Well it’s been a quiet month here in Grenada, apart from the weather which has been pretty boisterous. In the spring months a big fat high forms in the North Atlantic accelerating the easterly trade winds but also picking up dust from the Sahara and spreading it across the Caribbean. They blow 15-25kt all day and night which is great to keep the wind gen happily whirring away but not so good for the sinuses.
On the subject of electricity Neil has been working hard to improve our power generation efficiency. The solar panels and wind generator were pumping in the amps but the batteries did not seem to be taking up the charge very well and we were running the genset almost every day. After much research and brain scratching we decided to replace them with lithium batteries. The installation required several other doodahs and gadgets to be fitted and he had to redesign of the whole electrical system. It was a huge effort but we could not be happier with the outcome: the wind gen and solars are meeting our daily needs and we only run the genset occasionally to top up. Long live the trade winds!
I have also been doing a bit of boatwork. I decided that the dusty, tatty, sun-faded curtains which have been decorating the windows in the salon since we bought the boat 15 years ago had to go. Finding curtain material in Grenada was a bit of a problem – it turns out it’s nets or nothing out here. I trawled the shops in St. Georges and found some fabric I liked and made some Roman blinds and I’m pretty pleased with our new window coverings.
This is the season for boats to head up island to explore all the beautiful anchorages in the Windward Islands, however not many boats are leaving Grenada this year. After a small spike in January Grenada is back to being Covid free but many of the other islands are still reporting new cases.The hassle and cost of the quarantine and PCR tests requirements has put a lot of cruisers off travelling between the islands and we have also decided to stay here for now.
Our social life is pretty low key. Lots of our friends are still around and we gather on the beach at Rogers bar a couple of times a week to jam, chat and watch the sun go down. Thursday nights we walk up to Nimrods Rum Shack for an amped up music session and most weekends live music will be playing at one of the marinas. It’s amazing how many talented musicians there are in the cruising community – I’m sure I’ve said that before. They are very encouraging to people having a go, even my singing effort gets a scattering of applause.
A couple of weeks ago a dinghy poker run was organised. People gathered at Le Phare Bleu Marina to pay their registration fee (which went to charity) and pick up their first card. The idea was to visit four other designated bars around the bays having a drink and collecting a card at each before returning to LPB to find out who had the winning hand. After several beers and much discussion about wind, currents and happy hours we set off.
It was gorgeous sunny windy day and we had great fun buzzing around through the anchorages meeting friends and comparing hands. With a pair of nines and a pair of eights between us, Neil and I were definitely not holding the winning cards . . . ah well, I guess we’re just lucky in love 😊
Not much else to report from Hog Island.
Suzy and Neil xx