Today, Tuesday, is intended to be an R and R day aboard Cat
Tales, here back in Prickly Bay Grenada.
We were thinking we'd just read and rest, but the chores must be
done. I've done a fuel transfer and
cleaned up, Dawn is doing laundry in a bucket, and we've cleaned out the anchor
locker and wiped it down in preparation of applying some waterproofing to the
drain holes. We're thinking that one of
these holes is allowing some moisture into the laminate, and intend to wipe the
edges and all suspicious areas with a high quality caulking. And there is the fun obligation of
maintaining communication with those who would like it, so here we are typing
away. Maybe later, we'll have a read.
We sailed south from Tyrell Bay, Carriacou, with Peace and
Plenty on Monday; and enjoyed a fantastic and fast sail, with speeds up to 8
knots, and minimal splashing on the topsides even though some of the waves in
the "Kick-Em-Jenny" area were tall and sharp. It really was fun, and not at all
stressful. The two boats tied up at
mooring balls at Dragon Bay, where the local underwater enthusiasts have worked
with local artists to place sculptures in 15-25 feet of water. The greatest enjoyment was when Lorna looked
down to see a man at a desk, typing on a typewriter and started laughing. That
was the first sculpture she saw. We've been here before - but it is always fun
to show things to new visitors.
We enjoyed a pressure cooker meal of chicken and vegetables
aboard Cat Tales with Lorna and Brian, and spent the night. Sadly, Cat Tales, being a cat, played with
the mooring ball between her paws all night; while Peace and Plenty wrapped
their mooring line around the keel and rolled terribly all night.
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| Underwater sculpture - a man typing! |
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| Another fabulous underwater sculpture! |
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| Laurie checking it all out closeup! |
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We carried on the last hour to St. Georges Tuesday morning;
and showed Lorna and Brian the laundry facilities and restaurant at the Yacht
Club. The afternoon had us all shopping
in the Island World chandlery and the Foodland grocery. It was the next day we took them for the
foot-tour of St. Georges; showing off the most interesting stores, scenes, and
places of historical interest. They got
to see a third world butcher shop in action, and the vision may stick with them
for a while. We'll stick to chicken and
fish...We took no pictures.
Thursday was New Years Eve, and Cat Tales had only until
noon to pick up her new batteries at Budget Marine in Prickly Bay; so we got
moving early, and motored without incident to Prickly. The acquisition of the batteries was also without
incident, and the installation was going well until we were 90% done. At that point, I reached over the batteries
in the little compartment to disconnect a wire on the diode block and I suspect
the boat lurched. I thought I got
electrocuted, but there were no wires near the small of my back. It took a lot of pain to get me out of the
shed, primarily with me supporting my upper body while Dawn pulled my legs
out. I could only drag myself to the
salon floor and lay on my back for a couple of hours. As the work had to continue, I coached Dawn
on how to connect the rest of the wires and recommission our electrical
system. She said it was like landing a
plane by radio, or performing open heart surgery via phone instructions.
With some basic painkillers, I was able to make it to Peace
and Plenty later in the day, and, although I took the favoured chair, I was
able to hold my own during the New Years Eve celebration aboard. I have been recovering ever since, and expect
to be 100% in another week easily.
Since then, we've shared our friends, our favourite haunts,
and our tricks and sources. Lorna and
Brian have decided to adopt the place, and have made plans to haul out here in
the spring.
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| Lorna and Brian at the University Club pool after a wonderful lunch at their restaurant |
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| Kathryn from s/v Katarina and Dawn drying off after a swim |
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| Our view from the University Pool for the afternoon! Our free Associate Membership is a handy card to have! |
Together, we've decided not to get the boats to the coves
further to the east, but to turn around and enjoy the season further to the
north. After Peace and Plenty enjoy an
island tour tomorrow, we'll head back to St. Georges for a night and then move
on back to Carriacou on Friday.
Technical:
The batteries are the big thing. I've replaced 4 house batteries and one start
battery, all Trojan SCS150s (12V, 100AH), and kept the best Trojan for the
starboard start battery. I've replaced
these with Exide 31MDC (12V, 115AH), and intend for all five to be both the
house and the port start battery in one.
I've sent a specific letter to Exide for charging setpoints for these,
given our specific chargers and our particular temperatures. They've responded with some useful
numbers. One criticism is that the
terminal screws are short, and I am installing extension terminals to allow
direct connection of sensor wires, solar and wind , and the windlass
connections.
