The Appalachian Trail

We are still in Grenada, enjoying the sunshine, the salty sea, and the rum punch in Tiki Bar!

Joe is a very busy young man, with his head in the computer, and his dreams on the hike!  He is flying away on the 5^{th of July}  to the USA, to start this amazing hike. The Appalachion trail, a hike of 2184 miles, spanning across 14 states, starting in Georgia ending in Maine. 

It seems like the Gypsy blood is running strong in his veins,  urging him to carry on after sailing with Catlyn for 3 years!  Luckily he is taking all his camera equipment with, so we will definitely share in his adventure.

I will keep you posted, and if any of our followers are living close to the trail, please contact him for a plate of good hot food!

Prickley Bay - Grenada

We are on anchor in Prickley Bay for a whole week now, and it is weird to stay in one place for so long. My feet are getting itchy, but that doesn`t sound appropriate anymore. I think my gills are getting dried up, my webs are stuck….we need to sail again!

We are busy on Catlyn,  doing the usual.  Giving her a vinegar bath inside, unpacking all the lockers and giving everything fresh air, the boys  servicing and cleaning the engines, checking for rust.

It makes Catlyn a very lucky girl with all this pampering, maybe if we do it less or stop she will stop doing this to us. Spoiled girl! Just today I saw her  beard starting to grow again on the rubber at the sugar scoop in the water of Grenada.  I thought the water is going to be clean, but it is definitely not! It is definitely not a bay to anchor for a long time! But then again we are a bit spoiled with the cristal clear water of Tabago Cays etc.

We needed some fresh drinking water, although we make water with our Little Wonder. We need to clean the filter every time, and we thought it easier to get water from the Marina. We filled 20 gallons for 6 EC`s, not too bad, but we couldn`t drink it! It tasted like water straight from a very clean swimming pool, just cleaned with a tank of chlorine!

Marco and Natasha

Yacht Nauticat is close by, as well as a couple of other South- African yachts. Natasha came over for a game of Monopoly, and ice cream on the beach. We went to Tiki Bar to listen to the amazing sounds of new Dimensions Steel Pan Band.

 I stood there among them, in awe with the sounds of the pans.  We spend the evening chatting and dancing away!

But we were itchy!  We sailed to Secret Bay, Hog island  for a Sunday on the beach.

 We found the most authentic beach bar in the whole of our travels, right on the beach. Loads of people, yachties and locals sheltered under the leeking roof,

but no one seem to notice with the local rum flowing. 

 I am sure all the yachties enjoyed the fresh shower pouring down on us! The kids swam in the sea while the rain was pouring, chasing each other. 

We slept in Secret bay for the night, but lifted anchor the next morning  to reach Prickley Bay, where Marco can write his exams ( Maths).

Tyrell Bay.

The bay was filled with a lot of yachts, and we dropped anchor way at the back, for a peaceful sleep.  Johan and Joe went to a bar to find wifi and to check up on our mail. It was happy hour, so they rushed back to fetch Marco and me for a tropical rum punch at Lambie Queen Bar and Restaurant.

We left for Grande Anse, Grenada, and had an awesome sail!  The wind was great and the direction great, and no more tacking like the first time we were sailing around here.

The next morning on this grey day, and after Marco did his schoolwork, Joe and I went for some fresh air and a steep walk up the hill, just to sit and sit some more, watching the yachts coming into the bay, or yachts passing by…just sitting there and being….

The hunger pains got us up and searching for a supermarket, and we found the Foodhall, not too far away. We were low on gas, so we bought bread and cheese and cold meats and yoghurt for lunch and dinner and breakfast. It was still weekend and we hope the fumes will keep us going until Monday in Prickley Bay.

So far so good as we sailed into Prickley Bay, to anchor close to Nauticat to visit our friends, the fumes are still in the gas pipes and the kettle is still boiling. Marco went with Natasha to the movie, shown at Tiki Bar, but they lost interest in Queen Elizabeth and her history, and enjoyed running around on the green lawns with other little ones.  We enjoyed a relaxed evening with John and Denise ( Yacht Nauticat).

Denise and me

Sandy Island.

I saw something quite amazing! A relationship of total symbiosis, total love!  In the pouring rain, a pelican dove for a fish, and a seagull follows its every move. As soon as the pelican pops out of water again the seagull sits right on top of the pelicans` head. And the pelican gulps down the fish, and the seagull are too happy with a bite of leftovers. All the time sitting on top of the big birds head, balancing…

We were careful to put our feet in the water at the back of the yacht. The previous time we non-chalantly did that,and a fish came charging for our feet, biting them! Marco was the first one to try, and unbelievably, the little blue fish appeared, just like a little more than a month ago, and it went charging for the Go Pro camera! If ever you take up a buoy at Sandy Island, pick up the last one south of the bay, closest to the beach, and see if you meet our little fella.



Naughty fish preparing to snack on my heel!

I wish you could see the speed Marco propelled with his flippers and snorkel, rushing to the beach, to get out of our little Fella`s way. We took the dinghy and went ashore, following the boys who followed the girls! They visited old altars, rebuilt their old ones, remembering their friends and family, and build new ones for a new memory!  In a mixture of French and bits of English, they had a great time!

I snorkeled all on my own, leaving everyone behind on Earth, entering the world of the Fish. The sea bed was covered with grass and not a lot of coral, and it was amazing to see the new fish.  I hanged above the peacock flounder, watching him change colors,  swam with the evileye blaasop and then I got lost among the thousands of silvery fish encircling me, becoming a part of their habitat. The snorkel over here was great with no currents or jelly fish stinging me.

After a heavy downpour of rain again, and after giggling at the pelican and the seagull on his head,

Johan and I went snorkeling in these beautiful sparkling blue water. It took quite a bit of persuasion to get Johan from his book, after a lot of persuasion trying to get him to read the amazing trilogy, The girl with the dragon tattoo! Put these on your reading list, and watch the movie as well!

 

 We reached the northern side of the little sandy island, and in the deeper waters millions of fish surrounded us. There was so many that we couldn`t see the bottom of the ocean, it was just covered in fish! On our slow way back to Catlyn a huge spotted eagle ray circled us twice before he swam away in the darker waters. It  can grow up to 2,5 meters and weigh up to 98kg!

I ended the afternoon in the Spa! I was treated with a salty scrub, softly lifted and touched by the swell of the water, gently cooled by the breeze, and then bronzed in the sun…

...while peeking out from under my hat, keeping a watchfull eye on Catlyn and the muscular guy kite surfing, missing my son, Jaco!

We returned to Catlyn with the sun going to sleep...

Clearing in - Grenada

We sailed past Petit St Martinique, on our way to Carriacou, Hillsborough. It is a little town with over a hundred rum shops, and only one gasoline station!  Johan had to clear in his crew, while we walked the street of this little town.

We found a supermarket with fresh bread (ZAR 21), and eggs for ZAR 36 a dozen, and down the street we found caramel popcorn.

The clouds were dark and heavy, and soon we had to run back to the dinghy. We reached Catlyn almost in time, and lifted anchor for Sandy Island.

 The rain was pouring down, we couldn`t even see this little island. I collected 30 liters of drinking water and my bath tub was full of washing water for tomorrow! I do hope the sun will shine. Late afternoon when it stopped raining, we grabbed the chance to walk the island.

We saw the little altars we built a little bit more than a month ago with my family, and with Jangles` girls. We miss them all!

We were secured on a buoy, and we double checked it, because the wind was still very strong. I almost crashed my baby toe today, when it landed between the line and the cleat! It is such a little toe, to be squashed by a line with the weight of a yacht on the other side! Luckily Joe came to my little toe`s rescue, and relieved the pressure of the line, so I could free my toe!

Sandy Island is a lucky island! The previous time, the boys had the two girls from Yacht Jangles to themselves, and now there was a charter catamaran, Namaste, full of girls close to us! They dropped their mom and dad, and took the dinghy to the boat with the girls! We could hear their laughter deep into the night, singing and dancing and enjoying the evening with five new friends from St. Martinique! Tomorrow they will be having a beach birthday with the girls!

Union Island

Clifton Harbour

We had to clear out of St. Vincent and we headed for  Clifton Harbour, Union Island! It is a lovely town, with lots of bars and restaurants,

and of course, some good scoops of ice cream,

just quite overcrowded with all the charter yachts. 

Joe grabbed the opportunity to play in the waves on the reef, coming back with a couple of thorns from a nasty sea urchin! We stayed a little while for Internet, just to be touched  by the world outside again. And then we left…

The little island of Petit St. Vincent,  was on our list. It is a very quiet and exclusive resort, owned by a couple who sailed to the Caribbean, and who dreamt about owning their own island and building a hotel.  It is a breathtaking resort, with stone cottages hidden away from all.

If you need room service, you hoist the green flag, and the red for, do not disturb! 

Imagine… fantasize… close your eyes, and take a deep breath….!  Are you here with me? Can you hear the wind? Can you feel the heat of the sun in the air? Now…can you smell the soothing oils of jasmine, lemon grass? And then the hands touching you, soft, rubbing the oils. You relax. You only feel. You only breathe…

For a moment you spend with me in the Spa, I thank you…

At sunset, we walked the beach, enjoying the hammock and the white of the sand, 

meeting a German women on charter for a week. And she asked Marco if he likes being on a yacht, because she would like to bring her 8 year old son for a week charter next year, and she is concerned whether he would enjoy being without his computer and TV etc?  Her jaw dropped, when Marco told her, that this is not a week charter, this is his home, almost for three years. It is his home, his school, his playground, his life at sea!

Catlyn at anchor in background

We went over to the charter catamaran, and met the two young South-Africans, Andre and Liezl, enjoying their first week at work in the Caribbean.  We spoke in our own language, loving it!

Tobago Cays.

We had to try again! It was windy and rolley the previous time, and we didn`t enjoy the snorkeling. As soon as Catlyn was safe, we dropped the dinghy, and geared up for a morning snorkeling in the water! It was beautiful!  We saw a huge eel, a sea snake curling through the coral, huge variety of fish and beautiful coral!

Marco did some school in between, and after lunch we will be in the water again.

 We were stung by tiny jelly fish, and it burnt like hell for a couple of seconds, and then it is gone until the next see through jelly like creature brush past you again.

 It was wonderful swimming among the turtles, watching them gracefully in the water, nibbling on sea grass. The boys followed them, loving their world. The beaches are white and pristine, and we climbed the hills. Tobago Cays is model islands. It doesn`t matter from which angle you take a photo, it is gorgeous.

It was some kind of long weekend, so we were forced to stay another day in Tobago Cays!  We loved it, snorkeling, basking in the sun with the iguanas,

feeding the sea gulls, listening to the pigeons in the trees….