2014

Before we could leave Grenada weekends and late nights were in order to rebuild the RIB, affectionally known as "M". Nils painstakingly grafted to make her stronger than before. Her launch date was continually delayed but what an exciting day it was when we put her back in the water and opened up the throttle to blast around the bay. The sky was overcast and it threatened rain but we didn't care, celebrating with sundowners in the cockpit, exhilarated.

The weather had been unsettled with us bouncing around tied to the dock. Unfortunately this is typical of Le Phare Bleu. It was with a sense of relief to depart and drop our anchor in a bay nearby, Whisper Cove. The freedom from being tied to a pontoon with the added bonus of swimming from the boat, made us realise that we are not marina animals. Several days spent chilling and stocking up on last minute fresh produce, we set sail for Carriacou. We had a fast, lively sail up the east coast of Grenada and arrived in Tyrrel Bay on the south-west Coast of Carriacou in the early afternoon.

We have come to the end of our stay in Grenada and looking back over the past five months or so, we have been awestruck by how much we have achieved and the wonderful people that we have met.

We came to Grenada to avoid Hurricanes for the 1 June to 30 November season, each day Stephen checked the US Hurricane watch to make sure that Tropical Storms were not headed in our direction. Our strategy was to avoid any storms headed for Grenada by sailing South.

Following Jackie and Mike's stay on Amelie, Stephen and Debbie paid separate visits to family and friends in the UK. For Debbie, catching up with everyone after nearly two years was as if she had never left. A whistle stop 13 days was action packed and so much fun. Stephen spent his time with his children and catching up with some friends. A month apart was not the plan but compromises were made and actually worked out well.

THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS (BVIs)

The Virgin Islands lie 40 miles east of Puerto Rico and 140 miles NW of St. Kitts. It is believed that the Ciboney, Arawak and Caribs found this beautiful archipelago several centuries before Christopher Columbus but were not resident when Columbus made his second exploration of the West Indies. He noted that the islands were of unspoilt beauty and named them ‘Los Once Mil Virgenes’ after St. Ursula and her legendary virgin followers. The islands’ history involved explorers, privateers, pirates, plantations with slavery and fleeing, persecuted Quakers. With the steady trade winds and numerous sheltered harbours, they were described as “the place on the way to everywhere”, which in the past had a trading and military advantage. The BVIs are a British Crown Colony that has stayed mainly rural but reliant on tourism. The US Virgin Islands are a short distance away but UK residents require a visa to enter this part of the archipelago so unfortunately we couldn’t visit them by boat. 

It seems forever since we updated you all on life in Grenada, but we’ve kept busy and enjoyed the life ashore.  We’ve now got quite a lot to say, with help from Jackie and Mike.

Jackie and Mike’s Pre Arrival Report;

Well already an eventful build up to 2 weeks in the sun with the onslaught of parcels arriving, it felt very much like Christmas. Mike and I took turns in opening them and having a laugh at the variety of odd items being demanded in Grenada! 

We signed up for the 2014 Antigua Oyster Regatta and after one cruise following the race boats, we decided to enjoy the rest of the parties without racing Amelie.

A memorable BBQ at Carlisle Bay with a leisurely lunch at Catherine’s the following day, finished off with a private party at Shirley Heights. Many of the remaining OWR participants were there and we had a fantastic time dancing to the Reggae band and entertained by Markos doing a rendition of Bob Marley’s hits.