Post the holidays, our journey has now transitioned from a focus on completing a long-distance continuous ocean passage, to what is often referred to in the boating community more globally as ‘Cruising’. Our next chapter is destined to be more a combination of cruising and continued passage making, as we still have many miles to traverse in our goal to arrive back in our home waters of Rhode Island sound for the summer of ‘24. The upcoming distances to be traveled will be punctuated with ‘hops and stops’ at various Caribbean islands of our interest as we push northward, intermingled with longer daily and eventually multi day sails, when needing to cover greater distances more quickly or as weather windows dictate. Intermingled within these events will be cherished time spent with family and friends that have tracked us down to share in the experience firsthand at a convenient port of call, or as we traverse multiple ports, and they sail along with us.
… And that is exactly where we picked up the journey at the end of 2023.
After a very brief respite back home with loved ones and a wonderful Christmas Holiday we headed back to Grenada with dear friends in tow, joining us to celebrate the New Year aboard Sláinte.
Having not left the boat unattended for any period of time since taking possession back in August, we were a bit apprehensive, to put it mildly, as to how she’d hold up in the scorching heat of Grenada while tightly secured and floating in a marina in a foreign land far from home. Fortunately, with the local assistance of a fine gentleman from South Africa named Jaco providing Guardianage services (checking in on vessels multiple times a week, providing updates and interventions where needed), and the quiet and seclusion of Secret Harbor Marina and their team, we arrived on December 30th to find Sláinte as she had been left on Dec 16th. Intact and with no signs worse for wear, with the exception of the start to a fresh beard of growth on the hull bottom attributed to the immobility in these warm and teeming waters. We immediately set about unpacking and introducing our baby and the local Grenada haunts to friends, along with a list of unfinished ‘to do’s before pushing her off the dock.
A side note on hull bottom management. Even with a bottom paint on the hull that is specifically designed to gently slough off a small amount and discharge whatever is trying to attach to the hull, it amazes me how resilient and able sea organisms are to attach to objects such as boat hulls and flourish, even while those objects are moving. With the immobility of a few weeks in a marina coupled with the ridiculously warm bath water here at 85 degrees, you’re destined for needed intervention to help level the playing field and cast off the freeloaders attaching to a hull. A dirty or bearded hull can make a significant difference in speed which over time can be meaningful on a passage. So, on December 31st we added a good hull cleaning, including rudders and props/running gear scrub, to the list and quickly returned Sláinte’s bottom sides to pre-passage form.
As we close out our first month+ of the new year aboard, a few highlights marked our time:
Sharing the experience with friends aboard –
‘The experience’ comes in different shapes and sizes, and for our first two groups of guests aboard, they varied greatly. we arrived on December 30th on Slainte to find her as she had been left on Dec 16th
First up, dear old friends the Delucas and Potters joined as we arrived to ring in the New Year. What followed was a limited tour of a few local southern Grenada bars and restaurants, bookended by mostly a solid dose of boat work. Work that was needed to tie up loose ends and enable us to finally depart Secret Harbor Marina.
Aside from the ‘boat work’, time together and memories created included, but were not limited to, a disco ball appearing aboard Sláinte on New Year’s Eve to rock the marina, coupled with various absconded New Year’s party favors that somehow made it back aboard. Additionally, a bothersome multi-day stomach bug for a crew member that shall remain anonymous, getting off the dock for the first time locally and a half day sail to shake down recent repairs made following the crossing, punctuated the time together. What better way to introduce and inaugurate Sláinte than with this cast of characters pitching in and doing whatever was needed, even at the expense of their personal vacation time. Time that could have been spent personally further exploring and enjoying the beauty and variety that Grenada has to offer, however they elected to pitch in without a complaint. We are forever grateful.
Unfortunately, our initial casual daysail attempt together was punctuated by not so well forecasted and unrelenting rain squalls sweeping down southward off the mountains of Grenada. All in all, making for a rather uncomfortable handful of hours for our guests’ inaugural sailing introduction aboard Sláinte on the open seas.
Redemption, however, was in order a few days later as we set out again in more favorable weather enroute to a different anchorage. While short in duration, this rounding of the southwest tip of Grenada hit the marks in conveying the beauty on the water that Grenada and this Sláinte lifestyle has to offer (when mother nature chooses to shine favorably upon us).
While many hours were spent in South Africa getting acclimated to Sláinte and training on her systems, there is no substitute for getting launched in the proverbial deep end and having to just swim on your own.
January has provided that opportunity for us as a couple. Figuring out, as a working team, the best way to tackle the duties and responsibilities largely while underway, or in the lead up to getting underway. Responsibilities such as route planning via the various applications and resources used to date (Predict Wind, Garmin, Navionics, , Noforeignland, Navily, Caribbean Cruisers Net to name a few), boat prep, boat maintenance, sail management, anchoring and anchorages to select or avoid, and ultimately destination planning.
I recently read a comment wherein a cruiser summarized nicely what it was like to ‘cruise’. Recall that feeling when you moved into a new neighborhood for the first time. The journey to find out how to get from point A to point B, where to buy food, get gas, what restaurants to try, what to avoid, what sights to see etc. etc… That’s largely our everyday reality in a new foreign land. Exhilarating and exhausting, often in the same day. First world problems, no complaints. We are truly blessed. Just different.
Most importantly it requires you to operate and continually make decisions outside any routine comfort zone. A comfort zone that you didn’t realize ‘back home’ was so fundamental and thus taken largely for granted. Which is why the routines we can control (daily connections with family, how to set and manage the sails, how to anchor, how to handle routine maintenance, etc.,) quickly become foundational areas of comfort and reassurance, especially when bookended against all the novelty encountered daily.
New Ports of Call
In the last month, outside of all the various ports and harbors visited on the Southern and Western side of Grenada, we have now ventured north on multiple occasions to spend time in Carriacou (northern island in the chain of islands attributed to Grenada) as well as various islands along the way. One of the desires for this journey, aside from sharing with friends and family, is the adventure of visiting tropical lands aboard a sailboat. And being equipped and able to go where you typically wouldn’t venture in a charter boat or spend prolonged days at visiting as opposed to chartering typically on a tight schedule. Being able to go at your own pace, where you want, when you want and experience it with fresh eyes and perspective. It’s one part of the attraction to this journey. And the remote anchorages to date have not disappointed in their ridiculously stark beauty, solitude, and abundance of wildlife that is captivating to experience. Turtles, Rays, jellyfish that light up the night water, frigate birds and pelicans dive bombing for hours to fill their gullets. The small island of Carriacou and her wonderfully charming people and relaxed vibe are but one of those wonders. Simply put, Carriacou compares to Grenada like our old home state of Maine compares to New York City. Essentially opposite ends of the spectrum.
Next up, our final two weeks in Grenada before pushing northward as our kids Alex, Dan and Andrew join us to spend time on Sláinte and enjoy the journey firsthand with us.