Hurry Up to Wait

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

                            Martinique

                              St. Lucia

Well with 2 new oil coolers finally delivered we headed out. The coolers were not quite right but they would make due. OR SO WE THOUGHT. Well the best laid plans .........................
We headed out of Mayreau, the Grenadines and headed towards St Vincent where we would spend the night. The goal was to get to the most northern anchorage so we could get an early start crossing over to St Lucia. Genesis had other ideas.  The temperature gauges on the starboard engine started to rise so I slowed down the engine and told Ernie to turn off the engine. On the Port engine we cruised into Bequia where we found a very torn up impeller. Easy fix. Put in a new impeller and off we went. Within 10 mins. the gauges were reading hot again and the same process was regimented.
We decided to take the southern anchorage of St Vincent at Young Island cut and determine what was happening. Young Island cut is lined with restaurants and bars so there was lots of traffic.
The new impeller was intact and the hoses were gone through. A piece of the old impeller was found in the system so it was determined this must be the problem.
The next day we headed to the north anchorage on St Vincent. Chateaublair harbour. Chateaubelair lies at the southern foot of Soufriere. The volcano. Unfortunately there was too much cloud coverage and the cone could not be seen.
Finally we were headed towards another country in our count down to get to Florida. The passage between St. Vincent and St. Lucia as written in the guides say to expect a very turbulent crossing. I am very happy to report the guide was wrong and we had a nice voyage except now the starboard transmission was heating up. Not a good sign. We traveled on 1 engine until we could anchor and re-examine. We arrived at Rodney Bay on the Northern Coast.  Rodney Bay is a mile long with lots of protection from sea conditions. We were so far behind we did not visit St. Lucia as we wanted to continue while we had favourable weather. Some day maybe I will return as it appears to be quite beautiful from the sea. It was determined that the cooler was not large enough to cool the transmission properly. The starboard transmission actually pulls more due to the gear ratio than the port so it was decided to swap coolers until we could get to Martinique and possibly buy a new, bigger cooler. It worked. The transmission was no longer heating up. However we were back to the raw water intake and exhaust problem. By this time I am doing what all girls would do CRY. I figure that I have been tested enough and where were the angels not to mention the Big Guy. No one should have to endure this. However on the bright side I was given Ernie and Kenny to help me do this voyage and together they found a couple more pieces of impeller and figured out that an air lock had caused the problem.
Onward to Martinique where we would tour in the same manor as Ken and I usually did. LOOKING FOR PARTS! We went to several chandleries without success. Finally we rented a taxi and headed to Marin, where a wonderful lady had a bigger than our original oil cooler. She said" I see by your smile you are happy". Yes indeed except it was metric and my fittings are standard. We figured it wouldn't be hard to get the proper fittings. Yeah right. We went to several different places until our taxi driver got upset and decided to head back. We had to tell him to drop us off where we were because to go back would not achieve what we needed.
Martinique is French and not a single french word could come to me. My brain didn't even think English it was determine to continue in the Spanish form. I am telling this man in espanol to stop, let us out, etc. I could only think gracious not merci.
Well the piece had to be machined and we picked it up the following day keeping us in Martinique an extra day.
You can get almost anything done in Martinique. It is part of France and to some degree it feels like it. It is very prosperous with a thriving economy. Fort de France is the capital and is walkable. It is the largest and most liveliest city in the Windwards. Fort St Louis watches over the water front. A catholic cathedral adorns the city square and park. A library that was built in France taken apart then reassembled is a masterpiece in design.
We choose to anchor in a very picturesque town across from Fort de France.  Trois Ilets. We could take a foot passenger ferry over to Fort de France at a very inexpensive charge.  Trois Ilets is a charming town not yet over run by tourist. It is in the mangroves and the water wasn't something we wanted to swim in but it was quiet.
We had left over tickets for the ferry and gave them away only to be rewarded with big smiles and gratitude. With the exception of the taxi driver we found the people here very friendly and more than helpful. Something that is not expected out of the French. An example of the best in people. We were looking at a map to figure out where to find a fitting. A gentleman stopped asked where we wanted to go and took us to the spot then continued to take us to the bus stop and explain in broken FFrench/English how to get back to Fort de France. Another perfect example of what we have encountered while boating. The best of humanity.
We left Trois Ilets and travelled 1 1/2  hours up the island to get a good jumping off point for Dominica.
Well I didn't cry but we were tested again.
Genesis and the crew were in 30 - 35 knot winds when the starboard engine cooling system went but again. So on one engine we motored in 8-10 ' confused seas subsiding to 6-8' seas . Between Ernie and I we steered and just kept thinking it had to stop. When we got in the lee of the island still blowing 20 to gust of 30 at least we didn't have the confused seas. Once in calm water Ernie and Kenny got the engine running again and we made it to the north of the island where we currently sit. Portsmouth is the name of the town. We will be here for several days as the weather is going to be bad for 3 -4 days. Well we hired a guy and we will tour the country and enjoy. We deserve it.
During this trip I am having to learn a lot about engines and my boat however the biggest learning curve is to trust my own decisions. Ken and I were a team and therefore we bounced ideas between each other. I ask Kenny and Ernie their opinions as they keep the boat going but my judgement calls are now important and I am more than determined to get us and Genesis back to Florida so she can get home. It is Ernie and Kenny that have been sent to me to make sure it happens and for that I am grateful and can never repay the gesture. And to their wives I am more than grateful. And thankyou big time.

What Do You Do When You Are Stuck in Paradise?

Ernie heading to the beach

Why we boat!

Landscape on Union Island

It is really hard to become a person on island time. We as Canadians are not geared that way. As boaters we learn to adapt, chill out and take it as it comes. This week is proving to be a test in control, patience, and utter tolerance.
Genesis needs a part. The part was ordered in St. Maarten and should be able to be delivered by plane in 1 day. It was a Saturday so I was giving it until Tues. Just a little extra time because. On Monday they were telling me 7 business days. Sat. does not count. I was saying no direct here. They say ok. I say great.  Tues. the courier company does not pick up the package from the marine store because their van is broken down. The marine store doesn't think to phone to see what the delay is. I get an email that it hasn't gone but they will take it to the airport early Wed. morning. They take it for 0800 hr and it sits until 1745 hr in St Maarten then flies to St Vincent. Customs in St Vincent now has it and on Thurs still does not make it on the plane to Union. Now Friday morning still not on the flight. Start to cry and get results. Customs is asked to get it on the 1030 flight as it is an emergency. 1100 I pick up the part. It is not exact but it will work with McGivering (as the guys call it). I am now happy.
Now on the plus side of being stuck in paradise. We walked the island twice, each time took us about 2 1/2 hrs. It was interesting to see the different bays and foliage that exists. We were surprised to see that there is pretty much nothing for birds. There are land turtles, iguanas  and lots of butterflies. I have been surrounded by butterflies which is a good thing for me as it makes me think Ken is near when I see butterflies.The locals have lots of goats for milk, meat and lawnmowers. There was the odd cow but not many. Very few had vegetable gardens and there didn't seem to be much in the way of tropical fruit. We found out later that the island has a water shortage near the end of the dry season. Some people have cisterns but the majority do not. This means that everything is brought in by ferry making it very expensive for the locals.
We decided to go have a few drinks and dinner as the boat part issue had gotten to all of us. We had an interesting conversation with the waitress. She works at the lawyers office during the day and the bar at night. We asked questions about politics, schooling, health care.  The answers were very interesting and informative. Their politics is much like ours being a British parliament system. They have 3 parties NDP,UNP, PPP (green party), The UNP is currently in government. They have free education (paid with taxes) Kindergarten - grade 11. At that point they pay for post secondary education. Their health care is non existent. They try to save some money so that if someone is sick they can pay to get a plane off the island. If it is serious the coastguard will come. There is one Doctor on the island and he spreads himself thin. There are clinics in the 2 main towns Clifton and Ashton. Nurses live above the clinic so they are there for emergencies.
The churches surprised me. The Catholic church was started in the 1970's. The first one. There didn't seem to be an Anglican church. The largest church was an Evangelist church. The Jehovah Witness make a presence but not the Mormons yet. Graveyards have always been something that intrigued me. A lot of history is told in grave yards. Unfortunately at this time I cannot get myself to go near them. Maybe in time I can explore them again but not at this time.

Unfortunately or fortunately there are now social safety nets. However you see the people out there hustling to get a pay cheque or money somehow. No one looks down and out.
Swimming off the boat was doable in this bay as the water flushed out very well and we were able to make nice clean water with the watermaker. The water temperature is 82 which is cool compared to what we have been swimming in.
We are now (finally) underway and hopefully it will be smooth sailing from now on as I think I have been tested enough.
The weather looks like it is going to hold for about 5 - 7 days. Any weather report beyond 3 days however cannot be guaranteed on. Everyone keep your fingers crossed and hope we make up the time we lost.

Departing Grenada and Entering New Countries

Tyrell Anchorage

Union Island

Located some 20 miles north of Grenada, of which it is a dependency is Carriacou. It has retained considerable cultural autonomy, especially with regard to its religious practices. There are even thought to be voodoo rites of Haitian origin. The island has aprox. 7000 residence. It is not as mountainous as Grenada and seems to have more agricultural land. This island has more rum factories than anywhere for the size of the land mass. It is said that the islanders do quite nicely from the trade in alcohol.
The Grenadines consists of islands both Grenadan dependencies and St Vincent dependencies. The history of these islands is tied to the Anglo-French struggle over the islands. The islands are definitely British however there are many French speaking people still living amongst the islands. Sounds Canadian eh!
We anchored in Tyrell Bay which is one of the best sheltered anchorages in the Grenada- Grenadines which is a good thing as the winds howled the whole night. Being the Captain has its disadvantages as I now must listen to all the strange noises and make sure all is ok. I am not getting as much sleep as when Ken was with me as he was the one to jump up in the night generally. Tyrell Bay has mangroves that act as a hurricane hole should the need arise. It was interesting to see how large it was. This area is closed unless there is a hurricane as it contains mangrove oysters. This would be the final Grenadian outpost and it was here that we had to exit with immigration and customs. All went smoothly.
A new flag was raised up the mast. It is the St Vincent Grenadine flag. The southern most port of entry for this country is on Union Island. We anchored in Clifton and some passing fishermen picked us up and took us to the dock. Union Island is off the beaten track with relaxed and friendly individuals. It is such a pleasure to deal with government agencies that have a relaxed attitude. I bet these people don't get high blood pressure. This area is sometimes referred to as the Tahiti of the Caribbean. It is very easy to see why.
We visited the Tobago Cays. It has a South Pacific feel with the white sand beaches, reefs and the aqua blue water. I would rank it up there with the San Blas other than there are LOTS of boats. On the chart the Tobago Cays look like five small islands surrounded by mass amounts of coral. There are many passes one could use to get in but it is best to stay in the well charted areas without being totally sure of what you are doing. The Cays are protected by a large barrier reef called Horseshoe Reef and another called World's End Reef.
We were ready to carry on further North and started with our rituals of checking fluids and stowing things away in case it gets rough. It was at this point we noticed a problem with the oil cooler to the transmission. We were getting sea water. Not a good thing as if mixed in the transmission we would be buying a transmission and since this one is brand new I was not impressed, Now they say that God will only give you what you can handle. Luckily we could limp back on one engine to Union where the guides say there is a diesel mechanic. As Ken would say to me "Quit believing in the guides, they are just guidelines" Yep he was right again. Ernie and Kenny were able to get the transmission fluid out and new in. We had checked everything just prior to going to the Cays and everything was fine so we are hoping it just happened as we were getting there as there was no transmission problems or signs of any kind. Everyone keep your fingers crossed. We have ordered up 2 new oil coolants out of St Martin and they could be here in 4 days or 11 days.Lets hope 4. Union is not a bad place to be held up in it just means that we will have to do a lot of traveling missing things we may have seen otherwise to make it to Florida  in time.
Through all this I am reading about confidence and learning as much as I can absorbed. Some days better than others. I do know that confidence allows us to face life with boldness, openness and honesty. It enables us to live without worry and to feel safe. It enables us to live authentically. I am trying my hardest to have as much confidence as I can so that this journey will be a powerful learning experience. One I can be proud of at the end. For those sending their encouragement thanks it helps a lot.
Hopefully next week we will be further north if not we plan on doing as much as we can around here.

Grenada and Continuing On

Kids marching for Independence Day

Genesis being put back in the water

Touring the Island -  Concord Falls

I am back in Grenada ready to bring Genesis and the crew back to the Everglades Florida where she will be put on a ship and sent back to Vancouver.
Many years ago Ken showed me how to change the oil in the two engines but it was decided by myself if I ever had to do this I would hire some one. A- Too hot in the engine B- Too much work C- It STINKS! so the first thing on the agenda was to hire the marina workers to change all the fluids. Its a blue job I will let someone else do.
Genesis is now back in the water. It was bittersweet as she likes to float however the reality of the situation has hit hard.
Kenny and Ernie are awesome and together we will bring her home.
This weekend is Grenada's 37th anniversary of their independence. Everyone is dressed in red, green and yellow; the colours of the Grenada flag. Parades will be happening and the partying has already begun.
We hired Matthew as a taxi driver and toured the whole country. That doesn't take days as it is 21 miles long and 12 miles wide. The country is divided into Parishes (Provinces, States). There are 6 parishes in all.
Grenadian culture is an eclectic mix of British, French, African, East and West Indian people. They are a very religious and proud people.
They have been inflicted with 2 bad hurricanes that have caused such severe damage that many years later they are still trying to recover. Nutmeg trees and sugarcane crops were ruined. Two major crops. Trees have been re-transplanted but they will take years to produce the numbers of years gone by. We were told at the nutmeg factory that 1 person works 8 hrs/day twice a week for aprox $10.00 a day. The cost of food here would be equivalent to our costs in Canada.
We visited the forts and churches the usual tourist attractions but what I saw was the lush vegetation. This island is very mountainous and tropical. There is one road around it where buildings hang. Hardly room for 2 cars to pass. The cars honk as they are coming to a curve. They back up if need be it is total courtesy. No swearing beneath your breath, no stress just the way it is. Life the way it should be.
We followed the coast checking out secretly where we may want to anchor. The islands in the distance we will be at next. So different than the days we were use to, to get somewhere.
We sampled a local lunch of plantains, breadfruit, potato salad made from breadfruit, king fish, chicken and curie rice. We all agreed that we were eating pork or goat (which was the king fish). Very tasty.
We visted a Rum Factory 300 yrs old and still in use. There have been several owners but the newest owners are from Grenada. It employs 93 persons and produces 90,000 bottles a year. This number is amazing when you consider that it does not export. There are 100,000 people that live in Grenada many children as families are large. So you do the math!.
We visited an organic chocolate plantation. They export to the Caribbean Islands. Mighty fine chocolate.
Carib's Leap is a site that the last indigenous people jumped to their death so as not to be slaves to the Spaniards.
The island contains sulfur springs, rivers, lakes and numerous waterfalls that you can swim in the warm fresh water. The tropical forest contain monkeys but that is about the most scariest thing they have. No poisonous snakes, or spiders.
We learn all about the American Invasion of 1983. The people here were very thankful for the Americans. The Cuban and Russian government were helping with a coo being undertaken by a socialist party. The socialist party had killed the Prime Minister his pregnant wife and the entire cabinet. They then held the American students attending St. George's University ransom.
The recollection of the 2 bad hurricanes and how now no one takes a hurricane warning for granted. Still very real for all Grenadians.
We are busy cleaning Genesis and hope to depart tomorrow being Monday and begin what I hope to be somewhat of a healing process.
While in Calgary I discussed with a friend that I should give Ken's clothes away here as they would be much appreciated. I left the bags outside the garbage bin so anyone could pick through. Later as I was paying for the moorage a young gentleman came to pick up his paycheck wearing Ken's blazer he was so proud, walking taller: looking important, feeling important. Another was wearing his hiking boots. Yes a decision well made. Nothing was left by the garbage bin.
I will try and continue writing  the blog weekly as in the past. Now I better get out and help the boys.