We have made Port Louis Marina our home for the hurricane season. It was a difficult decision because there were pros and cons to living at a marina vs living on the hook in Grenada.
Living at the marina
Pros
- Convenient to town and rental car for exploring and running errands
- Access to laundry and grocery stores
- Use AC with shore power rather than using generator and diesel
- More secure at dock during a storm (not always; depends on dock)
- Enjoy marina comradery
- Access to a swimming pool
- Good Wi-Fi, use less phone data which was limited in the islands
Cons
- Expensive (number 1 con)
- More difficult to explore by boat as need assistance for Mediterranean moor when return
- Unable to meet as many cruisers, because not in the southern bays of Grenada
Living at anchor
Pros
- Much less expensive
- Easier to move about and explore by boat—except we have been told that once you find a good anchorage, you don’t want to leave, because someone will get your spot, and as the season wears on, it can get crowded
- Easier to participate in activities with other cruisers as closer to main cruiser area
- Can be safer in a name storm unless other boats drag; need lots of rode out for security which can be difficult in a crowded anchorage
Cons
- Must dinghy to shore to acquire groceries, laundry, etc in all types of weather
- No dedicated transportation, must use buses, taxis, or shared rides to run errands or explore
- Use generator for AC and electric appliances
- Limited Wi-Fi abilities
Probably the number one reason we decided to stay at the marina was that we had heard this was going to be a very active storm season. Since we were new to the area and still learning about the varies anchorages, we decided it was prudent to stay at Port Louis Marina for the season. Marinas quickly fill to capacity this time of year. So a last minute decision to use a marina if a storm was coming, may not be an option. Thus, this year would be a learning season to determine if a marina was worth the expense or not. In the meantime, living at the marina was definitely a luxury that we would enjoy. We have met a number of fellow cruisers so far. Some were here for the season, some planned to leave their boats and fly home, while others would wait for a weather window to head to places like Trinidad, or Bonaire. It was fun meeting other cruisers and hearing their stories of why they started cruising, where they have been, and what they plan for the future.
Exploration!
Since Grenada is a big island, we split a rental car with a couple from SV Day One, Mark and Vanessa. This gave us the freedom to explore more of the island and learn about Grenada. One of our first outings was to Mt. Carmel waterfall and Le Sagesse Beach.
There had been quite a bit of rain the night before we hiked to the waterfall making the steep trail quite muddy in places. I was thankful that Vanessa shared one of her walking sticks with me (I hadn’t thought to bring mine). It was a beautiful trail through the opulent rainforest and I found myself frequently stopping just to gaze about.
The substantial bamboo was thick and the sound of the water rushing below the falls was entrancing.
Large boulders impeded the hiking process at times but also gave support when the trail was slippery and muddy.
The hike culminated at the waterfall tumbling down a sheer cliff. I loved listening to the roaring of the falls and watching the water cascade into the pool below, through the boulders within the stream. Yes, I simply love waterfalls!
Upon return to the car, we were so surprised when our guide lead us to a water spigot where he washed off all of our shoes that were caked with mud!
On our way back to town, we stopped at La Sagesse Beach and had a picnic lunch. It was one of the “gravel” or brown beaches of Grenada. So while it was not the picturesque white sand beach, I enjoyed watching and listening to the surf as the waves gently rolled onto shore.
An unforgettable night!
Mark and Vanessa invited us to go with them to the northeast corner of the island on a bus driven by Shademan to see the leatherback turtles that come to shore to lay their eggs at night. This experience turned into quite the adventure.
First, we loaded into one of the vans that were used as buses and traveled to two other marinas where we picked up more folks. There were 13 people all packed into a van for the 1.5 hour trip to the northern beach.
We made a stop at Antoine Lake which was another volcanic crater lake like Grand Etang Lake.
From the vantage point of the lake, you could see the Atlantic Ocean and the “pyramid” shaped island across from the Levera Beach where the leatherback turtles nest.
We had a light dinner at a roadside stop where the choices were fish and chips, chicken and chips or barbecue chicken and chips. My barbecue was fabulous. As we stood on the side of the road to eat, we could hear Grenadians cheering in the background.
This was to be a surprising night for Grenada as this was voting day. The New National Party (green) had been in power for 20 years. The prime minister and all the regional seats being from the same party. As the night wore on, it became apparent that change was happening. The National Democratic Party (yellow) won a majority of the 15 parliament seats. There would be a new prime minister in Grenada!
We loaded back into the van and entered the Levera National Park negotiating the dark dirt road down to the beach. We arrived at the beach around 1930 and settled in on the picnic tables to wait for a turtle to arrive. We were told that since it was late in the season, we had a 50/50 chance of seeing a turtle. We would wait until midnight and if a turtle had not arrived by then, it was over. At 2350 it was looking like this was not going to be our lucky night, but wait…in the distance we heard some shouting! A turtle had made its way onto the beach! We all scurried about a mile down the beach trapsing though the uneven sand and seaweed in the dark. On the way to see a mother turtle we stumbled across some hatchlings making their way out to water.
When we reached the gigantic mother leatherback whose shell was over 5 feet across, she had burrowed herself in the sand and was digging a hole with her back flippers where she would drop her eggs. The researchers were helping her dig as her right flipper was damaged.
According to the guide, the mother turtles might arrive at the beach three different times during the season to lay eggs. Some come from as far away as Australia. They always return to the beach where they were born. This year there had been over 200 turtles on the beach during the season. Only three islands in the Caribbean host leatherback turtles.
She laid 126 eggs in the small hole and after a short rest, began using her flippers to smooth out the sand and hide the nest. The whole process took about an hour and a half before she made her way back into the water.
We finally climbed into the van about 0230, tired but elated that we got to be a part of this amazing process!
As we traveled through the streets at 0300, there were people everywhere and caravans of cars/trucks honking. It seemed the nation was energized by the outcome of the election and the partying was going into the wee hours of the morning. Tomorrow would be a holiday!
We finally arrived home around 0430 and hit the sack at 0500. I was almost too excited to sleep! What an awesome evening this had been!
Storms are a-comin’!
Since we have decided to stay at the marina for the season, we needed to move to our new assigned slip. It was not on a floating dock, and we were Mediterranean moored which meant we were tied to the dock at the stern and our bows were attached to two moorings in the front. It was a little tricky to get into the tight slip between two other catamarans and attached to the moors in front, but with assistance from the marina staff, we finally were secured.
We would find out tonight how “secured” we were as the first tropical storm was headed our way. We got an initial wave with just rain yesterday and expect the next wave to arrive tonight. At this point the forecasters are only predicting a tropical depression. I hoped this would be the case and it did not intensify into a tropical storm. We have tied down the main and put the cushions inside just for good measure.
Now, we hang on to our hats and hope for the best!! Once we get through this storm, we anticipate another wave on Saturday. Then I hoped things would settle down for a bit! However, this is the rainy and hurricane season. So stay tuned to see how things fair down here in the island of Grenada!
If you are not already on our email list and would like to be notified of our next blog post so you don’t miss learning all about Grenada and our side trips, complete the form below.
In addition, feel free to use the comment boxes to ask questions or leave comments. Ben and I love reading each one!
Thanks again for following along with us as we continue our Caribbean exploration!
