Pictures & a video of Mike and Anne's visit to Grenada

Soon after Mike and Anne O'Brien arrived in Grenada, we found a quaint little local restaurant up a steep hill. Joan met us and put together a beautiful meal! It's so nice to visit away from the touristy spots!
The link to the video is at the very bottom of this page. Be careful not to miss it!


Happy hour at La Phare Blue Marina was a great find! Six caribs for 22.00 EC (10.00 Canadian) and great inexpensive munchies, all in the most beautiful upscale surroundings.!


We arranged for Cutty to take us on a full day tour of the island. We made an announcement on the morning cruisers net and were able to fill the bus to keep the cost down to $25.00 US a person. We were picked up at 9:00 am and dropped off at 5:00 pm! What a great day!


A highlight was meeting up with some monkeys up in the hills at a crater. Cutty brought a few bananas with him and enticed the monkeys out of the forest. After that, you couldn't get rid of them!






The real monkey is on the right...


Here is Anne, looking very tropical. I think she's fitting in around here!


A beautiful moon rise in Grenada!

Here's a wonderful little video of a monkey eating a mango at the park in Grenada while we were on the tour! Click here to see it!

Mike & Anne's visit

We are truly enjoying the visit with Mike and Anne O'Brien over the last few days. After picking them up at the Prickly Bay Tiki Bar on Tuesday night, and of course getting them settled on board, we had a quiet night and a slow morning. Mid-morning Wednesday, we motored upwind to tour four other bays, stopping in one for a great lunch in a very quaint restaurant, and stopping in another for snorkeling, a happy-hour ashore, and another night at anchor.

We up-anchored after another slow morning on Thursday, and had a reasonably speedy downwind sail back west to St. Georges. We fished along the way, but fish were not biting. By 2:00 in the afternoon, we had Mike and Anne safely dinghied to their resort, and enjoyed the resort's pool with them. I (Laurie) also took advantage of their running fresh water in their room to wash a shirt.

Mike and Anne don't snorkel nor swim, and the heat is almost too much for Anne, but they seemed to like the sailing and sight-seeing, and we have to give them top marks for courage for trying boating in the Caribbean. They are both sporting sunburns and are trying to figure out how to get outside and not continue to burn.

Friday, the four of us toured the shops of St. George's, with Mike and I taking time out from the shopping to climb to St. George's Fort for a discussion about cannon technology. Dawn and Anne met us with lots of great finds.

Yesterday, Saturday, we took an island tour with Mike and Anne and two other couples. It was a great, albeit long day. The highlight for me was a tour of the Rivers Rum factory, where they primarily turn sugar cane into rum. Most of the crew were amazed at how little care is taken towards cleanliness until after the distillation process, but most tasted and/or bought the products on the way through. We finished the day with Happy Hour and pizza at De Big Fish, Prickly Bay; where we also caught up with Brian and Paula of "Magique". A band was playing great music. It all began at 5:00 pm, and by 8:30, the band was finished and the place was clearing out. That's the cruisers way.we all seem to be in bed by 9:00, often called the 'cruisers midnight'.

We'll complement this report with pictures and video as soon as our wifi connection allows.

We're off to see Mike and Anne this afternoon and enjoy their beach, lounge chairs and fresh water pool! Sadly, tomorrow, Mike has to work, so we'll do something with Anne. Tuesday morning, very early, they head for St. Lucia for 3 days of work for Mike. Anne insists that she will try the new "zip line" St. Lucia has to offer, but we are insisting that we have video confirmation of such an event!

video of squid and dolphins

Mike and Anne O'Brien have arrived safely and have survived tuna and rum punch aboard Cat Tales. We'll take them on an excursion today and will report later! Mike says hi to Rita back at the office.

I hope you checked out the blog yesterday to see some photos. Today, I have a video of our encounter recently with squid and dolphins. Click here to see it!

Dawn

Photos of Sanday Island

Laurie participates on a morning Ham Radio net. I have placed this one here for Marty and Don back in Canada who talk to him daily. Hi Marty and Don!


For some reason, the squid loved the cool shade under and around our boat. After a snorkel, we discovered over 120 of them all in a line under Cat Tales! What a beautiful sight!



With no wind, it was so hot I couldn't stand it anywhere on the boat, so I had my second cup in the water. I wasn't long getting into the shade of the hulls to stay really cool!

While on Sandy Island, we discovered a poor tortoise who had been left there as a prank by a local. Garry and Linda from July Indian decided to take it by dinghy to the bigger island of Carricou where it would have some shade, fresh water, and perhaps a friend or two.

On Earth Day, the three Canadian boats; Cat Tales, July Indian, and Magique did our part and cleaned up the island. It took less than an hour and it surely looks much better now!


On our way to Grenada from Sandy Island, we were fortunate enough to catch this big eyed tuna!


We're not sure the tuna was as happy as we were.
I have a video of the dolphins, but I will try to post it in the morning for tomorrow's viewing!
Mike and Anne O'Brien will be arriving within the next couple of hours, so we'll be busy again!
Toodles, Dawn

Slow Boat to Grenada.

The last weblog was sent to you from Clifton, Union Island, on Tuesday night. We checked out of Customs and Immigration for the SVG Wednesday morning, and sailed right after to Hillsborough, Carriacou, the first island of the Grenada-owned Grenadines. It was a lovely, two-hour sail under jib only, but with no fish. We arrived during lunch, so we spent the time preparing and devouring a big hunk of steak, still left from Walter and Dana's visit, while waiting for the offices to open again after lunch.

As soon as we checked through Customs and Immigration, we again raised the jib, and trundled on downwind to the little anchorage beside Sandy Isle. This little spot, about a half mile off Paradise Beach, is a low spit of sand and heaped-up dead coral about 100 feet wide and 1000 feet long. Apparently, it was once lovelier with mature palm trees, but a hurricane cleaned it a few years ago, and the little guys planted by the locals are just a few feet tall yet. Still, a pretty oasis, with a great little snorkel at one end. A swim and a few repairs brought on happy hour and another pretty little sunset. The primary reason we were here was forecasted low-to-no wind, and we could tell it was about to arrive.

Thursday arrived with the scheduled lowering of the breezes, and, after the necessary coffee and Sudoku competition, we set to some chores. I (Laurie) tackled a potentially thorny job: removing the engine exhaust mixing elbows for cleaning and re-gasketing. It took the better part of two mornings to carry out, and was also accompanied by a pop-out of an oil dipstick on the starboard side. Not only did I lose litres of sweat on the elbows, but had to stand on my head and mop out the oil that spit up over everything. With the shampooing and cleanup of the oil and the areas affected by the slight leaks at the exhaust elbows, I got the necessary warm feeling of a job well done. (Warm indeed!) Dawn was busy with her numerous own chores, and the great physical and moral support for my chores.

Magique arrived on Thursday afternoon, and July Indian arrived Friday night; and we found great ways to enjoy each others' company. As well, the snorkeling provided Dawn and me with a few new reef fish, most notably some Rock Beauties and Spot-fin Butterfly fish. Saturday, we understand, was Earth Day. The three vessels celebrated it with a 5-bag cleanup of the debris on Sandy Isle. We still may be making the planet uninhabitable for our species, but Sandy Isle looks better today.

An interesting footnote is that we befriended a tortoise we found on the Isle. We also found out that it was dropped off there by a local who found it on another little island. We have no idea whether it was a good idea, but we fed it a great vegetarian dish, and Garry of July Indian ran it back to the main island, where we hope it will find water, shade, better grub, and others of its own species.

We are now behind a bluff outside St. George's Bay, Grenada. We got under way this morning at 5:30, and had a 6-hour sail down. We caught a 6-serving big-eye tuna within the first hour, and the filleted sides are right now against the cold plate. Presently, we're doing a little planning: purchases, repairs, and how to spend time with Lefty and Anne O'Brien, who arrive Tuesday night. As we don't have a great internet connection, this note is going up without pictures. Please check back in a day or two, as we do have some great shots to share.

Tobago Cays and catching fish...yummmm

Saturday morning, after running for some dinghy fuel, we followed Magique out of Admiralty Bay, Bequia. We had enjoyed a little time with Sue and Morris on Strider, but they had not yet had their fill of Bequia, so we left with the hope of a future rendezvous somewhere in the Grenadines.

Here is a picture of Brian and Paula from Magique along with the two of us at the very end of Bequia race week.

Magique had a little head start, but even with a reef in both main and jib, our comfortable 6.5 knots got us to the Tobago Cays right behind them. Although we trailed three lures, no fish were interested.

We made contact with Garry and Linda of “July Indian”, who had arrived the day before, and the six of us plunged in for a snorkel right away. We were investigating a patch of reef that we knew a “day-charterboat” frequented with their guests, with food in their hands. We brought over a banana, and the fish were more than friendly, biting us in their attempt to get their share. Normally shy groupers and squirrelfish, that you never see except by peering into caves and crevices, came right up to wait for the food to be released, and attacked it furiously. Wrasses, grunts, and other small, colourful fish crowded in even closer. When our offerings were gone, they continued to nip at our fingertips, so we decided to check out another patch of coral, with less tame fish!

Sunday, we swam with the turtles, in the cordoned off area by the beach of Baradal Cay in the morning, then took off to dive off the front of the horseshoe reef, guided by Garry of July Indian. Besides the normal reef fish, we were able to see the bigger meat-eaters, or pelagic fish. Large bar jacks, yellow-tail jacks, and cero mackerals; all fish that had been hauled up the back of Cat Tales and onto our plates, swam slowly through the much deeper water along the steep-walled reef. We saw no sharks, but Dawn came face-to-face with a big ‘cuda while swimming later in the day. The abundance of fish, the colours of the different types of coral, and the clear water made for an exciting snorkel. We dinghied back to the boats after an hour or so, but stayed in the water to chase rays, sand-divers, and other species to look up in our books.

Monday, we all paid for it, with burned backs, necks, ears, and foreheads from floating for hours in the beautiful waters of the Tobago Cays. It is strange to suffer our worst sunburns so late in the season. You’d think we would have learned something by now. We played like children, and got burned like them. Still, it was all worth it.
Dawn cut my hair in order to show Paula how to do Brian's. Paula had a ball cutting his! I could easily convince her to do Laurie's next time since she had so much fun!


We left the Tobago Cays on Monday morning, and let the jib haul us through the reefs to Chatham Bay, Union Island. Just outside the Marine Park, we dropped our lures again, and almost immediately, Dawn hoisted a cero mackerel aboard. As we were travelling rather comfortably, I dressed it down into slabs of meat right on the cockpit table on my fish cutting board, just finishing up as Dawn hauled aboard another one, significantly bigger. I saw none of the short sailing trip, leaving it all to Dawn, as I continued as a butcher. All in all, we had 8 servings of fish, and with no buddy-boat with us, we had to get started on it. Dawn immediately cooked up our main meal of the day, and put the rest in the fridge. The fish was as delicious as ever, and we’re sure that Ron Roy is salivating at his desk at work while he reads this!
We hope to post this Wednesday morning, as we dash off to Clifton Harbour to check out of SVG. Although it seems sad to say goodbye to this area, we are hoping for some flat seas while we enjoy Sandy Isle off Carriacou.

Photos of the Easter Regatta and more!

Here are a few more shots from the Bequia Easter Regatta 2010:


Mayhem at the mark!

Below you'll see even the tiny boats were involved! They were NOT remote control. Instead, a person from the motor boat had to dive off and turn the model boat in the proper direction and get back aboard to follow the boat to the next place where they'd make another move!










The following pictures were taken by Garry from the sailboat, "July Indian". How beautiful are these?!











Ahh, sweet Bequia!
We'll be leaving Bequia in the morning heading for the Tobago Cays, which is a 3 hour sail. Over the next week, we will march downward to Grenada to meet up with Mike and Anne O'Brien on April 20th. They will be spending 5 days with us before Mike's business trip actually begins!

We may be out of Internet reach for a few days...catch ya later!
Dawn

Bequia Easter Regatta 2010

It has been a busy few days since we last wrote, so we have lots to tell. I'll write the blog and then Dawn will add pictures and descriptions at the end.

We had left Soufriere very early on Wednesday morning, after saying a fond goodbye to Shane, and arrived at the small island of Bequia just around suppertime. We quickly tidied up the boat, and got reacquainted with Brian and Paula of Magique (of Saint John), over a sundowner and some snacks.

We were intending to travel from St. Lucia with John and Stopp Knot, but he had been delayed. The plan was for Stopp Knot to be the home base for a J-24 boat, “Loose Cannon”, which was sailing down for the Easter Regatta here. John had been talked into the arrangement by the captain, Edgar, an Australian who now often refers to St. Lucia as home. Dawn had also tried to convince him; so he had talked his friend Robin, who packed his two teenagers, his British sister and her teenager, and possibly Edgar’s Lucian girlfriend on board.

They had finally got Stopp Knot loaded and ready to go on Thursday morning; but pulled away from the dock and found the boat would not go into forward gear. Four hours later, John knew that the boat would not have forward gear until it spent some time in the yard on the hard. What a disappointment.

That also left Edgar and his crew with no home base. They had left Rodney Bay at 6:00 a.m. Of course, when we saw them coming in to Admiralty Bay, Bequia, we hailed them over, and set out some fenders. We became their base. Immediately, two beds, and much of the foredeck and cockpit became quite loaded with people, extra gear, and coolers of icy cold Piton beer. As well, our dinghy was in very regular use.

We decided at the last moment to just join in and go with the flow. We agreed to become the crew for Magique, and dove into the 4 days of racing and partying.

We didn’t win any races, had good and bad starts, scary tacking duels and amazing near-collisions. We’ll tell you more tomorrow. For now, here are some pictures:

s/v Magique, with Paula, Brian and Dawn and Laurie

Pictured below is Paula and Brian Cullinan from Saint John, NB aboard their C&C 44 foot.


Here is Laurie on the left and Brian at the helm and Paula at the winch. Did you know that monohulls sail with a huge tilt?

From left to right, the crew of Loose Cannon:Trevor(Saint Lucian), Edgar(Australian) and Ronnie (Italian). Absent in the photo is: Steve (British) and George(American) as they stayed aboard other boats.

Here is Edgar with his crew on "Loose Cannon", a J24. The J24 category was huge and they raced different courses than the other divisions.

Ahhh, the sailing has taken its toll...or should we say the Piton beer is to blame. Whatever, many snoozes were taken during the day after racing because of the lack of sleep after the Regatta parties at night. Free Heineken and Mount Gay rum was on the supper menu each night! Edgar often said, "a meal in every bottle!" Below is Steve on our trampoline catching a wink.


Poor Ronnie from Italy is bushed! His bed wasn't slept in last night!


Edgar is on the left and Trevor (our Saint Lucian policeman) is on the right. Trevor slept in our cockpit every night so didn't have a bed of his own! We felt well guarded at night, whenever he made it back to our boat!

Racing in Bequia

What a difference a day makes. We were dead set against racing, and now we've spent a full day at it, and expect to be doing it for two more days. Yesterday's race aboard the Saint John boat, Magique, with Brian and Paula, was three plus hours of good fun. Well, it was except for us totally screwing up the start. Actually, we still don't know for sure how they manage the signals and flags to start 5 different classes, with a different class starting every five minutes. This time we'll just sit near the start line and watch for known boats in our class. There are fifty-three different boats around that little start line, so it's quite the thing.

In the middle of this, we have a J-24 rafted to us with men coming and going from our boat. They would have been connected to Stopp Knot, if John's boat had not developed transmission trouble attempting to leave Rodney Bay. We just finished breakfast with three of the J-24 crew. More later.

The peripheral parties and meetings are great too. More later.

Bequia Regatta

Well, we thought we'd be simple spectators for the Bequia Eater Regatta on the sidelines, however we now have important jobs!

John Fallon of s/v Stopp Knot didn't get off the dock in St. Lucia. He had his boat fully loaded with people, food and beer and discovered he had transmission troubles. After trouble shooting for a day, he now has resigned himself to staying put for this season's Bequia regatta. Edgar and his 2 man crew left St. Lucia and arrived here in Bequia on his racing boat J-24 "Loose Canon" at around 6:30 pm after sailing for 12 hours. Because all three guys were to use John's boat for accommodations, we stepped in and invited them to stay with us. We now have Edgar (originally from Australia), Trevor (a police officer from St. Lucia) and Ronnie (a sailor from Italy) aboard Cat Tales with all their food and beer!

We have also agreed to crew on Sunday with Brian and Paula on their boat "Magique" and will do an around the island race.

So, what a difference a day makes!

"Let's get this party started..."

Hi to my sister Lorna and my neice Kendra who are flying to Fredericton today to visit my mom and dad!! Safe travels!! Love you all!

Dawn