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Chinook Anchored in Prickly Bay
(Photo by Callipygia).
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We reached Grenada on June 5th 2003 after a day sail south from Cariacou where we had checked in (Cariacou is part of Grenada). Chinook was firmly anchored by noon in Prickly Bay on the south coast after a rough sail around the south- western point into the face of force five trade winds. The south coast is where all the safe anchorages are, south of 12 degrees latitude, in sheltered bays. Here we spent over seven months, getting to know and love the island and its people, making new cruising friends and simply enjoying stopping for a while and enjoying the warmth.
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The marina at Prickly Bay catered to the anchored as well as the docked. The first character we met was one Mr. Hilton Snagg, or simply “Snagg” as everyone called him. Black heritage with blue eyes, slow talking, this friendly, helpful dockmaster took our weekly $7 Eastern Caribbean dollars (ECD are worth about half CAD) for garbage and dinghy privileges, and was our taxi driver when we needed to get back and forth from the airport at odd hours.
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Prickly Bay was also nicknamed Rolly Bay as ocean swells often wrapped around the protective entrance and came right in to rock and roll the anchored cruisers. The prevailing easterlies placed boats at a right angle to the swells and at times they were so bad boats would leave to go to another bay for a few days. But Prickly Bay was convenient, having a small marina, cheap water, garbage disposal, a haulout yard, a chandlery and boat service businesses (welding and woodworking). We, however did not intend to stay there for the whole hurricane season as Mount Hartman Bay, five n.miles east was far more protected from any storms and swells
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Bradley, Deborah’s son and his fiance Michele came to stay in July for a week with us, and we sailed to Hog Island for a couple of nights, went to the famous Sunday afternoon BBQ on the beach, then on to the anchorage in Mount Hartman Bay before they returned to Canada. Unfortunately it was rainy and overcast for some of their time with us (the hurricane season is the rainy season), but they enjoyed the stay, sleeping outside in the cockpit when they could.
.We had a very reasonable quotation for a new dodger (sprayhood) and bimini (awning) from Spice Island Marine Canvas. Rodney and his assistant Jerry came out to Chinook to measure up but poor Rodney became seasick from the gentle motion of the boat at anchor. After returing four or five times they made an excellent finished job. Now we have good protection in the cockpit (where we spend most of our time) while sailing and at anchor from spray, wind, rain and most importantly, the sun. Our advice: never leave home without a good bimini and dodger!
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Photo: On the Hard; Brian working on the hull
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The fabrication of the dodger and bimini took several weeks. Spice Island Canvas did not have enough sunbrella material, but Brian was able to bring more back from Canada on his return from a quick two-week trip in June to see his sons. Chinook also needed to be hauled out for a week to have a thorough bottom clean, new antifouling paint and a survey for insurance purposes. It was then hull blisters were discovered, the symptom of fibreglass osmosis, alias the "dreaded pox”. After a mild panic attack, talking to many cruisers and reading informative articles researched on the internet, we were reassured that Chinook was not going to sink. We decided to make a quick repair job on the larger blisters and wait for a time when she would be laid up on the hard for a considerable period to let the hull properly dry out before making a much more comprehensive and lasting fix. This we later did in Portugal.
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Photo: Mike and Deidre (Cheshire Cat) with us. Cheshire Cat is currently making a circumnavigation - last heard of in NZ
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The bimini-dodger and the bottom completed, we sailed back to Mount Hartman Bay to wait out the remainder of the hurricane season. There was a great sailing community that summer of cruisers many of whom we had met “up island” and four who had been in the Dominican Republic with us during the 2002 hurricane season: Pergrine, Mystic Jade, Nomad, and Vantage Point. Many other boats were still coming in and out of Grenada, most heading further south to Trinidad (80 nm south) and Venezuela. Gamgee, the other YoungSun/Westwind we met in Dominica came in for a few months, and we met two other sister ships there as well: Coqui and Sequin which were both unfortunately damaged severely by Hurricane Ivan. Two other cruisers, Alley Cat and Fool’s Wisdom were from St. Catharines, Ontario (our home town) and although we did not know them personally there we had mutual friends and acquaintances. Cheshire Cat with Mike and Deirdre aboard (from Ontario) became great friends over the time we were there. So, as you could imagine, there were many, many parties, organized trips, potluck diners, book exchanges and happy hours and this community got to know its neighbours really well. The water was clean and calm enough to swim in, and we daily did. Even had a happy hour in the water one day with a floating bar (we all wore lifejackets).
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Mount Hartman Bay was also a base of “Moorings”, a catamaran charter company, there because of Grenada’s reputation as a good hurricane hole. The attached hotel complex had just been sold, Moorings was moving its boats to another nearby bay and the new owner began imposing extra charges on the anchored cruisers. Some decided to move themselves to other bays toward the end of the season as some unpleasantness on the part of the new owner had ensued.
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Photo: Nutmeg factory
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Among some of the trips of note were a circular island tour including a nutmeg factory and a spice factory (remember, Grenada is also known as the “Spice Island”), a trip into the interior mountains to the Grand Etang Nature Reserve (a huge volcanic crater lake and its surrounds) where we fed wild howler monkeys, a hike to Seven Sisters Waterfalls swimming in the cool pools below, and a soak in some hot thermally heated pools. We returned to Grand Etang with Joe and Michele (Peregrine) and camped in the rainforest, hiking on two of the three days. It absolutely poured off and on – well it was the rainy season…
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Photo: soaking in thermally heated hot pools
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St. Georges was the largest centre and capital of the island. It was a daily bus trip for 75 cents (Caribbean Dollars) - 40 cents CAD into this busy port city to the supermarkets, large market place and fish market. We often went in on Darius’ Bus, a hit-and-miss service Darry provided for the cruisers. The Carenage (an aberration of the old place name to “careen” boats) is a busy and interesting freighter port and the nearby anchorage in St. Georges is not particularly attractive, being crowded and shallow with a mud bottom. The sights, sounds, and smells of St. Georges were intoxicating on every trip.
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Photo: The Carenage, St. Georges
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Chicken seemed to be the staple of the island’s population and cooked on roadside barbecue stands, it was delicious. We figured if there were ever a poultry disease that wiped out the chicken population, the entire population of Grenada would also be decimated. New Zealand lamb was inexpensive in the supermarkets along with NZ butter and cheeses. Although it was illegal to do so, monkey and armadillo were hunted in the interior forests.
.Carnival was held in September and that was another exciting experience. Colourful costumes, decorated floats, bands and loud music with Afro-Caribbean rhythms, street food and drink, often until five a.m. (not us – we were in our bunks). Businesses were closed for the week, relatives in crowds came from other islands, and it really was one week of total, total party.
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Photo: the market in St. Georges
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.We never felt threatened or unsafe in Grenada. Crime did exist on the island, but were usually petty events. The police were conspicuous, young, slim, flat-tummied men. The people are friendly, always ready with a “morning morning” (always said twice) usually with a smile. They are always dressed nicely and the school children always in clean uniforms. Often in buses and in some of the smaller villages we explored we were the only white people and we always felt comfortable
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Photo: Steel band finals at Carnival
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SOCA is big entertainment fest in the West Indies and this year the venue happened to be Grenada. SOCA is a music competition where bands from all over the Caribbean from as far away as Jamaica compete for best bands and songs. Obviously it was the “best of” from each participating island - this year eight participating. The program announced “starting at 9 p.m”., but this was island time – Grenada time, by eleven it began – I think we left to try to find a taxi to Chinook at 3:00 a.m.
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The cruisers organized a tour of the local medical and vetinary university. This is a modern international university for students – although mostly are American. It has beautiful grounds overlooking the ocean, a fantastic library to which we went back to read some up-to-date magazines and escape the heat in its airconditioning. Most interesting in the tour was the cadaver laboratory where students were in the process of dissecting bodies. We had a close-up view of one with a graphic explanation from a Canadian student. Also at the university we attended a (very amateurish) movie written and filmed in Grenada about the local boogie man, then a Christmas music recital in early December.
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Another group in Carnival
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We had booked a charter flight back to Ontario for Christmas, so we sailed Chinook to Clarkes Court Bay were she was tied to a mooring with other boaties keeping a watchful eye on her. Debby stayed longer than Brian, so on his return Phil from Fool's Wisdom helped sail her back to the Prickly Bay anchorage. There he stripped the exterior teak trim to revarnish and installed a wind generator.
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.Photo: Hash House Harriers pre-run briefing
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The Hash House Harriers – that infamous world-wide “drinking club with a running problem” has a chapter in Grenada and that was a real incentive to Brian’s jogging. The club met every second Saturday somewhere around the island for a “hash” – an organized run through forest, up hills, along beaches, through backyards, across streams - all ending at a local bar where Caribbean beer (Carib) quenched thirsts and bar food was consumed (usually barbecued chicken or an “oil down”). An “oil down” is a popular Caribbean dish – more appropriately should be named a “boil down”, for it is a large pot slowly cooked outside which has layers of pork hocks, chicken, fish and - the secret - chunks of breadfruit. "Virgins" (first time hashers) are without prior warning ceremoniously sprayed with much beer at the conclusion of the run; no escape for Brian - but thereafter he took great glee in baptising virgins.
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The local cruisers who were ham radio operators sponsored a course for anyone who who wanted to obtain a ham radio licence. Brian decided that would be another “good thing” to do, as we had just bought a second-hand ham radio (just really wanted it for single side band frequencies). After six weeks of studying theory and practising morse code (the real killer) passing the exams was a big relief.
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Brian decided to learn to SCUBA dive during this time, something he had wanted to do for years. The main purpose now (in his old age) for learning was to be able to clean Chinook’s bottom – something that has to be done regularly in tropical waters – and the costs mount when someone has to be hired. He obtained his first level involving three swimming pool sessions then two open water dives; one of these being a fifty minute dive around a sunken wreck which was absolutely fantastic.

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We had planned to sail to Tobago, 80 nm southeast (not nearby Trinidad for various reasons.) The prevailing winds being directly from the southeast dictated we should go as far east as possible before turning south, so St. Davids on the southeastern tip of Grenada was to be our launching point. We enjoyed a couple of days in the quiet anchorage, until the weather was perfect to sail directly, but exiting the harbour we lost engine power as black smoke poured out of the exhaust pipe. We found major exhaust troubles necessitating another five weeks there, ordering exhaust parts from Trinidad and Brian building a new lift water muffler. Also the injectors were taken out for inspecting, testing and cleaning. Messed up the plans somewhat but provided another steep learning curve. There were some fabulous hiking and jogging trails from St. Davids, and we made other friends in the boatyard in this semi-isolated location.
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Instead of Tobago, for now time was running short, it was back to Prickly Bay for a week to make the final preparations for leaving Grenada and sailing north up the island chain (“up island”). We were very sorry to leave. We had enjoyed Grenada immensely. Had we not decided to cross the Atlantic we would have returned for the next hurricane season, and it is a moot point whether we would have remained to ride out “Ivan the Terrible”, the devastating 2004 hurricane which had Grenada down on its knees and wrecked hundreds of sailboats who thought they were safe south of 12 degrees.
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One day we will return. She is just too beautiful.


Steel hulled Fools´ Wisdom on the reef in Mount Hartman Bay after Hurricane Ivan (eventually dragged off and is O.K.)
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