Christmas Eve BBQ

They came by sea.....

and soon the beach in Prickly Bay looked like a parking lot.

We gathered for our 3rd annual 

Cruiser Pot-Luck and Lobster Barbecue

on Christmas Eve.

Many hands prepping the lobster tails.

The local fisherman really came through for us and 

provided us with approximately 21 tails that were 2 to 3 pounds each.

Loving our Caribbean Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Back Aboard

We've been back in Grenada for a month now and have settled into the

routine of a cruisers' life in Prickly Bay.

It was nice waking up to a rainbow on our first morning here.

Hanging in Merengue's rigging was this burgee, courtesy of our friends

Hope and Steve, the Minnesota Vikings fans.

One side says "Minnesota is Mossome".....

while the other says "Green Bay still Sucks."

We have been trying to exorcise the demons from Merengue ever since!

No amount of incense, rum offerings, chanting, etc seems to be working.

We've had numerous boat problems and the Packers haven't played 

well ever since except that time when they

beat, now who was that, oh yes the Minnesota Vikings!

One of the net controllers on our cruiser's radio net has a saying that

I feel is very true.

"Sailing is not a Vacation but a Vocation."

Jim is getting too much vocational training since we've been back!

Here he is wedged into the head replacing the joker valve.

A few days later our dinghy sprang a leak.

This is worse than getting a flat tire on your car.

A flat is quickly changed and you're back on the road.

The dinghy had to be hauled out for several days while a patch was

applied and allowed to dry.  The hole was on the bottom of the tube.

This was a challenge because when the dinghy was deflated, you

couldn't get it to lie flat enough to apply the patch smoothly.

When inflated so that the tube was smooth it leaked!

Jim came up with a good solution where he applied a small 

patch that was just slightly larger than the hole and let that dry

for 24 hours.

Then Jim inflated the dinghy a little more to smooth out the hull, 

being careful to not blow the patch.  He glued this larger patch right 

over the top.  If you don't think this solution will work, please don't

tell us.  We prefer living in denial!

Many thanks go out to our friends who gave us rides back and forth 

to shore for the many days it took to do the repairs.

This morning we had a problem with our outboard engine, the same

 problem we had last year. The engine won't stay in gear.

Dear friends. I may be calling you again!

There has been time for some fun.  I've been doing noodle

exercises in the ocean which is a surprisingly good workout.

Bonus - you don't sweat!

We celebrated Jim and Hope's birthday.

And we celebrated Thanksgiving aboard S/V Certitude.

Yes, the person with the big catamaran gets to host.

Thank you Steve!

Despite all the boat problems, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for.

Chocolate Yoga

It's been all things chocolate for the past week in Grenada.

There have been parties, cooking with chocolate demonstrations,

 fashion shows, tours to chocolate factories and cocoa plantations

 and more.  It's a great time to visit!

 

 

One of the events that caught my attention was a yoga class at

The True Blue Bay Resort that featured chocolate.

Curious about how the two could be combined I gathered up several

other cruisers from my yoga class and we headed over to

the yoga studio early last Saturday morning.

 

The studio is really lovely with windows that open up to allow the

breeze through and a beautiful view down to True Blue Bay.

 

 

The class was gentle, the surroundings beautiful and the aroma, well

it alternated between the scent of the flowers outside the windows to

the occasional whiff of chocolate.

 

 

The class ended with an unusual meditation that went something like this:

"Place the piece of chocolate in your hand.

Look at the rich color, the texture.

Watch how the light catches it.

Bring the chocolate slowly towards your nose. Inhale and notice how

the aroma intensifies. Close your eyes and breathe deeply.

Now place the chocolate on your tongue but don't chew it.

As it melts, how does the texture change?

Do different flavors start to come through?

Now swallow.  Feel the sensation as the chocolate reaches  your

stomach.  How does that feel?"

 

Well, you get the idea.  It was all about tuning into each of our senses

and savoring every moment.  We repeated the exercise with cocoa tea.

 

It really was quite lovely and you normally don't get to end an exercise

class with chocolate.  I'm pretty sure that if I had know that you could

meditate with chocolate, I would have taken up yoga years ago.

 

Namaste.

 

Paddle Boarding

A sport that we've been seeing more and more of in recent years is

Standing Up Paddleboarding or SUP.  

As a lover of all water activities I was curious to understand the attraction.

The University Club added 2 boards to their list of water sports that are 

available for us to use.  I already make use of the kayaks and enjoy 

paddling around Prickly Bay.

My friend Hope and I decided to give it a try.

Getting started.

Hope is a natural!

I've always heard that SUP is a great workout for your core, 

arms and legs and that seemed to be true.  

Before we knew it we were up and off!

My final review, I prefer to kayak.

You can more easily look around and take full advantage of your 

surroundings in a kayak.  It's more relaxing.  

And why would I want to stand when I can sit!

Did I mention that the kayak has a drink holder?

Cricket

One of the best aspects of travel is immersing yourself in other cultures. 

Whether it be the arts, food or sport it is all there for you to experience.

With this in mind we decided to go to Grenada's National Stadium

to see our first Cricket match.

I will apologize up front to all our British, Australian, West Indian,

to all our friends who are citizens of a country that is part of the

British Commonwealth for I'm sure to describe something incorrectly

or use an incorrect term when I describe our experience viewing this

sport that you love so well.  One does not understand Cricket in a day.



The match was England vs the West Indies and it was a Test Match

which I am told is the traditional way of playing Cricket. 

Traditional is their way of saying this is going to take 5 days.

We went on day 4 and watched for 5 hours not including the breaks

for lunch and afternoon tea.  That is the players' breaks for lunch

and tea, not ours.  I understand there is also 50/50 and 20/20 Cricket,

shortened versions of the game designed to attract an audience who

wants a faster paced match. 



By the time we left we were beginning to understand a few aspects of

the game but I will confess that I don't know what an "over" is

(it was explained to me but I can't remember what I was told) and how

you can score more than 600 points but lose by "wickets"?

It definitely is a game of endurance.  While we were sitting in the

shade with a wonderful breeze blowing and cold drinks in our hand,

the players were standing in the hot, Caribbean sun for 6 hours. 

The same 2 batters (not sure if that's what they are called)

were batting for 4 of the hours that we were there watching

and they weren't finished as they weren't "out".

The bowler gets the most workout during the match.

After 5 hours and the break for afternoon tea, we decided to call it a day.

The match was completed today with England winning over the

West Indies by 9 Wickets.  I have no clue what this means!

West Indies First Innings       299 all out (104.4 overs)

England First Innings            464 all out (144.1 overs)

West Indies Second Innings  307 all out (112.0 overs)

England Second Innings    144 for 1 (41.1 overs)

I think I prefer a faster paced sport and by faster paced I mean one where  

the game is actually completed after several hours not days. 

But all in all it was a good day.  Jolly good!

Snorkeling the Statue Park

 

Last weekend we were invited to join a group for an excursion

to Grenada's underwater statue park.  Located on the west coast,

the park is home to a number of statues that are placed in about 15 feet

of water, perfect for snorkeling.



This is the newer of two circles of human forms holding hands.

I will admit that the sea has given the figures somewhat of a

zombie appearance (think night of the living dead) but we found

it quite beautiful.



 

There is a mermaid resting on the ocean floor.

 

 

Faces appear amongst the coral.

 

This an area called the cemetery.

Human shapes in the sand.

 



Kneeling in prayer.

 

The shoreline is a series of little caves carved by the waves.

 

Heading back to the Carenage, the main port in St. George's,

we had a beautiful view of the town.

Fort George standing guard over the town.

 

The fishing fleet, back in port and the end of another great day!