Arriving in Grenada is like arriving at home. Through the years we have had so many good times here. We have local friends, and we see so many of our cruising friends. We know where to shop, where to walk, where to swim, where to catch a bus (and which ones) and where to eat.
But things evolve. Things change, albeit slowly. De Big Fish in Prickly Bay is closed and undergoing a major enhancement — reportedly to become an upscale restaurant under new management. Roger has enhanced his rum shack, but has weekend competition. The bridge to Hog Island is suddenly open and vehicles are driving across and parking in the southeast corner of the island so their passengers can party on the small beach there. Whisper Cove has more tables than ever, but continues to serve delicious meals. Mount Hartman has begun actively attempting to attract vessels to their under-used marina. Bob at Clarkes Court Marina has lost out to the banks and must depart; new owners are already bringing in equipment to convert to a boatyard. The docks will go and a breakwater will be built. And if Bob’s dreams can be realized, the Oasis bar will be floated away to another location in Clarkes Court Bay, where Bob will start again with a small marina. Bob was still on the premises while we were there; we attended some of the very last hamburger nights & potluck nights that will ever be held at Clarkes Court Bay Marina. A tremendous blast of wind on Father’s Day dislodged the mooring for the middle dock at the Marina, causing it to rotate around the ramp and pinning a wooden sailboat up against the rocks for a time. Bob is not the owner anymore, and no one else has stepped forward to pay for any damage to the vessel.
We stayed busy while we were there. A large group noodled practically every morning off the beach at Rogers. Ann gave a lesson on board Tusen Takk II on how to cook duck; the entire crews of TT2 and Receta and Asseance enjoyed the results. I took Devin & Liz (Moosetracks) on a hike with the intention of showing them a high vantage point; alas, a former dirt road was so overgrown we had to divert to easier destinations. We twice walked to Mickey’s Jamaican Jerk Chicken stand, once w/ Ann & Steve (Receta) and Heather & Don (Asseance), and once on our own. We got together w/ Mike & Cynthia (Minx) in several venues, including Clarkes Court Bay Marina and Taffies and Whisper Cove. We visited Nimrod’s for rotis twice.
And of course we saw Dwight & Stevie, the local fishermen who have become our friends. I have already written about our nights at Stevie’s sister Charlene’s establishment. (See previous post.) We also had Dwight & Stevie over for dinner late one afternoon; Barb went to considerable trouble to secure turkey and the fixings so we could show them what an American Thanksgiving meal is like.
So it was with some reluctance that we left Grenada earlier than planned; we could not resist the opportunity to cruise down to Trinidad through conditions that were unusually mild when weather and sea forecasts promised soon-to-arrive long-lasting nastiness. We left at 2 am on June 19 (Corpus Christi Day) and arrived in Trinidad at 3:30 pm, where we gratefully paid the holiday “overtime” fees to Customs and Immigration.
But I’ve gotten ahead of myself. To read about our stay in Trinidad, see our next blog post.