Mother Nature Again!

Mother Nature was at it again on Saturday! No, it was not a hurricane, tropical depression or anything remotely close. But it was something potentially as dangerous. Fog! A thick blanket of fog surrounding Chicago's O'Hare airport. No flights in, no flights out. We headed to the airport at 5:00 a.m. and boarded our flight before 7:00. Shortly after, the pilot came on to tell us that Chicago was fogged in and we would be waiting for an OK to take off which probably wouldn't happen for an hour or so. The flight attendants set about making coffee and serving juice, water and trail mix. One hour stretched into two, then three. The crew did their best to make everyone comfortable and at about the two hour point, with no end in sight, the pilot started the process of trying to get us back to the terminal and off the plane. This became difficult when he learned that due to the fog in Chicago not only were flights not leaving but Chicago inbound flights were being diverted to Milwaukee. Gates were stacked with 2-3 planes and many more were sitting out on the tarmac. Buses were being sent out to take people back to the terminal. We were just about to be taken off after being on the plane for almost 4 hours when the pilot received the news that the fog was lifting and the plane could leave shortly. Everyone back on the plane! However, at this point we no longer wanted to go. We had already missed our connections and it was unlikely that we would make it any further than Chicago. We are traveling with Bailey, our cat who would have a tough time if we ended up being overnighted somewhere. We would also have to come up with a litterbox for her. We asked if we could just get off the plane and re-book our flight for a different day? The pilot said no problem but wasn't sure if they could get our luggage off. While we waited for other passengers to be shuttled back to the plane, the pilot arranged for our luggage to be pulled off and taken to ticketing. We re-booked our flight for Monday and will be on the same flights we had booked originally, traveling from Milwaukee to Chicago to San Juan and finally to Grenada.

I have to mention that contrary to what you usually hear about in these situations, the airline seemed to be doing everything possible to make the passengers comfortable. I guess it isn't newsworthy unless something goes wrong. We were flying American Airlines and the entire crew and the ticketing personnel could not have been nicer and more sincere in their attempts to make us comfortable and to meet our needs. They did their best in a difficult situation. So, if Mother Nature is willing, we'll try it again tomorrow. Sailors don't like it when the wind is coming from the direction they want to go. We have a saying that nothing goes to windward like a 747! Well, apparently not in the fog!

Blog Break

It's been a while since our last update because we've been soooooo busy. Arriving in Grenada was like coming home. There were lots of friends to say hello to. That first week was a series of happy hours to catch up on each others lives since we last saw each other and a few farewells as good friends headed off in new directions. Scott & Sue on "Enee Marie" headed back to Chicago for 16 months to work and to be there for the birth of their first granddaughter. Lynn & Randy on "High States" headed west to Bonaire. It's one of the hard parts of the cruising life. You make great friends but eventually everyone moves on.

We decided to make a trip back to Milwaukee, WI to visit family and friends. We've been cruising for 3 years and Jim has never been back for a visit. I made a quick trip in April 2008. Leaving meant finding a safe place for Merengue while we're gone. The boatyards in Grenada were already full by the time we decided to take our trip so hauling out was not an option. We ended up putting Merengue in a marina in a protected bay while we're gone. We stripped off all the canvas and sails in case a storm comes through. Getting a boat ready to leave for 5 weeks turned out to be a lot of work. It felt like the winterizing we had to do each fall in Milwaukee. You can't just lock the door and leave like you do with a house. There are several other boats in the marina and the owners all said they'd keep an eye on our boat. And of course we've been checking the weather each day and watching the storms moving through the Caribbean. So far Grenada has been safe.

We're having a great time in Milwaukee spending time with family and friends and enjoying all the summertime events this city has to offer. So we won't have much time for blog updates. Besides, you read this for the sailing and sightseeing, not to see Jim and I eating cream puffs at the State Fair, cheering the Brewer's on at Miller Park or dancing at Irish Fest. We'll resume blogging when we return to Grenada in mid-September. See you then!

Carriacou

Carriacou is a laid-back island, much quieter than its big sister Grenada. I know that probably sounds a little strange because all Caribbean islands have that laid-back quality. But the pace here is slow, you don't see very many cars and other than on Friday night when music comes drifting out from one of the bars, you hear very little noise. We enjoyed relaxing, walking the shady roads and spending time with friends.

The road to Manchineel Bay is lined with pastures and beautiful views.

There's a new addition to Tyrell Bay since our last visit. This is the Lady D, a floating bar and restaurant anchored in the center of the bay. The boat's name is "Hallelujah" which is probably what most cruisers shout when they see it.

This is Denise, aka Lady D who will greet you warmly when you arrive.

We were very happy to find friends Geoff and Pat (S/V Beach House) and Steve and Anne (S/V Fine Line) when we arrived in Carriacou. So it was off to the Lady D for happy hour when we arrived and then lunch later that week.

Denise serving up either chicken, pork or fish with peas & rice, salad and coleslaw.

We were sitting and enjoying some conversation after lunch when a squall popped up. With no time to run back to our boats we rode it out on the Lady D. The winds were 40 knots and the blue boat in the back of this photo started dragging. The owners were on deck quickly and things got under control. We all watched our own boats anxiously to make sure everything was OK. It always feels better to be on your boat in a squall then watching it from a distance.

Friday night and it's time to hit "The Lambi Queen" for dinner and the steel drum band.

Steve, Anne, Wendy, Jim, Pat and Geoff.

What is Jungle Jim doing?

a. looking for a banana.

b. looking for his monkey.

c. trying to see the band.

Sunday we head for Grenada and wouldn't you know it, another squall line pops up. The first one gave us 28 knots of wind and no rain. That was actually great. We were flying along at over 7 knots. I actually saw a reading of 10.2 knots on the GPS as we surfed down a wave. Woo-hoo!!! The second line dumped rain on us!
So now we are anchored in Prickly Bay, Grenada only 153 ft, according to our GPS, from where we were anchored last year. Someone stuck a mooring ball where we were last year! Our friends know that we really liked our spot and felt very possessive about it. In many ways our arrival felt like coming home as friends waved to us from their boats. After all, we did live here for 6 months and this will be home again for the next few months while we sit out hurricane season.

Stormy Passages

Before we show you pictures of our trip south from St. Lucia to Carriacou I have to share one of my favorite sights in the Caribbean. It's the Flamboyant Tree in full bloom. At this time of year the hillsides are ablaze with color from these beautiful trees. This picture is of Pigeon Island, St. Lucia.

The sailing at this time of year is generally beautiful. But you can also get thunderstorms or squalls that pop-up in the middle of a beautiful day. We had several on this trip and Jim got some great pictures of the storms as they approached. We were never in any danger but we did manage to get wet!

Squall line along the northern edge of St. Lucia as we were heading south to the Pitons.

Squall south of St. Lucia. We were right in between the 2 systems and didn't get wet!

Clouds over the Pitons.

Petite Piton from our mooring in between the Pitons.

Squall line in between St. Lucia and St. Vincent.
One minute the winds were 13 knots and a few seconds later they gusted to 32 knots. Hold on!

We were passing this boat just off St. Vincent when I spotted these fins in the water. There were 3 whales about 50 yards off our port side.

They came quite close and then passed our stern. They looked to be about 30 feet in length. That's bigger than Merengue folks!

What a beautiful sight! It is nice to know these magnificent creatures haven't been wiped out of our oceans.

Only a few more miles to Bequia and this squall formed. One minute the island was there and the next it was hidden by a sheet of rain. We tacked away and waited for the squall to pass so we could see our way in.

With only one more good traveling day left we had a decision to make. Be weathered in Bequia for a week (not an awful thing) or continue on to Carriacou. We decided to head on to Carriacou and be that much closer to our final destination of Grenada. We covered at lot of distance in those 2 days traveling 95 nautical miles from St Lucia to Carriacou.

The Sands of the Sahara

There's an interesting, although dirty phenomena that occurs in the Caribbean each summer. It's called Sahara Dust.

Dust from the Sahara Desert is picked up by the wind currents moving off of Africa and deposited on anything it happens to pass as it moves westward. We started noticing it in May and if my memory of last season is correct it will continue for several months. We don't notice it on Merengue's deck until it rains. Then we find brown dirt marks where it collects under jerry cans. Where we notice it is on the leading edge of all the vertical surfaces like jib sheets, halyards and the roller furled genoa. Look how one side remains clean while the other is red-brown.

The dust has also created a haze in the sky that is especially noticeable at sunset. We haven't had a green flash in months! Jim is still trying to get a picture of the green flash to show all you skeptics. Stay tuned.

Blog News

(photo stolen from Scott who stole it from Sky & Telescope)

Just wanted to let everyone know that we added a link to an interesting site called the Astronomy Minute. Our friend Scott on S/V Enee Marie provides astronomy updates once a week on the cruisers net in Grenada. He recently started posting them at http://www.astrominute.blogspot.com/. It's interesting reading for anyone who enjoys a little star gazing and he's a whole lot funnier then NASA!

The second thing is that we've been trying unsuccessfully to load video onto our blog. We've done it in the past but recently when we attempt to add a video the system just runs and runs but it never loads. If anyone has any ideas about how we can fix this, we'd appreciate knowing. We can't seem to find an answer on the blogger website. Send us your suggestions. We have some fun video we'd like to show you!

Iles des Saintes

We left Antigua 2 weeks ago to start the trip south for hurricane season. Most of our friends have already put their boats on the hard in Trinidad or have arrived in Grenada. A few are still enjoying some time in the Grenadines. We are far behind the pack and are enjoying the quiet anchorages and great sailing that you find in the summer.

From Antigua we sailed 45 N.M. to Deshaies, Guadeloupe. We overnighted there and then continued on to Iles des Saintes 34 N.M. south. I don't know how to describe how wonderful it is in the Saintes. Quaint, charming, picturesque yes but, so much more. In this French community it is more about how it feels then just how it looks. I was talking with a women in a cafe ( one of the only people I came in contact with who spoke any English) and she described it well. She simply said, "the sweet life." Life in les Saintes is certainly sweet!

A view of the town of Bourg.

The government building that houses customs, immigration, police, etc.

A few street scenes from Bourg.

Motor scooters are the preferred method of transportation.

A walk through town takes you past beautiful homes painted a rainbow of colors.

One of our walks took us past the cemetery. I'm always fascinated by them, something Jim finds a little ghoulish!

The harbor is always bustling with activity. These fisherman are busy folding their nets after a day at sea.

We had a front-row seat for some sailing practice. We saw this and other boats like it out sailing quite often. There must be some races coming up that they were practicing for. These beautiful little sloops were about 16 ft. long, rigged with a lot of sail and FAST!

It's always hard to leave the Saintes but we are officially 1 month into hurricane season and we need to head south. So on July 7th we sailed to Roseau, Dominica and then on to St. Pierre, Martinique the next day. I have to pause here to tell you how great it is to clear customs on a French island. You sit down at a computer and fill in the form. The British still like lots of pieces of paper. Most of the French islands don't charge a fee. They also tell you to stay as long as you like. But the customs office in St. Pierre has to be the best. Customs is located in a bar/restaurant/internet cafe. You can have a beer while you sit at the computer and do your paperwork. I actually think it would be rude not to! Because customs is located in a restaurant they do not follow traditional business hours. The restaurant closes after lunch and re-opens at 6:30 p.m. We cleared in at 7:00 at night and ordered dinner while we did our paperwork. How many customs offices can also prepare you chicken with mustard sauce, potatoes Provence and a salad? Tres Bon!

We spent several days enjoying St. Pierre and the anchorage at Anse Noir before heading to St Lucia. We arrived in Rodney Bay yesterday and will enjoy ourselves here while another weather system blows through that is supposed to kick up some big seas for 4-5 days.