Back to High States in Grenada

July 2009.

Darn!!! Our new dinghy has arrived and it has a leak at the forward lift ring. Back it goes for repair. This of coarse means another day or two at the Marina.

We were invited to an Oil Down…This is a traditional Grenadian Dish cooked on a residential street corner beside a rum shop. As is the custom this dish is usually prepared by men. This dish more often than not includes local Breadfruit, chicken backs, pork snout, or fish (lots of bones), grated coconut, callaloo, tumeric ,and vegetables such as pumpkin, carrots, green bananas & green papaya thickly sliced. These are layered into a large pot, topped with very doughy dumplings, then cooked over an open fire for a couple of hours.

There's 42 cruisers this week which I think is the largest group so far. We're in Cuttie's neighbourhood at the corner Rum Shop. We were all asked to bring an h'ordeurve or dessert. Here Sam is getting in on the prep work.

Along with Leona who asks "is there not a sharper knife"

And Gail. They're preparing the root vegetables.

Here one of the local residents is grating coconut.

Randy with Rick and Griff (whom we haven’t seen since Trinidad). Griff helped organize this outing for the cruisers....

Thank you Heather & Don (Asceance) who also helped with the organizing.

Cooking over an open fire will take a couple of hours.

While a few cruisers were involved in the preparations the rest of us do what the locals do while they wait for the Oil Down to be cooked: “Lime”; sipping our cold drinks; yes you guessed Rum enjoying each others company and an incredible view.

We're turning into quite the ""social butterflies.We've been invited to Celebrate Batisite Day with our French Connection friends. We felt quite honored to be their token Anglophones.The French flag was up and we enjoyed soft french music. In the foreground Louis, Jervais and Louis' wife Marie-Josie. These friends are all from Quebec. We originally met them in Luperon. We also met many couples from France and had a fun but frustrating time trying to interact with one another in French/English. Oh well, we all did try.

Louis & Manon

Rand with Michel. Michel is a single handler on a 60 footer who has been sailing in the Caribbean for many years.

Marie France

et Gilles. We all took a dish to share while Gilles prepared and cooked the Tuna. Delicious food and great company...

We’re anchored back off Whisper Cove. It feels wonderful to be back on anchor, swimming in the bay. It's much cleaner than at the Marina.

Here's from left Margie who will be staying in Grenada; Heather who will be on her way to Trinidad; Terry will be off to Venezuela where she will teach water color lessons, (she has been teaching a few of us here her techniques) and Leona who is planning to stay in Grenada for hurricane season unless we can talk her and Bill into coming West with us. We all got together on our last night in Clarks Court Bay (Before we head back around to Prickly Bay).We lucked out with it being Hamburger Night and of course not many of us can not say no to a good hamburger.

One tropical wave after another is hitting us right now. This squall is chasing us on our way to Prickly Bay. We actually sat " hove too" off the Bay for about ten minutes as there was zero visibility.

Our first trip into "de Big Fish" dinghy dock with the new dinghy and there's an oil slick----time for her first scrub.

Scott and Sue invited us to join them at the Mongolian Restaurant to watch Scott “jamming” with his drum.

It was an extra special evening because Rum Runner (Jay & Jennifer) just arrived this afternoon in Prickly Bay. We haven’t seen them for at least six months. We had a great time getting caught up.