The Season's Post-mortem

We've been back in Canada for a bit now, and are actively attacking chores around our cottage.   It is remarkable how much easier it seems to be to get a house or cottage ready for the season in comparison to a boat.  It may be that we are a little too fussy with a boat - but then, we suffer breakdowns a little harder while at sea off foreign coasts.

Sticking with the chores here for a bit, the last two days have allowed us to turn on the water, the television, and the internet; clean up the fallen debris, uncover planters and such, re-install the hot tub, consolidate the tax information for our tax guy, and deal with all the mail.  As well, we have renewed acquaintances with friends and family - indeed, we are having a big pizza party here tonight.

A common problem with being away for six months is that people do not realize how much we miss, and we flounder for a while without knowing who is or was pregnant, who is or was ill, who went to jail, and who's parent may have died, to cite some interesting examples.  The political forum is always full of scandals that we know nothing about.   Still, it will not take long to catch up.

As for the last season, let's deal with it in the various categories. 

We traveled from Trinidad to Dominica, with considerable time spent in Martinique.   The sailing was all totally without real scary times, and much of the sailing could be categorized as ideal.  The winds were probably averaging a few knots higher than normal seasons, but without the high peaks.  It was not a season for wine on the foredecks, as the evenings were almost always with winds over 15 knots.

We spent lots of time with longer-time friends like those on Silk Pajamas and Free Spirit, and just had fleeting/too short moments with Easy Listening, Tarantella, Nahanni River, Breezing Up to name a few.  It seemed we were always just missing them as we all bounced from bay to bay.  Dawn's sister Lorna and her husband Brian had a great first season with their 38 footer Peace and Plenty.  We spent some time with them, and assisted in the entertainment of sister Valerie and her husband Rick when all were assembled in Rodney Bay for Christmas.  Still, we let them have the majority of the season without us, with the results that they made many friends and had their own unique adventures.  Their weblog attests to this.  You can click on their link on our side-panel to the left.

We only had one set of guests this year, but Ron and Judy arrived during the only real significant piece of settled weather; making us able to ensure they got to sail through the Grenadines as well as experience most aspects of the cruising life.  For sure, they were there for the most successful bit of fishing, with us getting numerous strikes and landing two lovely black-finned tuna.

The weather net that is run by Denis (with assistance from Arlene) of Tiger Lilly II is still providing us with lots of information and fun; and we probably only missed about 5 morning all season.  We did not spend as much time with Tiger Lilly as last year, but got to attend Denis' 75th birthday in Grenada, which was a great highlight.

We did a lot more hiking this year, including some more challenging trails.  Besides getting up into the Syndicate Forest of Dominica, we also climbed to the Piton Creve Coeur near Ste Anne Martinique, Pointe Du Cap in northern St. Lucia, Peggy's Rock in Bequia, Big Hill on Union Island, Chapeau Carre on Carriacou, and Laurie climbed Mount Qua Qua in Grenada while Dawn was nursing a foot injury.  Add two Grenada hashes (community hike/races with the "Hash House Harriers"), and it was a strenuous season, with some exciting views.

Cat Tales had the most trouble-free season in our history.  We bought a new jib, and had a new bimini and windshield installed; and were very happy with both.  Problems with the starboard engine shooting all her oil out the dipstick disappeared mid-season last year, mixing elbows were renewed or cleaned, checks of cables and hoses are more frequent, and we are running both engines at higher rpms to hopefully fend off carbon-related problems.

All in all, we enjoyed ourselves, our boat, and our friends in the Caribbean, and still cannot see the end of this part of our short time on earth.

Here is a sample of the work done by Laurie on Cat Tales for haulout!

 We stopped on the way home to visit with Sue and Maurice Black, in Mississauga, Ontario, and formerly of the boat "Strider".  They entertained us, showed us some of Ontario's best scenery including the northern views of the Niagara Escarpment, and allowed us to enjoy their friends and family.  It amazes us how much sailors have in common and easily become close friends.

Laurie and Maurice in Maurice & Sue's home in Mississauga.

We got our cat fix with Bonnie and Clyde, Maurice and Sue's cats!

Look who owns this place...is this Bonnie or Clyde?

 

We hope everyone has an excellent summer, and our little audience here finds other pursuits.  By the way, we intend to investigate a rather different itinerary for next year - possibly spending more time in the north, visiting islands we have missed in the past, and even storing the boat in a more northerly locale.  We'll try to keep you posted.

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Finishing touches for Cat Tales in Trinidad

We were hauled out of the water on Monday without difficulty.  We are now on day 7 and will fly on Wednesday to Toronto and then on to Fredericton on May 12th.  The boat has been tarped, her bottom painted, she has been washed and waxed (wax left on for the next 6 months) and a hundred other jobs complete.  Both Laurie and I have a long list of chores and we're checking them off one at a time.

Tomorrow morning, I will take all the completed paperwork to the office at Peake's and have them stamp them all and we'll take the long walk in 34 degree heat to the customs and immigration office.  Leaving the boat in Trinidad for 6 months requires lots of paperwork with all the i's dotted and the t's crossed.

Here are a few pictures of the last few days!

Waiting for the boys...ready, set, GO!

A diver places the straps at the bulk-heads where the boat is strongest.  These guys at Peake's work like a well tuned machine!

Bottom paint - done - CHECK!

The birthday boy working on the toilet in the heat!  Happy Birthday Laurie!  The smile is totally put on!

At the time of posting, he still wasn't able to get the part to fit properly.  The air was blue in the 'head' for a long, long time!

 

You know it's a big fish when they use a fork-lift!  This type of grouper was at The Wheelhouse Pub where we enjoyed dinner last night.  We had their famous 'Bake and Shark', not this thing!

Check out the size difference between Freya on the left and Cat Tales on the right!

Hey, pelican...move over!

safe arrival in Trinidad

Laurie and I had a lovely sail from Grendad to Trinidad, taking 15 hours. The first 1/3 of the trip was lumpy and bumpy, the second 1/3 was with an opposing current, and the last 1/3 was a little too breezy. A few squalls along the way, but the important one was just outside of the Boca channel where it rained hard and washed all the salt off the boat!

We are now all officially checked in and will haul out on Monday. We'll be out of Internet contact until then.

A Big Birthday, Pirate HASH, and Heading for Trinidad

First, things first.  We intend to leave Grenada at 2:00 am on Wednesday and will sail the 14 to 16 hours to Trinidad.  Don't expect to hear from us until at least Thursday afternoon sometime because we'll be out of Internet contact until then.  Denis, our friendly weatherman suggests that the weather will be fairly nice with light winds and from the proper direction (E to NE), however, we can expect a few squalls along the way!   We should arrive into Trinidad just before dark on Wednesday and will stay in a little bay overnight and then make our way into Chagauramas to check into customs and immigration on Thursday morning.

 Now for the big Birthday Party!!  We met Denis and Arlene from the boat "Tiger Lily II" back in 2005 through one of the morning Ham Radio nets.  Denis, in his working days in Ontario, was a weatherman.  Every morning, Denis appears on the ham radio at 7:45 and talks to everyone who is interested in moving their boat to a new location and are looking for safe weather to do so.  Laurie composed a poem to honour our friend Denis. To those down here who listen in daily, it will make perfect sense, but to those from away, it might be confusing.  I have included the poem after the photos.

Laurie's delivery of the poem written in honour of Denis

Denis' 75th Birthday Party

After the birthday lunch, a few of us went on to the Saturday run/walk.  It was to be a Pirate HASH!  Pirates Paul, Lynne, John & Laurie before doing the HASH run.  Want to know more?  Go to:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers

The officials giving the new (virgin) HASHers instructions on what to expect on the walk/run

Because of my sore foot (Dawn's) I was able to lounge by the pool waiting for the hot and sweaty HASHers to return from the walk/run

John, the perfect pirate gets a ride to the HASH in Cat Tales' dinghy!

Friends of Denis (FOD net)

Its Denis who connects us all,

And why we gather in this hall.

He’s paid for us to get a lift,

To join him for his 75^th.

When I met him 2005,

He made my radio come alive.

Time and again he makes a fan

By offering out his helping hand.

A weatherman he used to be,

Before he ventured out to sea.

For years he wouldn’t let them know

For fear that some boats would follow

From bay to bay, bouy and tether,

Trying to escape inclement weather.

But now he knows his destiny,

To spread his lore to you and me.

I think he’s up at 5:30

Boots computers up to see

What all the special progs will tell,

If his dongle’s doing well.

Then he’s checked in George’s net

To verify what we might get

If we venture out to sea.

It’s ground truthing, he tells to me.

For hours he has been awake,

The weatherman knows what’s at stake

Not your average sailor man,

A hard working, sober man.

Coke Zero he brings to a party,

It doesn’t matter, he parties hearty.

And better still, he brings Arlene.

Belle of the ball, I have seen.

 

Let’s talk about these SEED meetings,

(Sometimes they’re awful drunken things)

We seem to get no business done,

Again, it's all part of the fun.

Few of us would ever fail

To check with him before we sail.

We check in most every day

To hear what he (and others) say.

Arlene is there and that is nice.

His external memory device?

We do hear her when we should,

Only when our jokes are good.

Let us talk of our friend Myrl,

Our superior propagation girl.

Tells us of the strength of wind,

By the state her windmill’s in.

Kokopele’s to be sold,

With shiny water tanks I’m told.

The cockpit bright work will stay grey,

But Gary’s checking every stay.

The chain plates will be like brand new,

They’ve taken past a month to do.

What she’ll fetch, no one knows,

The price excludes one toilet hose.

Clive likes to stay in touch,

Though he doesn’t listen much.

Denis says: “Ya otta stay”

Clive goes sailing anyway.

Free Spirit covered lots of ground,

They sailed up they sailed down.

We hear John on the radio,

They say that’s English, I donno?

I Donno, that’s June and Mike,

Both of them easy to like.

But is that name just out of hand?
Talk to Mike, you'll understand!

Kristin, Terry, scared of the swell,

Don’t ask Laurie, he can’t tell.

There are more names that I should rhyme

But I am running out of time.

Back to our host, and our hostess,

You people really are the best.

This party we just couldn’t miss,

But it is time I had a … comfort stop.

Sorry this went on and on,

One more line and I am gone.

Happy birthday, Honoured One

This is all part of the fun!

by Laurie Corbett

s/v Cat Tales

Mount Qua Qua

We're still in Prickly Bay, Grenada.

We've been working through some chores that need to be done before we head to Trinidad.  Some that we can do here include changing glycol and oil in the engines, and doing an engine inspection.  While working on the port engine, I found that the sea water pump was leaking along its shaft, and had to replace it with our spare.  Upon completion, I asked Dawn to start the engine and check for proper water in the exhaust while I looked in the engine room for leaks of oil or water.  She left her chores to check the engine exhaust on the side of the boat and then re-entered the cockpit to tell me her findings.  She swung down into the cockpit while putting her weight on some travel bags on the table that she was airing out.  Well, the bags slipped, and she did a spectacular twist and fall into the cockpit door and sump.  She seems to only have sprained her foot between her toes and heel, and is getting around the boat with only a few "ouch, ouch, ouche"s.  However, she missed out on a spectacular hike yesterday to the top of Mount Qua Qua!

I accompanied John and Alex of "Free Spirit", new friends Lynn and Paul of "Beaudacious", and friend Selinda of "Mupfel"; as we took a public bus high up to the middle of the island to the Grand Etang National Park.  We found the trailhead to the mountain near the visitors building at an elevation of somewhere around 1700 feet, and hiked along through dense vegetation for about a half hour before coming to a bit of a peak.  From here, we seemed to walk along the top of ridges to successively higher peaks, each requiring a significant climb before gaining another ridge. The trail was all cut out of reddish volcanic clay, with some steps made with board and rebar in the truly steep areas.   All the while, we were circling a large and pretty lake that was getting smaller as we climbed.  At Mount Qua Qua's summit, at 2370 feet, the view was fantastic.  We were obviously on top of the backbone of this island, with views down six or seven miles to each shore, and a spectacular view across the city of St. George to the southern tip of the island, about ten miles away.  Even with the height of the trees still a little muted from the 2004 hurricanes, the vegetation was thick and interesting.  While at the summit, the clouds fell for a few minutes, and the stiff breezes blew the mist up the steep valley/crater wall to make a wild scene.  We were cooled, but the hike down had us warm in no time.

 

Grand Etang Lake with Mount Qua Qua in the background

 

Start trail 'here'

 

Hiking buddies

Path along ridges around Grand Etang Crater Lake

 

10 mile view of Grenada's southern tip

We had a few slips and falls on the way down, but the whole hike was only about 3 hours, and nobody fell off the steep ridges.  We had actually been hiking along the ridges of an ancient volcano.  The island grew out of the water about 38 million years ago, but the top of this central volcano blew to smithereens about 12000 years ago, leaving the Grand Etang Lake, the peaks and ridges, and Mount Qua Qua as the highest part of the ridge.  I assume, but for the giant explosion, this volcano would have been a most spectacular Caribbean mountain, likely the tallest on the island.  As is, Qua Qua is the island's second tallest, with Mount St. Catherines in the north being a few hundred feet taller.  I can't guess where the cubic mile or so of material went!

Dawn, I'm sure, will insist we hike it together next year.  For now, it's keep the old foot up to get her ready for chores onboard for haulout!

Back in Prickly Bay, Grenada, and a Hash

I can't believe that we've done it again - 10 days without sending out a weblog. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Last posting covered our great hike up Chapeau Carre mountain. Two days later, the four of us (D & L, Terry and Kristen of "Silk Pajamas") bussed over to Windward on the east shore, and walked well over two hours around the north end of the island and most of the way back to Hillsborough. It was another great hike, with beautiful vistas of the Grenadines and interesting, although rather dry, country. It was followed by a fantastic late lunch (or early supper) at

The next day we followed "Silk Pajamas" around to the north side of Carriacou to anchor off Paradise beach. The anchorage was not as flat as Tyrel Bay, but we needed a change of scenery. We enjoyed our last days with Terry and Kristin, chatting, going ashore for pizza, and the like, and also visited with Derek of "Buzzard".

Derek is a single-hander who we see regularly up and down the island chain. He doesn't bother with SSB or Ham, but goes where he wants and when he wants in a rather fearless manner aboard his 37 foot Beneteau. He had arrived in Carriacou after winning the Single-hander's race around Bequia over the Easter weekend. We asked about why he named his boat "Buzzard", and he said his grandfather served a long time on the HMS Buzzard before accepting a job with the Canard Lines, helping fill out the roster as a First Class Steward on a new boat sailing for New York. Yes, he went down with the "Titanic".

Saying goodbye to Terry and Kristin was tough on the ninth of April, as we have spent so much time with them this season. Oh well, it will be quite special to get together again next year. We upped anchor Wednesday morning, and had a wonderful five hours to St. Georges. We only had one bite on Dawn's line, but whatever it was just straightened the barb and left us. We spent two days on a mooring outside St. Georges, expecting the wind to go quiet enough to sit on the foredeck with a glass of wine - but it was not to be. This season has not had much in the way of light winds.

We did get some shopping done, both provisions and boat maintenance material, and then Friday morning we motored around to Prickly Bay. With not much organizing, we had a party going at "De Big Fish", and we enjoyed their fantastic Callaloo Pizza with John and Alex of "Free Spirit", and Marian and Pat from "Skye". John and Alex have their boat on the hard, working through their chores.

We probably had a beer too many, especially as we signed up for Saturday's Hash. As explained last year, some expat British have revived a tradition known as the Hash House Harriers, which we are told was started by some military chaps in Burma years ago. It appears to be a drinking club with a running problem. At any rate, Friday afternoon found us high in the hills on the north-east side of the island with John and Alex; Dawn and Alex slated for the long walk, and John and I set up for the five mile run.

The trails, which ran through orchards of cocoa, banana, mango, nutmeg, orange, lime, bamboo, as well as roads, back yards, angry dogs, frightened parakeets, through streams and a bit of a swamp; were for the most part too steep to run up or down, although I think I did a lot of free-fall if that counts. We followed paths and roadways marked with little piles of shredded paper, sometimes with false trails that led you to an x of shredded paper. Those secure on the correct path would yell "On,on", while those finding the "x" would yell "On, back". Everybody hurries and cheers everybody else along the paths. Although I lost John around the stream wading, I did feel like I was keeping up with a lot of people much younger than me.

The after-hike part includes a lot of beer in a field, and the opportunity to have a small snack cooked by the locals. The ride back in the van/bus was boisterous, with stops at a couple of beer/rum shops, and a final drink at "De Big Fish".

My upper thighs are screaming at me for the second day, and we are spending our time reading and doing small chores. Interestingly, we shared the bus and much of the other event with a couple, Lynn and Paul, from a California registered Catalina 47 called "Beaudacious" We actually met them for the first time in Hillsborough while having lunch with Terry and Kristin after our Windward hike. Last night they hosted us aboard their boat along with the crew from "Free Spirit". A fun couple and a fun night. Tonight we stay home and dry out a bit. We just declined an invitation from Derek of "Buzzard". The hell here never ends.

All for now. We'll write again after we have definite plans for our crossing to Trinidad. Right now, we're looking to leave around April 22-25th, but that will depend on weather predictions. Haulout for us is in Trinidad on April 29th.