Blogs

How I sometimes wish I could jump in my car and run the errands I need to run within a couple of hours’ time. When the tank is running low, I’d pull over at one of the many gas stations and fill her right up! But, I don’t have a car and even if I did, it wouldn’t be of much use while I’m living on our sailboat in the Caribbean. As I have realized many times before and as I probably have mentioned before as well: life on the water is a tad more difficult and inconvenient than life on land and some of why we chose this life is because or despite of that.

 Leaving Tyrrel Bay in Carriacou to - maybe - obtain fuel in Clifton, Union Island (SVG)    © Liesbet Collaert

Mark and I try to sail our boat as much as possible which results in not needing all that much diesel. Normally, we take our dinghy to a fuel station on the water and fill a 5 gallon jug, whether it is gas for the dinghy or diesel for the big boat. Fuel in the Caribbean has become very expensive (compared to US prices; similar to European prices), but if you buy a little bit at a time, it’s not too bad. Now, however, anticipating a long trip to – for us – unknown territories west, we want to leave with a full diesel tank and some spare gasoline. Being on a budget and having principles, we looked into a few things to spend as little money as possible on this fuel mission.

Read more

It arose out of nowhere. All of a sudden. No weather predictions mentioned it coming. Nobody was really prepared for it. As a matter of fact, most cruisers were not even on their boat, that Thursday evening, with all the different activities being organized in the different Grenadian bays. There was a cooking class in True Blue Bay, there were happy hours in Prickly Bay, there was a BBQ in Woburn and Harry Potter movies in Clarke’s Court Bay, there was dominoes and volleyball in Mt. Hartman Bay. Everybody ashore was having a good time, until the storm came and the peaceful anchorages turned into a giant mess of churning seas and turmoil…

 A peaceful anchorage can turn into a "wild" scene when a squall comes through            © Liesbet Collaert

During hurricane season, cruisers more than ever keep an eye on the weather. There are many websites, SSB nets, grip files and VHF channels that display the wind, wave and precipitation predictions for the present and the near future. We pick our anchorages and make sailing decisions based on the weather and when a nasty wave or tropical low is predicted, most of us decide to stay on the boat to make sure the hatches (windows) are closed, the anchor is not dragging and neighbors stay at a safe distance. If necessary, the engines run in idle and the dinghy is ready to be launched, to help somebody else in trouble or to use for own safety measures. That is if you know “something” is coming your way and you happen to be on your boat…

Read more

One of the biggest advantages of owning a sailing catamaran is that you can move freely about watery places. The south coast of Grenada is a great place to do so, hurricane season or not. Many cruisers stay in or move around Prickly Bay, Mount Hartman Bay, Hog Island and Clarkes Court Bay and all of them have a certain attraction and atmosphere. Prickly Bay, which can get bumpy at times, has easy access to busses (and therefore shopping) and contains a marine store, a nice beach and two fun and happening bars. A wide array of boaters prefers this anchorage, absent of “clickiness” and small town attitude.

Prickly Bay                                                                                                                     © Liesbet Collaert

Mount Hartman Bay is quiet, flat and filled with cruisers who like to organize social activities and feel important on the VHF radio. The Hog Island anchorage is very protected, crowded and generally filled with a younger, more alternative crowd. There is a beach with the cool local Roger’s Bar and a walking trail crisscrossing the uninhabited island. Clarkes Court Bay is a bit similar than Mount Hartman qua mentality, but the one thing standing out there is the small town of Woburn, center of hospitality and local flavor. It is easy to take a bus to the capital St. George’s from here as well.

Read more

Grenada is one of those places that never disappoint. Consisting of three main islands, the country of Grenada is a great sailing destination, whether you visit during the high or the low season. Mark and I enjoy spending the summer (hurricane season) here because of its relatively safe location, smaller crowd and many wonderful bays and sights. There are a couple of hurricane holes available but if worst comes to worse, you are only one day away from safety further down in Trinidad. 

 Annandale Falls                                                                                                            © Liesbet Collaert

Read more

A cat belongs in the water. And, Irie is a cat! For the first time in years, she rested on the hard for three months. Mark, our dog Darwin and I were called to the United States for such a long period, because the family needed us. It was tough for us to just leave everything behind: boat (= home), privacy, Caribbean weather, all our belongings, friends and freedom. During the height of hurricane season! This meant that we had to totally strip Irie down to the bones, so nothing could break or fly off, just in case... She was so naked, she barely looked like a boat anymore…

Once Mark and I returned to Grenada, we worked full time for over a week to get her back in shape and lookin’ good. On the outside. Her bottom - normally under the water surface – looks sparkling blue. A delight when we snorkel around. Hopefully the critters will stay away for a while. We also worked on a few other immediate problems, taking advantage of her being out of the water. One of our successes was to install a keel cooler for our refrigerator.  Now we are done with cleaning the filter every other week and having to replace the hoses and fix the pump every so often, because the salt water that went through it (our fridge was water cooled before) attracted barnacles.

Read more

Streams of sweat roll down my face. The sun is burning on my neck, shoulders and back. My head starts hurting. My feet are ankle deep in muddy water, tainted with chemicals. It has been raining. Hard. How can one work when it rains so much and nothing is dry? How can one work in this hot and humid weather? How can one work when every singly muscle in the body hurts? This is the Caribbean, but a less attractive part of it. This is a boat yard in Grenada.

Boat owners have to go through this “being-in-the-yard- process” about once a year or every two years if they are lucky. On the hard, out of the water, is where you fix problems on your hulls or prep and paint the bottom of your boat. A meticulous procedure if done right.

Read more