Northbound

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November first is the official end of hurricane season, so it was time to leave Trinidad and start our trek north. We are very excite to start another cruising season in the Caribbean, not only because our first stop is Grenada and the Grenadines (which are amazing) but also because we have so many islands to explore this year. Unlike last year where we had to travel over 2,500 miles and therefore skip many countries along the way, this year we are already here in the Caribbean and can take our time to explore all the islands. And our first stop north is Grenada- yohoo!

We left Crews Inn Marina at o'dark thirty, just as the first rays of sunshine lit the sky. We were traveling with a flotilla of other boats and many of our friends, so it was a lot of activity on the docks. We quickly untied our lines and were off, sailing across the harbor and out thru the Bocas. At one point we were surrounded by a pod of dolphins who were playing beside us and riding the waves off our bow- always an amazing experience and a good omen for the trip ahead. It was 90 nautical miles from Trinidad to Prickly Bay, the southernmost anchorage in Grenada. If we were lucky we should arrive before nightfall. But we had an amazing trip, averaging 10 knots the entire time (holy cow!) and had our anchor down and a celebratory drink in hand by the afternoon. Like we always say about the cruising life, "When it is bad, it is really really bad. But when it is good, it is really, really good." And this was definitely a very good day!

We spent much of our time in Grenada in the water, swimming of our boat and having floating parties with all of our cruising friends. Even Kona jumped in! The water in Trinidad is brown and murky from the Orinoco river run-off, so this was the first time we were back in blue water since July. So you can imagine how nice it was to swim in the ocean again. And we had fun just hanging out with our friends, it was quite a re-union with all of the boats that left Trinidad and all the boats that spent hurricane season in Grenada. We even caught up with our good friends that we haven't seen since 2 years ago in the Bahamas- wow! It is incredible how small the sailing community really is. You just never know who you are going to run into our here on the high seas.

The one thing we wanted to do while we were in Grenada was go to the fish fry up in Gouyave. It was one of our favorite things we did when we were here last summer and was definitely worth doing again. So we got a taxi to take us and some friends to this small fishing village for the festivities. The town closes down the main street and vendors set up booths with grills and open burners to cook the local food. There is always some entertainment, rastafarians playing drums or steel bands playing pan. This street fair is packed full of people and has a party atmosphere. We ate so many delicious foods; grilled lobster, fried fish, conch chowder, shrimp stir fry, fresh tuna kabobs, fish cakes and bakes. We spent the night walking around, getting a nibble here or there, and dancing in the street. We had a fabulous time!

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Photos

Anchor Down in Prickly Bay
But wait... that's not the Rum Runner. That is another Beneteau 49 (the only other one we have seen in the Caribbean). What a pretty boat!

Noodling
Nothing like swimming in the blue water again. And yes, we are holding a beer in one hand and a margarita in the other- when it's good, it's really really good!

Gouyave
The fish fry in Gouyave- the best party in town!

Fish Fry
One of the women frying up fish- yum!

Got Rum!
A fish fry wouldn't be complete without some rum, and Clark's Court is the local rum of choice.

Drums
The rastafarians playing the drums at the Fish Fry- makes you want to get up and dance!