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
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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