Welcome back to Delphinus after our seven month hiatus! We enjoyed our time at home catching up with family and friends and are quickly getting back into our boat life routines.

On January 5 we arrived in Grenada after a long, but uneventful day of travel. The day started with a 6:00 am flight from Norfolk, VA to Miami, FL, followed by flights to Trinidad and then Grenada.

We stayed at a beautiful little hotel, LaSagesse, while we got Delphinus ready to go back in the water. LaSagesse is located in the next bay over from Grenada Marine, where Delphinus spent her summer. There we met several interesting folks. Some were fellow sailors also readying their boats for this cruising season and other travelers there for a laid back holiday. We caught up over rum punches and gin & tonics before dinner.

The owners and staff were exceptionally friendly and accommodating. They provided us with transportation to the boat yard and back each day; although Pete found out from a fellow sailor that there is walking path that takes about 30 minutes to the boat yard. He and his new friend Ian walked there most mornings. Ian’s wife, Joy, and I both struggled with the heat in the boat yard and stayed back at LaSagesse for a few days.

We were pleased to find the boat in good shape. All of the cleaning last May paid off in that there was almost no mold.

Finally, on January 17, all of the work was finished and we were ready to launch Delphinus. It is quite nerve wracking to watch the staff lift her into the travel lift, drive her to the dock and lower her into the water, but all went well. We still weren’t ready to leave yet, so we tied up to the pier to await parts we had shipped here to clear customs and final work to be done. It sure was nice to be back on the water. Any boat yard, by nature, is a noisy, dirty place and we were both glad to be out of there.

About two weeks ago we left Grenada Marine and motored into Prickly Bay, a place we enjoyed from our last trip here. It is a popular place with cruisers because of the many conveniences on the bay. At one end of the bay is nice dinghy dock with a Budget Marine (think West Marine in the states). There is also a restaurant there that is unfortunately closed for renovations.

Across bay is the Prickly Bay Marina, which is small marina with a large open air bar and restaurant and different activities every evening of the week – Movie Night, Trivia Night, Bingo, Steel Band and more. Also, on the property is a small butcher shop called La Boucher which we discovered this time. It is run by a French couple who stock French cheeses and wine, in addition to meats from local farms and a wide variety of house made sausages. We’ve sampled some of each and enjoyed it all.

It is still the rainy season here which means we deal with showers that pass through on an almost daily basis. They rarely last long but can be intense. It sends us scrambling to close up hatches on Delphinus (good aerobic exercise?). Afterward it is usually a bit cooler. Below are three photos taken from different places on deck within moments of each other at sunset after a rain shower.

We have ventured out on shore to shop and explore. Getting to the local shops can be quite the adventure. Some of the local cab drivers arrange group shopping trips, designating a day, time and place to meet. You take your dinghy to your chosen place, along with eight or ten other cruisers and all climb into the van. First we went to a local bank and everyone piles out to line up for the ATM. Next stop was the IGA grocery store. Afterward we all line up with our shopping carts and the driver works his magic to get all of us and our groceries back in the van. We made a couple more quick stops at the request of our fellow shoppers and repeated the process of piling out, rearranging bags and getting us all back in. It’s almost like a party atmosphere in the van as we get to know each other and swap information.

One day we went ashore and walked to find a wine wholesaler we had heard about. After about a one and half mile walk we found it and stocked up on wines for the trip north. The good news is they delivered our order to Prickly Bay Marina so we didn’t have to carry it back.

Along the way we discovered a local micro brewery, West Indies Beer Company. We stopped in for a cold draft on the way back to the boat and brought back growler, which we enjoyed later that evening.

This past week has been the Grenada Sailing Week with different races daily. We’ve caught site of some of the very high tech boats with their crews as they sail through Prickly Bay. Quite a site!

On Tuesday, February 7 Grenadians celebrate their independence from Great Britain in 1974. They are still a young country as an independent state, but have a very long history from before Columbus landed here in 1498. In preparation for Independence Day many public spaces, businesses and homes are all decked out in the national colors of red, green and yellow. We’re anxious to see what kind of celebrations take place.

Pete has been trouble shooting an electrical problem on Delphinus. The batteries just aren’t staying charged the was we would expect. We had a technician out here this week and he took the alternator in to bench test it. We hope he finds the problem.

After nearly a month in Grenada we are ready to move on. Our next stop is Carriacou which we enjoyed last year. Looking forward to getting back.

Stay tuned and stay in touch!