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Trip Report SVG to Grenada Jan 2-13-Long #152856
01/19/2018 05:16 PM
01/19/2018 05:16 PM
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 189
Eastern MA
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tothedogs Offline OP
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tothedogs  Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 189
Eastern MA
We departed Boston where it was -5 degrees F at 6:00 AM on Jan.2. Flights to Miami and Barbados went off on time. From Barbados to St. Vincent we flew on SVG Air. On deplaning in BGI we were met by the SVG agent who guided us to the next departure gate – no C&I clearance required. The SVG flight was on a 20 seater that made stops in Bequia, Union, Canouan, and finally St. Vincent. The ground stops are all brief and we landed at the new airport in St. Vincent around 6:00 PM. C&I was a bit of a circus as the agent did not have the flight info in his computer system. Though we were the only 2 non –Caricom people on the flight (us), it took about 30 minutes to get our passports stamped. Welcome to the Caribbean. This was our 6th or 7th charter in the Grenadines and the first where we would go all the way down to Grenada having previously started/returned to St. Vincent.

We were met by a taxi and at the Barefoot base about 20 minutes later where we were taken by dinghy to our boat “Isaphil” a Lagoon 38 that we have chartered previously. As the dock is small at Barefoot, they keep the boats on moorings and transport you out by dinghy. We prefer this as the air flow through the boat on a mooring is very good, and it is relaxing to get on the water. Provisions (except for perishables) were already on the boat and beers were cold in the fridge. After stowing things we jumped in the dinghy and had dinner at Driftwood, the restaurant at the Barefoot base which was very good. The bartender made us his rum concoction with the “secret” ingredient. This was later revealed to be a splash of cranberry juice. I may have had one or two more of these than I should have as they were very good.

Day 2 – After waking up early and recovering from my rum induced stupor, Chalkie met us at the boat around 8:30 for the boat checkout and brought us to the dock so we could settle the bills in the office, go through a quick briefing as we were going to drop the boat in Grenada, picked up harnesses, snorkel gear, and topped off the water tanks. A minor battery charging issue was dealt with and by 11 ish we were on our way to Bequia in about 20-25 knots of wind under a single reefed main. Two hours later we were on a mooring in the inner harbor. After a quick lunch aboard we parked the dinghy at the Whaleboner and took a walk into town. We took a local taxi for a mini island tour to the fort (more like a few cannons on a patio but the views are great) on the peak above the Devils Table and over to the turtle sanctuary. Total cost was US$40, and it was well worth it. We also did some minor shopping to top off our provisioning, went back to the boat and got a head start on Sundowners. We had dinner aboard but wished we had eaten ashore at the Gingerbread House where we have had great local meals in the past.

Day 3 – By about 9:30 we were on our way south and anchored in the Tobago Cays behind Baradal by 1:00 PM. This again was a great sail in 20+ knots where we were doing 7+ knots most of the way down. With the assistance of boat boy Teddy, we straightened out the bridle which was not correctly configured (one side under the rail and the other side over the rail), and booked a beach barbecue with him for dinner. The wind calmed to 10-15 knots over the afternoon which made for great swimming/snorkeling/turtle watching. Mr. Quality came by and we chatted, bought a T-Shirt and placed our order for ice and a baguette for the next morning. Teddy picked us up for dinner at 6:30. We each had lobsters which were very good. The total cost for dinner and transport including a tip for Teddy was US$100. We brought our own wine. On the way back to the boat I managed to slip off the deck of Teddy’s tender while dropping off another guest at her boat and had a post prandial swim. No harm was done except for that to my ego.

Day 4 – After Mr. Quality stopped by around 8:30 with our order and took our trash, we lounged about deciding whether to spend the day in the Cays or move on. By 11:00 or so, restlessness won out and we motored for an hour to Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau where we picked up a mooring with the assistance of Freddie. As mentioned in a previous post, the dinghy dock was useless so we tied off to a tree when going ashore. Generally speaking, dinghy docks in the Grenadines can be an adventure. We wandered the beach, swam, and called Dennis to book dinner later that evening. The normal taxi driver there is Curtis who was supposed to meet us at 7:00 to take us up the hill to Dennis’s. After waiting for about 15 minutes we wandered to some of the surrounding small beach bars/restaurants and saw a car (there are maybe 4 on the island). After inquiring for Curtis, we were informed that “Curtis was drunk”, and Dennis had sent Nehemiah to bring us. Apparently Curtis’ condition was common knowledge to everyone on the island. We all had some good laughs over this and will look forward to giving Curtis a hard time the next time we are there. Snapper for dinner at the Hideaway was very good and we hung around chatting with Dennis (by his own admission a bit in his cups, but not Curtis grade) for an hour after before returning to the boat.

Day 5 – After discussing where to go, and hearing that the weather forecast was for some steady rain, we decided to hang out at Salt Whistle for another day. This is not a hardship by any means and it typical for us. We lounged/wandered and had lunch on the beach at Mama Jeans. Though it took a while to prepare, the fish and chips was excellent. We had a lot of laughs talking with the local people about Curtis' condition from the day before. The rains set in in earnest around 2:00 PM and continued pretty consistently through dark so our planned hike to the top didn’t happen. We have done this a number of times in the past and the views from the back of the church over the keys are amazing. We dined aboard that night. While running the starboard engine to top off the batteries, it alarmed due to overheating. We shut it down and decided to deal with it the following morning.

Day 6 – After checking the oil, coolant, strainer, and sea water intake, and a discussion with Barefoot, it appeared that we had an impeller issue. On the Yanmar’s on this boat, getting to the impeller requires removal of the water pump and we were asked if we could get to Union where they had a local mechanic. This turned out to be a bit of a challenge as it was the back side of the storm from the day before and the wind was blowing 25-30 knots. We made the short run down to Union on a partially furled genoa and were able to get on a mooring behind Newland’s Reef with only the port engine and the assistance of Sam by about noon. As it was Sunday, nothing as going to happen so we went ashore, wandered through the town (very quiet on Sunday with little open) and dined aboard. As we were out of charcoal, we were able to get some from a local person who arrived with a plastic bagful. This was “chunk” charcoal which burned well, but when taking of the grill cover to put food on or take it off the sparks flew almost like fireworks.

Day 7 – By about 9:00, the local mechanic was on board repairing the engine and was done by noon after a few runs back to shore for additional tools. When he was finished, we went ashore, cleared out of the Grenadines, did some re-provisioning, hung out at the Anchorage bar and decided to stay at Union for a second night. We spent the afternoon watching the kite surfers and lounging. This is a great anchorage behind the reef and we spent a good night.

Day 8 – By 9:30 we were on the way to Hillsborough on Carriacou to clear in to Grenada. We were anchored by 11:00 or so and jumped into the dinghy with our paperwork. The “dinghy dock” here is a small platform beside the main (only) dock. Though a bit dodgy, it sufficed. We went in to the immigration office (in the police station) to start the clearance process which was smooth. The only minor glitch was that the person who had the “official” stamp for our passports was out of the office at the airport and was expected back in 5 minutes. An hour later she returned and we went across the street to customs where EC$75 later we were official. This was not a total waste as we wandered the main drag in Hillsborough and got some exercise. We motored past Sandy Island and anchored in Tyrell as it was a bit windy and Tyrell offers good protection and restaurants. Though it is a busy harbor, it is quite large and there is plenty of room to anchor. We wandered the shore, stopped for the occasional refreshment and settled on the Lambi Queen for dinner. Food was good and relatively inexpensive.

Day 9 – It was time for us to get moving earlier than usual as this was the day for the 35 mile or so sail to Grenada. By 8:30 we were under way. When Grenada appears in the distance it is hard to miss at the mountains peak around 2,500 feet or more. It is quite impressive. We had 20-25 knots of wind and were making north of 7 knots getting into the low 8’s on occasion with a single reef in the main and a shortened genoa until we got about half way down the Grenada coast when the mountains knocked down the wind. Along the way the passage was uneventful except for a few miles south of Ronde when ourselves, a mono, and a 48 foot cat ended up within less than 100 yards of each other. We were being overtaken by the larger cat to port, and the mono which initially was well off to our starboard changed course and was coming in on us from that direction. With all this ocean and very little traffic it is confounding how this happens. The situation resolved itself uneventfully as we eased the genoa to slow down and let them have at it, but my blood pressure was a little high for a time. Along the way we got some drenching showers which, of course were at their worst when it was time to anchor off St. George’s. We were secure by 2:30 or so and occupied ourselves watching the numerous rainbows from the squalls. We were running out of days left and worked down the rum stash and provisions.

Day 10 – This was our last full day and the weather was quite unsettled once again. We initially planned on going to Hog Island, but it started pouring as we rounded Pt. Salines so we decided to call it a day and pulled into True Blue for the afternoon and evening. We finished off our provisions.

Day 11 – We turned the boat over to the skipper who would bring the boat back to St. Vincent in the early afternoon at True Blue and checked into the hotel there – really nice place. After settling in to our room we lounged by the pool and chilled. Dinner was at the hotel was nothing special, but the EC$10 Margaritas were a good change from the rum.

Day 12 – As our flight was not until late afternoon, we had pre-booked a dune buggy tour through the rain forest. It turned out to be just us and the guide. We set out on rough trails through the airport area and over to Clarkes Court before taking to the roads around St. George’s up in to the mountains. This was the best part as the views are spectacular. As I was driving I caught glimpses buy my wife enjoyed it quite a bit. As we got up toward the rain forest, it poured for long enough to soak us both. We went off road again and emerged at the Annandale Falls. This was quite busy as there were a few cruise ships in port. We got back to the rental place shortly after noon and they took us back to True Blue where we cleaned up, had lunch, and hung out until we left for the airport around 2:30. Flights home to Boston via Miami were as scheduled and we arrived at Logan around 1:00 AM for the hour drive home.

Notes

We had a great trip and will do this again despite having an unplanned day on Union for repairs. Had it not been a Sunday it would not have been an issue and we would have gone to PSV. The winds at this time of year are usually a bit higher than what we experienced. It was well worth the drop off fee to sail off the wind the entire time and to get south of Union.

There are now (theoretically) maintained moorings in the Tobago Cays, Mayreau, and behind the reef in Clifton that are considered part of the National Park. As with almost all moorings in the Grenadines, one will need the assistance of a boat boy to thread lines through the ball. The fees are collected separately by a park ranger (EC$60/night) and a receipt is given.

Also, for those of you who have chartered from Barefoot in the past, we found out that Seth is no longer there. All we know is that he is still on island. We have enjoyed working with him and hanging out with him in the past and wish him well. He will be missed by many.

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Re: Trip Report SVG to Grenada Jan 2-13-Long [Re: tothedogs] #152992
01/20/2018 09:54 PM
01/20/2018 09:54 PM
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 38
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trespalmas Offline
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trespalmas  Offline
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Joined: Nov 2016
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This is amazing! Incredible detail. I am going to print this out and take it along in 2 weeks. Thank you for putting the time and effort into such a thorough trip report, very helpful!

Re: Trip Report SVG to Grenada Jan 2-13-Long [Re: tothedogs] #153001
01/21/2018 05:15 AM
01/21/2018 05:15 AM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,992
U.K. and Spain
Jeannius Offline
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Jeannius  Offline
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,992
U.K. and Spain
Nice report. Bit disturbing to read that the Yanmar engine required the water pump removing to get at the impeller. I've changed more than a few in the Caribbean and would hate to have to get involved in removing other components to get the job done. Do you know what model the engine was?

Re: Trip Report SVG to Grenada Jan 2-13-Long [Re: Jeannius] #153021
01/21/2018 09:25 AM
01/21/2018 09:25 AM
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 189
Eastern MA
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tothedogs Offline OP
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tothedogs  Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 189
Eastern MA
I do not know the model # of the engine, but thought it odd as well as this is something that comes up from time to time. I recall looking before calling the charter company and thinking this is almost impossible to get to as it was very tight in the engine compartment and I am a larger person. When I called them they told me it was behind the H2O pump and that they wanted their person to do it. I had no problem with their recommendation. Spare impellers were in the tool kit. Getting into Union on one engine in 30+ knots of wind is not something I would like to make a habit of. It was not pretty, but we got it done with minimum cursing.


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