Rainy Grenada

It's the rainy season in Grenada but you wouldn't have known it from the amount rain that was actually falling. There has been enough "liquid sunshine" to avoid getting water from shore (the last time we had to do that was late June, almost 3 months) but we were down to less than a quarter tank on one side. Matt had beefed up our water collection system and modified it to go directly into the tank. We just needed a good rain.

Just as we were getting ready to haul water from shore, the sky opened up. Since then, it has been rainy. Both of our 120 gallon water tanks are completely full. So the rain can stop now. We have had to run our generator for the last few days because of the lack of sunshine. And there has been a bit of lightning, which always makes sailors uncomfortable.

We have spent our time indoors doing school, playing board games, watching a movie or two, and planning out our travels beyond Grenada. There was enough of a break in the rain to play at the beach for a bit as well. Although it was a relief to get to Grenada and stay put for awhile after speeding down here, we're getting antsy to get moving.

Still in Grenada

Royal Mt. Carmel Waterfall

Our stay in Grenada has been the longest anywhere as live-aboard boaters. There is lots to do for the kids and we could be busy every minute of the day if we were so inclined. We have seen a lot of the mainland of Grenada, especially around St. George's and Prickly Bay. But getting the gumption to go anywhere else, other than on day trips, seems to take Herculean mental effort (move the boat?  gasp!). There is comfort in knowing a place and its people (both cruisers and land-based folks) but staying in one spot hasn't provided much inspiration for updating the blog.

Another shot of Mt. Carmel with Four Coconuts

Our days have been spent sweating, swimming, and socializing. It's really hot here. Luckily, we've somewhat acclimatized and most of the time there's a nice breeze at anchor. But sweltering in the blazing heat while walking or being sardine-stuffed into a local bus makes you long for air-conditioning and bathtubs of ice. But it hasn't reached the point of nostalgia for Chicago winters.  I'm not certain it could ever be hot enough for that.

Prickly Bay Marina arranged a boat safety seminar for cruising kids.

The Coast Guard boat went so fast that it caught air. It was a thrill
for the sailboat crowd, used to doing 6-8 knots rather than 35+.
Michelle and Noah from Jade

Mark and Conrad have been working on school and enjoying time with friends. They participate in book club every week and attend kid yoga, as well as spending a decent amount of time at the beach and pool. The kids (mostly the girls) even put on a stage version of Disney's Frozen. The Tikki Bar at Prickly Bay Marina is like a second home to all of us.

Cruising kids plugged in. So much for getting away from it all.
(It's actually rare to see this many kids on devices.)

We went to Magazine Beach for International Rock Flipping Day.
According to Conrad, it is the best beach ever.

Matt has been plugging away at projects on the list. The pool noodle rain collection system has worked pretty well but got blown down in the first big winds that hit and needed to be reinforced. He installed brighter galley lights. The difference is literally like night and day. He has braved biting sea lice and ear-burrowing mini-crabs as he keeps the algae growth under control on our props, chain, and hull.

Nothing big has broken lately [knock on wood] except for the controller box on our less than 2-year old freezer. The system has never performed correctly and we have had to replace the controller three times. Although it is still under warranty, the company has decided that it's the boat's fault. Right now, we have a working freezer but who knows how long that will last.

In the past, we have been asked, "What do you eat?" Well, lately the answer is "Lots of good stuff at a reasonable price."

Gilles, a former butcher, owns a local dive shop and also volunteered
 to visit the abattoir with Matt and cut some steaks for us.

We haven't tried the steak yet because of all the fish we bought.

Toutou from Four Coconuts helping us to eat some sushi.

Chikungunya has hit Grenada in epic proportions. Cruisers are dropping like flies around us and it seems like only a matter of time before we're hit. Fortunately, it's not usually life-threatening and kids seem to recover pretty quickly. As if that and regular dengue weren't enough to worry about, there seems to be a flu-like virus (or several) making the rounds as well. It's quite a change from the general good health that we and our fellow cruisers usually enjoy.