First Week on the Water

                                                          First week on the water

As I mentioned in the last blog we are now in Prickly Bay and have been able to start on the chores that require being in the water, like the refrigeration and generator. The generator wouldn’t start which was also a problem at the beginning of last season. A mechanic was out to the boat 2 days and replaced one part and we are back in business. Hopefully now that the boat will not be stored it will keep working. We are trying to be energy efficient without it, but the backup is useful.

It’s a bit strange to be a sailboat and not be sailing yet. After this squally weekend we will likely begin our passage north. But there have been a lot of projects to do. We removed the microwave and Rob is building some storage into that spot as well as many other little chores. Canvas jobs, cleaning, organizing, provisioning and cooking fill much of the time.  

Bob and Barb Shanks arrived Mon pm. We have taken some time this week to be tourists in Grenada while they are here. We did an all day island tour, got to St George’s and the fort there. On the weekend we hope to get to the beach, and the pool at the University Club. An Australian boat, “Haven”, arrived from Trinidad the day before with 4 aboard. They joined us on the island tour. In talking about their travels from Australia we found out that they had become friends and fellow travellers with Bob’s sister and husband on Cat’s Paw 4. Small world!

On the drive we toured a nutmeg factory, a chocolate factory and a rum distillery. They make white rum using the original equipment producing a product with alcohol levels of 75%!  We were not impressed by the taste of the samples. We drove from the south coast here, along the west and north coasts to the east side. From Grenville we cut back across island through the rain forest. We stopped at a waterfall up there for a refreshing swim.

As the purpose of the Blue Planet Odyssey (BPO) is to highlight the effects of climate change we have kept our eyes open for articles on that topic in newspapers and magazines. There was a good review this week in the local Grenada paper of a symposium held this summer on “Climate change and tourism”. A presentation was made by a scientist, a politician, and a diplomat. The scientist painted a grim picture, particularly for the small island states of the Caribbean, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Mediterranean seas. Temperature rises of 1 to 2 degrees will cause severe weather events, sea level rise with flooding and ocean acidification. The other speakers suggested possible reactions. There is an Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) working on technological solutions. Renewable energy sources need to be developed.

On our tour we learned that there are about 130,000 people in Grenada with a minimum wage of about $3 US. It will certainly be a challenge for the people here.