Hi everyone,
We've now been in Port Louis Marina for nearly 7 weeks. We're really enjoying Grenada. It's hot and humid at this time of year but we're coping under canvas awnings and with fans in the cabin.
Most rain is associated with tropical waves and one several weeks ago threatened strong winds. We removed our yankee and staysail to reduce windage 'just in case'. In the event we only had mildly strong winds and a LOT of rain.
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| Tropical Wave rain |
Since then the tropical waves have been few and far between. That's good because tropical waves breed hurricanes! All this reminds us of our cyclone season in Darwin.
Since our last blog post we have been exploring further afield. We've bussed south to visit chandleries and sailmakers. We've met up with sailing friends in various locations. And we've been walking with the Hash House Harriers. Each Saturday afternoon for the last four weeks we've been 'hashing', each in a different part of the island. Here are some pictures.
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| Hashin' On On |
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| Nutmeg |
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| Breadfruit |
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| Cacao |
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| Bananas |
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| Boss Goat |
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| Bamboo |
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| On On! |
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| And there she was, gone! |
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| Taking a breather |
The hashes are very social. They're well attended by both locals and visitors. First time attendees get a certificate and more. The start and finish vary but always feature a bar, cafe or similar. And low-price beer and food is on offer at the end.
Most cruisers travel to and from the hash on a minibus. They're advertised on the Cruiser's VHF Net each week.
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| Hasher virgins taking a bath |
Yesterday's hash was the 1200th here in Grenada. It was held at a great venue (the 'Cow Pen') through which a river runs. There were a variety of walks and runs to choose from. We choose the long walk. It was quite muddy to start with, and got much more so when the heavens opened for 15-20 minutes along the way. The rain actually cooled everyone down but the mud was slippery! At the end we all cleaned off in the river.
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| 1200th Grenada Hash |
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| From this... |
I've been busy on a remote working contract for the last few weeks. Nicki has been volunteering at the local animal shelter and working aboard dressmaking.
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| ...to this |
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| ...and this |
We've also been continuing to test our new electrical system. The Lifeline LiFePo4 batteries and their Victron Energy chargers are performing well.
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A cloudy 5 days of solar-only charging
followed by 2 days with engine then mains charging |
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| Solar charging history over 2 weeks |
We now plan to stay here in Grenada until the end of August at least. Before departing we'll haul out to replace a jammed sea cock, rekey the Coppercoat and paint the shaft and prop.
Trust all's well where you are!
