July 31 Prickly Bay, Grenada

July 23-31
Donn and Kitty had some work done on their engine and while not completely fixed yet (one problem begets another) it is running. Craig and I took off for Clarkes Court for a change of scenery. We stopped for the night in Mount Hartman Bay and then went on to Clarkes Court. Instead of the main anchorage, we tucked into a secluded alcove that we shared with one other boat. Nights have been spent fishing (many snappers to be caught here) and watching the meteor shower. Saturday morning we attended the swap meet to off load extraneous bits from the boat. Craig shopped and replaced our old bits with some new bits. Good purchases. We bought a new anchor roller last week at the store for $100. We decided against a spare due to availability and price. Craig found an identical new one at the meet for $8. The local marina is a gathering spot for cruisers and one night we attended burger night and watched a presentation on cruising Venezuela. We are not going there but it was interesting information as well a chance to meet and greet other cruisers. It is rainy season here and there have been thunderstorms every day. Things I have learned: if I even think about doing laundry, ominous clouds gather. If I actually do laundry, it will start raining precisely 45 seconds after hanging the last piece, even if aforementioned clouds were way off on the horizon. And finally, clothes pins are not rated above winds of 25 knots. I do not mind the extra rinse cycle…I do mind clothes flying across the deck and scampering about to catch them before they blow of the boat.
They say moss does not gather on a rolling stone but it and barnacles sure do on a boat at anchor in warm water. We spent one afternoon on scuba/snorkel with scrapers and gave the rudder, prop and bottom a thorough scrubbing. With a clean bottom, there is nothing to do but pull up the anchor and take off for a new spot. We headed back to Prickly Bay. There is better access to the local bus system that runs through most of the towns. Adventures in public transportation!! These are minivans that charge about $1US to hop on and ride to whatever destination, packed in with as many people as can fit in the van. We rode the bus into St Georges to pick up a few things. Upon return to the dinghy dock, which is conveniently situated at the local pub, De Big Fish, we saw some new friends and joined them for cocktails and snacks. We are going tonight to a fish festival in Guave, the fishing capital of Grenada and located about an hour away. This is a weekly Friday night event in which the locals close off the streets with bands and fishermen cooking/selling the day’s catch.

Cloudy days in Clarke's Court.

Instead of filets, we have taken to scaling, gutting, deheading and roasting the fish in foil. This Craig victim was seasoned with cajun spices and served with pasta with a cajun/jalepeno and cream sauce. Hurry Jimmy! I am runnng out of fish ideas!!

People do the funniest things with their dinghies. And children.

Speed Racer in action. Dinghy engine cover solutions by Team Yakel with Craig on design and Angela on needle/thread. We can not bring ourselves to scratch it up to make it look old...as if scratching up a foreign Yamaha Enduro on an American-flagged boat is going to fool anybody. We rely on locks and good security practices...a surprising number of people don't.

A new twist on boarding ladders...

Perhaps my new favorite plant. BTW, the plant in the contest was a tobacco plant, its stalk stripped of ripe leaves by an enterprising connoisseur.

The swap meet: