A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 6/25/2023 – 7/2/2023
Hi! Have you seen our latest YouTube video?
Monday morning, we took the dinghy to shore to explore Saint George’s, the capital of Grenada. We walked around the entire horseshoe-shaped harbor, checking out the fishing boats that were rafted up six ships deep!
Nicknamed “Spice Island,” Grenada’s key crops include nutmeg, cocoa, cloves, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger. Consequently, the air smells sweet, and quality spices are easy to find. We picked up some dark chocolate and cinnamon while we were out and stopped for breakfast before returning home. We spent the rest of the day catching up on boat chores and relaxing. We hadn’t had much sun since Tropical Storm Bret had passed, so we kept an eye on our power consumption, hoping to get by without running our generator… 🤞🏼
Tuesday morning, we met up with an old friend (and local taxi driver) to go grocery shopping. He took us to several stores: Le Boucher for fresh meat and cheese, a local fruit and vegetable market, then a proper grocery store for any last odds and ends. We picked up the usual, plus a few fun items, including a new fruit to try and some cinnamon + bay leaf cocoa balls (used here for hot chocolate!). We washed our produce and put everything away, then headed over to the fuel dock. We needed some diesel after our trip down here and wanted to fill our water tanks so we wouldn’t have to use our limited power supply to run our watermaker this week. The guys on the dock at Grenada Yacht Club were so friendly! They were excited about our YouTube Channel and asked if they could put our sticker on display. ☺️
We spent the day Wednesday taking care of Sabado. We did some chores and routine maintenance and FaceTimed our friends who are still in the USVI. We’ve accepted that long-distance friendships are a consequence of our chosen lifestyle, but we were spoiled spending months in the same waters as them this year!!
We had dinner at home that night and watched a fantastic sunset from the boat.
We left Thursday morning for Carriacou. It was a great day for a sail, with ~15kn winds and calm seas. We used our main and jib, reefing periodically to handle the gusts between mountains.
As we approached our destination, a strong current dropped our speed and changed our angle. We decided to drop the sails and motor for the final hour of our trip.
We arrived in Tyrell Bay after lunch, surprised by the number of boats… Since 2019 (when Ray was last there), a few locals have installed a slew of unauthorized, un-maintained mooring balls. It seemed like boats were packed into every square inch of the place! We took a few laps and eventually found a spot to drop our anchor. Shortly after, we had a negative experience with a local who approached the boat. Nothing too serious, but he was rude and aggressive. We tried to brush it off. We went to shore, spent some money at the local businesses, and reminded ourselves that everybody has bad days! Unfortunately, after joining the local boaters’ Facebook page, we learned that others had had issues with the same man, and in some cases, he had gotten violent. The following day, after hearing he had forced another anchored vessel to leave by installing a mooring ball right next to their boat while they were sleeping, we decided to go.
***Since we left, the local government has begun encouraging boaters in Tyrell Bay to attend “consultation sessions” to communicate their concerns and hopefully improve their experience on the island.***
We motored over to a small, quiet cove nearby with a beautiful white sand beach!
We had the place to ourselves, so we enjoyed the sunshine and went snorkeling. This was the first time I’d swam since Antigua, and I’m happy to report that our pet fish made it to Grenada with us!
This fish has traveled with us around our prop/sail drive for two months!🐠 I also saw a puffer fish and thousands of minnows.
With the sunshine back, things got hot, fast! We broke out the homemade popsicles we had made earlier in the week to cool down.
I puréed soursop with milk and honey for one flavor and added mango for the other! We made tubes with our vacuum sealer and popped them in our freezer. Soursop is largely promoted here as an “anti-cancer” fruit. Although the research for that is lacking, it is very high in fiber and vitamin C and has a plethora of other antioxidants for skin and immune health. Plus, it’s yummy! ☺️ Our favorite was the soursop + mango combination.
A storm blew through late that night, waking us both up. Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. It lasted for a few hours but cleared up Saturday afternoon. Two other boats joined us in the anchorage, but Ray and I were the only ones who went to shore for dinner. There was a small BBQ place on the beach, accessible only by boat. We dinghied in and sat down, expecting to get some sort of menu. We were pleasantly surprised when plate after plate after plate was brought over. Whatever they were cooking was what we were having!
We started with a salad, fried plantains, and cheesy, buttery, garlicky baked potatoes. Oh, and some rum! Then came the rice pilaf, curried lambi, BBQ ribs, chicken, and mahi mahi. We stuffed ourselves while we watched the sunset.
We went to bed early that night with full bellies! I think we’re planning on moving again today. There is so much to explore down here!
I hope you had a great week. ❤️