Last views of Grenada

One more very hot and frustrating week was spent in the boatyard waiting for hydraulic parts to arrive, but once they did arrive the service from the technicians at Turbulence and also Clarkes Court Boatyard was excellent and we were back in the water in no time.  

We are now anchored off Calabash Island, a private Island that you can rent for a mere £7,000 per head per night!.....at the moment it would appear no guests can afford to visit so we have the place to ourselves.

We have not been ashore, but it is a nice swim over to the very small beach.

Grenada is on the edge of the hurricane belt, so we are keeping a lookout for developing weather systems - NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) had indicated a developing system, but it appears to be tracking North of us and the risk to our area has been downgraded from Medium (40 to 60% chance of cyclone formation) to Low (less than 40%).  As we are now in the hurricane season the lokliehood of systems developing is increasing so we are getting ready to head south to Trinidad.

This screenshot show today's prediction from NOAA.

We have spent two months in Grenada, but with the benefit of hindsight we could have taken our time heading this way.  That said, we have enjoyed our time here, and certainly relished the opportunity to explore inland by joining the weekly HASH walk / running Club - great views, lots of rainforest, lots and lots of mud followed by beer and a BBQ.

Grenada is a very hilly island, a fact that seems to be totally ignored by road builders here.

The gradient is eye watering.

This is a very common sight - tethered goats, this pair are tangled together on the side of the road

The house builders overcome the gradient issue by building on stilts - sometimes very tall ones!

The majority of the houses are very brightly painted.

A typical Grenadan house, but usually the washing is hung under the house rather than outside the front door.

The Garage

Beating Conch to tenderise it at the local restaurant.

School uniform - comes in various colours, but the students always look very smart.

Bus Terminal Rules and Fines:  Urinating or Washing of Vehicle will cost you EC$ 25, but Defacating or Public Indecency will set you back EC$ 100.  At EC$ 500, the most expensive crimes are Defacing the Premises or Unauthorised Advertising.

This sign is in the local bar.

Many locals grow their own fruit and vegetables in Grenada and also sell their produce at roadside stalls or the veg market in town.  There is also a Meat Market.

I'm sure the meat was great, but we stuck to the vegetables!

The fish market was quite an experience as well, and with the speed they wielded knives to fillet the fish I'm amazed anyone had any fingers left!

We have enjoyed the diving in Grenada, so  decided to join ScubaTech for one more dive before we leave - they didn't disappoint.  This time we visited the Shakem Wreck and did a drift dive at Shark Reef.  

The Drift Dive - actually the current was very strong, Ian is literally holding on to a rock for a rest!

A porcupine fish

A spotted trunkfish - definitely one of my favourites!

We plan to leave Grenada for Trinidad on Monday. It's about 100 miles and for safety reasons we will be travelling overnight along with Aztec Dream and one other yacht as there have been a few pirate attacks along this route during the course of the year.