Smelling the Barn

 Final weblog for the 2024-25 sailing season

SMELLING THE BARN

Cat Tales being gently lifted from the water and preparing for storage.

Sitting pretty in Prickly Bay, Grenada

Cat Tales is the little one at the far left of this lineup.  Newer boats are a bit longer, and a great deal beefier.

That is a funny expression, but even down in Grenada, with few large farms and no real barns, they know the reference, or can guess the meaning.  Horses and cattle smell their home and will speed up to get there.  We’re presently sitting in our quirky apartment at Cool Running, waiting for the taxi that will take us to the airport.  It was a harder than normal week in the boatyard.

We arrived as reported in Bequia on March 8th, and cleared customs the next morning.  One missing item about the trip was the sighting of s/v Prism who pulled out from the Pitons in St. Lucia just as we pulled out of Anse Cochon.  Our double-reefed main kept us behind them, and indeed, their lead grew to over two miles before we caught up in Admiralty Bay.  We joined them after we all cleared Customs and made our way to Petra’s in Lower Bay with Frank of s/v Komeekha who had already completed a hike to Hope Bay.

A view of Admiralty Bay while hiking Bequia

Looking at the south-west end of Bequia

After a few lovely hikes and meals with this little group of five, both Komeekha and Prism caught a comparatively light weather window to continue their march south.  Frank made one big jump to Prickly Bay down the west side of the islands, feeling he’d rather do it all at once rather than dealing with the sails and ground tackle in the middle as a solo-sailor.  Anina and Charlie jumped all the way to Chaguaramas, Trinidad; with the reasoning much like Frank’s, but also to travel well to the east of the islands to maintain the better angle with the wind on this long voyage.  We sat in our cockpit, watching their progress on the tracking applications, and keeping up communication with them.

Laurie with one of our favourite bar tenders, Leo,  at the Cocktail Lab in Bequia.

We saw and met other acquaintances while lingering in Bequia, but mostly enjoyed slow time alone.  We read good books in our preferred genres, snorkeled the reef on quiet days,  found interesting hikes high up the sides of the main harbour, and followed our usual custom of good lunches and even suppers ashore.  When weather allowed it, we cleared out of Customs and Immigration and made the jump to Carriacou, arriving on March 25th.  The week we were there, Dawn and I began our end-of-season maintenance: me working on engine fluids and checks, and Dawn starting through the boat with cleaning and wiping down to inhibit mold if Grenada turns abnormally damp in our absence. 

Beside one of the largest grocery stores in Tyrell, someone parked their donkey outside…well now, that was a first!

The playing field has been used to collect and compact debris from Hurricane Beryl.  This is just a fraction of the volume, and here it is, almost a year later!  It appears to be mostly, corrugated metal roofing.

We often see creative ways to build a wheel barrow, and this is another fine example!

We hiked around to keep up our dinghy legs as well, looking for restaurants that had reopened after the hurricane damage and gauging the level of recovery of the people and buildings.  We decided to give the island a 55% recovery number, but the people get a perfect score for fantastic resilience.  Construction and reconstruction is constant, with the predominant projects being roofing.  Some wrecked habitations were being lightly dwarfed by new homes growing up behind them.  The boating community is hard at work as well, with owners and clever opportunists fixing up the best of the boats.  When we came through in December, wrecked boats were still being lifted onto barges and headed to dumps and landfills.  Still, there are derelicts in the boatyards and in Trellis Bay that tend to affect one’s mood.

We left for our last easy and fun sail to a mooring ball outside of St. George’s on the main island on April 6th, and two days later had the easiest motor along the south coast and into Prickley Bay.  We’ve had a few nights entertainment with Jock of s/v Unleaded, who had to answer many questions from us on his trials and tribulations this season.  He was headed north in late November when he got beat up by winds and waves at the Kick’em Jenny underwater volcano.  His mast fell down, taking off his davits, dinghy, and a large piece of transom.  He spent most of the season in St. David’s reconstructing his WEST-constructed boat.  Because he had built the boat and dinghy himself, he knew just how to tackle it.  We also enjoyed time with Lunenburg sailors Richard and Heather of s/v Sea Pearl, taking in meals and drinks at the Brewery and at other local venues.

Finally we were hauled out of the bay and placed in the Spice Island Boatyard on April 14th, and began the work of getting Cat Tales squared away for storage.

One thing left to report:  Cat Tales has been listed for sale.  After enjoying her for 23 years, we have made this difficult decision.  It has been more than just fun: exciting, challenging, engaging, educational, and the meeting of great people we would not have had the chance to enjoy otherwise.  However, we’ll be back to Grenada in November to get Cat Tales ready for another season, and if no buyers arrive, we’ll go through the islands again!

Here’s the listing:

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1996-fountaine-pajot-tobago-35-9757554/

 

TECHNICAL

We went at the boat in the normal fashion, maybe a little quicker as the dates that lined up for us only gave us six days to work.  We left off the new Seajet 038 bottom paint as the directions provide for less than 3 months between application and wetting, and this helped a bit.  All equipment was checked during decommissioning, and either repaired or noted for November repair.  The four winches were torn down and regreassed.  Interestingly, although the 6 years of life in the charter trade was tough on the winches, there have been no problems since the 2003 repairs, thanks to the maintenance.  One exception:  I found a broken pawl spring this time and replaced it with a spare.  It shows the value of regular maintenance.  One of our friends down here said that tearing down winches is the most gratifying thing she does.  Her boat has eleven of them!

Laurie tearing down, cleaning, and greasing one of the 4 winches. 

Wrapping the dinghy and covering the trampoline will protect them both somewhat from sun damage while we’re gone.

We found last year’s repair of the batten car loading strip was faulty, and had that done again, much better.  A strong analysis of the issue suggests that the reefing loops at the luff of  the new 2002 mainsail are too short, and reefing results in pressure on the stop at the bottom of the loading strip.  Extensions to these reefing loops will result in that issue coming to its end.

The mainsail bag on the boom was originally fabricated by Dave Martin of Flyer Products, Fredericton, in 2003.  The fabric was still in great shape, but all threads were rotten and letting go.  We hired “Forever Canvas” to restitch it.  They did a great job, complimenting Dave’s handiwork but condemning his thread.  

One interesting thing I found was the rusting of a clip that holds on the safety baffle on the starboard saildrive.  I will order complete baffle systems for both saildrives and replace these systems in November.  I’ll not sell the boat with this job weighing on the new owner.

Dominica, Martinique and on to Bequia

Cat Tales sitting in beautiful flat water of Anse a l’Anne in Martinique

We last wrote from rainy Portsmouth, Dominica, just about a month ago.  Well, Portsmouth didn’t get much drier.  The daily deluges kept us out of the rainforest, eliminating the best hikes of the Island.  After about a week of investigating the town and the Cabrits fortress with Rachel and Susan of s/v Aspen1, s/v Prism arrived with Charlie and Anina, and joined our little band.  We continued along the similar lines, with shoreside investigations and lunches out.  One fantastic find is the newly renovated Chinese/international restaurant at the Riverside Hotel on Moo Cow Road, overlooking the Picard River. We ate there years ago, but then it was messed with by a hurricane, and is now back in operation.  Great food, sweet view, and constant babbling brook sounds coming to the table.

A tour of a reconstructed Kalinago community in Dominica.

A dugout boat that the tribe dug out by hand.

Things picked up rather quickly when the special events began to celebrate the Salty Dawg Rally.  We got into a couple of tours and joined into a couple of famous PAYS Beach Barbecues.  We got to mingle with a lot of interesting people, and even enticed famous Island historian Lennox Honychurch to sit at our table at the banquet.  We heard some interesting stories as we quizzed him on various historical and local topics.

PAYS BBQ with rum punch included…a dangerous offering!

Poor Rachel slid out on one of our hikes up the mountain and orders up some beer therapy!

An old wheelchair turned into a wheelbarrow!  These people are very clever at reuse!

No clothesline?  Hey, this works!

Trafalger Falls, southern Dominica

Charlie & Anina (s/v Prism) and Dawn & Laurie (s/v Cat Tales)

We had intended to at least go to the Saints, and had hopes of making Marie Galante and the west side or Guadeloupe, but we have had a season with too much wind and rain and too few windows of weather suitable of open ocean sailing.  Fearing trouble finding enough opportunities to get back to Grenada before season’s end, we headed back south on February 28th.  Well, we had a full month in Dominica, so we at least got our fill of that!  We enjoy the PAYS characters to no end, and always think of them fondly.

The trip across the open water back to St. Pierre was not as fabulous as the passage a month earlier, but it was easy and enjoyable.  Traveling with s/v Prism, we arrived to find s/v Cloud Street waiting for us.  They stayed two days before departing for northern destinations and awaiting boat company.  We had a great hike with Charlie, Anina, and Joanna to the Depaz Rum Distillery and a lunch, not letting damp weather bother us. After another day, s/v Prism headed to Case Pilot for a mechanic’s appointment, and we were joined by s/v Peacekeeper, with Skip and Kitty.  We did a hike just into the back of town, investigating more of the ruins of 1902, followed by what for us was the 3rd fantastic meal in the restaurant Alsace a Kay.

Joanna & Bill (s/v Cloud Street), Charlie & Anina (s/v Prism) and of course, Cat Tales dining out at one of our favourite restaurants in St. Pierre

Joanna, Anina and Dawn

This is a section of what is left of the large Insane Asylum in St. Pierre.  We found this on our way back from the Rum distillery.  There was a spa with water therapy included in the asylum as treatment for the troubled minds.  This was the first facility for psychiatric care in the Caribbean, but totally wiped out, with both staff and patients succumbing to the 1902 volcanic eruption.

The only remaining complete structure is the isolation chamber.

On the way to the Depaz Rum distillery

Depaz estate

Looks like Laurie forgot to dress up for Carnival!  This was our lunch spot after the 3 hour hike.

We all found s/v Savannah Sky on a mooring at Z’Abricot, near Fort de France, and got together with them, Skip and Kitty, and Charlie and Anina for a hike and lunch in at Anse a l’Anne.  With Savannah Sky leaving for parts north, and Prism leaving for Rodney Bay, Cat Tales and Peacekeeper enjoyed the last two days at Grande Anse D’Arlet, with more hiking and lunching.  We then cleared out, said our goodbyes and had a quiet night at Anse Chaudiere, awaiting a 2-day trip back to Bequia, Friday and Saturday, March 7 & 8…

Skip (s/v Peacekeeper) while checking out some ruins at the back of St. Pierre 

This little chapel was behind the Bishop’s estate, back of the large Catholic Church.  It was probably where the Bishop prayed alone.  Other buildings were for servants and slaves, as the area dates back that far for certain.

Inside of the Bishop’s little chapel.  We find some new and interesting ruins every time we return to St. Pierre.

Stern view of the Bishop’s estate.  This building was obviously reconstructed after the eruption, as reinforcing concrete was used for the upper floor, columns and ceiling.

For the first time in a long time, we put up the main with only one reef in her.  We expected light winds and a strong current from the southeast against us.  I figured we needed some power to combat the current.  The current was no problem, and after strong winds and confused seas at Diamond Rock, we had a fair and constant beam reach all the way to Anse Cochon halfway down the side of St. Lucia.  We had chosen to just ‘yellow flag’ St. Lucia as we had been having such bad luck finding weather windows.  At daylight on Saturday we raised the sail, but with two reefs, and prepared to tackle wind and currents again for the 60 miles to Bequia.  Ten and a half hours later, we dropped anchor, very tired of bracing ourselves.  It was mostly nice, with Dawn managing the music and passing out treats to the Captain, but it does wear one down.

Sailing from Martinique to St. Lucia 

St. Lucia to Bequia (a small island owned by St. Vincent)

Directly to our favourite anchoring spot in Bequia off a sweet reef accessible with a little swim from our stern.

TECHNICAL

Amazingly, this last month has gone by with practically nothing going wrong or leaving us concerned.  I had scrubbed the waterline over a month ago, and it needs it again, and our new style bottom paint seems to grow grass and slime although the barnacles are under control.  I’ve been spending a bit of time each afternoon on that, as it is good exercise and cool to the body.  A few nights ago, sitting in swells for a rocky happy hour, a strange squeak from the tiller connector had me digging out tools to get the tiller arm further down the rudder post to stop a minor rub.  My technical section has never been shorter, and Dawn, with her constant chores related to kitchen, supplies, social calendar, and passing me tools, may be wondering what use I am on a boat. 

As we ready for our second night in Bequia, we have begun our maintenance lists, end of season lists, etc.  We’ll have fun here, but there’s work to be done as well.

Martinique to Dominica

We’re now writing to you from rainy Prince Rupert Bay, north Dominica.  We have sore legs from hiking, abandoned chores to do, and a weblog to assemble – so we’ll stay aboard for a day.

Cat Tales

Prince Rupert Bay taken from a hike up the Cabrits National park

We wrote last from St. Anne, Martinique in January 4th.  We stayed there a long time, finally leaving on Friday, January 24.  We had not intended to stay so long, but every time a weather window was on the horizon, another close friend was also “on the horizon”.  We enjoyed the company of Komeekha, and soon White Pearl was anchored with us, then Cloud Street arrived, then Fathom this, and finally, Aspen 1 came around the corner.  Most often we got together in the spacious living area provided by White Pearl, enjoying their hospitality for Happy Hours and even fabulous meals cooked by Maria.  It wasn’t just that, however, as Komeekha introduced us to a number of great people, leading to get-togethers in other cockpits.  Compared to past years, Cat Tales’ cockpit saw a lot less party-action.

Hike to Saline to an outdoor restaurant, which we hiked to twice since it’s such a shaded beautiful hour long hike!

Laurie preparing to head to White Pearl to work on Hugh’s tooth.  Check out all the tools required to get the job done!

Dentistry tools to get ‘er done!

Dinner on White Pearl (Maria and Hugh from Saint John, NB)

White Pearl anchored behind us in beautiful lighting

We had our usual “Cat Tales is going to town”, with us hauling a lot of dinghies to Marin for parts and groceries. It was a fun time, with a bottle of D’Aguiar’s Rum consumed on the casual trip back.  We did two more buses to Marin for parts, as things broke or fouled while we were anchored in St. Anne.  We also enjoyed another hike to Saline Point, two meals at Basilic, one at Pirate’s, and the obligatory Bokits and 50 cL Lorraines at BouBou’s – almost all with an entourage of friends.

The ladies of Aspen 1 were on short-time at St. Anne, and we found it advantageous to follow them around the corner for a day or two in Grande Anse D’Arlet.  Finally, we enjoyed clear water for swimming and snorkelling.  My first trip off the stern had me jump almost on the backs of two beautiful spotted eagle rays.  After a hike and tour of the town, we also got to visit our favourite, cool creperie for crepes and elusive IPAs.

Trip from St. Anne to Grand Anse D’Arlet

With Susan and Rachel at the Creperie restaurant complete with IPA, which we hardly ever find!

Rachel found herself in quite a spot during our hike, but we got her fixed up!

Monday the 27th had the two boats sailing to St. Pierre, where we quickly joined by Cloud Street.  The six of us took in a tour of the Earth Sciences Centre, with excellent information on the 1902 eruption that took 28000+ lives, all with a fantastic view of Pele herself.  

The magnificent Mount Pelee clear of clouds…a rare occurrence!

A last minute stock-up of Lorraine large beers before we hit Dominica

We followed that with a fabulous lunch at L’Alsace a Kay.  It sounds like Dawn and I are foodies when we do not see ourselves that way; but these restaurants are hard to ignore.  In reality, Dawn & I  prefer to eat out at lunch and then have a modest snack and wine instead of dinner.

The gang in St. Pierre having lunch.  Susan, Rachel (Aspen1), Joanna and Bill (Cloud Street)

Aspen out in the lead as we head out of St. Pierre, still in the lee of the island for protection.  It certainly didn’t stay that flat for long!

Leaving Cloud Street to return to St. Anne, Aspen 1 and Cat Tales had a beautiful sail to Portsmouth from St. Pierre on Monday January 27th.  Double reefed but with the bit of jib hanked over to the toe rail, we got speeds from 6.5 to 9 knots in the topsy-turvey 2 metre waves.  We took some blue water into the cockpit, but we’re used to that.  Aspen 1 did very well, using much of their cutter rig.  Staying well out from shore as we carried on along the side of Dominica, Cat Tales only had to motor enough to make the 35 minutes of water-making-duty before we crossed Prince Rupert Bay to anchor.  Since arriving, we have had amazingly wet weather, wiping out the idea of rainforest hikes.  The rain has allowed us to collect a lot of laundry water, and some extra time for reading so that’s nice.  We have run ashore for groceries and a search of shops for deals on Demerara rums. The island is looking pretty good since their last hurricane.  The foliage is mostly back and the Portsmouth buildings have been repaired or rebuilt.  

These guys worked all morning on this huge swordfish!

Swordfish head

The winds deposited this in the worst possible place directly in front of the Madiba restaurant.  It will take years before it’s decided to be hauled away!

During this wet period, Dawn and I took some time aboard to work on a Zoom meeting.  I (Laurie) presented a 40 minute talk to 60 members of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineers on Fredericton’s early water supply history.  We got some good questions, which I’m told (by my loyal brother Michael who was one of the attendees) means they were interested and enjoyed it.  I’ll take that!  I might even get some book sales through Amazon! 

  We’ve been joined by friends Barbara and Andrew of “Falcon One”, and just three days ago Anina and Charlie of “Prism” sailed in.   The latter two joined us for a hike up the Cabrits Park and a meal in one of the two new and snazzy Douglas Bay restaurants.  As our first contact with them in over a year, we were quite excited.  You may notice the absence of Steve and Maria in the last few issues.  They have been much slower heading north, both for technical reasons and for a growing preference for flat water.  They made it out of Bequia and had spent some time in Rodney Bay to replace a destroyed windlass and to troubleshoot an engine problem.  Last reports have them on a ball in flat Marin.  We do expect that they will soon again be under way.  Indeed, they have a haulout booked for Jolly Harbour Antigua at season’s end.

Last report for this issue is that we have found that a favourite restaurant, an international/Chinese place that hangs over the laughing Picard River, is back open after almost a decade.  Yesterday, Susan, Rachel, Dawn and I were on a treck to the old Ross University area looking for provisions (found a bottle of Angostura rum!), when Rachel insisted on checking on it.  We had a fabulous meal in the tidiest, prettiest restaurant we’ve found.  Unlike before the hurricanes, the wooden patio over the river is gone, but the repaired wall has windows that allow all of the sound of the river through.

The brook right beside the Chinese Restaurant

We used to eat here years ago, but Hurricane Maria had put a stop to it.  It was wonderful to stumble upon it again!

We spotted our friend Max in this little take-out restaurant on our way back, maybe our next eating spot!  Max runs a taxi and tour service and we’ve known him for a while.  Great smile on this guy!

While the gals were inside the grocery store, Charlie and Laurie found a little bench in the shade to wait for us!  They’ve read most of the same books, heard most of the same music, and share the same positions on the problems of the world!

TECHNICAL

Amazingly, we’ve suffered no troubles, and I refuse to be superstitious about it.  Dawn is asking more and more strongly for me to switch out the 35 ampere alternator on the port engine, so it can be used more often – as the port engine charges our hot water tank.  I’m usually bathing buck naked in the ocean, so I don’t see it as a priority – but I’ll put it on the list.