Grenada

Grenada welcomed us with a rain storm. We sailed through a thick wall of rain just guided by the GPS and appealing to Jim's sailor's instinct, since we didn't have the wind instrument working. I have to confess I was concern about sailing on a storm (this wasn't quite one), but it was actually very pleasant. When it stopped raining and the sky was clear again, the sun shone, Grenada showed off like a mysterious island. We knew it was there, but its suddenly apparition behind the clouds was even romantic.

This island is as dangerous as the mystic islands in Pirates movies, with the mermaids' music making sailors fall in love with them. Everything is nice; its welcoming people who doesn't seem to care about the racial difference like the in other islands; the ever green forest, the good diving sites, the fruits and vegetables, their colorful architecture, the delightful spices the family traditions, the tourist who meet there and never want to leave. They end getting in that Grenadian flow that everybody love.

A lot of sailors get stock between the arms of this place for a long time. We got here in the afternoon and made a plan for the weekend, so Archie could get to see Grenada before Monday, when he was flying back to the U.S. We rented a car and drove across the country, visited the farms and enjoyed the scenery of the mountains, its fresh air, the perfumes of the rain forest. We also went to the market, the most friendly sellers and better looking produce of the Caribbean, and took a tour of Belmont state, the town where the chocolate factory is.

We thought that three days of sightseeing would be enough, but we kept the car because we had to pick up the mast head unit and go to the machine shop to deal with the bowpulpit rebuilding. To get work done in Grenada is actually a pain, you have to chase the mechanics and beg them to take the money and do the job, and then harass them to get it done when you need it. It took several trips to the repair shop and lot of patience. In the other hand getting something shipped in Grenada from the U.S. is expensive and in top of that you have to pay a 65% of taxes for the total value of the goods. After all it was a good thing that we kept the car for two weeks.

When all the work was finished, we found out that we couldn't leave, there were so much to do and so many people to meet, places to go. We were definitely trapped in the enchanted waters of Grenada.

AnechyNotes