It’s hard to believe that we’re already halfway through the month of October. We have been in Grenada for almost four months now awaiting the end of the hurricane season. Before arriving in Grenada, we were a lot more nomadic, spending the prior eight months traveling from island to island, and city to city. So staying in one place on our boat for this long is a new experience for us.
We have been able to break up the time by moving to different anchorages around the southern and western sides of Grenada. We also made a couple of twelve-hour trips to Bequia (an island of St. Vincent and The Grenadines), and one 25-hour passage to the island of Martinique, where we enjoyed a different environment and culture. But overall, we have spent the majority of the summer in Grenada, and have come to enjoy our respite here. I can say, however, that the humidity has taken a toll on our bodies, and we are ready for hurricane season to be over and to be able to travel north during the cooler Caribbean winter.
We have sought to spend our summertime wisely these past few months. We’ve taken the opportunity to read more books and enjoy more sustained quiet times with the Lord, praying, reading Scripture, memorizing and meditating on God’s Word, and listening to powerful sermons and messages. It has been a cherished Sabbatical. I took a break from writing on the blog, partly because there wasn’t a lot of new content to cover, but mostly to focus on things I deemed more important at the time.
For the past 135 days straight, I have taken Spanish lessons on DuoLingo so I will be better able to communicate with the locals when we return to Puerto Rico this winter. Our tentative plans are to leave Grenada early November, stop at our favorite Eastern Caribbean islands along the way, and then make our way to Puerto Rico by Christmastime, Lord willing.
This summer, we have spent time with old friends, met new ones, and offered to help fellow sailers where we could. We’ve had a great time interacting with the locals and will take fond memories with us of all the delightful people we have come to know and love.
We have enjoyed wonderful meals out with our friends, including sushi, Venezuelan, French, Italian, American and local Caribbean fare. The southern territory of Grenada is becoming quite the foodie’s delight. In addition to all of the wonderful meals out, I’ve taken the opportunity to keep a sourdough starter and make homemade sourdough pancakes, breads, tortillas, Naan flatbread, and pizza! It’s been quite the treat, but I’m slowing down on my sourdough baking because our waistlines don’t appreciate the extra carbs!
We spent quite a bit of time anchored near St. George’s, the capital city of Grenada. We were able to easily dinghy to The Carenage, a picturesque waterfront promenade along St. George’s inner harbor. We explored downtown St. George’s on many occasions, and saw the spot where the cruise ships arrive from November-June. We enjoyed walking through the Farmer’s Market and finding the biggest, sweetest Julie mangoes we have ever seen. Mangoes and chocolate are Grenada’s specialties, and we’ve had our fair share during our stay!
It was a real treat to be able to dinghy to The Carenage in the mornings after the fishermen got back from their early morning trips out at sea. We bought fresh tuna and amberjack and enjoyed some tasty dinners with fresh, wild-caught fish.
We were also able to spend time in Port Louis where our friends on Alliance were docked. Port Louis Marina is where Grenada’s main Customs & Immigration office is located. The marina also has a fuel dock, restaurants, and other amenities nearby, such as Island Water World and Foodland grocery store. We became friends with the nicest man selling produce by the dinghy dock. He welcomed us with a smiling face and lots of laughs each time we arrived at the dock. He seemed content with a simple life and it blessed us to experience his joyful heart.
One of our favorite spots this summer has been Grenada’s House of Chocolate. It’s a mini-museum portraying the history of chocolate, with demonstrations, a boutique selling items made from cocoa, and a café serving coffee drinks, cakes, truffles, and ice cream. Having spent ample time there, we have learned the history of chocolate and the chocolate-making process, from tree to bar. We have learned the benefits of cocoa in each of its stages, how to make cocoa tea, and the uses of cocoa butter. And with free air conditioning, strong WiFi, and chocolatey treats to enjoy, this place has been a special weekly retreat for us. The workers there have come to know us quite well, and since we take all of our new friends there, the House of Chocolate has much appreciated our patronage!
Another one of our favorite summer hangouts has been Spiceland Mall near the main hotels along Grand Anse Beach. The mall has a foodcourt, coffee & ice cream shop, pharmacy, clothing stores, souvenir shops, home & hardware store, and an IGA supermarket. I met a project manager of IGA who was from the United States. He said he’s in charge of redesigning and revamping this IGA store. It sounds like it’s going to be a modern and well-stocked store when it’s all complete. This will be a benefit to fellow cruisers staying in Grenada over the next hurricane season.
By far, my favorite grocery store in Grenada is Ram’s Supermarket. The first floor is an upscale grocery store with so many of the products I was used to buying in the U.S. They have a wide variety of organic products, fruits and vegetables, and healthier options. The second floor, Cash & Carry, is like a mini-Costco with bulk items including meats, fish, cheeses, nuts, toiletries, etc. Ram’s has become my go-to store while in Grenada, but IGA has items that Ram’s doesn’t have, so it’s been great to have options. With all the provisioning choices, it’s no wonder that so many cruisers stay in Grenada during the hurricane seasons, not to mention the fact that most insurance providers require cruisers to be this far south.
This summer, we have taken the time to improve our health by getting more exercise. We’ve walked into town instead of taking taxis, done more workout videos, swam laps around our boat, and taken Gracie for strolls along the beach. We have also gone to the dentist, dermatologist, and orthopedic doctor to stay on top of our physical health. We have made some improvements to our diet as well. It’s been hard to resist the pastries, chocolates, fresh bread, pizza, and cheesy, creamy dishes in the countries we’ve visited, so we’ve cut most of those things out of our diets, and we feel better for that resolve.
During our slower summer months, we have discovered the beauty in little things we often miss when we’re on the go, like sea glass, toe-nibbling Trigger fish, spectacular sunsets, and the bleating of goats. We have become fascinated by the Caribbean Creole dialect and the locals’ way-of-life. For the most part, the Grenadians have been very friendly and are eager to carry-on conversations with us. We found that we usually have to smile and say the first word, then they are eager to share stories, boast about their homeland, and give us a glimpse of their life. This bring us great joy!
We only have a few weeks left in Grenada before we are able to head north. As of this writing, we have hauled our boat out of the water for routine maintenance and are awaiting its completion before we can venture out to sea again (more on our haul-out in the next entry).
With our remaining time in Grenada, we plan on relishing in the people, places, and experiences all around us. It really is a special place. The summer here hasn’t been easy though, especially with the Category 4 hurricane, the oppressive humidity, and very little air conditioning. However, we will leave this island with rejoicing over the beautiful part of creation that God has shared with us, and over the special people He has created. We pray for God’s peace upon Grenada and for this nation to experience a spiritual revival, to the praise and glory of God!