S/V Raindancer



Raindancer is a beautiful yacht.

You've seen her picture at all of the dinghy concerts.  Here she is arriving at the last concert, taking her place alongside the tug.  Her captain allows people to ride along, sit on her decks and dance to the music.  The aerial footage of the concerts is shot from high up in Raindancer's rigging.  You might remember that we sailed on her after one of the concerts as she made her way back to her slip at Le Phare Bleu Marina.



 

 The captain has made this trip out around Calvigny Island and back to the marina countless times but this time everything went horribly wrong.  Raindancer got off course coming through the cut at night and went hard aground on the reef.  The call went out for help and boats rushed to her aid but the tide was running out and she was hard up on the reef.  There were 9 people aboard including a little baby and all got off safely.

  

The rescue attempt began again the next morning but Raindancer was holed and taking on water as fast as they could pump it out.  They attempted to float her with air bags to no avail. 

Raindancer was lost.

 

 

A few days later we were back at the marina for a regatta party.  We walked out to the end of the dock and could see Raindancer out in the distance, leaned over with the waves breaking over her deck.  I felt physically ill.  It didn't seem possible that this beautiful lady was lost.  And remember, she wasn't just a beautiful sailing yacht, she was John's home.  Everything he owned went down with her.

 

 

A few days later and she's laying on her side.

The sea has claimed her.

 

Special thank you to our friend Geoff Craigen of S/V Beach House who dinghied out to Raindancer on several different days to shoot these photographs and for allowing us to use them.

 

 



South Grenada Regatta Dinghy Concert

 Check out the video from the last dinghy concert.

The performers are required to sing a song about Grenada so this is another new, original song written by the lead singer.

The Swiss band, the Rocking Pontoons were the headliners for the regatta again this year, although this time with a new lead singer.

Watching from S/V Raindancer where she is tied up along-side the tugboat and barge.

Dinghy Dancing à la Woodstock

Cruisers, tourists and locals, they're all here.

Another great concert courtesy of Le Phare Bleu Marina.  Unfortunately, tragedy struck after the regatta.  Watch for our next post to learn what happened............

Sail and Bail



 

 Jim calls it the Sail and Bail.

It's better known as the Grenada Work Boat Regatta, held each February off Grand Anse Beach.

 We arrive early in the day so we can rent beach chairs and get our favorite spot in the shade of a huge almond tree.  We are in the perfect spot to view the start, finish and all the action in between.  We are also in strolling distance to great local food and cold beer.

 

It's a lot of work getting these beauties ready to sail.

 

 

The start is amazing!

The crew holds the boat in the swell at the edge of the beach. 

One crew member must wait on shore for the starting gun and then run down the beach and jump in the boat.  Everyone scrambles in and they're off.

We love these races!

 



 

The wind died right as this boat was coming past the marker at the finish.

I think these guys willed their boat through.  They were so tense!

They just managed to drift through on the right side of the mark!



 

 Bigger wind in the afternoon combined with rain showers, 

adding some challenges on the first day of racing.

 The Grenada Coast Guard was close by,

 cruising in one of three boats gifted to them by the United States.

 

Caribbean Work Boats.

What a Beast, I mean Blast!

 

 

 

Dinghy Dancing

Dinghy concerts were a highlight of the holiday season for cruisers along the south coast of Grenada.

There were 2 distinctly different concerts in Clark's Court Bay, the island sounds of a steel pan band and the second, a blue-grass/country sound.  You didn't need a dinghy to enjoy them.  We arrived via taxi, then water taxi where we were dropped off at the barge complete with benches for seating comfort and a bar for, well, more comfort!

The Wizards Pan Band.

 John and Jim get us a couple of cold ones from the bar.

Susie from S/V Spirited Lady getting up to dance.

Her boat is aptly named.

 Steve of S/V Starshine.

 The Grenada Chocolate Recipes.

 Geoff (S/V Beach House) gets some video and a great view from his dinghy.

 We were thrilled to catch a ride back to the marina aboard Raindancer, a beautiful wooden sloop. 

Check out these youtube videos of the 2 concerts and you'll see why these concerts are so much fun.
If you look carefully you'll even catch a glimpse of us.

10^th dingy concert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaDutbubxUU

11^th dingy concert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMhDe-tfUOs

A Grenadian Holiday

We enjoyed another wonderful holiday season in Grenada.

A walk around Prickly Bay showed homes displaying their Christmas decorations. 

Bruce and Gina showed their holiday spirit.  They are on the Australian catamaran "Wyuna."

Christmas day was spent with good friends John and Linda aboard "Kool Kat."  

We started with mimosas, bloody mary's and appetizers and just continued eating and drinking our way through the day.  There was lobster and ham, countless side-dishes and a banana-rum cake for dessert.

It was a feast!

Gina (Wyuna), our host John and Joe (Half Moon) take a break from the feasting.

That's Bruce (Wyuna) with Gina and John.

Jim and Becky (Half Moon).

The festivities continued on Boxing Day with the 5th Annual Cruiser's Pot Luck and Music Jam.

Linda and I did the organizing again this year and this is us thanking everyone who participated.

We had a great crowd and a very talented group of musicians.  Special thanks to all the cruisers who shared their talents with us.  It was a great day.

New Year's Eve or as it's called here, Old Year's Night.

Rikky at De Big Fish always throws a great party.

 Here we are with our friends...........

 Hope and Steve (Starshine).......

 Linda and John (Kool Kat).........

 and Joe and Becky (Half Moon).

Thanks to our hosts Kim, Rikky and their staff.  They treat us like family.

Surrounding Christmas and New Years were many fun events like concerts, pot lucks, dinner with friends and more.  Hope your holiday was equally as wonderful!