Grenada

The last sail of the season was from Carriacou to Grenada. After an hour into the passage winds picked up to 20+ and suddenly the main sail snapped and teared apart at the reefing point. The sail had to come down and we continued only with the Genoa. Earthling’s sails are old and we have no spare sails. Hopefully by next season I can get a new main sail and patch the old one and keep it as a spare. If someone out there has an old main sail or Genoa for an Islander 36’ that is laying around with no use, Earthling would love to obtain it.      

St. Georges

Grenada is one prominent Island that offers a little bit of everything. This is a place where all cruisers come together. Many stay anchored in one of the quite few bays for the entire hurricane season, like our friends Mike and Rebecca that we have had the pleasure to cruise with since February. Moreover, you will not be bored here, there are tons of activities to participate in for everyday of the week. You name it, beach volleyball, dinghy concert, yoga seasons, jam seasons, hashes, fish Fridays, hamburger nights, pizza nights, trivia nights, and many many more. Since arriving in Grenada, we have united with couple dozens of cruisers that we met in various Islands since George Town in the Bahamas. Incidentally, the capital of Grenada is St. George, which I consider one of the prettiest cities in the West Indies, not only because we have the same name but St. George has a vintage charming look and feel to it. The city is build over several rolling hills, driving up and down the steep narrow streets could remind one of San Francisco.

St. Georges

 Cruisers reunite, Prickly bay

Unfortunately, we have not had the opportunity to explore the wild and unspoiled part of Grenada yet, but there are many water falls, rivers, and golden beaches. Mount St. Catherine is the highest point of the Island, which I would love to hike up to. There are several large and small marinas, marine stores, and haul out facilities as well as a variety of supermarkets, hardware stores and plenty of restaurants and hotels to choose from. The locals we have met are friendly and welcoming. We have been anchored off Hog Island, which is a delightful calm anchorage. Five to fifteen-minute dinghy ride with the outboard brings us to Clarkes Court Bay and Whisper Cove Marina to the East and Secret Harbor Marina and Prickly bay to the West. Grenada could be considered the friendliest developed big island of the West Indies.      

I'm quick, the captain named me Quickie

I'm Lizzy & looking for bugs

Recently insects like cockroaches have been spotted aboard. Most likely they have been brought on with the cardboard boxes that come with groceries. One common way to get rid of them is to mix boric acid with fresh water and set it around the boat. We have not been able to find boric acid but there are plenty of Lizards on land. Lizards eat bugs, roaches, and the eggs of them. We have been successful to catch a couple of these reptiles and bring them aboard to help us clean up cockroaches. Lizzie & Quickie will live on Earthling to keep the bugs off while we are gone.

The time for this leg of Earthling adventure is winding down. In two days Earthling will be hauled out for the hurricane season and in a week we are flying back to land-life in the U.S. Stay tuned for hurricane dry storage tips!

Thanks to everyone for following

Love from Grenada

Minor Casualty Aboard - Part Two

Written by Kelly

2:30pm

It was a hot day (duh!), the middle of the day, when the sun is highest in the sky. We already had lunch and I fell asleep reading a book that I’m not really interested in, but I’m trying to get through anyways. When I opened my eyes I knew I needed to jump in the water to refresh myself. I asked Nico and George if they’d like to swim to the beach with me and swing on the rope swing. George passed; he said he wanted to finish writing something for the blog. But Nico seemed enthusiastic and put his book down, and within moments we were on our way. Since we’ve been here at this anchorage we are a perfect distance to swim to shore and also are able to see the locals and visitors swinging from the tall palm tree. When we got there, the smaller palm had younger kids swinging from the rope, and the bigger kids, if able or crazy enough to, climb up a steeper palm to swing from a taller height. A young man went before me and showed me how to climb up. I threw the line up to him and he swung a few times almost knocking into the tree on his back swing, but then finally let go of the rope while he was over the water and landed smoothly. After watching him, I figured I was ready. Once I was up the hand made steps on the palm, I felt the adrenaline kicking in, and that in itself is a thrill! He passed the rope up to me and at the same moment, I remember Nico had swung from the lower palm first and after a few swings he let go over the water but the way he landed in shallow water, had hurt his tailbone. So my reasoning is, if I let go of the rope on the first swing there won’t be the possibility of banging myself into a palm on the way back and that I’ll have more momentum to get myself over deeper water. That wasn’t the case… I landed in less than 4 feet of water just under waist deep. I felt the ground, and I felt it hard on my feet! I collapsed under the water and knew I had hurt something, my feet were throbbing. So I lengthened my body on the surface of the water, supporting myself with just my arms. For the moment, I was trying to figure out if I could even stand. I couldn’t. The thought of even touching my feet to the ground made them hurt. So I pulled myself up the sand, my feet trailing behind me, and then turned to face the water. I yelled out to Nico, up by the swing, to not let go of the rope, we didn’t need another minor casualty aboard!

3:45pm

Mike and Rebecca from Zero to Cruising had just arrived on the beach. They came over to me because they wanted to ask how the swing was. I told them & Nico I hurt myself bad. I didn’t want to make a scene so I kept calm.  At this point I felt my body going into shock and I was shaking from the amount of pain I was feeling, mixed with the adrenaline. I couldn’t put any weight on my left foot, and my right foot could take a tiny bit, but not much. Then we look up and see George getting in the dinghy to come to the beach where we were. He knew something was wrong. He later told me he had looked out at us to take a picture and saw me lying on the beach with everyone crowded around. George gets me in the dinghy and Nico swims back. The pain is now so powerful I’m worried and don’t realize much of what’s going on. Thank god we have ice to put on my left foot right away. It melts quickly and Rebecca rides over in there dinghy to bring us more. I’m still salty and wet, and full of sand, so George helps me rinse off and get into clothes. We joke that now he can pick out the panties I’m going to where! The swelling continues and pain persists, we decide it’s time to go to the hospital. I had taken some Paracetamol which is a pain reliever but a weak anti-inflammatory. Luckily we have a handy-dandy Marine Medical Kit aboard and find a multi-purpose splint and ace-bandage to stabilize my left foot for the dinghy ride. Then the fun part… getting to the hospital.

4:30pm

We have to get me in to the dinghy first, which isn’t even easy when you’re not gimpy! The ride to shore was a success, although I did get a little salty since we were heading straight into the wind. When we get to the fisherman’s dock, which we heard is the closest to the street the hospital is on; George carries me to the 1^st intersection. It’s the busiest one in the village so there’s a chance to catch a ride quickly. Everyone is staring at us wondering what had happened. We obviously had concerned looks on our faces! A local woman points to a “bus” across the street that is dropping off a full load of people. George carries me over and I pull myself in the side door. The buses here are more like passenger/ minivans. We are relieved that the driver can take us up the steep street quickly, because I wasn’t going to make George or Nico carry me all that way! We arrive at the drop off area of the hospital, go in, and see no-one.

5pm

George sets me down on some benches so I can keep my foot elevated. He and Nico look around for someone, anybody! Finally, there’s a nurse in a separate room and he brings me to her. They put me on a gurney and she un-wraps the ace bandage and takes a look at my foot. It’s absolutely awful looking… swollen, bruised, and puffy in the strangest spots. I didn’t even recognize my own foot (Except for the long gangly toes!)! The nurse then called the doctor and he arrived within 20-30 minutes. He took a look at my foot inspected it a little, and said I needed an x-ray. The hospital here in Portsmouth is not equipped with a computer, let alone an x-ray machine. So they tell us I have to go to Roseau (the capital) which happens to be on the south end of the island 50 miles away. Luckily, they have ONE ambulance in town and it can take me and one other person.  We had our handheld VHF (we always take with us) and call Mike and Rebecca to ask if they could pick up Nico from shore so we could leave our dinghy at the dock for when George and I get back.

6:15pm

From the ambulance, the sunset was stunning that evening and we were fortunate enough to see it from an elevated height up on the road that ran along the lush mountainous coast.

7pm

When we arrived in Roseau, the emergency area had a ton of different people waiting in wheelchairs, stretchers, and standing everywhere. Complete with crack heads that were quite enterntaining! The nurses all dressed in white uniforms, with white stockings and even white nurse hats. It was like right out of the movies! So I waited in a wheelchair since there weren’t any benches. Waiting… waiting… waiting…

9pm

I was called into a room where a doctor, a student doctor, a nurse, and a “higher up” doctor were. They started discussing 3 different patients x-rays. All the while, I’m still in so much pain and just want an answer. Is it broken?  Will I need surgery?  Maybe it’s just a sprain? The top doctor informs the other doctor, while holding up the image of my foot, that mine is a fracture. A WHAT?! Yes, a fracture… heal fracture, that is. Shit! All these thoughts start going through my head: How am I gonna do this living on the boat? How am I going to get crutches? How am I going to shower? I mean, I wash myself by jumping off the back of the boat! How am I going to sail? How am I going to get to and from the dinghy? I’m overwhelmed with the news.

9:20pm

A cast for 6 weeks they tell me…

It’s finally time to get the cast, or should I say; time to go to art class with paper machete. Seriously. The 2 student doctors put this cast on and I’m pretty sure I could have done it better myself. This cast is from right below my knee down to the second joint in my toes. I’m alright with that part, because he said it will keep the joint in my ankle from bending, but I didn't get to pick the color! ;) It was soft in some spots until 48 hours later I was able to get it re-enforced at the local hospital back here in Portsmouth. No worries now!

1am

Yes, you read that correctly; we waited this long for the next available ambulance to take us back home. I’m still in pain and uncomfortable. The ambulance ride back home wasn’t very pleasant. The driver drove so recklessly that is scared us. The roads here are steep and narrow which is not a good combination for speed. In the back of the ambulance I’m bracing myself on the gurney wishing I was strapped to it! I don’t want to ruin the cast that hasn’t even cured all the way! Next to me, and extremely concerned, George is on the bench, holding on for dear life so he doesn’t crash into me!

1:45am

When we arrived, George again carried me down the dock to the dinghy. (Man! Good thing he's strong!) The moon wasn’t out so it was unusually dark and the ride back to the boat was cold and windy.

2am

Finally home. Exhausted and starving. What a day! I’ve never had a cast, so I don’t know what to expect, except that this is going to be an uncomfortable 1^st night. Even though I’m worn-out, I can’t sleep. The swelling in the cast was very uncomfortable and I toss and turn all night. I’m officially a cripple. I’ve always taken my 2 feet for granted. Now I truly appreciate the ability to walk naturally with both legs and feet, especially considering my “active lifestyle”.

After 3 days of careful consideration, George and I have decided it would be best for my recovery that I fly back home to Chicago. Firstmate Bailey will be departing early this season :(....

Farewell Antigua

Yacht Racing in Antigua

The last couple of days in Antigua ended with an anchorage in Falmouth Harbour, next to our friends on Equinox. It feels great to come across friends in different part of the Caribbean. We originally met Ron and Karyn in Turks and Caicos. Then, after six months we saw them in St. Croix, and now our paths have crossed again in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua. It’s also so exciting to hear friends calling you on the radio out of the blue. Our last night in Antigua, we heard Unicorn calling us, whom we met in Conception Island in the Bahamas almost a year ago. Håkan and Anna Karin, aboard Unicorn, sailed in from Dominica, going north-bound and we are going south-bound to Guadeloupe. We were going to be in the same place for less than 12 hours, so we had to get together. There was a full house aboard Earthling the last night in Antigua.

Full House Aboard Earthling

Our overall experience in Antigua was great except for one occurrence! A negative experience that is worth sharing with other cruisers who might visit Antigua. Our port of entry in Antigua was Jolly Harbour and the custom officers were very helpful and nice, which I wrote about in “Welcoming Antigua”. It cost $30EC ($11US) to check in and according to the official at Jolly Harbour, there would not be any other fees to checkout! Since we had to sail south to Guadeloupe, it was most convenient to check out from English Harbour by Nelson’s Dock. Our friends on Zero to Cruising told us that they had to pay $70EC ($26US) to checkout, which sounded like a lot. I remember reading and hearing horror stories about the immigration at English Harbour. But we didn’t have a choice and I was hoping for the best. At the counter in front of the Port Authority, I asked the lady who was checking us out, if there was going to be any charge to check out, she replied: “yes, but a very minimum charge, so I can get paid at the end of the week, you will be surprised”. Indeed, I was surprised when I had to pay a total of $117EC($43US) to check out! I know that it would not cost that much at Jolly Harbour. At English and Falmouth, they charge boaters for anchoring, garbage and some other fees even if you come here to just check in or out. I would not do any immigration process at English Harbour next time I visit Antigua!

Antigua is the center for many yacht races and sailing mega yachts in the Caribbean. You see many beautiful, sleek, and fast racing yachts here. There are races taking place here quite often. Right before we left, there was a race that went from Antigua, around Guadeloupe, to and around Saba back to Antigua, a total of 600 miles. The Antigua race week is at the end of April and sail boats come from all over the world during that time. We could crew on a friend’s race boat if we chose to come back to Antigua during that time.

View from Shirley Heights

One of the highlights in Falmouth and English Harbour is to go up to Shirley Heights. You get one of the best views over the harbours at sunset. On Sundays, there is a steel drum band playing, there are food stands and hundreds of yachters and tourists  watching the sunset. We enjoyed this with our friends on Equinox and Zero to Cruising. 
Right now we are anchored in Anse Deshaies (pronounced Day-ay), Guadeloupe. Once again back to good wine, baguettes, and cheese, we are in France!!                   

Love from Deshaies

Donyaye Kuchak

The stay in St. Kitts and Nevis lasted 11 days and we had a great experience. All locals that we crossed paths with were nice and hospitable. They took care of us like we were one of them. Ultimately all humans are the same, we come from the same source and are returning to the same place. Helping and loving one another is one of our basic purposes in life.
Finding good calm anchorages can become difficult sometimes. Pinney’s Beach in Nevis is open, big and a relatively protected anchorage from swells. There are 30 moorings available free of charge for visiting yachts. The charge is included in the check  in with port authority, and only costs $3. Pinney’s beach stretches a few miles long and you rarely see anybody on it. Mostly yachties and guests from the four seasons resort are the only people enjoying it. The locals don’t lay down or sunbathe on the beach, they hang out at the beach bars and drink Skol (beer made in Kitts and Nevis). That’s how we met Chevy at Chevy’s bar and Pat at Pat’s bar along with their patrons. I certainly enjoy getting to know new people from different countries and cultures. We meet locals that have never been outside their own little island.

Von, Kelly & I by Pat's beach b

Many have only been as far as the closest neighboring island. Some have lived in different places like the U.K or the U.S. Most show an interest to know where we are from. That can mean a few different things, like, what was the last port, or where did the sailing journey start,  or where do “I” as a person come from? So I answer, with the places we have been, that I sailed from Chicago and my Persian-Swedish-American background. By this time we have covered half of the world and it all sounds like a dream! We come from worlds so diverse and far from each other but beyond everything, we are all Earthlings.
The cruising community is so small sometimes. If you’ve been in the Caribbean for a year or so, the chances of running into the same cruisers is very high. Especially when we do our best to exchange boat cards and/or emails. When we were in the rolly anchorage by Port Zante in Basseterre, a dinghy from a nearby cruiser stopped by. They remembered seeing us in George Town, Bahamas last year! Mike introduced himself and what a small world, he is on the catamaran “Zero To Cruising”. We have been following their blog since before we met and have many common “cruising” friends.
Currently, we are anchored in Hermitage Bay, in Antigua and just a couple hundred yards from us is Zero to Cruising. Last night we had drinks aboard ZTC and tonight Mike and Rebecca will join us for dinner on Earthling. Our dinner recipe will be posted in the Earthling Menu tomorrow.
So far Antigua looks like another piece of paradise and we can’t wait to explore it further in the next couple of weeks.

Love from Donyaye Kuchak

Donyaye Kuchak Farsi translation to English Small World
See photos of St. Kitts and Nevis on earthling sailors fb page