Some people wonder why we choose to stay in Grenada during the off season (hurricane season), as it is hot, and I mean HOT, especially since the marina is protected allowing less breeze to penetrate. Sometimes when I get up in the morning, the sweat begins before I can adequately cover my face with sunscreen. It can be a losing battle to keep sunscreen on for very long, forget reapplying! I try not to look at the temperature on the weather app because seeing that it’s 86 but it feels like 106 first thing in the morning is not good for my psyche.
While Texas also is hot, air conditioning is abundant there. In Grenada to cool off we head for the air-conditioned car, grocery store or a dip in the pool/beach. Those are the best ways to cool off. Electricity is extremely expensive at the marina. So we only run our ac from about 5-9:00 in the evenings to cool the boat off enough that we can comfortably sleep through the night with only fans blowing on us. If we ran the ac all day, it would cost more than the slip fee because our AC is a chiller system that cools the entire boat at once. We don’t have individual units.
Nevertheless, despite the summer heat, we learn to get chores done in the morning, run errands in the afternoon and frequently use the pool while the ac cools off the boat which allows us to cook dinner without totally melting.
Tender Loving Care (TLC) for Daggers Down
So why do we remain in Grenada, where is it brutally hot, at times? For one thing, we enjoy being on this beautiful island with its friendly, welcoming people. In addition, this lull in the sailing season affords us the time to provide the TLC that the boat requires to get it ready for another cruising season.
Besides the chores mentioned in a prior blog, Grenada 2025, Getting Back Into the Swing of Things, we continue with annual maintenance tasks such as changing engine and generator oil and filters, changing water filters, and giving the dinghy engine and batteries some love.
Ben also painted our main sail battens when one of the workers noticed that the fiberglass was flaking off them.
We also replaced all the caulk on both sides of the boat, and one set of reef lines that were fraying.
We cleaned every crevice of the boat including scrubbing the shades which hang around the cockpit keeping the sun from cooking us in the afternoon.
The hurricane season provides us with the time necessary to take care of boat chores on an island where local expertise and resources are readily available to address the never-ending boat projects that come from being in a salty, harsh environment year-round.
Island Joy for the Crew!
Also, our summer home at the marina provides us with the opportunity to meet up with other cruiser friends and make new friends. We hosted a happy hour on the boat the other night and 29 people showed up with some amazing food and an abundance of stories about their life at sea.
Ladies’ Coffee
Ladies’ coffee continues each week on Thursdays. In fact, ladies across the island have gotten in on the act, and there are now 3 ladies’ coffees on Thursday in various locations. Thus, female cruisers can connect no matter where they are moored or anchored.
Lunch Bunch
Furthermore, we enjoy trying out the yummy cuisine that is available around the island. A Cruiser Lunch Bunch has begun meeting every other Tuesday at the Container Park. This park is similar to a Food Truck Park. There are many delectable places to grab a lunch from burgers to Indian food, Cuban fare, BBQ, Sushi and more! About 27-28 cruisers from across the island meet, have lunch, and discuss the challenges of boat work as well as their fun excursions.
For Ben’s 70 birthday, Tim, a new friend, accompanied us to one of our favorite dining experiences, Dexter’s! The 5-course meal is served on the porch of a house where you can watch the sunset and feel the cool ocean breeze. The service is impeccable, and the food is divine! Happy Birthday, my captain, my love!
By the way, the birthday boy was served all three desserts with nutmeg ice cream! Delightful!
One of our favorite places to grab a snack and relax is at the Sand Bar and Grill on Prickly Bay. The food and service are good, and the water and beach are beautiful and inviting.
Sailing Vessel Second Wind
Tim bought a, new to him, boat, SV Second Wind, a 34 ft Prout Catamaran. So, he asked us to go for a sail and evaluate the rigging. It was a lovely day to be out on the water. We enjoyed the sail but had to watch out for the 5-7-foot-long bamboo logs that cluttered the water. The logs had floated down the rivers during a storm we had the night before.
New Recipes!
In addition, staying in one place for a bit and having shore power as well as several grocery stores close at hand, gives me a chance to try out some new recipes. ,I found some baby back ribs at the store and decided to use the instant pot to cook them. I think we were all pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out. Check out Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs.
Stay tuned for more recipes in the next few months!
We are looking forward to our escape come November, but in the meantime, you can see we are not just sitting around sweating and twiddling our thumbs! We are providing the TLC that Daggers Down needs to be ready for our next sailing season, and enjoying living in paradise, meeting new friends, and the resources that the island of Grenada provides!
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Wonderful seeing you both at FWBC! Enjoy reading about your sailing adventures. Grenada is a beautiful place! Lynette
Yes it was good to catch up! We love the lushness of Grenada!