Isle of Spice – Grenada

Chris Doyle describes in his book, this land of nutmeg trees, mountain rivers and waterfalls, and rainforests as having an “uncanny resemblance to early pictures of the Garden of Eden.” People are friendly, easy-going and interested in everyone. We find it hard to believe we’ve been here a month already. Last spring we decided that rather than head home in 2007 we would extend our cruising for another year. We realized that Kyeta would never be this far south again and that we were able at this point to continue cruising …so….we are taking our time, not hurrying from one island to the next and spending more days in one place. Our only sadness is that Aislinn who has traveled with us since Traverse City in September 2003 is heading home now. We wish them fair winds and gentle seas.

Approaching the island from the sea are vistas of lush green vegetation covering high mountains, and small inlets big enough for anchorages tucked away among the cliffs; whiffs of the sweet smell of spices – nutmeg and cinnamon, and flowers; and memories of the taste of local chocolate and rum. It is paradise. We spent a day touring the island with twelve friends and Justin, our guide. From one end of the island to the other we stopped at special places all along the way: Westerhall Rum Factory (Denny says the best rum ever.), Lara’s Herb and Spice Garden with amazing tastes and smells, Gouyave’s nutmeg factory – the local women sorting for size and quality for $20EC/day (less than $8.00 US), my favorite - the chocolate factory with samples all around, the rainforest and Annadale Falls where local Rasta guys entertained us by jumping 60’ off the rocks into the pool below. It was a full day, from sunup to sundown and with a local to guide we didn’t miss a thing.

Our days are filled with a variety of activity. Visits to the big market take place on Saturday mornings – a colorful, noisy, hustle and bustle kind of place. No pushiness, just “come see what I’ve got, it doesn’t cost to look”. Fruits, vegetables, spices, spice necklaces, vanilla, land crabs, fresh bread, eggs, you name it you can find it. I always come away with bags full of goodies and waiting to dig into that fresh juicy fruit. Numerous stops at Budget Marine or Island Water World (ships chandlers) for boat repair stuff – VHF radio and antenna, sail repair snaps and grommets, plumbing parts for faucet, this and that and what have you. It’s a never ending litany of projects to do. Visits with friends on other boats – often for happy hour as people come and go from the anchorage. One forgets how long it takes to do the simplest chores. I can spend all morning going to the grocery store. It’s a five minute dinghy ride to get to the dock, then a 10 minute walk to the roundabout to wait for the bus, a 15 minute bus ride to the grocery, a 10 minute walk to the actual store, then shop and reverse all the above to return to the boat. It’s all part of the lifestyle we’ve chosen and it forces us to slow down and relax.

We moved from the southern shore anchorage of Prickly Bay around the southwest corner to St. George’s Lagoon (downtown near the cruise ship docks) for a change of scenery. Each day we expected to be able to head north but unfavorable wind and waves kept us stationary for a time. Finally yesterday we sailed to Carriacou 34 miles north. We will be in Bequia – an island in the Grenadines - for Christmas. It seems the whole of the cruising community will be there too.

Trinidad! And where in the world is Trinidad and Tobago its sister island?

About 10,000 years ago they were part of South America, but presently they sit 80 miles south of Grenada just off the northeast coast of Venezuela. On any given day, one can see the South American coast quite clearly. In mid June 2006 we arrived in Chaguaramas Bay, Trinidad the yachting center of the country. During WWII the area was the site of a major US base and housed over 30,000 Americans. Today it is a haven of boatyards, marinas and boating suppliers. With the active hurricane seasons of the past few years the “box” for insured areas changed and now most insurers insist of lay-up south of Grenada, thus the great number of cruisers in Trinidad. Our initial stay was a whirlwind of readying Kyeta for the hard (storage on land) cleaning, prepping and packing. We did take the opportunity to visit the northeast coast after dark to witness the leatherback turtles returning to lay their eggs – a yearly phenomenon unlike anything we’ve experienced. They are amazing creatures. We’d take more time in October when we returned to visit the island and get to know the Trinis.

It was a seemingly quick summer with many projects for our moms, a couple trips, and many visits with family and friends. It always amazes us how quickly the time goes and how much we accomplish. We returned to Trinidad in late October to bottom paint, shaft seal replacement and general cleaning projects. The weather is hot, humid and squally during this time of year with November being the wettest month. We spent almost three weeks in Trinidad most of it in the water at the dock. Our friend, Cal, visited to help with projects and take in a bit of the island – trips to the fresh market for veggies, fruit, shrimp and meat, downtown to Port of Spain (capital) for material from Jimmy Abuds, and boat work filled the much appreciated week he was here.

One of the highlights for us was an overnight visit to Asa Wright Nature Center. It is a 2 ½ hour drive through city traffic then over curvy, narrow roads up into the rainforest. Our friend, Irene, in TC called to say if we did nothing else in Trinidad go visit Asa Wright. She was right! An old plantation converted into a tropical research center turned hotel, retreat sanctuary. Birdwatchers from around the world “flock” here to see the specimens – more than I could imagine – all colors of the rainbow, from hummingbird to toucan – we became bird watchers ourselves sitting on the verandah with binoculars and drinks in hand. After seeing our fine feathered friends one can understand where we get the colors of the tropics – shades of red, yellow, aqua, blue, green, burgundy so deep it looked like velvet, and intricate patterns seen in ornate tapestry – wish our friend Glen was there to take photos. Our little cameras do no justice. (Check out photos by Roger Neckles on line). Tropical flowers of all sizes and colors – I could photograph those – sweet smells of unknown origins; giant, vine-covered trees almost blocking the sun, and rivers cascading down rocks in magnificent waterfalls. And that was during the day. At night we toured with a guide who showed us fireflies, glowworms, a tarantula sneaking up on a sleeping bird, bats, and other assorted creatures of the night. It was a trip we would repeat any time.

So after three weeks in country, a promising weather window and a need to get going we left Trinidad for Grenada. An 80 mile, 16 – 20 hour, overnight sail would put us at the southern coast of Grenada in the early morning.