials for cruisers, lots of people that look like me. And although these nooks usually have a sprinkling of culture and evidence of the complex dichotomies that come with island living, we were reminded recently how rich the experience can be when we venture beyond the surface and just walk up the hill.

Anchored Off St. George's

After anchoring in Prickly Bay for the first 9 days after launch and spending much time still working on getting Argon and ourselves ready, we weighed anchor and enjoyed a leisurely short test sail along the southern coast and over near the capital city of Grenada, St. George's.

Simple, luxurious inaugural 8nm sail in very light winds. Enjoyed seeing dozens of turtles, a large sting ray, and even a small shark along the way in the calm, clear waters.

There is an expansive anchorage area just south of the capital of St. George's on the west coast. The holding is precarious as small rocks and dead coral are abundant with surprisingly scant sand and mud for a secure holding. It is not uncommon to have to try a few times to get a good set in this area.

Urban Hike

After enjoying the Hash through a beautiful, rugged, hilly (and muddy) 3 mile hike on the eastern coast recently, Bob proposed we do an urban hike. We had been admiring from afar the bright white pillared Parliament building perched high up above the city of St. George's and decided we would set out for a vigorous climb winding our way through back streets.

The city of St. George's is inviting with it's colorful facade climbing up the mountainside. Upon closer inspection on foot, grit and hardship are evident.

Hillside overlooking St. George's.

View of St. George's from nearby the Parliament building after an invigorating walk up. The anchorage (and Argon) is to the left just out of view off the peninsula.

So many interesting buildings and sites along the way. The infrastructure is good for a poor Caribbean island but extremely meager compared to standards back home. Sidewalks are rare and walking along the road takes much attention and jumping out of the way of vehicles whizzing by. We have learned to carry a flashlight when venturing out late in the day as streetlights are uncommon and the paved terrain is abundant with ditches, holes and other obstacles.

Flowers and produce are commonly sold on the street. My favorites include christophine (aka chayote), papaya, avocado, mango, potatoes and passion fruit.

More street vendors.

Grenadian traffic signal in the capital of St. George's. (There are no electric traffic lights.)

Popular weekend street market downtown St. George's.

Tending to the Tender - With Help from Patrick

While making one of the many lengthy dinghy rides in to the city from the anchorage, we noticed that the raw water cooling had restricted flow (even though the outboard was just serviced this past summer... argh!).

We were no longer near the shipyard where the outboard was recently serviced. But we were able to get connected with a local mechanic, Patrick, to help with figuring out what was causing the restricted raw water flow.

Partially in a torrential downpour, Patrick and I got the outboard to his work boat. Patrick was kind enough to give me a bit of a lesson in outboard servicing.

Replacing the impeller on a Tohatsu 6hp 4 stroke is extremely tricky (much more difficult than on our Volvo 55hp diesel). The crank shaft needs to come off (and, the more difficult part, is getting it back on).

The impeller was changed (although the original one looked good). We also inspected the thermostat which was extremely corroded (removed it - not needed with in the warm water); and cleaned out the area around in-take and outflow. The outboard ideally needs a bit more of an overhaul (including a new base gasket) which we will arrange to have done in the coming weeks further up the island chain.

Beach Bums for an Afternoon

We spend surprisingly little time hanging out at beaches while cruising. However, nearly three weeks after arriving in Grenada, we both enjoy an afternoon at Grand Anse Beach, just south of St. George's. I swam and we both indulged in an afternoon cocktail.

Surprisingly rare beach hang out.

And on to Carriacou, or Not....

We have been itching to start to make our way to the next island north all week but the winds have been uncharacteristically light (and often non-existent). With favorable winds finally forcasted we weighed anchor Sunday morning and, despite rain moving in, happily set sail up along the west coast. After a bit we had to fire up the motor, keeping the main up for some motor sailing, as the wind was light and on our nose when Bob heard a strange loud boing. It was pouring rain but we soon realized that the upper battens along the leech of the sail were hitting the back stay making a loud vibratory plucking noise and shaking the rig. We realized that the roach of the sail was jutting beyond the back stay... not good for the back stay, sail or rig.

Pic of the over-extended roach through the bimini window in a rainstorm. Fingers crossed that the sail maker will be able to quickly re-cut the roach of the new main sail so that we can finally, really, no kidding this time start our journey. We were surprised not to have noticed this the prior week during the initial test sail. But we had been sailing mostly down wind and in hindsight should have headed upwind more and done several test tacks.

After a quick conversation on what to do next, we agree to turn around and head back not to St. George's, but even further to Pricky Bay near where the sail maker is located. Ugh. Back where we began several weeks ago. But this is not a bad place to be stuck.

Grenada - Better the Second Time Around

Watching a dramatic daybreak cloud system approach, it dawns on me how much different our Grenadian experience is currently compared to our initial introduction this past April.

Captain Linda Perry Riera

We recently returned to Grenada to re-launch s/v Argon and resume cruising the Caribbean for another winter gradually making our way north over the next seven months. Our first exposure to Grenada (April 2019) was heavily shadowed by a crippling bought of sciatica that caused Bob immense pain, severely limiting activities, and greatly complicating boat life for both of us. This time around, however, our experience and outlook is much improved.

Perhaps surprisingly, we set an alarm for 5:15a.m. each day allowing us to take in the quiet opening of each day, enjoy spectacular sunrises, and get an early start on our day jobs and boat projects.

The major boat projects are now behind us and we can start to think about sailing and intermingling our days with land excursions and sometimes relaxation.

Before and After

It has been an incredibly busy and productive two weeks with Argon...

Now:  Argon sitting pretty and ready to sail.

Before:  Ten days ago the boom still not attached, gooseneck unfinished, and oh so much still to do.

After:  Deck today happily at anchor with all sails and lines rigged ready to go.

Before:  Salon ten days ago when we were still in the throws of inspecting, cleaning, fixing, attaching and sweating on the hard.

After:  Salon now ready to be home again for the next many months

Before:  Cockpit ten days ago with grey mildewy teak from being exposed to the heat and torential rains all summer.

After:  Cockpit now with organized lines, clean teak, comfortable cushions and shade.

Prickly Bay

Prickly Bay, one of the several options of harbors along the southern coast of Grenada, is our initial Grenadian neighborhood. Many avoid this anchorage as it can be quite rolly compared to the other nearby choices. However, our threshold for rolliness has increased over the years. In addition, we need the easy access to the shipyard, chandlery, and other businesses as we complete remaining boat projects. Lastly, the waters here are more clear and safe for my morning swims.

Turbulence sail loft is a short dinghy ride away from our initial anchorage. Turbulence is working on our main sail here to shorten the luff length.

Prickly Bay is good for my morning swims. My bright orange buoy provides some visibility for the occasional dinghy that zips through. I make my way over to Calabash Beach to spend most of my swim in the safety parallel of the beach.

Sand Bar at Calabash Beach, Prickly Bay is a beautiful spot to relax enjoy the sunset after a full day of boat projects; oh, and our regular jobs. Argon is anchored in the background.

Boat Projects Continue (always)

A new Doyle main sail through Turbulence was made over the summer in Barbados. However, as outlined in the last blog post, the luff was too long for the track. After the second re-cut, we try again.

Bob transports the new re-re-cut main sail to Argon late in the evening. We wait for daylight to test fit.

Early the next morning, with fortuitous timing just before a squall comes through, we bend the new main sail... And she fits beautifully - we can hardly wait to test her out!

Rationing Power, Seeking Shade

Our first week at anchorage was sans bimini which meant modest solar power and no shade in the cockpit. The winds have also been uncharacteristically low (often non-existent). During the day the temperature below deck is usually 92F; at night we dip down to 82F. Sleeping has been uncomfortable but should improve as winds pick up and we inch our way to higher latitudes. Frequent dips off the swim platform help (but the water is 84F).

The completed bimini was worth the wait and the several dinghy shuttles with our friends from Tropical Sails and Canvas. Douglas and team did a fantastic job with the somewhat complicated bimini making improvements to how the solar side panels are attached. After cleaning all the connectors and getting all the full 385 Watts of panels mounted, we are able to bring in 20amps midday to keep our lap tops charged and refrigerator cool. We can now comfortably sit in the shaded cockpit and perhaps even soon have ice. Life is good!

Improvising with catching solar until our new bimini is finished and the panels can be properly attached. The low wind has had an upside in that the panels are at less risk of blowing away.

A shadeless cockpit the first week at anchor. Douglas and Brian from Tropical Sails and Canvas are ensuring a perfect fit on the frame and for the mounting of the solar panels.

Final bimini project was worth the wait. Douglas and team at Tropical Sails and Canvas did fantastic work on this somewhat complicated piece including altering how the solar and side panels are attached and the wires protected from UV.

Grenadian Hash

A popular activity in Grenada is a Hash which is a sort of athletic / social / eating / drinking event that takes place at a different location on the island each time. We were unable to participate in one last spring due to Bob's convalescing but happily joined one recently. This event took place in Crochu on the eastern coast. At the end of the trek everyone celebrates with blaring soca music, food and beer.

More than one hundred people participated in the Hash. This is the beginning part of the walkers trail.

Some beautiful scenery along the three mile route. (Bob is holding his back... we learned that he still needs to be careful with his sciatica. We took it slowly.)

Crossing a stream.

Overlooking the eastern coast and the Atlantic Ocean.

Part of the route through a rural residential neighborhood along the mountainous coast.

St. George's Market and Provisioning

Each Friday and Saturday downtown St. George's bursts with activity and color as vendors set up produce stands, sell trinkets, and entice customers with local spices attracting both locals and tourists. I introduced Bob to a smoothie shop discoverd last April and we could not get enough of the papaya-mango-banana icy cool sweetness.

Hill leading down to the street market in St. George's.

Old building in downtown St. George's.

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church at the top of the hill in St. George's. It was mostly destroyed during hurricane Ivan in 2004 (the most recent hurricane to hit Grenada).

Provisioning the boat from scratch is a bit of an expensive ordeal and multi-step logistical challenge. I have taken a bus to a supermarket but am limited in the amount purchased by how much I can carry to/from the bus stops. A few miscellaneous items can be found from tiny markets that we walk by on our way to restaurants or other places by foot. Some items such as ultra pasteurized boxed milk, soda water, diet coke, and Carib beer can be purchased in bulk, picked up nearby on shore and loaded in to the dinghy. The St. George Market is difficult to get to but a great source of both local and shipped in produce. When we eventually get to Martinique (late December), more substantial provisioning can be done as the selection and prices will be much better.

Cooking Class

 Ester and Omega share Grenadian cooking secrets at Dodgy Dock in True Blue Harbor - about a 20 minute walk from where we are anchored in Prickly Bay. Time to finally buy some salt fish.

Onward....

Soon we will depart Grenada on a modest 35nm sail northeast to Carriacou, still part of the country of Grenada but a much smaller island with a population of 8,000 (vs 100,000 on the mainland). In Carriacou we will host our son Christian and his girlfriend Brittany as they sail with us along the chain of islands in the Grenadines.

Happy to be on the water even if still just at anchor as we work on completing final boat projects in preparation to begin sailing soon!

Grenada is definitely better second time around!

Week One of The Third Half - Grenada

What a week it has been as we embark on our third extended cruise: The Third Half. Aptly named since our second cruise was not intended to stop in Grenada, thus this voyage is a resumption of #2. Huh? No matter.

Captain Linda Perry Riera

Argon is finally back in her natural habitat happily swinging on the hook. This comes after several summer projects by the boatyard and intense attention over the past week as Bob and I spent very full days attending to just about every system and surface.

Argon happily back in the water after being hauled out since late April at Spice Island Marine Services, Prickly Bay, Grenada. Almost ready to set sail... but still no main sail or bimini (see blow).

Gooseneck

The new custom carbon gooseneck looked terrific but was unfinished due to frustrating confusing and scant communications. Once we were here in person to triangulate messages, Ron from Driftwood was fantastic in working with us to do the final assembly, and fabricate custom bushings and gooseneck pin. The final assembly completed just hours before we splashed! One less important but frustrating aspect of this was the boatyard's shoddy (and expensive) paint job on the mast around the new gooseneck and some other touch-ups.

Boom remained on deck until the gooseneck was complete.

Ronny testing the fit of newly fabricated pin machined at a local shop the prior day.

Ronny and Ron from Driftwood carefully working on setting the bushing and testing the fit.

Gooseneck complete. Just need to wait 24 hours for epoxy on the bushings to cure.

Linda with Ronny and Ron from Driftwood. These guys did nice work!

 

Connect, Clean, Scrub, Put Away, and Clean Again

 

After mast was stepped, Bob connected wires for the anchor light, steaming light, windex light, deck light, tricolor light, and anemometer.

To do list for Wednesday.

Organized chaos below. We are actually making progress although it is difficult to tell.

Messy, dirty cockpit. But not for much longer.

Corrosion and Mold

Much time was spent last April cleaning surfaces with diluted vinegar and bagging up lines, clothes, and bedding that remained on board. Once a month during the scorching heat of the wet season, someone from the boatyard would open up Argon for some ventilation, inspect for leaks (were none) and change the desiccants. Argon's interior was generally in great condition and even smelled fine. There were just a few issues including minor corrosion on cabinet latches, light switches, shower and sink fixtures and guitar tuning knobs. There were a few areas of light mold on surfaces that was likely due getting missed from the April vinegar cleaning.

Several buckets of desiccant were placed throughout the cabin and changed each month over the summer to help keep the moisture levels down and decrease the risk of mold and mildew.

The interior surfaces and stored clothes / bedding were mostly in great conditions. A few casualties including this handbag that succumbed to mold and corrosion.

Before pic:  corroded bow light.

After pic:  Bow light after scrubbing away corrosion and replacing the bulb. Yes, it works!

Cleaning the depth / temperature transducer and speed paddle wheel.

Argon has two water tanks (one under the starboard settee and the other forward under the V berth) holding a total of 135 gallons. Fill caps are out on the deck to take in water from a hose but we can get direct access to the tanks down below through large caps. This allows us to reach in to scrub the tanks and rinse out some gunk. We also were able to clean the float gauge to get a semi-accurate reading of the tank gauges. Water is a precious commodity across all of the islands so we are always judicious with it's use. And at 0.15 USD / gallon the cost can really add up when trying to clean a dirty boat and flush and fill the water tanks.

Dinghy and Outboard

Tropical Canvas fabricated protective chaps for the dinghy which will protect the hypalon from UV damage. Brian and Slade also were kind enough to give me a lift to a nearby gas station to fill the gas can. SIMS did a tune up to the 6hp Tohatsu.

Slade from Tropical Canvas delivers the dinghy with her new chaps.

Dinghy bench seat had succumbed to the harsh UV last winter. We had forgotten to arrange for repairs of this over the summer.

Brian from Tropical Canvas quickly made a new bench seat cover. Our 9 foot AB aluminum V bottom is critical for land access while at anchor thus we aim to take good care of her!

Final Night on Land

 

 Launch!

After just over six months on the hard in a hurricane cradle and the mast down, Argon is ready to be back on the water with a newly painted bottom, varnished cap rails, and waxed hull and deck.

As soon as Argon was back in the water and secured in the lift bay with lines, we eagerly tested the engine. The 55hp Volvo diesel started up immediately with raw cooling water quickly spitting out the exhaust - wonderful! We soon motored out of the travel slip and tied up just on the other side of the cement wall so that the boatyard could continue launching other vessels and we could continue with preparations - most importantly getting the boom attached and sails on.

Bob adjusting the tension on the inner stay.

 

Inner 90% jib and 150% genoa (both with new UV shields) now rigged by Bob and I. Guys from Turbulence arrive to mount boom and rig the brand new Doyle main sail.

New Main Sail... Whoops!

At this point we feel so close to having Argon ready and can hardly wait to see the new main sail up, even if it is only a test hoist while tied up. Turbulence cut the new round battens right at the dock and installed them as it went up.

Boom is attached by the guys from Turbulence. Yes, it's hot and Bob needs a shower.

Smooth Antal rings to minimize friction on the reefing line.

New Harken cars to slide up the new track. This will facilitate hoisting and dropping greatly. However, one of the challenges is that bearings sometimes come loose, like on this car already. We will need to get some spare bearings and be sure to inspect the cars whenever the main is taken down off the track.

New Harken head car.

Argon tied up on the cement wall next to the travelift slip while her boom gets re-attached and main sail is rigged.

Although the new main glides up the smooth track and the sail looks beautiful, the luff is too long!

The cars along the luff get fed carefully on the track as the main is hoisted. She is beautiful. But... the luff is too long and cannot be tightened enough as the top car abuts against the top of the track. Down she comes for a modification in the sail loft.

Main sail back to Turbulence to reduce the luff length. This is done by cutting and re-sewing the head.

Take 2 with the adjusted new main sail.

And....

Oooph! #@$%*&!! Even after reducing the luff length by 9cm, the top track car almost abuts against the track head. Too close to allow for any stretching. Down and back to the shop again for another adjustment. But it's Friday late afternoon by now... so this will continue next week.

Teak Cleaning

The teak cockpit sole and coamings are extremely practical as a non-skid surface. Raw teak can be left to weather naturally, but I like the warm tan of clean teak even though it comes with maintenance. In addition, the tropical conditions turned Argon's teak to a mottled grey with black mildew. So out came my preferred product: Snappy two part teak cleaner. It's a difficult job that has a bit of technique to it but I love the results.

Before.

During.

After.

Awaiting Main Sail, Improvising with Solar Power and Enjoying an Iceless Sundowner

After one night on the cement wall, we had to move on to the anchorage despite no bimini or main sail yet. We expect to have a re-re-cut sail within a few days. Rigging and hoisting at anchor may be a bit more tricky but we will aim for early morning before the easterlies kick up.

Tropical Canvas will finish our bimini within a few days (hopefully) so that we can have some shade in the cockpit and, even more importantly, mount three solar panels. In the meantime, we are sparse on electricity having to ration what we use carefully. One solar panel (135W) is generating good amperage from the dodger. We are continually adjusting the placement of two of the bimini panels (one 100W and one 50W) in the cockpit to catch some rays and not get blown away. We are generating just enough power to feel comfortable turning on the refrigerator (low setting only) but generally being even more judicious than usual about energy consumption.

Improvising with energy production while we await the new bimini.

Enjoying an evening cocktail (without ice!) at the end of week one of The Third Half. Feeling grateful.