Atlantic Rollers
Friday, February 27, 2015
Ashore in St Georges Grenada Saturday Feb 27,09
Friday, February 27th, 2009
Yesterday I spent a great day wandering around in town.
Found a great little Cafe at the top of one of the hills here with great coffee and good Internet, they even
have power plugs at just about every chair.
One odd thing about St Georges is that all the big churches are missing their roofs and are slowly being
rebuilt. From what I can tell this is the legacy of Hurricane Ivan.
Having a good Internet connection is a mixed blessing because it means I’m able to get all my personal
stuff done and then I have time to do a bit of random surfing.
Big mistake!
The global economic situation is miserable and back home in Calgary things are not looking good for the
oil patch.
So after a great relaxing day of walking around up and down hills in the hot Grenadian Sun I decided to
check into the possibility of heading back to Calgary for a brief visit. Primarily to see Jayne and family
but also to touch base with my employer and to get a read on the prospects for the next couple of months.
That also is a dangerous thing, because once the world ashore gets it’s gaff hooked in a sailor’s gills it’s
difficult to wriggle your way back to sea :-/
Oh well, as my fellow trainee WT is fond of saying “it is what it is” and I’ll just have to go and check it
out.
Currently I’m scheduled to fly back to Calgary tomorrow, Saturday Feb 28, which will take nearly 24
hours and then fly back to Grenada next Saturday to make sure I’m here when the ship sails out on 8th of
March.
In the meantime I have another lovely day to soak up the energy and vibe of this beautiful city with it’s
fascinating and incredibly friendly people.
More later maybe…
Thanks for reading.
KJ
There are photos from my day ashore in St Georges here.
Posted in Ashore, Musings | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Carriacou to Grenada Feb 25-26,09
Thursday, February 26th, 2009
Had a great day yesterday ashore on Carriacou for the last day of Carnival.
David and I went for a hike along the shore North towards a large beach called Paradise Beach. Along the
way we stopped on a point with a nice sandy beach and hung out for an hour enjoying the sun and sand.
Once we got to Paradise we had fabulous tall rum punches and relaxed in a shore side bar.
A 2.50 ECD cab ride back to town for dinner at the Hotel Laurena and I was good to go for the evening.
The hotel was having an after Carnival party so they began to clear out the restaurant to get setup. I
started to pack up my laptop and stuff and they said I could stay so I sat in this big empty room with
fabulous Caribbean music pounding at a nice comfy table with a good internet connection and power and
enjoyed a nice long computer chat with Jayne :-)
I then headed out to enjoy the last hour of party before the 11:00 skiff run and then went back to the ship
and had a great sleep. It’s a good thing that there wasn’t another day of Carnival, it might have done some
damage :-)
This morning we up anchored and sailed off the hook and we are currently halfway to Grenada.
We should be there later in the afternoon and since my watch is officially on today I should be able to go
ashore tomorrow which will be great.
More later…
It’s later and we are tied up to the pier in the inner harbour at St Georges Grenada. This is just temporary
as we will have to move the ship tomorrow morning. The plan is to moor “stern to” that is with two
anchors from the bow and two stern lines to the dock.
St Georges looks like a bustling town, very green and built up on the sides of the steep hills that surround
the harbour. I’m looking forward to doing some exploring over the next couple of days.
Thanks for reading.
KJ
Posted in On Watch | No Comments »
Had a great day yesterday ashore on Carriacou for the last day of Carnival.
David and I went for a hike along the shore North towards a large beach called Paradise Beach. Along the
way we stopped on a point with a nice sandy beach and hung out for an hour enjoying the sun and sand.
Once we got to Paradise we had fabulous tall rum punches and relaxed in a shore side bar.
A 2.50 ECD cab ride back to town for dinner at the Hotel Laurena and I was good to go for the evening.
The hotel was having an after Carnival party so they began to clear out the restaurant to get setup. I
started to pack up my laptop and stuff and they said I could stay so I sat in this big empty room with
fabulous Caribbean music pounding at a nice comfy table with a good internet connection and power and
enjoyed a nice long computer chat with Jayne :-)
I then headed out to enjoy the last hour of party before the 11:00 skiff run and then went back to the ship
and had a great sleep. It’s a good thing that there wasn’t another day of Carnival, it might have done some
damage :-)
This morning we up anchored and sailed off the hook and we are currently halfway to Grenada.
We should be there later in the afternoon and since my watch is officially on today I should be able to go
ashore tomorrow which will be great.
More later…
It’s later and we are tied up to the pier in the inner harbour at St Georges Grenada. This is just temporary
as we will have to move the ship tomorrow morning. The plan is to moor “stern to” that is with two
anchors from the bow and two stern lines to the dock.
St Georges looks like a bustling town, very green and built up on the sides of the steep hills that surround
the harbour. I’m looking forward to doing some exploring over the next couple of days.
Thanks for reading.
KJ
Posted in On Watch | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Carnival in Carriacou Feb 24,09
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
I spent the day yesterday ashore on Carriacou which is an island that belongs to Grenada.
It is Carnival here which is like Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
The people are very friendly and the atmosphere of Carriacou is very laid back. We are anchored just off
the main pier at the biggest town called Hillsborough.
We hired a taxi and went for a tour of the island. On the opposite side we went to a village called
Windward where there is a boatyard that builds traditional wooden boats. Being Carnival they were
closed but we saw some nice boats at anchor off the yard.
The reefs on that side of the island really stand out from up on the hills (the highest point of the island is
just 20′ short of being officially a mountain apparently). On the reef are three wrecks high and dry. One
was tossed up there by hurricane Ivan and though relatively undamaged couldn’t be moved so there she
sits.
After the tour we went back and basically hung out in town as the place got wound up for the nights
festivities! Carnival here is really something, there are massive speaker banks set up outside on the street
just far enough apart that the poiunding muic doen’t interfere with the next one. As it got dark everybody,
old and young, came out on to the street and just chilled and danced. There were two steel band
orchestras with 20 or more players that pounded out complex Caribbean music. The many little bars and
food vendors all were hopping. Carnival is very family oriented with all ages staying out till late. Despite
the large amounts of beer and “spiritous liquors” consumed there were no altercations and the police spent
their time standing around in their crisp and neat uniforms watching the fun.
Each village on the island puts on a parade through the main street. Each village develops a theme for
their presentation and then makes costumes for it. One group last night for example, had the theme of
“Flames of Freedom” and they were all wearing T shirts with pictures of President Obama on them.
Another had beautiful crimson and gold flashy costumes and a family of stilt walkers the tallest of which
was probably over 15′ high. Each group has a truck loaded with huge peakers and a DJ that drives just in
front as they drive slowly through the crowds with the group (and the crowd) dancing along behind. They
turn off the street side speakers as they pass which is nice.
I stayed ashore till the late skiff run and really had a blast. It’s a good thing there was a lot of dancing or I
would have succumbed to the fatal allure of too much rum :-)
This morning it seems pretty quiet ashore however it is the last day, Mardi Gras, so I suspect the evening
will be wild again. I have another day ashore so David and I are going to try and find what the cruising
guide says is the prettiest beach on the island and chill out with a cold coke and maybe a drop or two of
rum
Thanks for reading.
KJ
Photos of my wander around the island are here.
Posted in Ashore | No Comments »
I spent the day yesterday ashore on Carriacou which is an island that belongs to Grenada.
It is Carnival here which is like Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
The people are very friendly and the atmosphere of Carriacou is very laid back. We are anchored just off
the main pier at the biggest town called Hillsborough.
We hired a taxi and went for a tour of the island. On the opposite side we went to a village called
Windward where there is a boatyard that builds traditional wooden boats. Being Carnival they were
closed but we saw some nice boats at anchor off the yard.
The reefs on that side of the island really stand out from up on the hills (the highest point of the island is
just 20′ short of being officially a mountain apparently). On the reef are three wrecks high and dry. One
was tossed up there by hurricane Ivan and though relatively undamaged couldn’t be moved so there she
sits.
After the tour we went back and basically hung out in town as the place got wound up for the nights
festivities! Carnival here is really something, there are massive speaker banks set up outside on the street
just far enough apart that the poiunding muic doen’t interfere with the next one. As it got dark everybody,
old and young, came out on to the street and just chilled and danced. There were two steel band
orchestras with 20 or more players that pounded out complex Caribbean music. The many little bars and
food vendors all were hopping. Carnival is very family oriented with all ages staying out till late. Despite
the large amounts of beer and “spiritous liquors” consumed there were no altercations and the police spent
their time standing around in their crisp and neat uniforms watching the fun.
Each village on the island puts on a parade through the main street. Each village develops a theme for
their presentation and then makes costumes for it. One group last night for example, had the theme of
“Flames of Freedom” and they were all wearing T shirts with pictures of President Obama on them.
Another had beautiful crimson and gold flashy costumes and a family of stilt walkers the tallest of which
was probably over 15′ high. Each group has a truck loaded with huge peakers and a DJ that drives just in
front as they drive slowly through the crowds with the group (and the crowd) dancing along behind. They
turn off the street side speakers as they pass which is nice.
I stayed ashore till the late skiff run and really had a blast. It’s a good thing there was a lot of dancing or I
would have succumbed to the fatal allure of too much rum :-)
This morning it seems pretty quiet ashore however it is the last day, Mardi Gras, so I suspect the evening
will be wild again. I have another day ashore so David and I are going to try and find what the cruising
guide says is the prettiest beach on the island and chill out with a cold coke and maybe a drop or two of
rum
Thanks for reading.
KJ
Photos of my wander around the island are here.
Posted in Ashore | No Comments »
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Carriacou, Grenada Feb 22,09
Sunday Feb 22,09 day 15
We sailed into the harbour of Carriacou at 9:30 this morning. We dropped the hook without using the
engine again. Our passage from Fernando was 2200 miles from hook to hook without using the engine at
all!
The harbour is fairly open and windy but it does have that lovely blue that Fernando had. There are a lot more palm trees here than in Fernando courtesy of a guy by the name of John Caldwell who planted many of them after WWII.
The Captain has gone ashore to clear in. Being Sunday that may not work but if it does then my watch will keep the deck but then we will get two days ashore!
More later…
We sailed into the harbour of Carriacou at 9:30 this morning. We dropped the hook without using the
engine again. Our passage from Fernando was 2200 miles from hook to hook without using the engine at
all!
The harbour is fairly open and windy but it does have that lovely blue that Fernando had. There are a lot more palm trees here than in Fernando courtesy of a guy by the name of John Caldwell who planted many of them after WWII.
The Captain has gone ashore to clear in. Being Sunday that may not work but if it does then my watch will keep the deck but then we will get two days ashore!
More later…
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Passage to Grenada Feb 21,09
Saturday Feb 21,09 Day 14
Had two big squalls roar through on our night watch just as dawn was breaking. One of them I was on
helm for which made for some “fun” steering.
Luckily I had my fowl weather jacket on already so didn’t get too wet.
We should be at the island of Caricou tomorrow morning sometime. That would mean that we should be
able to see their Carnival festivities which will be cool. We will go over to Grenada on Wednesday and
the plan is to stay there for a week and a half or so.
More later…
Just got off the afternoon watch and Veronica confirmed we will be in Carricaou tomorrow morning.
The wind is blowing really hard Force 6-7 with 10-15′ swells. We are sailing under reduced sail to slow
down so we don’t arrive at midnight. There are reefs and rocks around this island so we definitely want to
be there in daylight.
I was on lookout during the daylight and it was fantastic. The ship rose and fell in these big swells with the
wind whistling in the rigging. The sea is bright blue with long serried ranks of whitecaps all the way to the
horizon. It made me want to do a big Yeee Haaa! every time.
Here are a couple of videos I took today.
Later I was on helm which was exciting in these conditions. Looking towards the bow was disorienting as
the relative motion between the bow and stern looks extreme! Then just after it got dark the light in the
binnacle became intermittent with a loose connection. Kolin had it fixed in a jiffy but trying to steer by the
clouds and stars when the bow is swinging through 30 degrees up and down and side to side was “interesting”.
Thanks for reading.
KJ
Had two big squalls roar through on our night watch just as dawn was breaking. One of them I was on
helm for which made for some “fun” steering.
Luckily I had my fowl weather jacket on already so didn’t get too wet.
We should be at the island of Caricou tomorrow morning sometime. That would mean that we should be
able to see their Carnival festivities which will be cool. We will go over to Grenada on Wednesday and
the plan is to stay there for a week and a half or so.
More later…
Just got off the afternoon watch and Veronica confirmed we will be in Carricaou tomorrow morning.
The wind is blowing really hard Force 6-7 with 10-15′ swells. We are sailing under reduced sail to slow
down so we don’t arrive at midnight. There are reefs and rocks around this island so we definitely want to
be there in daylight.
I was on lookout during the daylight and it was fantastic. The ship rose and fell in these big swells with the
wind whistling in the rigging. The sea is bright blue with long serried ranks of whitecaps all the way to the
horizon. It made me want to do a big Yeee Haaa! every time.
Here are a couple of videos I took today.
Later I was on helm which was exciting in these conditions. Looking towards the bow was disorienting as
the relative motion between the bow and stern looks extreme! Then just after it got dark the light in the
binnacle became intermittent with a loose connection. Kolin had it fixed in a jiffy but trying to steer by the
clouds and stars when the bow is swinging through 30 degrees up and down and side to side was “interesting”.
Thanks for reading.
KJ
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