Saturday 9 February 2019

Christmas Day in Paradise

We enjoyed Grenada, but the next island was calling so it was time to move on and off we sailed further north to a island called Carriacou.
It was a great sail and everyone really enjoyed the peace and quite with only the water lapping against the boat and the odd seabird flying past us all the way to our next anchorage in Tyrral Bay in Carriacou.



Once again the anchor dug in perfectly and as it was very busy with lots of yachts around so we stayed away from the crowds and anchored at the back out of the road. After we were happy the anchor was secure, we headed ashore for a quick look around and get our barring's. We felt at ease straight away and as the sun started to set we went back to the boat to make plans for the next day.


We were all sleeping like logs, but we were still up at 6.30am so excited to explore the island and see what it had to offer. Bags packed and off we went....

Today we decided just to have a walk, have a look around and hopefully if we got our direction correct, we will find a beach to cool down in. It was a long walk and the kids never whinged once which is amazing and when we arrived at the beach it was just so picturesque it was unbelievable. I think one of the reasons I say this is because we are in the sun and you could see all the different colours in the water, which stood out like a sore thumb. Yes, Seahouses is amazing with its beautiful beaches that stretch for miles and miles and I'm very lucky to live there but there is something about adding a bit of sunshine to it and Joan, myself and the kids were loving it. 

So far during the time I have been here, the one thing I have noticed that is amazing and I wished more people in our country were like this is friendly. People from our area are friendly but these people go out of their way to make you feel at home and that goes for all ages too. Kids are just great and make friends everywhere they go and there is something that just puts a smile on your face to see it. 

Our kids played for hours and hours with the locals and they had so much fun doing so, and it warms your heart to see them having so much fun building a castle in the water and wondering why it keeps on getting washed away but and so much better than them playing on a Play Station or a X-Box. 



After a lovely day we walked all the way back to the boat and once again not a whinge or a moan from the kids about how far it was, but they just got on with it. We both thought that these must not be our kids as they were laughing and giggling and are not having a go at each other, but we kept our lips sealed as it would never last.

The next day we were all up again bright and early and ready for the next adventure which was to the town of Hillsborough. We tied the dingy up for the day and took a very steep walk up a hill to get a small mini bus to the town. I must admit it was me who was the first one to whinge about the hill, but I was the first one there and as the others approached, they all have a whinge. I just knew it would not last, but I did not think I would be the first and the kids still remind me now.



The bus arrived and it took the long route to Hillsborough picking up as many people as he could along the way, but it was interesting seeing how other people lived and the style of their homes. Once we arrived it was hustle and bustle, then we realised it was the holidays and people were stocking up on food and getting last minute Christmas presents. It was really weird as one street was buzzing and then the next street there was not a soul. We did not know why but we figured that one area must be the in place and not the other.





We still enjoyed it and after a good look around it was time to go but this time I wanted to go to the hospital where Kim was rushed to and say thank you to the doctors and nurses who had helped Kim in her time of need, so back into the mini bus which took us to the top of a hill in the middle of the island.

I know what you are thinking, “why did they put a hospital on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere”, Well it was windy up there and this helps with all the bugs as it was so windy it would keep them all away.







I never saw the doctor, but the nurses were so pleased that I had dropped in to see them and when I told them the good news, they were so thrilled they said they would let the doctor know. I did not have to go to see them, but I was so pleased for a couple of reasons. One was the look on their faces and the other was the absolute stunning views form the top of the hill. After enjoying the scenery, we once again walked all the way back the Hillsborough where we got the mini bus to take us back the Paradise Beach to finish the day off with a swim and relax. After a good swim we walked back and watched the sun go down and then realised that it was Christmas Day tomorrow so we better get to bed early as Santa would not come.








Christmas Day was just lovely really. No mad panic to get the food ready for lunch or anything like that but just get out of bed, open our stockings as Santa was leaving the presents at home and enjoy the best breakfast ever in a beautiful part of the world. What more could I wish for? Well I did ask Santa for a yacht of my own, but you know as well as I do, he’s not that good so I got the next best thing and that was an American style blueberry pancake with lashings and lashings of maple syrup, and I can tell you it was just perfect. 



With our tummy’s full we were all excited for the rest of the day, so we all jumped into the dingy and went over to another yacht which was anchored beside us. Merry Christmas we all shout, are you ready for a swim? The couple were just as excited as us and they jumped into their dingy and we all sped of to Sandy Island. 


We met this couple a few days earlier were called Shelly and Rod and they came to the boat thinking we were Simon, Kim and Sienna but then were shocked that it was not us. We all had a good laugh and when we explained what had happened, we became good friends. They were such a lovely couple that they invited us to join them for Christmas dinner which was amazing, so we all had a great day swimming and snorkelling with thousands of fish, turtles and we even saw a shark. What I thought was a great day was topped of my Shelly’s lovely dinner, followed with a devilishly good chocolate dessert. Oh, I was in haven…



The next day it was time to move again and this time it was to Union Island.


Friday 1 February 2019

Here we go

The day had come for our first sail, but it was not going to be a long one as I was not sure what the kids and Joan would be like and I looked a little bit naughty out there too.
So first things first and that was to have a good hearty breakfast before we set off.  You cant go to sea on an empty stomach as if anyone were to be sick then they had something to bring up. Once we were all feed we had to go through the check list of things to do before we sail and it goes a little something this.....

1. Checked that all the windows were shut as the last thing we want is for a wave to come in and soak everything with seawater.
2. Anything that can fall of the sides, shelves etc, must be secured down or put onto on floor so it does not get broken or break anything else.
3. Engine has to be checked to see water levels and oil levels are okay.
4. Once the engine checks are done, we start the engine and give the it visual check to make sure nothing is wrong.
5. Plan a route on the chart to make sure we get there safe and sound.
6. You are not allowed outside the cockpit when we are sailing as I don't want anyone falling over.

After all the jobs were done we started the engine, pulled up the anchor and off we went, out into the open waters. The look on their faces was a treat as some were smiling from ear to ear, another was nervous and the other did not give a monkeys.... Its funny how people differ from one to another.

Once we were out it started to turn a bit rough but we only had this for an hour until we got around the corner into settled waters.
We did not sail on this occasion, but our time will come for that, and in the mean time we were just going the steam to our next destination which was only 2 hours away.

The seas were not the best but everyone seemed to enjoy the trip and as you look at land from a different angle the time seems to fly by and before you know it we had arrived in St George's. We slowly steamed closer to where I wanted to be and Joan go the anchor ready to drop.
This was the first time for Joan to anchor and she was a little bit nervous which was expected, but she did a great job and the anchor dug in straight away. I jumped into the water and dived down to check that it was ok. It was dug in perfect so we had no worries about leaving the boat, so off we went to have some lunch and then to buy so food to last the next 3 weeks. After we had stocked up the fridge and freezer we decided to go for a snorkel.



I had heard about this little place to go snorkelling which was supposed to be really good and it was not far away so we started the dingy and set off.

Once we arrived, tied the dingy off, put our masks, snorkel and fins on we ready to explore and all I can say was that it was amazing, so much so that we went again the following day. We had to watch Archie bit as he had never been snorkelling and he was not the best swimmer but after an hour or so he was doing absolutely amazing and before you know it he was diving all the way down to the bottom and loving every minute of it too.

I was desperate to see everyone's face as I had not told them about the underwater sculptors that had been placed there on purpose by a British man called Jason Taylor. I only told them it was fish and coral but their excitement when they first spotted a man on a bicycle  at the bottom of the seabed was so much fun. I told them they had to spot as many things as possible and later they had to draw and write about what they had seen.

The only thing that I did not like about the sculptures was that I wished I had seen them when they were first placed on the bottom as it would have been amazing to see. Lots of them were broken or had moved during a storm which was such a pity but I still really enjoyed it.

I later found out it was the worlds first underwater sculpture park and it was Taylors aim to engage local and non local people with the underwater environment that surrounds them using his works about life around them so installed concrete figures onto the seabed. Some of them were amazing and showed life how it was. So if you ever in Grenada go and have a look at this place as its well worth it.






If this was the start of things to come then I was really going to enjoy this trip and so was everyone else.

OVER AND OUT