In my hometown in Georgia where I grew up, we had one red light. This one red light was a very big deal because it meant that Stockbridge officially made the map. Here in Grenada, the island has three red lights but the story goes that all three mysteriously stopped working on the third day after installation and have not flashed since that day several years ago. So, they rely on traffic circles to somewhat organize the chaos. I am sure you are currently picturing the traffic circles that are so prevalent in Europe that have large monuments in the center circle and are several lanes deep. Grenadian monuments are three large tractor tires sitting in the middle of the road to indicate that you are now in a traffic circle. The circles work remarkably well here because all the islanders have a set rule that the vehicle to the right in any driving situation has the right of way….and they follow the rule! They also have driver’s education here which we have not seen on any of the other islands so while it is a little chaotic, it is educated chaos! The main challenge is that Bill is once again driving on the wrong side of the road and on the wrong side of the car so the traffic circles flow in reverse….luckily, the student drivers seem to know which way to go so we just follow them!
We spent this week collecting materials for our boat projects and we have been kicking away at them a little day by day. We generally work on the boat in the mornings and then run for the pool in the afternoons. The pool reward definitely makes the chores go more swiftly. The marina cut off the electricity today for repairs so we expect the pool to be a madhouse since most of the boaters here use their air conditioning throughout the day. We do not use our AC because we figured that if we didn’t use it, we would adjust more easily to the heat. That certainly proved true today since the other boaters are melting this morning. High excitement at the pool this week. Since we arrived, we met a family from the Netherlands. They have a four year old son who broke his arm a few weeks ago. He endured going to the public hospital, having his arm set incorrectly, going to the private hospital to have it reset and then pinned. Grenada did not have waterproof casts so for weeks, all the swimmers have watched the poor child sit sadly by the pool. We have all tried to pitch in to help entertain him by throwing a ball out of the pool to him, helping him build a fort, pointing out iguanas to chase, etc. Yesterday, he showed up with no cast and the entire pool erupted into loud cheers! It took him a few minutes to get up the nerve to jump in but once he realized his arm was safe, he was a swimming fool. I share this story to show how close knit the boaters become in residence. The wonderfully fun part of our current life-style is that boaters come and go but it is always so exciting to pull into a new destination months later and realize that one of your previous pool buddies is on the boat next to you ready to share the adventures they have had since last seen. Friday night was a night out on the town for all of the boaters. We headed over to the Grenada Yacht Club to hear some live music from a band called The Leaky Seacocks. It is a very clever name for a group of musicians made up of boaters. Seacocks are the most important thing on a boat. A seacock is a valve that goes through the hull of the boat to allow water to flow into the engine, toilets, etc. Seacocks are something that cause great concern and are checked often to insure there are no leaks. It is the only thing that stands between you and a quick trip to the bottom of the ocean. So, needless to say, a leaky seacock is a very bad thing! Luckily, the musical group was not a very bad thing and we had a great time listening to some classic rock and having some cheap happy hour beers. The final update from this week is good news with our weather. So far, the Caribbean has been enjoying beautiful, calm weather. We read daily weather reports to keep an eye on any forming storms but Mother Nature also gives us a way to see if we are going to have any weather adventures in the near forecast. For example, this week was the full moon but it was cloaked in a blanket of haze. This wonderful haze was caused by the continued Saharan dust that blows from Africa. Islanders love the Saharan dust because it is close to impossible for a hurricane to form when the Saharan dust is blowing. We definitely love hazy skies around here! This coming week is the annual Chocolate Festival in Grenada so we will be going to a chocolate plantation and to a rum and chocolate pairing as well. Boat projects will have to wait a couple of days because chocolate and rum followed by pool definitely has a better ring to it!
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Every time we get to a new country, we have to figure out the ins and outs of basic survival. Where to buy food, what kind of food they have available, boat parts stores, transportation and at least a dozen other things. Usually, it takes us a few days and then we have it figured out and can settle into life. This week, Grenada pushed us to our limits on something that should be simple. Something that is simple in most parts of the world….mail. How difficult can it be? You order a package, the package arrives, you pick up the package and all is well. Not so in Grenada. It starts out simple enough….order the package as usual but on the shipping address, you must put “boat in transit”. For “boat in transit”, the import tax is 2.5% versus the usual 40% tax. So, whatever you do, do not forget to add “boat in transit”. Then, DHL drops off the delivery slip to the marina. Not the package, just the slip. So we took the slip over to DHL which is located on the only main street on the island. We had to circle the town twice before finding a nook to call a parking spot but feeling successful, we made our way to DHL. Once we had been adequately temperature tested and hosed down in chemical cleaner, we waited in line. As we approached the DHL worker, she said, “I need your papers”. We handed her the delivery slip. She stared at us expectantly. We stared back. “What about your C-14 form?” We stared back some more. She sighed and stated, “You have to get your C-14 form from customs and immigration in order to pick up the packages.” She explained that we would take our invoices for what was ordered to customs. Well, that might have been simple if we had known what was in the boxes. We have a mail service in Florida and we deliver everything to that address over several months and the mail service forwards us our mail all in a big box. As we left DHL, we knew the main items in the box that were of any monetary value so we headed back to the marina to gather the invoices. Then, we emailed them over to the marina office so they could print two copies of each invoice. I walked over to the customs office and the officer took the forms so he could give me a form C-14. He came back to the window and said, “What was the shipping on this item?” Sigh. I called Bill and he said, “I don’t know. Probably about $30.00.” “Probably about $30.00,” I told the officer. “I need the exact amount and it must be on the invoice.” I grabbed the pack of invoices sadly leaving the C-14 on the officer’s desk. Back at the boat, Bill called the company and asked for a copy of the invoice that had the shipping total on it. “The invoice will be in the box” was their response. Bill explained that we could not get to the box so the company emailed us a copy of the receipt. The humorous part is that the actual shipping was $20.00 so the country of Grenada came out short on that deal. Bill forwarded it over to the marina office who printed two copies. I picked it up and took it back over to the customs officer. He looked at it, stamped the invoices and handed me the C-14 form. Success! Confident in our endeavors, we headed back to DHL with our three invoices (one for the new autohelm, one for solar lights and one for the engine alternator). Back in business! Circle town, find a parking spot, temperature check, unhealthy dousing in hand sanitizer and back in line. The DHL worker took our invoices and forms and in a few minutes came out with three large boxes. Three boxes, three invoices. Easy peasy. But alas, “I need you to open the boxes”. She handed Bill a tape cutter and pointed for him to open the boxes. First box, solar lights. Check. Second box, autohelm. Check. Third box, Pandora’s box. You would be surprised how many items you order in a 6 month period that you forget about ordering! The DHL worker held up the final invoice and stared at the box full of items. A couple of bathing suits, mosquito netting, a sail bracket, a packet of mail, it was the never-ending box. She handed us back all the papers and stated that she needed invoices for everything in the box and a new C-14. Then, she made us leave all the packages with her, even the ones that we had done correctly. Sally in tears and Bill breathing deeply, we left the store to head back to the boat. On the way, I called the sail provider in Florida to ask for an invoice for the sail bracket. The sail provider stated that the invoice was in the box. I told him that the invoice did not have the shipping listed so we needed a new invoice. He said, “Why would you need that information? Was there a problem?” “No,” I responded, “I am in Grenada and they need it.” His response, “Oh God! You’re in Grenada? You may never get your stuff!” At that point, Bill took over because I was ranting about packing my suitcase to get on the next plane out of Grenada. After finding invoices from Kohl’s for my bathing suits ($70.00) and Amazon for my mosquito netting ($6.35), Bill sent them to be printed and headed back to customs. I locked myself on the boat so that I would not commit a murder. An hour and a half later, Bill arrived with all three boxes and a bag of M&Ms to soothe the savage beast he had left behind. In the end, all this nonsense was so the country of Grenada could collect 2.5% import taxes on our items. Could they not just charge us $50.00 extra per box? They would have made more money and we would not have had a nightmare of a day. We swore we would not import anything else while we were in Grenada. Alas, the refrigerator stopped working. After running several tests, Bill determined it was the electronic control panel that was nowhere to be found in Grenada. It is supposed to arrive from the States at some point delivered by FedEx. We just heard that FedEx in Grenada may not follow the same procedures as DHL does….give me strength! Meanwhile, we have been buying bags of ice trying to keep the meat in the freezer from ruining. It has been a trying week!
We rounded out the trying week with a trip to the Royal Mount Carmel Falls. It was Sunday so on our way to the falls, we passed a least a dozen churches that were packed. Their denominations were very different from the States. Instead of the usual Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian, they had Open Bible, Four Gospels, Church of the New Testament (I guess these guys only like the happy books of the Bible!), Seventh Day Adventist, Missionary Church of Grenada and of course, the good old Roman Catholics. We figured they must church them up good because we passed by them around 10am and when we returned after 1pm, they were still churching away! When we got to the falls, we hiked along a very muddy trail until we reached the base of the fall. We climbed over the rocks and jumped into the crisp pool at the bottom of the falls. We were the only ones in the pool so it was definitely a postcard moment. This coming week, we will continue to prepare Galt for all of the projects as we wait for the materials to be delivered. So far, we have gotten very lucky to find good people who can get the materials constructed for us. The materials will take a few weeks but we have plenty of prep work to do so that will keep us busy. Here’s to wishing you a wonderful week and next time the UPS man delivers your Amazon package for free straight to your door, please give him a hug from me….I miss him so! Hello from Grenada! We pulled into the marina on July 4th and were welcomed by a group of sailors celebrating the holiday. I must say celebrating Independence Day outnumbered by the British was an experience. There was no ice cream or fireworks but a few folks had managed to scrounge up some red, white and blue clothing so we gave them an A for effort. Fort Louis Marina is an amazing spot! When we first pulled in, the dock hand met us in his dinghy and announced he would guide us to our med mooring. A med mooring is how boats in the Mediterranean dock. You back the boat in against a long dock, tie two stern lines to the dock and then the bow of the boat is either anchored or tied onto a mooring ball. Med moorings work fine for catamarans but are challenging on a monohull because you must exit off the rear of the boat. Galt is especially difficult because of the height of the boat as well as our swim platform and dinghy arrangement on the back of the boat. We told the dock hand that we needed a traditional slip (called a finger pier) but he said that there was no 110 power available on those docks. So, Bill backed the boat onto the dock, stopped, unloaded the dinghy and pulled it around to the side of the boat and then the dock hands squeezed us right up next to another boat. We are definitely up close and neighborly (about 3 feet from our neighbor) so at least when I fall off the back of the boat while trying to get onto the dock, there will be people around to rescue me! In the end, our spot in the marina ended up being perfect because it is only steps away from the showers and the pool….and the showers are air conditioned!! I told Bill if I went missing, he should start the search in the showers because that is where I would be! There is also a bakery a few steps up the road and they make amazing cinnamon rolls and fresh bread daily so between the bakery, the showers and the pool….I am set for the season!
Prior to arriving in Grenada, we had a night out on the town in Carriacou with our friends. We went to dinner and then decided to go listen to some live music that we heard from down the street. Once we arrived, I could hardly believe my eyes! I am very happy to inform you that Stan Lee, the creator of the Marvel Universe, is not dead! He is about 95 years old and playing the keyboard in a jam band in Carriacou. There he was, just rocking out with his fellow musicians. Keith Richards from the Stones was playing guitar without ever taking his cigarette out of his mouth and I never saw that cigarette even drop an ash. I don’t keep track of Joe Biden’s schedule these days but I can tell you that on the evening of July 3rd, he was accompanying Stan Lee on the bongo drums. Making Stan look like a youngster, Joe would hit the bongos for four beats and then take a little nap. The saxophone player, who I am pretty sure was Bill Clinton in drag, would gently kick Joe in the shins when it was time for him to wake up and play four more beats. Needless to say, we could never really pick out any semblance of a tune from the group but they were jamming like it was Woodstock. If we had stayed for a few more beers, maybe Janis Joplin would have made an appearance but alas, we had to get to bed to prepare for our sail to Grenada the next morning. Some of you may remember Grenada from the US “invasion” that took place in 1983. As we pulled in this week, I began to seriously doubt that my memory was correct. We INVADED Grenada? This small island? There must be some mistake. But no, it is true. We invaded Grenada. According to Wikipedia (I put the link below), our best forces joined with the Jamaican army to overthrow a hostile government. I am sure we would not have succeeded had the Jamaican army not joined in but what the heck…the more the merrier! I am sure our forces just needed to run some practice drills because given the size and population of the island, the Jamaicans could have probably handled the invasion on their own. So, we are definitely looking forward to exploring the island and getting the history lesson that I obviously missed in college….however, I was a freshman so maybe I slept through the two days that the war took place. We spent the last few days preparing for the fuel tank replacement. A big job but Bill is tackling one thing at a time. We are anxiously awaiting the quote for the fabrication of the tanks so fingers crossed that the price and timing is right! So far, we have found some with good prices but terrible timing and vice versa. Galt will be looking a mess for awhile but will be so happy once the job is done! You’ll be hearing plenty about the repair jobs in the weeks to come because as it is with all boat projects, there will be plenty of cussing, laughing and crying! Until then, have a great week and if you can’t find me, just look in the showers! Education for the week: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_invasion_of_Grenada We are really not sure where we are anymore but we know we are in the Caribbean. It has been a week of sleep, sail, drop anchor, sleep, sail, repeat with a side of hurricane thrown in for good measure. We have passed some beautiful destinations that we will hopefully get to visit next season after the Stupid has gone. Our trip from Dominica to Martinique was a rough ride and a squall decided that it wanted to follow us around all day. Squalls usually just pass on by so you get a little or a lot wet but they don’t last long. This particular squall decided it would keep reversing course so no matter which direction we sailed, it followed along faithfully confusing the seas, winds and us. The thing about living on a boat is that no matter how bad the day is, something always comes along that makes the rough day worth it. As we were pulling into our anchorage, the rain stopped and we had the most beautiful double rainbow appear! Thoughts of the rough day turn from “Well, I’m never doing that again” to “Wow! Glad I didn’t miss that!” Bill was not quite as forgiving as I was but eventually, the rainbow worked its’ magic on him and we were tucked in for the night. The weather the next day proved too rough to make it to St. Lucia so we made a quick hop to the bottom of Martinique to wait for the next day. When we pulled into the bay, there were many mooring balls but we did not think they would be strong enough to hold Galt. So, we pulled to the middle of the bay and dropped anchor. We asked the local fishermen if we were okay to anchor and they smiled and pointed a bit speaking French so we took that as a “yes”. However, a few minutes later, a boat full of scuba divers passed by and began fussing at us in French. Even in French, the intent “Hey you tree killing, coral destroying, ungreen douche bag, you can’t anchor in a protected zone” translated quite easily. So, Bill had to break all rules to go ashore and ask where we could possibly anchor. While on shore, not one person was wearing a mask nor did anyone ask Bill if he was legally checked into the country. When he returned, he stated that the bay was a protected, no anchor zone and none of the mooring balls were strong enough to hold Galt. We had to move to the next bay over but that ended up being okay because that bay was far more beautiful than the protected one and we enjoyed an afternoon of snorkeling and a quiet evening surrounded by other douche bag coral killers. The trip to St. Lucia the following day was a lovely one. Once again, we found immense humor in the stupidity of the Stupid rules. We needed to get some fuel so Bill emailed the travel board to inquire about pulling into one of the marinas for fuel. He stated that we would not get off the boat and we would leave immediately after getting fuel. The travel board sent back a list of paperwork that would have to be completed prior to pulling in for fuel. Bill restated that we did not want to check into the country (because if you do, you are stuck for the 10 day quarantine time). He received the same response and the same list of forms. So, as we approached St. Lucia, Bill called the marina directly to request fuel. Within seconds, the fuel person said, “Sure, just pull up to the fuel dock and I’ll be out to help you.” So, we pulled in, got fuel and left….no forms needed. Once again, ask for forgiveness instead of permission. As we entered our anchorage area in St. Lucia, we were not greeted by a rainbow but the “boat boys” were open for business. I compare the “boat boys” of St. Lucia to the shoe shine boys of years past except instead of a shoe shine kit, they have a dinghy. As our boat approached, the boat boys swarmed to get to our boat first. Whoever gets to the boat first, wins the customer. This day, Johnny was the fastest boat boy and pulled up next to us at least four miles off shore offering mooring assistance, shopping, tours, everything but a shoeshine. I nicknamed him Johnny-on-the-spot because from the look of the other dejected boat boys, I got the feeling that Johnny won the boat race more often than not. After Johnny helped us get Galt onto a mooring that was promised to be strong enough to hold, it took me ten minutes to convince Johnny that we could not come ashore for a waterfall tour. Once again, the locals don’t care about the Stupid restrictions, they just want to feed their families. Our anchorage was at the Pitons which were two amazing peaks jutting out of the ocean so we enjoyed a beautiful sunset as we hoped to return next year for Johnny’s waterfall tour. Next stop, St. Vincent. Another day of confused seas and currents but we battled valiantly across the cut. Just as the words, “Well, I’m never doing that again” were about to come out of my mouth, I spotted a dolphin just off the starboard bow. Then, another and another until a pod of 15 to 20 dolphins guided us along the shore with joyful glee. “Wow! Glad we didn’t miss that!”….see how it always happens? Our next greeter was an older gentleman who approached the boat to help us onto a mooring. He announced that his name was “Sparrow” which of course prompted me to ask if he was related to Jack Sparrow. He chuckled and responded, “Well, not quite!”
Our journey was almost to an end! We set sail out of St. Vincent just as a call for a tropical storm popped up. We voted to hole up in Carriacou since we could check into Grenada in Carriacou as well as hang out with our friends who were in Carriacou for hurricane season. We arrived, got a swab shoved up our nose and waited for the hurricane. Many of the boats began moving over to the mangrove area but those of us in quarantine were too unclean to be able to move. Then, I am guessing the powers-that-be figured out killing a bunch of Europeans and Americans was going to be a really bad publicity wave no matter how unclean we were. Once released to move the boats into the mangroves, a ton of boats began to putter about moving into the mangroves for better protection. We voted that we would prefer to stay in the unclean zone so that if needed, we would have the ability to maneuver. Luckily, as the night and day wore on, Elsa moved quickly and shifted northward blessing us with just a little rain. Hopefully, that will be our only hurricane call this season. We will be having a night out tonight with friends (we are no longer unclean) and then we will make our final run of the season tomorrow to Port St. Louis marina in Grenada. Hot showers and swimming pools here we come! I will greatly miss the fireworks, barbeque and homemade ice cream for the 4th so please have a little extra for me and try to stay cool! I am hoping it will be a “Wow! Glad we didn’t miss that” event for you! |
AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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