Part of enjoying Grenada is getting into the local scene whenever possible. As you saw from the last blog, we did this with Carnival! See Grenada: Carnival 2023 Spice Mas.
Another way of experiencing Grenada’s lifestyle was participating in their racing program. Our friend Doug decided to join the Round Grenada Regatta on his boat, SV Black River.
This race consisted of sailing to Carriacou and then back to Grenada the following day. The race started at Le Phar Bleu Marina on the south side of the island on Saturday morning. The boats had their choice of sailing north on either side of Grenada, but if you sailed to Carriacou on the West side you had to sail back on the East side and vice versa. There was a party in Carriacou on Saturday night. Then the boats left on Sunday morning to return to Le Phar Bleu Marina.
Doug invited Ben, from SV Daggers Down and Rich, from SV Unleashed to crew with him. So plans commenced for provisioning and identifying needed paraphernalia. Doug worked in earnest preparing SV Black River for racing. He reinstalled his sails and tuned the rigging.
Race Weekend
On Friday the guys took SV Black River to Le Phar Bleu Marina as the start on Saturday was at 0700. They participated in the Friday night party before crawling into their bunks for an early wake up call.
As the race began, they had a nice start and made great progress across the south end of the island up to the north end of the west coast. There were 10 multihulls and 10 monohulls in the race.
However, as they approached the NW tip of Grenada, the wind totally shut off! There they sat for 3 hours baking in the sun and drifting from one small wind zephyr to another in hopes of making some progress. Meanwhile they watched as other boats caught up, found a piece of wind, and passed them by. It was quite frustrating.
Finally, they drifted far enough to find the wind and make the passage to Carriacou, crossing the finish line before the cut off time of 1600. They picked up a mooring ball and relaxed before dinghying into the party at The Iguana Café to determine their race status. They were very surprised when it was announced that they had finished in 2nd place for the multihulls for the day. What a nice surprise!
After meeting a few of the other racers and rehashing the race, they headed back to the boat to get ready for the 0900 start the following morning. Their next leg would be on the north and east side of Grenada back to Le Phar Bleu marina on the southern coast.
Meanwhile…
The three race bachelorettes were not to be outdone. They decided to have some fun of their own. Amy, Traci and Kitra found a little known Italian living in Grenada that made fresh pasta out of her house, Nirvana’s Pasta Paradise. It took some doing and a few What’s App conversations, but they finally found the house and ordered a variety of pasta and tiramisu for dessert.
Friday, Amy and her cute dog, Crew moved onto SV Daggers Down for the weekend.
That evening Traci came down from SV Unleashed, and we had the most delicious meal of pasta. I wish I had taken pictures because every dish was scrumptious.
We made it a short night because we too had an early start on Saturday morning. We had made day pass reservation at La Luna Boutique Hotel. The passes included a yoga class at 0930, a massage, a two-course lunch, use of the pool and some fabulous snorkeling right off their beach. We took advantage of it ALL!
The Pilates/Yoga class was perfect for loosening up our bodies.
Then the massages melted us into the table. They even provided an outdoor shower with soap, shampoo, and conditioner afterwards! Wow, so refreshing!
After a dip in the pool, we all decided we were famished.
We headed for the outdoor restaurant where we were served a citrus quinoa salad. Then Traci had a delectable tuna entrée while Amy and Kitra dined on steak sandwiches.
With our bellies full we moved to the beach where we were provided lounge chairs under a thatched umbrella.
The beach area was beautiful and so tranquil!
Then it was time for a swim in the beautiful calm bay. Much to our amazement, the snorkeling turned out to be fabulous with a variety of fish swimming among 2-4 foot colorful fans swaying with the current. It was a very pleasant end to our perfect spa day!
We went back to SV Daggers Down and had more of our mouthwatering pasta! What a wonderful day!
Back on Black River…
On Sunday, the 2nd day of the regatta, the breeze was better allowing the boats to rocket off the start line heading between Carriacou and Grenada to the east side of the island (at least most boats did-some circumvented the opposite way which was allowed as long as you totally circled Grenada). The guys found themselves sailing along at 8 to 10 knots and made great way, reaching La Phar Bleu at 1416.
They had time to rest before the Sunday night party and award ceremony. They knew they had done well and were expecting to get at least a third. It wasn’t a first, but for their first time in this regatta that was respectable.
At the Port Louis Marina…
Traci and Amy walked up the hill to give Tracy’s dog, Moby and Amy’s dog, Crew time to stretch their legs. Then they ran a few errands as we had time before the party that evening with the guys.
Sunday Evening at Le Phar Bleu…
The gals headed over to meet up with our respective spouses around 1600. We were glad that they had had a good time, because we certainly had as well.
At the restaurant we gathered around a table with other friends and ordered drinks and food waiting for the awards. When the five-minute notice came, the guys wandered over to the awards tent to give their congratulations to the winners. The girls stayed at the table as the food would be arriving shortly (we hoped) and we wanted to be sure we had what we ordered.
As Doug, Rich and Ben waited for the announcement of the multihull winners, they were surprised when the 3rd place award was given, as it was not them. Then when the 2nd place was awarded, they were more dumbfounded because they thought they had beaten that boat. So they realized they had only placed 4th…but Wait What? Now they were announcing the first place champion of the multihulls and the name being announced was Black River!!!! Oh, my they won! They were so stunned and elated! How fun that they had won the regatta their first time participating.
The news trickled back to the table where the wives were waiting, and they were disappointed they had not gone to the tent to hear the announcement. Nevertheless, they and their friends applauded the winners when they arrived back at the table with their big smiles and prizes. What a wonderful ending to a super fun weekend for all!
Yay for SV Black River and Doug, Ben and Rich! We couldn’t be prouder!!
For a video recap of the regatta see this video put together by Petite Calivigny Yacht Club who sponsored the regatta:
Hope you enjoyed a taste of our super fun weekend! The guys got a race fix, and us wives got some girl time. Winner all the way around. If you would like to receive email notification of new blog posts, simply complete the form below. Also scroll down to the comments section and leave a comment or ask questions. We love hearing from you guys!!!
