We all have to thank the local fisherman and the Pura Vida for setting up a great afternoon and dinner of Oil Down. I have lots of pictures for this. It was a big prep session as everyone was to bring cutting boards and sharp knives. We chopped up bread fruit, dashine, onions, peppers, bananas, garlic, carrots, conch, pork, callalou, lobster, pig tails, coconuts, etc. to make a local favorite over an open fire in huge pots. Yummy!!!
Splitting coconuts:

Chopping Bread Fruit:

Kids playing:

Tenderizing Lambis:

Grating coconuts and Tumeric


Mixing it all together:


On the fire with the dumplings added:

This dish is layered, much like Cajun Courtboulion. And when it is done, the layers are pull out into a pan so you can server yourself. The juice is from the meats and all the fresh veggies and fruits, This stuff is good. Last picture is the end result.

We are going to Hog Island late today for a fund raiser. Avanti hit a reef traveling from New Zealand yesterday.
Ah the cruising life, its all about Karma. When you need help you can always get it and when someone asks for help you always provide it.
I'm going to bring my iPad so I can take a few pictures of Hog Island, this is where the puppies go walking and swimming here in Grenada. We will be there all day on Wednesday (again I'll take pictures) cause I'm going to learn how to make "oil down." It should be fun and tasty! First photo is Rodger's beach bar. Second is Hog island at high tide.


I went to Secret Harbor today to by gasoline. We had a bit of chop crossing the point but I managed to stay dry for the trip. I filled up two 5 gal cans and the secondary dink tank for 160EC. Last time it was 180EC. Fuel is expensive here! Nothing like St. Martin or St. Lucia.

Yeh Ha!!! I was craving chocolate and found some 82% stuff in the kitchen in the cabin. I'm in heaven. Grenada has some of the best chocolate you can have. Yum Yum Yum.

After consulting with the dogs (yeh, they matter), we will be staying in the Caribbean next year cause they do not want to make any long passages. We will be here in Grenada until mid-November. After that we will start heading north to St. Martin or the VIs. So if any of our friends want to visit, yell. We can only take two at a time cause the boat is not that big with all the spare parts and equipment loaded on board.
I went to the Little Dipper for lunch today. I will have to go back more often. The food was great and the view is unmatched at any other restaurant in the Caribbean.

When I arrived in Grenada the water temperature was 82 deg F. Today it is at 85.5. and is getting warmer each day. I guess that's what make the hurricanes.
The warmest water I've been in this year was in the Gulf Streem that was 84 deg F. Since then all of the islands have been near 80 or 82 deg.
In the past I've only been to Grenada in November or December and then the water temps were 76 deg F.

Jupiter is doing much better today so I decided to leave them home alone so I could go to Nimrod's for the acoustic jam session. Only three or four guys were playing so it is not as big a gathering as the Brewery on Tuesday. I have not be out to party in a while, since Jupiter got sick. It was fun. Nimrod's also has some of the best food around Woburn, but I didn't eat since I had a really big lunch of local fruits that were one day over ripe on the boat.
Tonight, I'm really glad that I started with a Coke cause I took a couple hits of the local stuff (haven't done that in 17 years) and it slammed me. The impact caused me to drink water the rest of the night. I was zoned for a couple of hours.

Today we spent 4 hours at the small animal division of the University Medical School. Normally at the Vet, the Dr. and an Assistant enter the room and do the exam. Here is was different. The Dr. and an Assistant plus 5 medical students were in the room. Two med students examined Cinco and then two different med students examined Jupiter. Then each group presented their findings. Then the Dr. and Assistant examined Cinco and Jupiter and the presented their findings, noting the differences between the students and the Dr. Then all of the students had to listen to Cinco's heart since he has heart murmur that is class 3 or 4. Then they had to draw blood from the dogs for their annual tests. The students did a pretty good job at that, but the Dr had to draw the second sample for Jupiter cause the students couldn't find a vein after the first draw.
The Dr also quizzed them about possible causes for Jupiters cough and what the next steps should be. The students did good on that as well.
None of the students noticed the swelling in Jupiters upper body cavity, but the Dr did and confirmed with me that Jupiter was gaining weight. I agreed to have X-rays done for Jupiter.
In all things look good, no parasites, but the detailed blood analyses will not be back for a day or two, chances are he has kennel cough. The X-rays are questionable. The Dr. says that Jupiter may have an enlarged heart but the X-rays have been sent to the specialist and the main campus and the report should come back in a day or two.
Cinco has some new eye meds and Jupiter has some cough meds and I now know what over the counter stuff I need should he get another cough.

I have been anchored here in Clarks Court Bay for long enough to get some growth on my hull. It is starting to look disgusting. As of today I now have Pistol Shrimp on my hull and that is a very strange noise. You can here them firing their claws through the hull like snapping noises. I guess its time to get my bottom cleaned :)
I finally got a couple of picture transferred off my phone, but not all of the ones I wanted. Here is a picture of the Carnage from the Fort in St. George.

Jupiter is getting better, but not as fast as I would like. I'm till trying to find out for sure if it is Kennel Cough or something else.
Now for the HASH - I did the Grenada HASH this Saturday and it was a blast. The HASH starts at 4:00 PM at different locations on the island each Saturday. I did the walking HASH rather than the running HASH. You would have to be in extreme physical shape to do the running HASH without collapsing. The walking HASH was about 2- miles and was across Estates and up and down terrain. You go through cocoa groves, nutmeg groves, banana groves, avocado, mango — it is typical Grenada country side — forests of fruit, nut, and spice tree on fertile muddy soil.
My heart rate reached MAX at 5 times or more especially when going up muddy hill sides in the forests and farms. Mud, Mud and more Mud. Never were new shoes and bring a change. Bring 1liter of water or more, and way to carry that water so your hands are free when you are crawling up hills and holding on the roots while going down hills. It was 89 deg F and 94% Humidity, so you perspire and you will be soaking wet. At the end of the HASH you are tiered, muddy, soaking wet, and smell like a pig.
I drank a liter of water and once I got in I purchased another liter + a real Coke to get some sugar back into me. After that then it was time for Beer and there is plenty of fresh cooked food (Oil Down and BBQ Chicken).
The pictures below are at the start of the HASH and the post HASH ceremony.


On the way home, ShadeMan always stops at a local rum bar. We stopped at Omar's to have a few beers and play pool.

I got back to the boat at about 9PM.
Here is my certificate for completing the HASH.

I finally saw an ackee tree full of ripe fruit. It was beautiful with loads of red fruit on a dark green evergreen tree. Shame that most of it is poison.

Jupiter has been vaccinated for this many time but in 2008 he managed to get it. He sounds like a FOG HORN when this happens. I have some good medicine to keep him from coughing up his body. It usually takes a few days and for now he is medicated. When he tried to growl at me and bark he makes squeaky noises cause he roughed up his vocal cords coughing last night. He should be fine. We will go to the beach walking today (no swimming, as I want to keep him dry). I'll probably go to the Marina for their roasted chicken tonight. I'll radio to see if I can bring the boys with me.

I took lots of pictures last night on my small Nikon for Fancy Mas, but I can't get them off the camera. I've plugged it directly into the computer and nothing - I pull the memory card, put it in a reader and plugged it into the computer and nothing. I think I'll try the PC and see if it can see the storage. Nope no luck on the PC either. Guess the camera is bad or improperly formatting the memory card. Ugh, it is such a nice little camera. Guess I'll have to use the Big Nikon or cellphone/tablet in the future.
All the same, I had a great time with boat neighbors at Fancy Mas. We picked up the taxi from Secret Harbor at 4:30 and went to Port Louis. From there we walked into town and had drinks, then back down the road for some street food. I did the grilled hog fish with hot sauce (plus a few beers). All along the streets and side walks you could see paint and sand on the road. The paint is from the pervious 4:00AM party and the sand is spread to compensate for all the oil and grease on the street from that party.
The first parade group passed us 1 block from the Tropicana at about 9PM. The second parade group (a large one, about 2K people with light sabers and flashing hats) passed by us at about 10:20PM. There were 7 more groups and looking down the road of the Carnage all you could see was lights as parade groups were coming down the street. We left at 11PM to get home. So I only saw 2 of the 9 "crews" pass. But I think everyone on the island was on the Carnage last night.
I drank too much - not hung over, but moving slow today.
Sorry no pictures.

This is a great place to chill out. I went to the Brewery on Tuesday night and had their porter (more than one) and listened to music until 11PM. I'm planning on going to Nimrod's tonight for beer and music (more of the same thing). On Saturday they have a Hash out in Greenville, so I'm hoping to make my first Grenada Hash this weekend (I have to find my Asolo hiking boots). Carnival is in full swing with the highlights on Sun, Mon, and Tues. I'm trying to figure out if I can make Jouvey on Monday at about 2AM. I hear it is a blast! I'll have to bring my small camera and take some pictures.
Otherwise, I'm Chillin' in Grenada… What a great place to chill!
The first picture below was taken on the Atlantic crossing on the outside from Hampton VA to the US VI (about 1600 miles). This is serious "CY" as squalls are approaching us with 16ft waves and near gale force winds just as the sun is beginning to set. Then next day we had gale force winds for most of the day with Wolfe and Buck at the helm (sorry no picture of that).
The second picture is Cy and Carrol kicking back with Otto steering the boat in fair weather just after sunrise on Nov 12, 2016 about 3 days from our destination in the USVI.

The party season is in full swing here. Taffy's had music blasting from Sunday afternoon until Monday mid-day. They did turn it down a bit after the 4AM thunderstorm hit. I did the brewery last night and I may do Nimrod's tonight. I Replaced the kill switch on the dink and did some heavy shopping yesterday since most of the stores will be closed for a very long weekend holiday. Laundry, laundry, laundry today since should be a bit dryer (87% humid). It rained from Sunday night through Tuesday morning as another tropic wave passed over us.
I need to bring a camera to Clarks Court Marina to take a picture of a Cat that broke a mooring and ended up on a reef. It is horrible, the entire port side hull bottom is missing. I'm not sure how they will repair the 50ft Cat.
It looks like we are going to dodge the next TS, it is heading northwest.

Where do I go next? I could stay in the Caribbean for another year, just sail north and then back south for the next hurricane season. Or I could go down the coast of SA and spend a lot of time in Brazil and then make it to Uruguay, Argentina and then cross the Straits to Chile. That would have to be done by Christmas and that trip will be over 3,600 miles. Hum, I have to think about this. I could also hang out here and then cross the Panama Canal next year. Or I could hang out until May and then go to Europe. I'm not sure yet which way I will go. Ah life as a retired person, with no specific destination!

On Thursday a Tropical Wave hit us with stronger winds than Brett or Don had. For 30+minutes we had 32 to 35kts of wind steady from the south. Just after it passed us NOAA put a yellow X on the spot and said it would be going to the bay of Campeche. Good luck guys. It was a strong wave when it hit us.
We are waiting on the next one that is heading this way. Right now it should head north of us.

The vacation is over, so now in the morning I have to do boat things. I don't like that but it has to be done. Today I sent off mail, filled the gasoline tanks, charged the bats and pulled up our old dink and deflated her. I still have to roll her up and store her. I have to modify the freezer plates (the humidity is so high here that they frost over quickly). I went for lunch today but the place was closed, they lost power. I hope they aren't closed on Saturday cause that is steak and fries day!

It rained most of the night and all of the day today. A TW passed over us just before noon with winds above 30kts for about 30 minutes. The winds kicked to the south and the fetch build up in the bay for a couple hours. This TW is now a possible TS that will cross into the Bay of Campeche. They are saying we have a 90% chance of rain on Friday (so yes it will rain a lot). I did pick up a couple of books, so if it does rain all day, I'm set to read and nap. Carnival starts at next weekend, there are a few events starting now… This should be fun.

Going to Whisper Cove for pizza. Yum, I need a salty meaty pizza. I'm looking forward to this. I may not be as good as the wood fired ovens at Spice Island, but yum, I need some salty pizza!!!!
Cinco is back in the life vest of pride, I caught him licking the hot spot… It is cooler today, rain most of the night and day so temps only in the 80's. We will be going to the beach in a few minutes, no swimming as we did that yesterday, just a walk for the pups.
I picked up limes today for key lime pie and a couple small tomatoes for a future burger or taco night. The tomatoes need to ripen a few days. Paw Paws are starting to show up in the market as well as bread fruit. Yum, this should be a good eating month in Grenada.

It rained hard most of the night and for several hours this morning. The Dink was knee deep filled with water. And after I pumped it out and made it to Whisper Cover for the shopping bus, the sky opened again and dumped another 4 inches or more of rain. And when I got back from shopping I had to pump out the dink again from the morning rain. It did clear up as the tropical wave passed us. The dogs and I had time on the beach and lots of swimming and playing with other dogs. I also had to cook up a fresh batch of puppy food (part of shopping day is to get chicken and peas). I decided to pass on the Brew Pub tonight cause by the time I was done unloading, cooking and cleaning it was almost 4PM and I still had to take the pups out and refill the fuel tank (the bus leaves at 5:15 from Clarks Court Marina). Maybe next week I'll be at the Brew Pub.