Busy Times!

Kids arrived as scheduled (a miracle!) at Grenada Marine, where we were sitting at the bar, food waiting,  just in case...good thing!  They were both starving after a really long travel day.  

   

We spent the next day getting ready to set sail, which always involves something going wonky-in this case, the canvas shop that stored our sails returned our Genoa with the wrong shackle, a real problem, as we did not have a spare, and the one they sent did not fit.  We went in to the marina & managed to find a new one, which Bill promptly dropped into the drink while trying to install.  Doh!  To top it all off?  The sail was completely (and I mean seriously) infested with thousands of tiny ants....which I have been waging war against ever since. I am slowly winning, and so far have kept them out of the galley-yay me!

Anchorage at St. George's

We  moved north, to St. George's, a nice anchorage located close to the Port Louis Marina, a good grocery store & town.  We spent a couple of days touring the Fort, Snorkeling in the underwater Sculpture Garden, and provisioning.  We also found a new shackle and managed to install it properly.  All sails now on, tested, and functional. I saw my second green flash here, and though I tried to get a picture, someone (who shall remain nameless) decided that this was the perfect time to raise our main sail, to be sure it was working properly....so no record of that for posterity....

Snorkeling the Sculpture Garden

Ring of Children - Sculpture Garden

Ryan Checks out the Children

Our next stop was the island of Carriacou, where we anchored just long enough to take a bus ride to Hillsborough to clear out of Grenada.  The ride was an awesome way to see a fair amount of this lovely little island, and we completed our business quickly enough that we had some time to wander about town a bit.  

We had places to go and people to see, so off we went to Union Island (Saint Vincent & the Grenadines), where Jante and his Happy Island Bar awaited us.  We picked up a mooring ball in the bay, dodged boat boys, cleared in to the country, and promptly dinghied over to the tiny island Jante created out of conch shells for a libation.  Jante has jacked his prices since we were there last, so it was a quick stop! We had a bit off excitement that evening, though; as we were enjoying dinner near the ferry dock, people started gathering in large numbers.  Apparently, the ferry from St. Vincent had lost one engine while at sea, and the other went out in the entrance to the harbor.  The ferry ran aground  on a reef just inside the bay.  Fortunately, no one was hurt...and they managed to unload the passengers and much of the cargo, using the small boats that rushed out to assist. The engine was restarted about two hours later, and the ferry came in to dock.  Amazingly, it went out as scheduled the next morning at 8 am!  As did we, off to Tobago Cays :)

At Happy Island Bar

Union Island Lagoon

We spent two gorgeous nights in the Cays.  One of my favorite (deserted type) places so far on our travels!  Swam with the sea turtles, snorkeled Horseshoe Reef, and visited Petit Tabac, the island where Captain Jack Sparrow & Elizabeth Swan were marooned.

Exploring Petit Tabac

Morgan Checks out Wreckage

Then it was off to Mayreau.  We climbed up to the top of the island, enjoyed the 360° panoramic view, and then caved to the inevitable...found a sports bar (so to speak) and watched some American football...it was Sunday, after all! One of the local restaurants had a Steel Pan band, so we parked ourselves for dinner and enjoyed some great music. Before we were even served, the power on the entire island went out-no worries, though!  Seems this is a common occurrence here, and the staff promptly put out lanterns and candles, then carried on as if nothing was unusual.

Mayreau Sports Bar

Christmas Eve brought us to Canouan, where the first boat boy to greet us held up two large Caribbean Lobster-sold!  Lobster Casserole for dinner, using my mom's not-so-secret-anymore recipe.  Christmas Day dawned wet and windy, but had a lovely day with family anyway. Merry Christmas!

A Truly Horrible Photo of a Lovely Dinner!

A Christmas Day Rain Shower

Our Christmas Tree

We put Canouan behind us and sailed out into some blustery winds and swelly seas.  Morgan was not too fond of that particular passage!  We had a moment of uncertainty when our GPS decided to go out, but we always keep a deck log while sailing, so even if we had not been able to reboot, we would have had no problem charting our course. Four hours later we were in Bequia, safely tucked in Admiralty Bay, right off of a gorgeous beach.  Spent a couple of days lazing about and enjoying the warm, clear water.

Bill Enjoys Bequia

Morgan Wanted to Adopt This Puppy

Marigot Bay was calling us, so we hauled anchor at 0400, much to the dismay of our young crew.  The Captain was so sure they would enjoy the full moon sail, that he rousted them out of bed to assist in our departure.   They helped raise the sails, and promptly went back to bed.  Did not see them again until 0900.  I am not super fond of long night passages, but when there is a full moon, it can be pure magic!  Traveling  between the islands here means there is a lot to look at, as opposed to the usual vast expanse of ocean while at sea.  We had some big swells & gusty winds until we sailed into the lee of St. Vincent.  Of course, we then sailed back out again...but ten hours later, we were safely tucked into Marigot Bay and were able to clear customs in Saint Lucia.  Another stamp on the passport!  Morgan immediately decided that Marigot Bay is her favorite stop so far...the most Caribbean yet, she said.  Off to Doolittle's for a game of pool, and of course, a nice cold Piton.  

Passage to Marigot

A Wee Bit Rough

Morgan's Favorite Place

A Libation at The Swim-up Bar

Pool At Doolittle's

New Years Eve was fast approaching, so we moved on up to Rodney Bay Marina, where we will actually be at the dock for the next three weeks or so.  Why?  Playoffs, of course!  T.V and internet are quite spotty down here in the islands, so planning ones route according to coverage is most important!  With the Patriots, Packers and Niners all in the Superbowl race, we clearly had to make the proper adjustments in our schedule in order to watch all the key games....

So here we are-the New Year rung in with Champagne and fireworks, ready to tackle 2013 with enthusiasm!  We send Ryan back to the real world tomorrow, but get to "keep" Morgan until two days after her 21st birthday....should be interesting, and as always....

We'll try to keep you posted :)