Gorgeous Grenada at Last! June 2022

We left Chesapeake Bay, VA in November 2021 unsure where we would spend hurricane season because COVID was still wreaking havoc. However, by March things in the Caribbean began opening up affording us the opportunity to travel more easily between islands. Yet, sailing in the Caribbean waters required us to change insurance which mandated we stay below St. Vincent from June 1-Dec. 1. So we left the Bahamas on April Fool’s Day and headed to the Caribbean slowly making our way south.

We enjoyed our journey through the islands, but it was now time to make our home in Grenada for the next 6 months for “the season”. Of course, there was no guarantee that Grenada would not incur a hurricane, but insurance underwriters were more willing to bet on Grenada than other parts of the Caribbean.

After spending a few days in Carriacou which was part of the country of Grenada, we began our last leg of the journey to the gorgeous island of Grenada. We passed through the small islands in the channel between Carriacou and Grenada and around the underwater volcano, Kickin’ Jenny and entered the lee of mountainous island that towered over us. The cute villages lining the bays along the western shore made us smile. After 7 months, we were here!

We had been to Grenada once before and remembered how much we enjoyed the island as well as the people. So as we sailed into the shadow of the island, we began to reminisce about our last experiences and how we were looking forward to exploring the many bays, and the nooks and crannies of the island itself.

Our first stop was to moor at Port Louis Marina which was adjacent to the capital city of St. George as I needed to see an eye dr. in the city. The marina was very nice as well as the staff. They had all the amenities to make us feel at home including sparkling clean bathrooms and showers, a laundry service, a restaurant, and a small pool.

They hooked us up with Ezekiel who owned a rental car business in addition to working security at the University Campus. Renting a car for a few days allowed us to get the lay of the land and preview the many southern bays from shore.

In addition, we drove to Grenada Marine, where we would haul out our boat  in September. It looked to be an excellent facility for a bottom job and to complete a few other minor projects. Linda helped us work through the logistics of where we might stay while the boat was on the hard and how we would get to and from the boat.

We also spent one day going up into the mountains to the Annandale Waterfalls and the Grand Etang volcanic crater lake.

The countryside was lush with hillsides of ferns, mango trees and beautiful flowers.

Mona monkeys hung out in the tropical foliage around the lake.

I wish I could show you more pictures of the drive, but the roads were twisty and narrow and there were very few places from which to stop and take a picture. There was beauty around every corner!

Nevertheless, driving in Grenada was quite a challenge. First you drove on the left and many of the roads were barely wide enough for two cars, but this did not preclude people from randomly parking on the side of the road. Honking also was a custom we had to learn with a short honk meaning hello, coming around a corner, or passing you. Longer honks could mean irritation because you were traveling too slow or stopping when you shouldn’t.

For the most part Ben navigated the roads like a pro except he didn’t drive at the same speed as the locals who knew the roads well. The place where we had the most difficulty was negotiating the one-way streets within St. George. They were extremely narrow with open drains on each side and cars parked along the street as well. When Ben tried to drop me off at the eye doctor, he had difficulty finding a place to stop so I could jump out without blocking cars all the way down the street. It only took a moment to cause a major traffic jam. Grenadian people were super nice, except on the road where many took on a whole new persona, one of crazy person!

However, this did not prevent us from going into the cute town of St. George on Saturday. The markets were in full swing, along with political rallies because elections were coming up shortly.

There were remnants of a fort high on the hillside of St. George and a well-known cathedral in the center of town. Shops with living quarters above them were pack in  every usable inch of the city within the valley of the surrounding mountains.

The last day that we had the rental car, we went over to Le Phare Bleu Marina to visit with Becky, Luke and Jackie from SV Change Up. We spent the afternoon having lunch and swimming in their nice pool.

Now we were in a state of flux trying to determine which part of Grenada we wanted to make our home. Do we stay at the marina? Do they have room for us? Do we move to an anchorage or a mooring ball? What is the best place to be if a storm does come? What is the most convenient place logistically in regard to groceries, laundry, etc.? Where will we meet the most people?

Stay with us and we will let you know our final decision and hopefully have a nice surprise to share in the coming weeks.

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Thanks again for following along with us as we continue our Caribbean exploration!