We stayed with Ian and Anna at their house on Sion Hill, Barbados until 6th April. There was a lot to talk about; a lot of catching up to do. Since we had last seen them, they had both retired full time, Anna had survived an aneurism and her elder daughter had become engaged.
When we returned to the airport at the appointed hour, the car was not allowed to drive into the area; there had been a gas leak notified and the airport had been closed since 3pm. We were supposed to check in at 17.30 but none of the appropriate staff were present at the desks and nobody seemed to know what was happening. Luck was with us and at 6pm, the check-in desks were opened, we handed over our baggage and wandered through to the departure lounge. The fifty seat plane arrived and left on time. Grenada was just a stop-off point on the way to Trinidad or Tobago and was 90% full. An uneventful flight, soon over; about a dozen of us got off the plane, walked through customs and collected our luggage. When we traveled to the airport from the marina we had arranged for the driver to pick us up from the return flight. After waiting about half an hour we called the taxi driver but his phone was switched off. Fortunately there were a lot of other taxis waiting for a fare.
It has been very easy to get involved in the local boating community. Whether in the marina or at anchor, everyone is very pleasant. On Saturday afternoon there was a hog roast on Hog Island, a short walk over a bridge from the marina. Saturday evening we took part in a pot luck supper and BBQ, practicing also for the fun Pool event which is held on Monday evenings. Tuesdays and Fridays a mini-bus runs a return trip to Spice Island Mall between 10am and noon; perfect for provisioning. There is a karaoke night. There is also draughts, cricket, burger night etc. Incredibly, one of the yatchies lost his wallet at a function on Hog Island on Sunday afternoon and when it was found, it was returned to him.
We caught the bus to the mall on Tuesday but needing to do other things as well as buy some fresh fruit and vegetables, we caught a number 1 bus to and from George Town. We then decided to travel to Grenada marina where the boat will be kept during the hurricane season; once again we caught a number 1 bus, retracing our steps, so to speak, changed to a number 2 bus which deposited at the end of the lane to the marina. No sooner had we started to walk along the lane than a four seat pick-up truck stopped and offered us a lift which we gratefully accepted. It is a long lane and the hot sun was relentless. Once we had told the driver that we would be bringing our boat to this marina the following week, he took us to a local hotel to check it out before taking us back to the marina. When the boat comes out of the water, it is better to stay in a hotel than camp on the boat. There is a courtesy vehicle available to drop us off in the morning and collect us again later in the day. Coincidentally, Michael and Barbara from the stricken catamaran Basia, were staying at the hotel but were on their boat, which stood on the hard, when we arrived, still waiting for a total cost of repairing the boat. Everything had been packed ready to put into storage or ship to Canada, depending on the decision of Admiral, their insurance company.
Having arranged a time and date for lifting and spoken to the other service providers who will undertake the necessary work to Tucanon during our absence, we summoned a taxi and returned to Clarkes Court bay marina. The boat has been de-rusted, the curtains and the covers on the scatter cushions have been washed, in preparation for the end of season; the covers on the cushions in the salon, on the fly-bridge and the forward and aft cockpit still need to be washed, before we return to Grenada on the 28th April.
Raymarine is to be commended for its amazingly good after sales service. Two items which have not been working properly for some time have been replaced, free of charge, though strictly, out of the warranty period. We have had excellent service from Raymarine who have supported us all round the world.