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

Heading home to Grenada

We loved our short sojourn (10 days) in Bequia (pronounced Beck-way) and the trips we made to other parts of St Vincent and The Grenadines, but there is something very homely about coming back to Grenada.

This morning in Tyrrel Bay

Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou

 We arrived late yesterday in Tyrrel Bay, on the island of Carriacou in the country of Grenada, and we will spend a few days here in this relaxed little township before sailing down to the main island of Grenada and home.

Cheryl and the children

Participants of Bequia Reader's Program

I'm fed and I need a sleep!

Before departing Bequia I participated in the Children's Reading Program held at The Figtree Restaurant under the strict but caring and loving direction of Cheryl, Figtree's owner. The children learn English at school and some are really advanced. Others have tough challenges in life; two siblings have cataracts and have recently returned from Virginia in the US where they underwent operations. The young boy (7) in my group was thirsty to learn as a new world has opened up for him but his self-esteem is low as he is behind his peers. His younger sister's (5) operation wasn't as successful and she will require more ops. All this whilst being brought up by their grandmother in a tiny shack; their mother has moved to Canada and their father isn't around. I have included a photo of a baby who was there with her Mum waiting for her older brother. These little ones go part-way to helping me cope without seeing my little Autie! I had a great afternoon with these kids.

Deep in concentration

The time we spent in Bequia gave us an opportunity to do some maintenance on Kool Kat, re-stock our provisions and update my sailing knowledge! Bob Almond, you'll be pleased to hear my anchoring has improved out of sight but one area I have never tackled is driving the dinghy, or tender. Knowing that we'll be spending the next three or so years on a boat, I definitely want the independence of being able to go ashore when I want to. So, with that in mind, Mal, being the good teacher that he is, threw me in at the deep end one day and told me to take over when we were half way back to the boat. Boy was that an experience! I think learning to drive a dinghy is a good left brain, right brain exercise. Whilst turning the throttle on the tiller and pushing it in the opposite direction to where I want to go, I had to navigate through boats, buoys and swimmers back to Kool Kat. I was so glad to get back safely and without running over anything! I have improved after more practice and even got it up on the plane a few times but there is still room for improvement!

Mal purchasing our cray

We bought two lobsters (live) whilst in Bequia from the local boat boys; at 15EC/lb each one cost us about $19AU. They were so sweet and fresh!


We left Bequia on Monday and had a beautiful 4-hr sail with both the main and the heady up. We arrived at Tobago Cays, had lunch and then went snorkelling. Magic, the visibility was fantastic. We saw a barracuda, needlefish, stingrays, amongst many other tropical fish, and my personal favourite, the trunkfish; very 3-D (photo courtesy of Google). I know some of you won't believe this, but whilst we were relaxing after our swim, we witnessed a flying stingray! We're not sure what was chasing it but it was sure moving fast and became airborne twice!

Trunkfish: I love these little guys!

Beach bar at Salt Whistle

We stayed one night but the weather wasn't as good the next day so we sailed around to Salt Whistle Bay on the island of Mayreau. I was keen to do some geocaching so we popped into the bar first to pick up the wi-fi. Alas, no luck as the bar didn't have it and I didn't have the cache's coordinates. Met a lovely Polish couple over a beer and had a great chat.

Back on the boat we decided it was a bit choppy so we moved to Saline Bay for our overnight stop. Up early the next day and then off to Clifton on Union Island to check out of Immigration and Customs before leaving St Vincent and the Grenadines and entering Grenada. It was raining and wind squalls were coming through during the 1/2 hr crossing from Mayreau Is to Union Is. n was crowded with yachts and the boat boys were at us to pick up a mooring. The squalls were coming through and every time we tried to anchor, it kept dragging. Until suddenly the port engine stopped and we were being buffeted around every which way. We couldn't move which was thankful given the wind and the close proximity to other boats. Unbeknown to us, we had picked up a mooring: not at the bow but around the port propeller! Just as all this happened a strong 30 knot squall came through with the boat pointing towards other boats and us being held by the mooring rope on the propeller. We put the starboard engine in reverse to alleviate the pressure on the prop. Other boats dragged their anchors during this time and it was chaos all round. After the squall Richard, a Brit from the kite surfing school who also has the same boat as us, came on board and gave me a hand while Mal dived in and freed the propeller. We were then free and off to anchor somewhere else. With the wind and rain, it was difficult to see the sandy bits on the bottom but we tried two more times - each time the anchor dragged and we finally had to accept the offer of a mooring. We have decided Clifton has a mozz on us so it will be moorings for us there in future!

Mopion Island

After finally checking out, we sailed across to Petit St Vincent (PSV) and then Petite Martinique for refuelling. We sailed between two of the smallest Caribbean islands; Mopion and Pinaese. I think this is the island you were looking for Jo Almond; it only has a thatched hut on it and is surrounded by coral reefs. Pinaese is similar - just sand, no vegetation.

We then enjoyed a beautifully relaxing sail down the west coast of Carriacou and arrived at peaceful, spacious Tyrrel Bay. No trouble anchoring here and then straight in the water for a dip and then into the G & T's. We were exhausted after our horrendous anchoring episode on Union Island and are happy to spend a few days soaking up the carefree atmosphere of Carriacou.

We've got Americans, Paula and Scott on Scherzo, coming over for a sundowner or two at 5pm so until next time, lots of love, Sue & Mal. xx

Bob & Jo's Caribbean Experience

Hello to all the followers of Kool Kat 1. 

Home

Clifton on Union Island

We are writing to you on board this luxury sailing vessel, as the very first guests of the adventurous seafarers Mal and Sue. Currently we are anchored in the azure blue shallow waters of Tobago Cays. Now if you were ever looking for paradise this is it. A 360 degree view reveals small deserted islands which are, of course, covered in white sandy beaches with coconut palms that are protected by a shallow reef. But put on the snorkelling gear and Tobago Cays reveals it’s true magic.

Kinder kids on Mayreau Is

Bob filleting mahi mahi

Getting online onshore

View of Tobago Cays from Mayreau Island

A protected marine sanctuary with a sandy grass covered bottom provides the perfect breeding grounds for green turtles which swim gracefully and in abundance in the crystal clear waters. I don’t know about you but this experience has gone straight to my top 10 amazing experiences. A perfect day topped off by dips in the ocean, a gin and tonic, or two, and a few good laughs. I could go on to explain that the night sky sparkled like diamonds, but I need to leave some magic for you to discover for yourself.

Dinghy concert revellers

Our sailing adventure started as we flew in to Grenada to meet Mal and Sue who kindly gave us a couple of quiet days recovering from jet lag and adjusting to life on the boat. We explored the colourful Island of Grenada, swimming in waterfalls, absorbing the history and mixing with the locals. 

Then it was full swing into the social boatie life, with a dinghy concert to open a sailing regatta. Well what a blast that was. The band performed on a small tug boat, the dinghies rafted up to a floating pontoon with a bar or tied up to each other, the drinks flowed and the sea folk sang along. The music was great and the crowd loved it!

 

Yanni's Island Bar with Palm Island in backbground

The next day we sailed for six or so hours in not so pleasant conditions; I’m pleased to say no one was sea sick. The reward was the sheltered harbour of beautiful Carriacou. We went ashore and finished the day with a few drinks and a beautiful meal at the Slipway Restaurant. We left the country of Grenada when we sailed out of Carriacou and entered the country of St Vincent & The Grenadines when we arrived at Clifton on Union Island.

Pre-dinner drinks at Yanni's Island Bar

We have been on board for just over a week now and the gentle rocking and cool breeze as we sleep is providing for the best night sleeps we have had.  In a few days we will leave Mal and Sue to continue our own adventure, but not before sailing to and exploring a few more islands and relaxing or liming as the locals call it. Hang on, did I mention tonight’s BBQ Crayfish dinner on one of the small deserted Islands. 

My advice to you is to book your dates for your very own Caribbean Cruise on Kool Kat 1. We can’t thank Sue and Mal enough for the chance of a lifetime to join them and explore the Caribbean. We are already trying to workout dates for next year.  Jo and Bob .

Postscript from Sue & Mal:

Wednesday 12 March, Bob & Jo caught a charter flight back to Grenada for their early morning flight to Miami Thursday. We are going to miss them as we’ve had such a blast these past few weeks. They are continuing on their fantastic holiday and we are continuing to sail north. Thanks Bob and Jo, you are great crew and we’d love to have you back again. Can't wait to follow the rest of your journey.

Yesterday (Thursday) we sailed to Bequia - an island we remember fondly from our previous visit. We are pleased to say it is still as beautiful as before and we will now spend a week or so here. Breakfast arrived this morning via one of the boat boys: fresh croissants and baguette! At $2AUS for a fresh croissant delivered to the boat, we're happy :)

Until next time, love Sue & Mal. xox