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American Spirit II - Day 444; We Arrive in Carriacou, Grenada & Sail Thru a Volcanic Exclusion Zone; Thursday, March 26, 2015



One year ago today:

"Day 82; Hot and Sweaty, and Last Full Day in Hiva Oa; Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Rained during the night, 3:00 AM? Joel got up and closed the hatches and put recliners in the cockpit under the dodger to keep them dry. Still very bouncy in the anchorage. By bouncy I mean the bows of the boats in the anchorage are bouncing 18 inches up and down; and rolling back and forth 5 to 10 degrees. The bay or anchorage is .2 of a mile long and .14 mile wide. Called Baie Tahauku. Because we're on the side of the anchorage that the jetty is on, its less rough where we're at than on the other side of the anchorage."

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Up at 7:00 AM. Breakfast at 7:30 AM: Eggs, bacon, potato, left over pancakes and chilled fruit cocktail. Jeanine from Civetta II and Amelia from Adela join Joel and me for breakfast.

At 8:20 PM I drive Jeanine, in a heavy downpour, to the ferry. Amelia joins us. Jeanine gets on the ferry at 8:30 AM, and departs for Carriacou Island at 9:00 AM.

After going back to the boat I type one log, then off to the marina office to settle up our bill: extra days; water and electric bill; and I return the router and get my $200 deposit back. The router was free to use. After that I meet the car rental agent in the parking lot and settle up with the car.

We turn the engine on at 10:50 AM; and then put the engine in gear so that when the marina dingy 'drops' our bow lines, the boat won't back into the dock, breaking our hydro generator and damaging the transom. Once the bow lines are released to the mooring buoy, the 2 transom lines are let go and we're off, departing the marina at 11:01 AM in the rain.

Its going to be a motor sail to Carriacou, 31 miles away. A five hour trip. The wind is up and down, sometimes blowing 22 knots; and the waves are on the starboard bow at 3-5 feet. Plus its raining off and on, with visibility limited. Its not a comfortable ride. We hug the west coast of Grenada to minimize the waves.

At 12:45 PM we have lunch, baked beans with pork sausages and BBQ sauce.

At 1:05 PM the wind is 11 knots and we're motor sailing at 7.2 knots thru the water and 7.2 knots over the land.

At 1:30 PM we're half way. A bunch of dolphins to our starboard are feasting on a school of fish. A dozen or so birds are joining them, diving into the water like Kamikazes to grab a fish.

On our way to Carriacou we pass over 'Kick 'em Jenny Submerged Volcano,' which last 'erupted' underwater in 1988 and 1989. Its actually an 'exclusion zone,' which we almost miss. Oops. We then pass thru a 'Red Alert Exclusion Zone.'

At 2:00 PM we're passing Ronde Island to starboard. Its hard to see the islands in the group because of the rain. After passing Ronde and the other small islands around it, its clear sailing to Carriacou Island. The wind is 13 knots and we're motor sailing at 6.3 knots thru the water and 6.7 knots over the land.

At 2:40 PM I see the southern tip of Carriacou Island; and at 3:05 PM I call 'Paul,' who owns some mooring balls in Tyrrel Bay, where we're going. He says we're in luck, that he has one (red) ball left. I got his phone number from a cruising guide I'd purchased in Grenada. I call him back when we're 1 mile away, per his instructions. He meets us at the buoy in his dingy. Entering the bay is a little ambiguous because our electronic charts don't agree with the paper chart I have concerning the location of some entrance buoys and a reef. We take a route into the bay occupied by other sailboats, because we know they're not anchored on a reef. We pass Avocet on the way in; and later see Alpheratz and Polaris anchored in the bay, also. There must be 50 or more sailboats anchored in this small bay.

The cost for the mooring buoy is 50 EC for the first night and 30 EC after that. We pay for 2 nights. I inquire with Paul about a tour, and he arranges a tour with Linky Taxi for us tomorrow. The tour is a half day tour and costs 350 EC for up to 4 people; and an extra 50 EC per person for more than 4. We inflate the dingy and I go to visit Avocet to see if Sigi wants to join us on the tour. We'll go if there are 3 of us, but not 2. Too expensive. Once at Avocet Derry, Sigi and Cameron say they'll join us for breakfast in the Gallery Restaurant around 8:00 AM; and then join us for the tour.

As we're having the celebratory Captain Morgan after securing to the mooring ball, Joel sees 2 2 - 2 1/2 foot sea turtles stick their heads out of the water 20 feet off the starboard side of the boat. I turn and see one of them.

Dinner at 6:15 PM is blackened chicken cooked by chef Joel on our propane grill; home made French fries cooked on the galley skillet by me; corn-on-the-cob cooked in boiling water; and garlic bread cooked in our oven. A great meal!

As we sit in the cockpit after dinner, you can see and hear the waves entering over the reef near out boat. What is unusual is that the waves are from the east, and we are in a horseshoe shaped bay that faces west. According to Joel, the waves wrap around the island and enter the bay from the rear. Amazing.

We have coffee and then a glass of wine after dinner, then read in the cockpit for a while. After that its showers before bed. We're in bed by 11:00 PM.

Brian Fox




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