Before I begin this update, I wanted to post a heartfelt sadness for those in North Carolina who are suffering from the catastrophic disaster cause by Hurricane Helene. As you know from our last blog North Carolina Break from the Intense Heat, August 2024, we recently enjoyed the beauty found in the Asheville area and cannot fathom the devastation they are going through. So, keep the people of North Carolina in your prayers and send aid if you can. We also are prayering for those who are in the path of Milton! What a year!
We arrived back in Grenada on September 9 and initially we were pleasantly surprised at how clean and nice Daggers Down looked. Our Damp Rid Buckets and Kanberra Gel had worked extremely well.
We also used Grenada Marines Concierge service which checked on the boat each month. The boat did not smell musty, and clothes and cushions were not moldy. I was pleasantly surprised after leaving the boat on the hard for 5 months in this humid, salty environment. Super Nice!
We knew it would take at least a week to get the boat ready to launch as we needed to finish installing the rudders and a few other chores. Thus, we rented an Airbnb because living on the hard and climbing up and down a ladder at night to go to the bathroom across the parking lot was NOT for me.
We found pleasant lodging in a private apartment of a lovely purple house located on the tip of Fort Jeudy Point about 20 min from Grenada marine. It had three ac units, a kitchen and a pool! It was perfect for our needs.
The walking views were gorgeous too!
The location also afforded some dramatic sunsets each evening.
Ben spent most days at Grenada Marine getting the boat ready as sails had to be reinstalled as well as cushions, screens etc. We stripped the boat of all sails and canvas before we left in preparation for any storms such as Hurricane Beryl. Back at the apartment, I worked on provisioning lists and meal planning as we had cleaned out the inside of boat as well.
Then we almost had a big set back to our launch date when Ben noticed that the back windows on port and starboard sides needed to be reseated. This was a really big job as the windows would have to be cut out, cleaned up and rebedded. In addition, the main person who worked on windows was going on vacation for 2 weeks. However, Grenada Marine got together and made a plan to get the job done in 3 days before their employee left. We were so relieved that we would not have to be on the hard for another two weeks! Thanks Grenada Marine!
Finally, it was splash day and we were so excited to get our home back in the water. So we moved out of the Airbnb and onto the boat, and waited for our turn at the lift.
Let the Gremlins Begin!
We expected to have some issues with the boat after she had been laid up for 5 months, but we did NOT expect the issues to start the moment she touched the water! Once we were launched and were ready to move to the dock, Ben found that the shifters would not work on the starboard engine. We could not move our engine into forward or reverse! Something was binding the cables.
No worries, however, as one of the guys said he would disconnect the cables in the engine room and manually shift the engine until we got on dock. Then they would fix the problem. It seemed risky but we acquiesced. What I didn’t realize, as I was on the bow of the boat, and we didn’t have our headphones on, Ben could not hear anything that was being said because the engine compartment door behind him was open. Therefore, after a lot of miscommunications, the boat ended up in forward when Ben thought it was in neutral! The CRASH was heart wrenching to say the least! The port bow had rammed the dock!
We finally got tied up, but after the damage was assessed, it was evident we would have to haul out again to repair the fiberglass on the bow! UGH!!!
Then while working on the switching mechanism and testing everything, it was found that the port engine would no longer start! More gremlins! Everything worked when we left, and it was just working!
Luckily, the Airbnb was still available. So, I booked another 5 days since the weekend would fall in the middle of the repair time.
Ben spent the evening rigging the port engine so we could hot wire the start, but to no avail. We couldn’t figure out what was going on with the engine! What a day! In addition to add insult to injury, the yard bill that had been presented was Way over budget and that was before this disaster! We crash the budget and the boat all in one day! WAWAWAWA….
Instead of motoring around to Port Louis Marina as planned, we moved back into the Airbnb and with the mechanic’s help, we got the port engine started enough to get Daggers Down hauled out again.
Luckily, we still had our rental car to transport us to and from the yard and to reprovision the apartment. Ben used the extended time to repair areas of the wrap that had been damaged over the last 4 yrs.
Launch, Take Two
It was time again to go back into the water. I have to tell you, I had a little anxiety this time. So, Ben solicited some line help from fellow cruisers to assure that all went well. In addition, I made sure we had working headphones this time!
Our port engine continued to give us trouble but with the mechanics help, we moved around and successfully docked without incident. Tomorrow we would head to Port Louis Marina, if we could get the engine restarted. It appeared we needed a new starter but that would take time to arrive.
We had a reprieve the next morning as the port engine started on its on! Yay! We said goodbye to Grenada Marine and began the 3-hour journey around the south side of the island to the west side where Port Louis Marina was located.
More Gremlins!
However, the gremlins did not abate. Ben found that while the autopilot showed it was engaged, it would NOT engage! One more thing! Oh well except for a little rain, it was an easy motor (and the port engine didn’t stall-thank goodness). We even motored past our Airbnb. The purple house was easily seen from the water!
Our arrival at Port Louis Marina (PLM) went smoothly and by 1400 we were tied up! However, the gremlins were not done. For some reason our power cord that had worked perfectly fine at Grenada Marine kept popping the breaker. In addition, our generator, yes that dang generator, wouldn’t stay started! It was going to be a long hot night without AC if we couldn’t get one of these two things to work.
Then at dinner, we found the igniter on the stove no longer worked and after dinner, the button for shower sump pump decided to give us problems! Good grief—what else!
Luckily the igniter turned out to be just a bad battery. We found that none of the flashlights worked or motion lights in the bathrooms as all the batteries had corroded. Note to self—empty batteries from all items before leaving the boat on the hard!
So where were we today with fixing our boat gremlins?
- We identified the power cord issue and now could turn on the ac during the heat of the day
- We ordered a new starter for the engine
- We ordered a voltage regulator for the generator (the one part we didn’t bring back from the states)
- We were in the process of ordering a new autopilot
- We had hoped to replace the LCD screens on our Tachometers as they don’t display engine hours any longer; however, the LCD screens we bought don’t fit our Tachs. So now, we have to order new ones.
- The shower pump issue has been addressed with a CrossionX bath, which seems to have done the trick. Yay, another thing off the list!
Needless to say, Ben has NOT been bored for one minute upon our return. Boat life has come back with a vengeance!
Relaxation Too!
But don’t worry my friends, we are still hopeful to have everything ready to go when our company arrives on November 16 and the new sailing season officially starts for us.
In the meantime, all work and no play, make for grumpy sailors. So last Sunday we took the day off and found a little beach bar, Sand Bar and Grill, on Prickly Bay where we ate, swam and relaxed.
I also have begun reconnecting with the Ladies of Grenada at the morning weekly coffee and went with them on a tour to The Tower Estate for a Blue Tea. The gardens of the estate were extensive, and the owner was a treat as she enthusiastically shared information about the estate’s history, Grenadian traditions and her lovely garden, much of which is used in perfume making.
Amazing Garden
Its Tea Time
In addition, we have reconnected with some of our previous cruiser friends such as Tracy, Rich and their lovely dog, Moby. As well as friends from Texas who just arrived on their New Balance boat, SV Rhythm. They sailed over from South Africa where their boat was commissioned! We were so happy to see them pull into PLM safe and sound after their Atlantic Ocean Voyage. Yay!
So we are back in Grenada, knocking down these unexpected boat gremlins one at time and getting the boat ready for another adventurous sailing season. Cruising Season 2024-25 is just around the corner as soon as this pesky hurricane period has ended.
More to come!!!
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(P.S. Thanks to Amy and Doug for allowing me to use their air conditioned boat to write this!)
