Grenada Carnival

WOW! Mal and I have had a fantastic time in Grenada over the past weekend as it was Carnival!

If you'd like to see more, please go to our new blog at www.suemalkoolkat.wordpress.com.

Hope to see you there, Sue & Mal.

A little trip to Carriacou is what we needed!

We need to pull up anchor and go for a sail!

Approximately 10 days ago we had a night from hell, or so it seemed in the middle of the night. We awoke to howling winds, rain and lightning. Mal got up and immediately yelled "get dressed" in a very urgent voice! By the time I got on deck the wind was worse than howling, the rain was coming in horizontally, lightening was cracking and Kool Kat was in Mal-speak, "all over the shop". By the time we could identify landmarks, we realised we'd dragged half-way across Prickly Bay and were dangerously close to another boat which was acting like a magnet. Mal was fantastic; he immediately put the engines on and tried to keep her into the wind whilst calmly issuing me instructions. We were edging forward but of course the anchor was now under the boat so it was tough going. The rain prevented us from seeing anything clearly, not to mention that some vessels don't use anchor lights or other forms of lighting, so we were creeping forward whilst trying to avoid any danger. Eventually the rain ceased and the winds lightened. The lightening continued which was a multi-edged sword; we didn't want it to strike the mast and knock out all our electronics but it lit up the bay so we could identify other boats. We finally anchored back where we'd been earlier and needless to say, we didn't get much sleep for the rest of the night. The next day we purchased a Rocna 40 kg anchor and haven't lost a wink of sleep since. The squalls that night were registered at 40-50+ knots so we think we've had a miniscule glimpse of what it must be like in a hurricane!

Sailing to Carriacou.

We decided to make a trip to Carriacou to practice our sailing and anchoring and to get some canvas work done on our dinghy cover.

Enjoying a quiet one post-snorkelling.

We headed off last Tuesday and after 4 hours of beautiful sailing stopped at Ile de Ronde. It is a pretty little anchorage on one of the small islands between Grenada and Carriacou inhabited by approximately 30 people. It was so gorgeous that we jumped straight in for a snorkel and a swim and decided to stay the night. There were 3 other cats in the anchorage so it was very peaceful. It's very tricky at this time of year as we constantly need to monitor the weather. At the moment there is a storm in the Atlantic that is due to pass through the northern Caribbean and should miss us but each day we have to check on it's status.

The next morning we headed off with only an hour's sail to our destination of Tyrrel Bay. The bay is more crowded than usual with vessels arriving for the Carriacou Sailing Regatta from 1-4 August. Volleyball mates Dave and Alex on Banyan and Dalynn and Glenn on Amoray also came up along with lots of other vessels from Grenada.

She's a beaut!

Kool Kat's previous owners, John and Linda, had purchased a new dinghy which was slightly different to the previous one so the cover had holes for handles, etc in different places. Plus there was some wear and tear to the fabric so we took it to Ully at Andy's Sails and Canvas and asked her to rejuvenate it. We gave her carte blanche and suggested she let her creativity go wild! As you can see from the photo, we now have a Picasso-like very unique dinghy. We love it thanks Ully!

The winds are playing strange tricks at the moment. When we anchored we were facing east. During the night boats moved to a more north-easterly position and by morning we were facing due north and nudging a mooring ball! By the afternoon everyone was facing west - very unusual in Tyrrel Bay, but by the time we got back from dinner at The Lazy Turtle, we were back to our original easterly aspect. With so much movement, some boats are putting out fenders just in case the boat next door swings around! The storm in the Atlantic was upgraded to Tropical Storm status and given a name, Bertha, but it's forecasted to pass north of us with a path through Martinique and Puerto Rico. Even so, I'm a little anxious but Mal assures me we are only a 5-hr sail away from Grenada.

Glenn at start of 1st race.

Dave and Alex decided to enter Banyan into the Regatta and invited Glenn and Dalynn and us to join them as crew. The first race was only a two-handed one so they did that alone. It was a circumnavigation of the island and they had gusts of up to 30 knots and down to no wind at all, where the current was actually dragging them backwards! But, they won in their class so the pressure is now on for the crew to perform well in the other races. Unfortunately, with the unpredictably of the winds and Banyan being a monohull, I decided not to race so my crew responsibility is taxi; I pick up and drop off crew to Banyan.

Glenn at the bar, I mean barber!

2-yr old, Andre.

3 Police on shore after firing guns and approaching boat.

Cop with shotgun, other police in background

Whilst Dave and Alex were racing, Glenn, Dalynn, Mal and I walked to L'Esterre beach. We found a little bar called Off The Hook which also doubles as a Barber Shop, naturally! So Glenn got a haircut and then we had lunch a little further along the beach at Sunset Bar. It was a regular sort of day; whilst we were there, two joists split underneath us so we moved tables, I got some cute shots of a gorgeous little boy and then three undercover cops ran past us along the beach firing shots into the air at a boat! Just a regular day in paradise! Dalynn grabbed my arm and tried to get under the table. I stood up and took photos with my iPhone stating it was either a joke or some sort of filming. We then turned around and saw heaps of police; one carrying a shotgun, one wearing rubber gloves, and so on and then realised it was legit! Unfortunately, my photos are a long way away but I'll include them anyway. The one with Mal and Glenn looking over their shoulders shows police down by a boat and if you look closely, you can see the shotgun the guy with the red top has down his left side. If you look even closer, to the left of the policeman's head you can see a local in a hammock, just chillin! After a few minutes, the boat was allowed to leave and they really made a show of it; laughing and jeering at the police. None of the locals could really tell us what was going on but one suggested the police had been given a bogus tip-off. Interestingly we saw the same boat later with lots of people on board driving crazily through Tyrrel Bay.

Update: the 2nd race has now occurred and Banyan did very well. Mal loved it. The results haven't been finalised with handicaps still to be taken into account but they had a great sail. For those of you wondering what I did with my time whilst they raced I tried a new sugar-free recipe (bliss balls), made a batch of yoghurt, cleaned some windows, swept the floor, wrote this blog and read a few more chapters in book 3 or Game of Thrones. Today, Sunday, is a rest day so the six of us are heading to Paradise Beach for some rest and relaxation. The 3rd and final race is Monday, tomorrow, with winds due to be lighter but with rain expected. I'm considering participating but as I'd probably be rail-bait and it looks like rain, I'll leave my decision until Monday morning. I've got my serious drugs ready just in case!

Until next time, lots of love, Sue & Mal. xx

Summer in Grenada

Summer is the wet season over here and most nights we have rain. During the past week we've had two days of continuous rain which means we either don't leave the boat or we wait for some respite and make a quick dash to shore! It never fails to surprise me how quickly the dinghy-cover dries out once the rain has stopped. Temperature doesn't vary much and is around 29C most days with humidity around 65%. Normally we have a breeze so it's good but, if not, it's swim time off the back of the boat.

This time I brought back with me from Oz a good rain coat (thanks Annie) and found a use for it last Friday when walking over to Secret Harbour for our volleyball game. Mal got drenched but Susie stayed dry!

Far too serious!

Pretty happy with himself! 

We've been playing quite a bit more volleyball lately (3-4 times per week) and, as I'm getting a little better, I'm enjoying it more:) Most couples don't like to play on the same team as their partner and Mal & I are no exception. Less arguments that way! Canadian friend Dalynn took the photos below including the iguana shot. It lives in a tree overlooking the volleyball court so we often catch sight of it munching on the new shoots. We did hear the other day that the locals have spotted it so we're hoping it will survive. It looks like a young one as it's not as large around the girth as some we've seen on other islands.

Mal in blue & Gagi in pink.

Mal & I on opposition teams.

Don't think I got this one!

Entertaining on the boat can be a challenge but we're getting better and we've mastered a few dishes. One is a Bill Granger chicken curry (thanks for recipe Rob Mc) which went down a treat with our guests, Gagi (pronounced Guggi) and Rudy, Anjelica and Dennis.

Gagi and Rudy

Dennis, Anjelica & Mal

My 1st bracelet.

Leather-wrap bracelets.

Gagi is an accomplished "beader" and has given me some materials and advice to get me started as a hobbyist. On those wet days when we can't get off the boat I need something other than reading, cooking and boat maintenance to do. Here are some pieces I have created. I've learnt how to do sliding knots which I like as a fastener. There are so many varieties of beading that mine is very different to what Gagi designs. Hers is very fine work and has a high level of complexity to the designs whereas I'm into simple, quick and easy, ready to wear! It's been alot of fun and I've now discovered beading has a massive following throughout the world. Gagi's website is www.ellad2.com. She and Rudy run a very successful business from their yacht selling her tutorials and patterns in five languages. She is highly regarded in the beading community and very creative. She's also a mean volleyball player!

Double leather-wrap bracelet.

  Well, we're off on a long walk this arvo so until next time, lots of love, Sue & Mal. xx

Back in Paradise

Hi everyone!

I have been back in The Caribbean now for nine days and it's great. Lovely to see Mal after my ten weeks back in Oz and fabulous to be back in this gorgeous part of the world (and warm weather). I had some problems getting back with delays, etc, but hey, that's travel for you! Mal wasn't too unhappy cos it meant I had time to purchase two volleyballs in Miami - you can't buy them here.

Mal in action

Mal doing his stuff!

A friend in Oz asked how I've been spending my days. Relaxing is the answer. I have done two yoga classes, played volleyball twice, started book 1 of Game of Thrones, swum every day and experimented with some cooking recipes. We also went on a Turtle Watch tour (more below) and yesterday attended a dinghy concert (always fun).

Me, down but not out!

Me not doing much

Yoga is free and hosted by fellow cruisers who find it easier to practice off the boat so they organise a venue. I'm loving getting back into it and attend classes as often as possible. Mal took up volleyball whilst I was in Oz and I definitely didn't want to risk my knees, back, etc, but after watching one game I was sucked in and my competitive nature came to the fore! Anyone can play and we have children (very good at volleyball) from 10 up to oldies (Mal & me!). Mal is in grey striped top in 1st two photos and I'm wearing the visor in the 2nd two photos. We make sure we're not on the same team or it could get nasty! Much beer is drunk between games and it's a great social pasttime. This day we had four teams of six and everyone loved the new balls. 

Hatchling. Google image

Google image

The Turtle Watch tour was a must-do for us after hearing so many great stories from other cruisers. Before we went back to Oz the turtles were coming in to lay their eggs and we were told if we wanted to see hatchlings we should wait until July/August. Well, we were lucky enough to see both activities: three massive leatherback turtles on shore laying their eggs and babies hatching from two nests! The photos above are courtesy of Google as ours weren't good enough to share but they give you a good idea of the size. The trip is a good 2-hour drive north to Levera Beach on the northeast coast of Grenada. We arrived in the dark and were given instructions by our guide about when we could use torches and how we should behave on the beach. White light torches were permitted through the walk to the beach but once we hit the sand we could only use red lights. Fortunately our friends Gagi and Rudy on Prairie Fox had lent us theirs. Due to the darkness, we had to walk in single-file behind the guide in case any babies were hatching and we inadvertently trod on one! She would alert us to any little tracks as evidence of newborns. The leatherback is the largest living turtle and travels north to places like Nova Scotia and south to Australia. It's carapace is flexible where other turtles have rigid backs and it feeds on jelly fish in deep waters, up to 3000 ft. They mate at sea and she carries the sperm to fertilise the eggs. She will lay approximately 60-100 eggs at one sitting, but she will do this 4-5 times a season. Unfortunately, they estimate only 1 in 1000 hatchlings survive. The hatchling predators are crabs, birds, dogs before they get to the water and thereafter it's other sealife or humans (fishing nets, etc). Humans also raid the nests to steal the eggs but slowly education is working and this is improving their chances of survival. We feel very privileged to have witnessed these amazing animals in the wild.

Mal, Pam & Chris

Kool Kat (left) off Calvigny Is.

Even doggies attend

Getting organised

Yesterday we moved from Prickly Bay to Clarke's Court Bay. We have anchored next to Calvigny Island in beautiful clear water. We dinghied around to Mt Hartman Bay (the bay where we play volleyball) for the jumble sale. It is like a flea market and is an opportunity for cruisers and locals to sell or give away items they don't need anymore. It's also a great opportunity to catch up. Mal is with Pam and Chris from Wild Cat who Mal recently purchased an inflatable two-person kayak from. The other photos are from the dinghy concert in Clarke's Court Bay in the afternoon. Great live music, beers, rum punches and lots of atmosphere. Even boat dogs attend - look for the Golden Retriever - she's one of two on Nauti Dog catamaran.

Whisper Cove meats

Clarke's Court Bay is well served by pretty marinas. We called into Whisper Cove which is owned by French-Canadians for a drink and to listen to some live music. Whilst there I checked out their 'mini-mart' which has some fabulous meats and cheeses, as you'd expect. Because it was my first visit they sent me away with samples of their homemade pork terrine and a feta/pepper mix. Whilst there we noted the "iguana crossing" sign.

Some of Jenny's produce

We also visited Le Phare Bleu marina where we purchased fresh bread for our terrine and feta. Then down to Clarke's Court Bay Marina where Jenny, an English woman who has lived here for 14 years, brings fresh produce for cruisers. 25EC later (about $12) and we had freshly picked rocket, basil and rosemary, mangoes, avocadoes, bananas, a plantain, a young coconut, a cabbage, limes and passionfruit. Back on the boat we took the top off the coconut, drank the juice and devoured the pulp. Unbelievably good!

We hope all is well back home, so until next time, happy travels, Sue & Mal. xx

Before and after the wedding in Oz

MAL:
We had eight great Caribbean weeks of fun, meeting new friends, having Jo & Bob join us for 2 weeks before returning to Melbourne for Barb & Dirk's wedding. We had just really got to know the boat and arriving in Grenada felt like coming home. We prepared the boat for my 2 weeks away as Sue remains in Oz for an extra 2 months to catch up with friends and be with Nick & Beth for Autumn's 1st birthday in Sydney.

The flight home from Grenada is fairly straight forward, fly to Miami wait a little while then on to LA rest up for a few hours then do the long haul back to Melbourne. But the best plans do not always go that way. We were almost 5 hours out of LA when some turbulence woke me and as I looked at the screen I noticed we had turned around and were heading back to LA. The short story is that the both fuel pumps on one of the tanks did not work and we would have not made it to Aus. So a 10 hour flight and a stay in an LA hotel courtesy of Qantas saw us fiy out the next day to arrive safely a day and a half later.

The wedding went as planned; the bride and groom looked gorgeous and were very happy and a good time was had by all.

After the wedding I flew back to Grenada on the Monday not without another hitch as my flight from LA to Miami had to get another plane due to a fault and my 5 hour layover turned into 10 resulting in arrival at Miami at 4 am! The Hotel was good and gave me a late check out. :)

Back on the boat life is good. I was on a mooring in Mt Hartman Grenada which is such a beautiful spot.

Kool Kat I Mt Hartman Bay

After a couple of weeks of organising the boat I moved to Prickly bay as access to the town and services is easier here. I have had my share of problems, the generator was overheating (cleaned out the heat exchanger), the water maker boost pump failed ( new ) purchased another and all is good, the batteries were not holding voltage found one was dead and so replaced them with 8 golf cart 6 volt batteries.

I miss Sue as first mate and my days see me changing/fixing/polishing something on the boat, playing volley ball with other cruisers 3 days a week, happy hour at the bar ( a beer $1.75 Aus) lots of walks, catch the cruisers shopping bus to the IGA and lots of reading and swimming. Have met a lot of interesting and friendly people who have sailed from all over the world and have such interesting stories to tell. I am in awe of their adventures and achievements when we are doing it the easy way.

When Sue arrives on the 27/6 the first thing we will do is the Turtle watch at the north of the island which at present is really special as some of the female leather back turtles weighing up to 500 lbs are laying their eggs and some of the previous layings are now hatching and cruisers are saying how wonderful it is to see both events especially the little ones trying to make to the water. Grenada is the 3rd largest site to see these turtles.

SUE:

Coming to the end of my time here in Oz and I am having very mixed feelings. Whilst I am really keen to see Mal and return to our Caribbean adventure I have had a ball in Melbourne and Sydney and it will be hard to leave.

Melbourne was a very busy time with Dirk & Barb's wedding and catching up with family and lots of old friends. The wedding was a great success and they were so happy! Sydney has been more relaxing with quite a bit of time spent further north with son-in-law Nick's lovely family at Copacabana, a gorgeous little seaside resort. The weather has been mixed and is getting quite cool now for Sydney but I've had a ball. How could I not? 5 weeks with Beth, Nick & Autie; I know I'm biased but she is a delightful child and   they make a great family unit.

 I've done some great walks in this pretty city and we have Autie's 1st birthday next week. I fly out two days later and will be back on Kool Kat by Friday night! Looking forward to warm weather, swimming daily and cooking some new recipes I've been testing on Beth & Nick. I'm doing a "quit sugar / paleo" sort of health kick. After three weeks without sugar my arthritis in my big toes disappeared! This gave me encouragement and I'm exploring lots of new blogs, apps, ingredients, etc. I'll give you an update on our next post, cheers Sue. xx

 

What we do all day

Someone asked me how we fill in our time so I thought I'd give a snapshot of a week on Kool Kat whilst we're in port.

Whichever port we are in we tune in to the Cruisers' Network on the VHF. In Grenada it is at 7.30am Monday-Saturday and keeps cruisers up to date with security issues, boat arrivals and departures, social activities, local business offerings and provides a buy, swap and sell segment. So, this is daily must-do for us.

Monday  31 March: glorious sail from Carriacou to Prickly Bay (see previous post 31/3/2014). Went to Prickly Bay Marina for happy hour and 1/2 price pizza night!

Tuesday 1 April: After breakfast, we went shopping. This involves taking Kitty (dinghy) into a dock and catching a bus into Grande Anse Spice Mall which has a very good IGA. During the morning we walk by many stalls on the roadside, one of which sells fresh coconut juice. He cuts open the coconuts and fills either a 500ml or 2litre bottle with the juice. I bought the large one for 15EC ($6.50AU). We also stopped at a mobile food van which had been recommended to us; a woman from Trinidad who makes the best "doubles" outside of Trinidad. These are two small pancakes that are placed overlapping each other with a curried chick pea concoction on top. She then adds four different sauces, one of which is quite hot. It is then rolled and wrapped ready for you to eat. They are to die for in my book and cost 5EC (roughly $2AU). She and her husband have tap water and paper towels for you to use after you've finished as they are designed to be eaten with your hands! Back on the boat in the afternoon for a little reading and swimming. Ricky of De Big Fish tells us he's closing in a month's time so we decide to have dinner there as we will be gone when he closes his doors and we'll miss it - it's become quite an institution for cruisers.

Wednesday 2 April: Lazy morning reading and swimming but Pete and Dee from Wind Lass, who we met in Carriacou, have arrived in Prickly Bay and drop by for coffee. After lunch I use my new dinghy-driving skills and pick up Dee and we both join 12 other women for Mexican Train Dominoes. I'm the newbie as I haven't played dominoes since I was a child and everyone else is very experienced; I think it's a cruisers' pasttime. I had a great afternoon; loved the game and it was so nice to have "girl-time". It's a weekly event so I'll become a regular I'm sure :) We have grilled mahi mahi from our freezer (see previous post in Tobago Cays 14/3/2014) on the boat for dinner and we watch another two episodes in the series, Downton Abbey. Yes, we're loving it Jennifer & Wayne.

Cooking class

Book sorting

Thursday 3 April: After breakfast we drop off two bags of washing which will be ready the next day. I volunteer with other cruisers to "sort books". Two years ago Scotland donated a large amount of books to Grenada and they've been sitting in Customs ever since. They have now been categorised and can be distributed to schools, libraries and community groups. Back on the boat and Junior Kofi arrives in his boat selling fruit and veg. We have bought from him before and his produce is fabulous; very fresh and sweet! We buy tomatoes, pineapple, avocadoes and passionfruit. After lunch we meet up with Dee and Pete and some other cruisers to walk around to True Blue Resort for a cooking class. What a hoot! We watched how to clean and cook curry lambi (conch), scalloped potatoes and rice and peas (pigeon peas). There were approx 30 people and we each got a plate of food to try - all for 12EC ($5AU). Unbelievable value!

Friday 4 April: Mal's birthday! After cooking a delicious breakfast for my beloved we go ashore to pick up our neatly folded and clean washing. Back to the boat where we do some maintenance jobs: Mal polishes areas of gelcoat and I'm cleaning the stainless steel. Mal's always doing something on the boat even on his birthday! We have a swim, do a little reading and then get ready for dinner. We have been invited to a BBQ buffet with Doc Adams playing at The University Club (St George's University) which is on the shores of Prickly Bay. We had a table of 20 and Mal shared his birthday celebrations with Steve from Starshine. The food was fantastic and we danced and sang to some great music. We missed you Linda Moorhead (another 4/4 birthday)!

Mt Airey Reader's Program

Saturday 5 April: Whilst I attended the Mt Airey Reader's Program  (see previous post 2/3/2014) in the morning with 10 other cruiser volunteers, Mal "equalised" the batteries. As we had a number of volunteers on this trip, I was fortunate to only have three children assigned to me. Previously I had eight, which was much more difficult. Quiet afternoon on the boat: swimming, reading, checking emails, etc followed by a quiet dinner and another two episodes of Downton Abbey.

Sunday 6 April: Our 18th wedding anniversary! We decide to take a walk around to Secret Harbour and then another walk in the opposite direction to visit a new cafe and for a stroll through the University's grounds. Very interesting - they have studies in medicine and vet medicine and many US students come here for the first few years of their studies as it's cheaper. They have students from all over the world and the campus has a real buzz to it. They also offer arts programs. We decide to walk around to True Blue Resort to have dinner at Dodgy Dock - another very nice meal at this resort.

I should add that everytime I mention walking somewhere, it is only after we have dinghied into shore so we are very reliant on our little kitty.

Monday 7 April: We joined 11 other cruisers for an Island Tour with Cutty. What a fabulous day. Mal and I did a tour years ago with Bruce and Gina but I was very jet-lagged and must have missed alot of it! Cutty is a local who knows everything there is to know about this beautiful island. I think I'll leave that for another post as there is alot to cover and this post is already getting very long.

Cruisers performing at De Big Fish

Tuesday 8 April: We visit Grande Anse Spice Mall again for our weekly shop. We're nice and early so it's over and done with quickly and we drop into Budget Marine to check on our order for a pump for our water-maker. Alas, it was due to arrive today but someone has mucked up our order and it will take another week. Not happy Jan. We think we can manage with what's left in our tanks if we're prudent and there's not much else we can really do! The afternoon turns miserable - rain squalls come through consistently all afternoon but it's still warm and we take a swim between showers. We are due to attend an "Open Mic" night at De Big Fish which starts at 6pm but it's pouring and we don't know how we'll get in there. Finally there is a break in the weather and we make a dash for it. Open Mic nights are when cruisers get together to play music and sing. This one was organised by Jan and Larry on Sea Bear to encourage cruisers to visit De Big Fish before it closes. We had a fantastic night with an amazing array of talent on display.

Well, that's roughly how our weeks drift by. A little boat work, shopping, swimming, lots of socialising and meeting new people, volunteer jobs, reading, exchanging recipes and stories and learning more and more about KK.

Thanks for reading if you got this far, Sue & Mal xxxx

PS: We're now only 14 hrs behind AEST with daylight saving having finished!

Today was one out of the box!

We had our best day EVER in the Caribbean today, and that's saying something!

We had chosen today to sail back to Grenada from Tyrrel Bay as the weather gods seemed to suggest it would be the best. So, up with the sparrows this morning and we were ready by 7am. It started out a little windy and we were a bit concerned about the boat in front when pulling up the anchor but all went well and Team Kool Kat were away!

We hadn't even left the Bay when rain clouds peeped over the horizon. We quickly put up the heady and the main before they were upon us. We had thought we might anchor at Isle de Ronde on the way down to check out the snorkelling but the weather suggested otherwise. We actually stayed ahead of most of it and kept looking out the back at the black clouds from whence we had come, very happy for our early start.

Confetti on west coast of Grenada

The crossing from Carriacou to Grenada was the fastest we have done in KK peaking at 11 knots; we were riding the waves and scooting along. By the time we reached the top of Grenada we were very pleased with ourselves and how good ol' KK performed.

The trip down the west coast of Grenada was gorgeous; fast and the clouds gathered over the island, not over us - we were bathed in beautiful sunshine. This isn't the first time I've thought the villages on Caribbean islands look like sprinkled confetti. The houses can be a collection of reds, blues, oranges, whites, yellows and my iPhone photo doesn't do it justice.

Just off the tiny fishing village of Gouyave we spotted a mother humpback whale and her calf. We'd been on the lookout most of the day as she'd been spotted in the region by other yachties a week or so ago so we were thrilled to see they were still here.

With the weather being so beautiful we decided to check out the moorings at Moliniere Point, the home of the Grenada Underwater Sculpture. We weren't disappointed, visibility was fantastic. It is a Marine Park and we are required to pick up a mooring and pay a fee ($10US) but, unlike Tobago Cays, I don't think you can stay overnight.

Pipe coral (Google image)

Fan coral (Google image)

We jumped in straight away and snorkeled straight off the back of the boat. We were astounded - we haven't seen so many fish - schools upon schools and such a huge diversity; barracuda, parrot fish, bright blue littlies, yellow and blue, pale blue, etc,  and the list goes on and on. The coral was good too with lots of fans, pipes and brains! And then we found the sculptures. They aren't too far down and the photo at right is when they were pretty new and is taken from the website. They are now covered in coral and fish are constantly picking at them making them a 'living' sculpture. There are several installations and this is just one. Check out the link above if you are interested in seeing more.

Underwater Sculptures

We snorkeled back to the boat, had lunch and then reluctantly got on our way again but we'll definitely return. We arrived in Prickly Bay Grenada about 2pm and then had a little Nana-nap. It's been a big day and it's 2 for 1 pizza at the Marina tonight so we need to rest up!

We also saw a turtle on our travels just to top off a wonderful day in paradise.

I've added a couple more photos that may be of interest: friends (Scott & Paula from Scherzo and Pete and Dee from Wind Lass) and a little boy at Tyrrel Bay.

Love, Sue & Mal. xx

L-R: Scott, Pete, Dee, Paula & Mal

Sitting on the beach wall at Tyrrel Bay