Check out this video about us that our friends on s/v Bella made for us!
We spent the month of August “on the hook” (not at a marina) enjoying the warm water, bright colors and unique cultures of a small island community. The country of Grenada is made up of three inhabited islands, Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Located just a few miles to the northwest of Grenada and on the way to Carriacou is a small uninhabited island called Ronde. We spent a quiet week here with Patrick and Rita (Bella) as well as David and Shirley (Maeva). Our time was spent swimming, snorkeling and of course having a beach BBQ.
A video of our Beach BBQ!
The dogs played hard – we tried hard to wear them out each day!
We made our way from Ronde to Carriacou and anchored at Paradise Beach, thought to be one of the best beaches in the Caribbean.
From Paradise Beach you can look across the water and see tiny Sandy Island, a favorite location for cruisers to hang out.
We were excited to find some refreshments at a super cool local spot! As usual we were the only ones here since there are no planes coming or going.
It was a good day!
It was time for an island tour of Carriacou. We toured by taxi; whole trip took 2 and half hours. Aventis is circled in red anchored just off Paradise Beach (middle left on the picture below). Straight out from us is Sandy Island.
The highest point is 955 ft above sea level.
Boat building was one of the island’s main sources of income.
Time for a beach day at Sandy Island, so we can check it out for ourselves. Funny thing, we did not have it to ourselves for long. The Minister of Health for Grenada (the guy in charge of everything COVID) and 40 of his family and friends showed up to celebrate his 50th birthday. It made for interesting conversation.
We enjoyed a few yummy meals at Paradise Beach Club with friends during the month!
We continued to explore and found a lot of other boaters in Tyrell Bay, Carriacou. It was here that we met up with Stephanie, Jake, Rosco and Daisy (Dreamcatcher), friends from St. Thomas in the USVI.
The beach at Tyrell Bay had tons of puffy starfish. We think it was mating season and that is why they came to the shallow water.
Starfish up close and personal video!
We went diving with our friends while at Carriacou too! It was great to be diving again! Here are two videos from our friends that day!
A few days later our little group of four boats sailed back over to Ronde. Our friends Kent and Kathy (WindEnsemble) joined us to make us a group of five. We were looking forward to diving the reef at Ronde.
Unfortunately, our stay at Ronde was short lived. It was here that Chance punctured his inner leg on the hook from the sunshade. We did not realize the wound was so deep and when we took him swimming on the beach his belly filled with water. We rushed (as much as a sail boat can rush) him to the vet on Carriacou. Thanks so much to our friends at Paradise Beach Club to arrange everything! Poor Chance got 4 drains put in and stitches to close the puncture wound. He leaked salty bloody water for a week!
Our friends came to find us and check on Chance. And of course visit the local drinking/dining establishments on Carriacou.
Our friends on Dream Catcher created a video of some of the good times we had in Carriacou!
August is usually a big month for Regattas at Carriacou but with COVID everything is very toned down. We did however, on two different weekends, find ourselves in a great position to watch the Regattas that were happening.
As we continued to explore Carriacou by water, we travel north on the west side of the island and found a very unique little bed and breakfast with a restaurant. The view was amazing at Bogles Round House. One of the coolest things about this place is they make ice cream and it is sold in some of the restaurants on the island. They had 6 flavors for us to choose from. What a treat!!
We then made our way just a little farther north and found Anse La Roche Bay. This is said to be the most scenic beach on the island of Carriacou. It is a small bay, so some boats anchor with their stern toward the beach and use a line to tie the mangroves. Tim, the local chef, uses his low tech equipment to make some of the best ribs, chicken and lobster you have ever had. And the local music makes for a one of a kind experience.
August was a fun month of seeing new places. We are hopeful that more islands will continue to open up and there will be many more adventures.
Best Post ever. We read and looK at your posts together, so we are living your adventures through you. Between Addie’s Take and this one, we really get an appreciation for your new life. Even though the September boat issues came up, you are ready to live your dream! Love you, Dad and Julia
Fantastic! What a great way to endure COVID-19. I hope chance has recovered fully. Enjoy
Beautiful! Love it.