Grenada

Hurrah we are finally here in Port Louis Marina Grenada having left St Lucia yesterday around 6am. In the end it was a fairly easy sail once we got some wind. The trip down th coast of St Lucia was slow as no wind so motor sailed for the first 3 hours but then once past the island some good strong wind down to St Vincent and we were making steady progress under sail alone. The engine behaved itself so fingers crossed all is well on this. Now we are here in the Marina we will take the opportunity to get the boat clean and tidied up before heading south to St David's Harbour where we are due to be hauled out of the water on Friday. The plan is to arrive there maybe as early as Wednesday so we can get the sails off and the deck cleared for lifting. There is a good chandlery here in St Georges so Peter will be able to stock up on bits he needs for the storage. We used a Damp Rid bag in each wardrobe and in the cabin whilst the boat was in Marigot Bay and these kept the inside nice and dry but as we only have on bag left it will be good to get some more here if we can. Although we do not have a cockroach problem it is always wise to set traps whilst the boat is in storage so we need to buy some of these also. Bedding and towels will be vacuum packed in a storage bag to ensure they stay dry. Clothes need to be sorted out as we have to decide which we carry back to England and which we leave here. Some of our clothes including our Moorings crew uniform are already stored in our lock up room in the BVI. There are probably lots more jobs to do but these are just some of the ones that come to mind now.

Ready to leave for Grenada

After a stressful few hours we are now all fixed and ready to sail. Peter has changed the raw water engine pump and put in a new impeller so she is all good now. We did go to the expense of getting the local Volvo technician to look at the engine and he supplied the new impeller but we already had a spare new water pump on board. So in the end it was a fairly straightforward fix and we are now good to go! Have moved off the dock again and we will leave at first light. There seems to be a little more wind today so hopefully we can sail rather than motor! Relaxing on board now with tea and cake.

Still in St Lucia

We set sail early Friday morning and had to motor sail as there was NO wind!! Unfortunately we only got as far as the Pitons when Peter realised the engine turbocharger was over heating and we were seriously low on oil. Topped up the oil and put in a call to the local Volvo Penta technician who was able to offer some advice and it seemed the mechanism that oiled the turbocharger may be sticking. So Peter decided the only sensible option was to turn around and head back into Marigot Bay Marina so a technician can check out the engine. Very disappointing that after all the miles we have done using the engine it should be a problem now. So to treat ourselves we booked into the Marina Hotel (discounted rate for boat owners) and had a good nights sleep with full AC for a cool night with no mossies! Breakfast was included so we have been set up for the day now. The Volvo technician is due at 11am to look at our engine and fingers crossed it is nothing too serious and we can get underway for Grenada tomorrow morning.

Back in St Lucia again

Flew back to St Lucia last night after a month gainfully employed in the BVI. A late night as we did not get onto the boat until well after 10pm but in bed by 11pm so not that bad. After a good nights rest we are now preparing the boat for her sail down to Grenada and Peter has been checking all the systems and engines. He discovered a coolant leak on the main engine and spent some hours trying to replace a broken fitting but has now managed to achieve a temporary fix which will at least get us to Port Louis in Grenada where there is a good chandlery. It is amazing we did not use a drop of engine coolant all the way around the world and now she is idle we discover a leak! Have turned the fridge back on and restocked for the short passage to Grenada (around 120 miles). The plan is to leave tomorrow after lunch and arrive in Port Louis by late afternoon assuming our normal cruising speed of 5 knots. There is a bit of a weather system going through at the moment with gusty strong winds and big seas so we aim to leave when the swell has subsided a little. We have to get Trompeta to the boatyard in St David's harbour by 27 June as she is being hauled out of the water on 28 June. The month in the BVI worked out well for us and flights and boat storage and Marina costs are now covered. It was actually fun to be working again and we had a good time with some lovely people.