Reach Blog

3 Cole’s

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 09:04:04 -0400

Mark arrived back to Reach from Michigan yesterday following a family visit. This Christmastime picture shows him, his dad Jim, and his granddad in 1986... oh my, almost 25 years ago!

Market Day

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:55:39 -0400

A $1US bus ride will take you directly downtown to St George, the port town hub in Grenada. Michele tagged along with Steve & Marg (Lion’s Paw) and Keith & Heather (Shadowfax) to hit the Saturday market despite occasional rain showers. We mingled throughout the bustling activity and chose from the abundant local produce & spices. The fish market offered quite large tuna, sailfish, snapper & grouper at $7.50EC/lb (~$2.80US/lb) . Bags bursting & heavy, we had another cozy ride returning from the market, where the [mini-van] bus doesn’t leave the station until full of passengers (18!).

The System

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:15:27 -0400

A well-oiled system exists for cruisers here in Grenada that only took a few days of orientation by listening the cruiser’s net each morning on VHF 68. There are planned events offered every day of the week to suit all tastes (think art classes, movie night, happy hours, turtle watching, fish fry, etc). Granted, if you did them all you’d be one exhausted sailor... we’re saving up our energy for carnival.

Summer Home

Mon, 5 Jul 2010 08:05:29 -0400

We have settled in on the south coast of Grenada after a beautiful sail from Carriacou. Being on a port tack for months in the steady trades, any sail trim simply takes a twitch of the toe with our electric winch - how lazy is that?! Edging around the exclusion zone of Kick’em Jenny, an active underwater volcano, we saw fish jumping and birds diving. But even with two lures out, we didn’t get a bite! Compass Rose landed two tuna on the same route and seems to be the only vessel catching fish these days! The last fish we encountered caught us, by jumping into the dinghy. Now we’re convinced that as our catch keeps getting smaller, it’ll soon be plankton for dinner like Thor Heyerdal on Kon-Tiki.

Down Island

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:30:56 -0400

We have reached the country of Grenada, but not the island just yet. We first stopped in lovely Petit Martinique to take on fuel and steal a quick stroll around their small fishing village. It seemed industrious and very well kept, with school kids bursting with anticipation during a break in their last week of classes. The fishing boats resembled somewhat hardier Chesapeake Bay crab boats with their flat roofs. Down island, there exists a poignant mix of traditional and modern, epitomized by a wooden boat being built beside a modern speedboat.